Chores on Saturday makes me giddy

All week I try to keep the house picked up.  I feel like we aren't home much to mess it up, but it still seems to get messed up.  I rarely have time to do a good cleaning.  Heck, I sweep and I wipe up the bathroom sink, that seems to be it lately. 

So, when I sit down to make a chore list for the kids on Saturday, it makes me giddy.  They are old enough to be doing much more than I require of them, but I am getting better at delegating and training.  We've been doing this a couple months and it makes my weekends so much less stressed.  I make the list, the kids know it has to be done before lunch, it is done and then we move on to whatever other activities we have going on.  Whereas, before, I would ask them to do small things throughout the day, they'd get frustrated, I'd get mad at their attitudes, etc.

Some of us have discussed this and asked me what the kids do - it is always different, but here was my list today:

Everyone - clean up breakfast including loading the diswasher, make beds (which we only do on Saturday) and pick up bedrooms in preparation of being vaccumed - I add this last part, because they know that means if you leave legos or barbie shoes on the floor and they go into the vacuum they are as good as gone, even though you can see them swirling around in the vacuum.

Mollee - Orange bathroom clean up - including wiping up toilet, sweeping floor, scrubbing the tub, disinfecting sink/toothbrush area, etc.  Sweep off front porch and front steps. Vacuum all bedrooms upstairs, the office and the living room.  Put laundry load from washer to dryer when ready.

Tavis - empty all garbage cans and replace garbage bags.  Clean off deck - throwing away trash, bringing books inside, sweeping off leaves, etc.  Pick up living room - removing all toys and putting pillows back where they go, cleaning up games such as Monopoly that have been started.  Bring clean clothes to Mommy's room when dryer is complete.

Daegan - Clean up den - putting blankets back in box, clean up craft corner, put shoes and jackets where they go.  Wipe up downstairs bathroom in preparation of Daddy steam cleaning the floor and toilet.  Clean off school table area - throwing away school papers not needed, returning books to proper place, getting lunchboxes to kitchen for Monday morning, etc.  Clean and organize bookshelf in den.  Clean and organize Xbox game shelf in den.

Capps - Dust living room.  Dust Piano downstairs.  Organize and collect all books that belong on boys bedroom shelf.  Sweep all hardwood.  Help Mommy put away laundry.

Mac - pick up all toys in office (which used to be Mac's bedroom and the closet is still full of toys that get spread everywhere - just to clarify I haven't been playing while in my office).  Get all toys out of kitchen and living room area and put where they belong.  Collect all laundry and bring to Mommy's room.  Help Mommy put away laundry.

Mommy - dishwasher, laundry, dust my bedroom and a hundred other things that don't get listed :)

Daddy - steam clean bathroom downstairs (I have fought the "smell of the boys bathroom" for many years.  Steam cleaning has been the only way to keep it smell free for a few weeks), fix phone situation (we haven't had a working home phone for a few weeks, long story). 

And that is it.  I love making lists, so making this list and having other people check off the jobs is so wonderfully fun!!