Cleaning the house can be a daunting task if you are not organized. I hate to wake up and look around the house and think about all the things I 'think' I have to do that day. I decided to make a schedule and share it with you, When things get organized it is so nice to know what you have to do that day, do it, and relax. You might be saying "I have kids and I don't have time". Yes you do! I am a stay at home mom with 3 girls. I find time and so can you. You can get your kids involved too. They love to help mommy in their preschool years. Enjoy it while you can. Let's get started.

The everyday stuff

Here is a list of things that you should attempt to do everyday.

* Wash the dishes. My family of five has a load a day. If you are single or a couple, you may have less. Don't run a load everyday if the dishwasher isn't full. It wastes water and costs you money.

*Make your bed. Most people don't do this but it only takes a minute. I turn on my coffee pot and make my bed while it's brewing. When it's done, I get to check it off my list and it's a motivator to get the other stuff done.

*Casual picking up. If you have kids, they should be involved with this. I used to work at a daycare in the one year old room. My toddlers knew where to put the toys on the shelf and knew they had to pick up one activity before going on to the next. If a group of one year olds can do this, school-agers and especially teenagers can do it. Make them pick up before lunch, dinner, and before they go outside. You may have to remind them a few times but it becomes routine after a week or so. For other things besides toys, pick it up when you are done with it. Check out www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com for all kinds of charts to help get your kids organized. I have a rule, do it when I think about it. Don't tell yourself that you need to do it today. Do it now. If you walk by a bowl on the counter, pick it up immediately and put it away. Don't procrastinate.

* Laundry. This is, by far, my least favorite chore. It is a must though so get it over with. It will never get done if you let it pile up. There are a couple of different ways you can do this. If you have a big family, do a load everyday. I have a husband and three kids so I do a load a day. I do my husband's one day, mine another, and each of the kids get a day. I do towels another day and save Sunday for sheets and linens. Other people may choose to let it pile up all day and do the day's worth at night. That's fine too. If you have an infant, you will go through a ton of onesies and spit rags. Don't let them sit because formula will stain an ugly yellow color and the item will be ruined. Rinse out immediately and wash all baby items in a perfume free, dye free detergent everyday.

Weekly Tasks

These things should be done weekly. Pick the same day every week for each chore. Don't try to do it all in one day. That's a sure fire way to get overwhelmed.

* Clean the floors. Vacuum and mop on the same day. Pick a day or time when you have the least foot traffic at home...nap time or when the kids are at school. If you work all week, have the kids go outside or have a spouse take them to the park and get it done. Don't forget the kitchen and bathroom floors and shake out all rugs and mats.

* Wash the sheets. This is included in your laundry schedule so it shouldn't be hard to keep up with. Make sure you do it early in the day so you have time to get the linens back on the beds before bedtime.

* Scrub down the bathrooms. This should include, scrubbing the tub, shower, toilet, counter, and mirror. Put cleaner in the toilet and let it sit while you clean the rest. Don't forget to disinfect the trash can.

* Wash the windows. The best way to clean glass and not leave streaks is Windex and newspaper. Trust me on this. Try it.

* Dust. I like to use swiffer dusters for this. Don't forget to dust the fan blades, air vents, corners, moldings, and shelves.

* Clean the kitchen, Disinfect the counters, wipe down appliances on the outside, and clean the microwave. That's it.

* Disinfect everything! Lysol all toys, door knobs, soft surfaces. I also take this opportunity to Febreze the house. Get all beds, animal beds, curtains, and rugs. Also, fill up the sink with bleach and water and dump all the kids blocks in it. Don't forget to rinse them off and dry.

That's seven chores for seven days. If you spread them out, it's not very bad.

Monthly to-do's

These tasks get harder to remember because you don't do them all the time. A good way to remember is by putting them in your cell phone date book. You can set the alarm for monthly and it will alert you and show you your task schedule for the day.

*Clean out the refrigerator. Do this once a month on the same day that you do your kitchen spot cleaning and get it done with. Another monthly task is cleaning the front of your cabinets. You can add this in as well.

* Vacuum your couch. Yes, I mean lift up the cushions and clean it out. You never know what you will find. My couch cushions unzip so I take this time to wash them. My couch looks brand new every month.

* Change your air filter. Try to buy these in bulk and just whip out a new one every month. It's super easy and fast.

* Check your smoke alarm batteries. This is essential. You never know when these may save your life.

* Spot clean your walls. Go around and check for fingerprints and crayon marks. Don't forget to have your Magic Eraser...it's a lifesaver.

Quarterly projects

You can set these in your datebook or phone also.

* Clean exterior doors and sweep patio.

* Wash your curtains and blinds.

* Clean all the baseboards.

* Clean out the closets.

"Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it." ~Author Unknown"

This job is endless

All of these chores are just the beginning of a mother's job. This hub doesn't even cover taking the kids to school, appointments, soccer practice, paying the bills, cooking dinner, changing diapers, bath time, story time, feeding the animals or cleaning litter boxes, or mowing the lawn. If you can get all these things organized, your days will be so much smoother. Getting started is hard but if you take my advice and stick to your schedule, you will find time for yourself. You deserve it. Check out some of my other lenses for more tips on saving money and being the best you.

**Special Note***
To all the working and/or single moms out there...I tip my hat to you. You are my heroes. I do not know if I could handle all that I do on top of a 40 hour per week job.

Car Maintenance

Car maintenance has a schedule too. Having said that, most of us leave the car repair to our husbands. I think we should know what is going on with our car and when we need to take it in. Keep the vehicle that you drive your children around in running and dependable. Here are a few tips.

* Check your cars tire pressure at least once a week. You can buy a gauge that is a keychain or keep a small one in your glove box.

*Wash your car at least once a week and vacuum it out at least monthly. This will be more if you have toddlers.

* Change the oil and filter every 3 months or 3000 miles.

* Check all the oil levels once a week to make sure you don't have a leak or that you aren't out of washer fluid.

These are easy steps that you can do to make sure your car is running between tune-ups.