justfortoday
New member
@europeanlutheran Ooooh to not have any kitchen chores!! That’s a pretty good trade-off for living in your in-laws’ house. Plus some free babysitting I hope??
New SAHM: What chores do you daily and weekly?
- Thread starter rudytoot
- Start date
europeanlutheran
New member
@justfortoday I do cook and do dishes daily, but don't really count that as a chore so much as a necessity. 
Oh gosh, they would be distraught if I didn't let them hang with the baby! They are in love with him. They don't really babysit since I don't go anywhere without him but they will sometimes take care of him while I walk the dogs or take a stroll with my husband.
Oh gosh, they would be distraught if I didn't let them hang with the baby! They are in love with him. They don't really babysit since I don't go anywhere without him but they will sometimes take care of him while I walk the dogs or take a stroll with my husband.justfortoday
New member
@europeanlutheran Aww sounds like a super cute setup!!
I totally count kitchen stuff as chores because it takes up SOOOO much time!!
I totally count kitchen stuff as chores because it takes up SOOOO much time!!
europeanlutheran
New member
@justfortoday I guess I forget to count the kitchen because I clean it on autopilot anytime I go in there.
gladysrivera
New member
@europeanlutheran Wait so your in laws do all the kitchen stuff? I assume you use the kitchen too? That’s a big perk if they take care of all the kitchen cleanup.
europeanlutheran
New member
@gladysrivera I think we all just keep it clean. Nobody leaves a mess, so it never gets dirty. We all take turns cooking dinners too. All dishes are washed and dried by hand, to my dismay, so nobody is ever really stuck with dishes.
madenew1989
New member
@rudytoot Between now and baby coming you really want to get a routine going so it's almost second nature to do it.
The thing to remember is that once the baby is here, it's all about doing things in little spurts. You're not gonna have 2 hours to dedicate to cleaning like ever again. I learned to operate in 15 minute blocks per hour.
Clean as you notice is a big thing. Oh this door knob is getting gross let me grab a wipe. When did the couch get so yucky...grab the vacuum. It's little things like that which will keep your house feeling tidy and clean.
The schedule I lived by when I had 3 under 5yo:
Monday- Bedroom day: dust, ceiling fan, change sheets, vacuum, Laundry: sheets
Tuesday- Bathroom day: clean toilet, shower, mirror, sink, sweep & mop, restock goops, Laundry: Towels shower curtains
Wednesday- Kitchen day: wipe down refrigerator, clean counters, wipe down chairs, sweep & mop, Laundry: kids clothes
Thursday-Living area day: dust, clean TV, freshen sofas, vacuum, Laundry: his clothes
Friday- Alternate: Week 1-appliances. Week 2-cabinets. Week 3-windows/blinds. Week 4-baseboards/walls. Laundry: my clothes
Saturday- Outside day: clean out car, straight garage, sweep porch, yard work. Laundry: catchup day
Sunday- Chill
Daily: make beds, do dishes, tidy up as you go
Quarterly: change air filters, decluter cabinets/drawers, go thru kids clothes
The thing to remember is that once the baby is here, it's all about doing things in little spurts. You're not gonna have 2 hours to dedicate to cleaning like ever again. I learned to operate in 15 minute blocks per hour.
Clean as you notice is a big thing. Oh this door knob is getting gross let me grab a wipe. When did the couch get so yucky...grab the vacuum. It's little things like that which will keep your house feeling tidy and clean.
