Cheers to the Four Habits!

Going on my third full-time work week, I’m hanging on, and my house remains fairly orderly. We are creating several habits as a family that will help us remain organized during the week, so that the majority of our weekends are truly for relaxation and fun. In addition to family habits, I’m also developing a personal routine that is helping me keep on track in the mornings and out the door on time so that I’m not the (only) reason the kids are late for school. (More on those personal habits in a later post.)

For those who are questioning, I am indeed remaining true to my Beta-ness by working to keep an organized and neat home because…

1. I don’t want to waste time looking for something I need (combs/brushes always disappear in my house)

2. We need to get out the door on time in the morning so the kids are on time for school (they keep record of these things)

3. There are frequent unexpected guests to our home (and I wouldn’t change this for anything)

On that last reason, I want an attractive, comfortable home in which people feel welcome and kids are so entertained they don’t want to leave.

We are a family of five plus a dog living on two floors and with three bedrooms, and organization and neatness are just par for the course to keep the sanity. So far, the four habits below are living strong in my house.

1.     Do laundry… frequently. Alpha Mom loves her cute washer and dryer set, but this Beta Mom just wants to get in and get out of the laundry room as quickly as possible. I’ve found recent success in doing a load of laundry every other night in my non-matching, non-name-brand washer and dryer which I only feed generic detergent.

Specifically, I wash/dry the kids laundry together, fold and separate, and put it on the couch, all while watching television (after dinner and after the kids are in bed). The kids, in the morning, put their clothes away. Done! Alternatively, my boys (ages 12 and 9) know how to work both the washer and dryer – yes, they do! – and I’ve sent them down to run their own wash some evenings. With this habit, the piles upon piles of dirty laundry that I was forced to conquer every weekend have ceased. It’s simply very much under control now and what a difference.

2.     Grocery shop…frequently. I don’t have anything specifically against grocery stores; after all, they contain some of my favorite things – vanilla cookies, cheese, various diet sodas, Hot Cheetos, and so much more.  But I certainly don’t want to visit one every single day. What does work, though, is shopping one “big” time a week (my time is Sunday morning) at your favorite store (mine, of course, is my local Aldi) and stocking up on items we’ll need for the week.

My weekly $100 at Aldi goes a long, long way, and includes various school lunch items for the kids, various dinner ingredients, fresh/frozen/canned veggies, cereal, and bread, milk, and eggs. And, dependent upon what other staples I’m out of, I’ll also get those during this weekly trip. (I also always make sure I have the needed ingredients for several reliable deserts – Cherry Bake and cheesecake with fruit on top – because I can make these quickly for last minute guests or when we are invited out.)

So, in addition to the one big weekly trip, we also stop off frequently at the grocery store near my work because it’s very convenient – I can even walk over during my lunch break. These trips are usually to get my Lean Cuisine lunches and anything else we specifically need for that night’s dinner – including the kids’ last minute snack requests for their school events. How many times do I hear, hey, mom, I’ve got to bring 50 cupcakes to school tomorrow.

3.     Make the bed every single morning. Now, this habit has so far only applied to my own bed but will soon be introduced to the kids. (And realize that they won’t have any issues with it, because they are kids and they do what we say. Yeah!) There really is nothing like coming home to your room with a made bed – it’s just super inviting, and it takes literally 30 seconds. 15 seconds if you don’t use a top sheet like us.  

4.     Put those kids to work. Fortunately my kids are at ages in which I can exploit their constant bouncing-off-the-walls energy for around-the-house labor. (Seriously, how did I make it through the years when I couldn’t yell at someone to bring me a Diet Coke from the kitchen?)

Back to Habit #1, two out of the three know how to do their wash and all three can put it away properly. Habit #2 calls for them to carry in the groceries and put all the canned goods away. My little army does pretty well, and I justify it because I’m teaching things they’ll use the rest of their lives. Oh no they will not be bringing home their dirty clothes from college for me to wash.

What these new habits mean for our family is that we have at least a little structure around the house and that I don’t cringe when the doorbell rings.  Oh, and it’s nice to always have clean clothes to wear and food to eat.