:: Weekly Cleaning :

Seriously, can I just say I hate cleaning.  I love a clean house, almost more than chocolate or wine, but the actual physical cleaning everyday drives. me. insane.  And, since being a SAHM, it seems like my house needs daily cleaning.  I'm not sure how one little addition can create such a whirlwind of activity and clutter, but it has and does.

Hence, the weekly cleaning list.  Daily cleaning, the rapid 15-minutes of power cleaning and clutter tidying I do a night, is easy.  On the surface, my house looks clean when, in actuality, it isn't.  But, I find that by doing a part of the weekly cleaning list everyday, I feel like a good girl who has completed her chores for the day.  And that I earned my allowance from the jar. ;)

This is what my weekly list looks like:

Monday: Outside / Garden & Yard / Car

• wash, dust, vacuum car
• pull weeds & trim plants
• avoid any that crawls or moves.  If encounter a large spider, it is a justifiable excuse to stop Monday chores and go back inside, where its safe.

Tuesday: Kitchen

• wipe all appliances, countertops, cabinets, doors, windows
• wash floor (my least favorite chore. ever.)
• wipe out garage can

Wednesday: Bathrooms

• wash floor
• wipe down cabinets, mirrors, windows, door
• clean out garbage & wipe down can 
• scrub outer rim of tub (Jody does the tiles... because he's better at it.)

Thursday: Living Areas

• vacuum carpet & wipe down tiles
• dust everything - picture frames, window sills, molding, electronics, books... everything.
• put my piles of books into nice piles
• wipe down mirrors

Friday: Bedrooms

• change the linens (aren't fresh sheets the best?!)
• dust all surfaces - picture frames, etc.
• wipe down doors
• wipe moldings and windows
• vacuum carpets

Saturday: Any chores that I skipped from the week.
Sunday: Off (usually) (well, sometimes)

Rainy Mondays are my favorite, for obvious reasons.  Laundry is done randomly throughout the week because I actually love doing laundry.  I love the sorting and the fresh smell and folding warm clothes.  And then, because I hate pulling laundry away, I leave it all in the laundry room until the piles are too high and threaten collapse.  Or Jody asks where all his clothes are.

Do you have any cleaning tricks to share?!  Trust me, I'd appreciate any help (or offers of help) I can get.  Except if you have a maid.  Then you aren't allowed to comment.  Unless the comment is an offer to share said maid.