The schedule I lived by when I had 3 under 5yo:
Monday- Bedroom day: dust, ceiling fan, change sheets, vacuum, Laundry: sheets
Tuesday- Bathroom day: clean toilet, shower, mirror, sink, sweep & mop, restock goops, Laundry: Towels shower curtains
Wednesday- Kitchen day: wipe down refrigerator, clean counters, wipe down chairs, sweep & mop, Laundry: kids clothes
Thursday-Living area day: dust, clean TV, freshen sofas, vacuum, Laundry: his clothes
Friday- Alternate: Week 1-appliances. Week 2-cabinets. Week 3-windows/blinds. Week 4-baseboards/walls. Laundry: my clothes
Saturday- Outside day: clean out car, straight garage, sweep porch, yard work. Laundry: catchup day
Sunday- Chill
Daily: make beds, do dishes, tidy up as you go
Quarterly: change air filters, decluter cabinets/drawers, go thru kids clothes
nunezjg1969
New member
@rudytoot If yall have the means, we got a cleaning service weekly once the baby was here cus each day is different for the newborn stage. You’ll stress yourself out if you’re trying and failing at keeping a cleaning schedule while being on newborn schedule. I would say during the newborn stage to get in the habit of starting a load of laundry and getting it into the dryer each or every other day and getting into a routine of sanitizing bottles/pump parts every AM/PM (Get a sanitizer! It’s so clutch!) we kept a big bowl by the sterilizer and would throw em in that til we sanitized, we bought extra of a few parts we used a lot)
I also say, if you have a village HAPPILY accept their help. I had people who just wanted to snuggle the baby and I would clean or rest, some people don’t like that but I like things done certain ways so I didn’t mind. I had others like my aunt and my MIL who would do laundry, clean the kitchen, do the animal chores for me in those first few months. Having a baby was what it took for me to accept and to ask for help with ease! I really appreciate that about motherhood.
Now LO is almost 2
and it’s a lot easier to keep a clean routine. Again, do not stress yourself out! If you miss a day or something doesn’t get done right away..that’s ok. My week
M: laundry/grocery shopping/library story time
T: Dyson the house/therapy/playground
W: chicken chores/swim lessons/gym
Th: run general errands/library story time/laundry
F: cleaners come!!! Misc. day/our night of take out or restaurant
S: baby soccer lol/try and purge/donate a couple of things out of the house.
Every night I have to clean the kitchen sink, I couldn’t sleep at night if it was dirty lol. But sometimes messes get left for the next morning. Oh well!
I try to do something I need to do, something enriching for LO and aim to get out of the house each day. I have found that it has helped my mental health so much. I have also learned to not beat myself up for not being perfect all the time.
We have a second hand baby shop that’s non profit super close by as well as a Salvation Army and it’s amaaaazing, I bring them my son’s stuff in perfect condition there all the time. I’d familiarize myself with somewhere close that takes donations. I’ve found that I hate all the clutter that comes with have a child.
I also say, if you have a village HAPPILY accept their help. I had people who just wanted to snuggle the baby and I would clean or rest, some people don’t like that but I like things done certain ways so I didn’t mind. I had others like my aunt and my MIL who would do laundry, clean the kitchen, do the animal chores for me in those first few months. Having a baby was what it took for me to accept and to ask for help with ease! I really appreciate that about motherhood.
Now LO is almost 2
and it’s a lot easier to keep a clean routine. Again, do not stress yourself out! If you miss a day or something doesn’t get done right away..that’s ok. My week M: laundry/grocery shopping/library story time
T: Dyson the house/therapy/playground
W: chicken chores/swim lessons/gym
Th: run general errands/library story time/laundry
F: cleaners come!!! Misc. day/our night of take out or restaurant
S: baby soccer lol/try and purge/donate a couple of things out of the house.
Every night I have to clean the kitchen sink, I couldn’t sleep at night if it was dirty lol. But sometimes messes get left for the next morning. Oh well!
I try to do something I need to do, something enriching for LO and aim to get out of the house each day. I have found that it has helped my mental health so much. I have also learned to not beat myself up for not being perfect all the time.
We have a second hand baby shop that’s non profit super close by as well as a Salvation Army and it’s amaaaazing, I bring them my son’s stuff in perfect condition there all the time. I’d familiarize myself with somewhere close that takes donations. I’ve found that I hate all the clutter that comes with have a child.
@nunezjg1969 the clutter!! I just had my second (and likely last) baby 2 months ago and I'm itching to get rid of stuff as she grows out of it. The closet packed with baby gear stresses me out
nunezjg1969
New member
@rufus1963 My SIL’s youngest is six and she had vacuum sealed packs of clothes still saved for the next cousin in their basement..HOW?! Lol
It’s funny, when my husband and I bought our home, we laughed at the excessive amounts of closets in it. Now, they’re full AF and I feel like I’m constantly purging
I feel like becoming a mom really made me understand just how deep we are, as a society into consumerism. It’s like, I scoff and think to myself omg I am not buying X, then boom, a minor inconvenience and I hop on Amazon and buy X.
It’s funny, when my husband and I bought our home, we laughed at the excessive amounts of closets in it. Now, they’re full AF and I feel like I’m constantly purging
I feel like becoming a mom really made me understand just how deep we are, as a society into consumerism. It’s like, I scoff and think to myself omg I am not buying X, then boom, a minor inconvenience and I hop on Amazon and buy X.@rudytoot I'm going to throw this article out there for consideration as well because I think a lot of SAHP and their partners sometimes have unrealistic and unfair expectations of labor division. This article I think hits the balance pretty spot on and that too many people believe SAHP also means stay at home maid instead of really recognizing that everyone in the house is responsible for cleanliness regardless of if they work in or out of the house.
@jazzy_j This article is great. My husband usually does bath time because by that time of the night I'm hitting the edges of my tolerance for repeating myself, while I can run around and get laundry sorted, tidy the kitchen, lay out pj's and such.
We also check in with each other about where we are at as far as mood/energy, just so we can make sure that we're giving each other whatever grace or space is needed.
We also check in with each other about where we are at as far as mood/energy, just so we can make sure that we're giving each other whatever grace or space is needed.
@rudytoot I'm SAHD of a 5 year old. I do some amount of cooking (whether new meals or reheating leftovers) every day. I also make sure to at least run the dishwasher every day to get most everything clean. If there are things to wash by hand, I try to do them everyday, but if it's just one or two items I don't need, I'll let them rest until I have a couple more things to wash.
I have a laundry schedule. I average one load of laundry per day. During the newborn phase, there was more because we went through so much baby clothes/blankets/towels.
I do the vacuuming and mopping once a week, but I'll sweep by the dining room table as needed (sometimes daily, but it takes just a minute or two).
Once a week, my wife and I sit down and go over our schedule and menus for the next week. I have a template printed out on the fridge that we fill out which works for us. Once a week we also track spending/receipts against our budget and pay bills together. That we we are both on the same page financially.
During the newborn phase, there was a lot of getting adjusted to what routines worked and what didn't. We'd try routines for a month or two, then talk about what was working and what wasn't, and adjust from there.
I have a laundry schedule. I average one load of laundry per day. During the newborn phase, there was more because we went through so much baby clothes/blankets/towels.
I do the vacuuming and mopping once a week, but I'll sweep by the dining room table as needed (sometimes daily, but it takes just a minute or two).
Once a week, my wife and I sit down and go over our schedule and menus for the next week. I have a template printed out on the fridge that we fill out which works for us. Once a week we also track spending/receipts against our budget and pay bills together. That we we are both on the same page financially.
During the newborn phase, there was a lot of getting adjusted to what routines worked and what didn't. We'd try routines for a month or two, then talk about what was working and what wasn't, and adjust from there.
laurencollins
New member
@laurencollins Assuming your family is good with leftovers, I try to make sure when I cook it will get us 2 or 3 nights of dinners. Granted, we are just 2 adults and a 5 year old, so it's not a whole bunch of food we're making. We tend to focus on what's on sale, which often corresponds to what is in season.
Some easy favorites around here:
Stir fry night: cook rice in rice cooker. Saute green pepper/onions/whatever else I want, or warm up some frozen mixed stir fry veggies or frozen broccoli. Take that out of the pan, then saute some chicken breast/chicken thigh/steak/shrimp. Put veggies back in, then add whatever kind of sauce you want and warm it through. I usually grab a pre-made sauce in a jar. Aldi has some good ones. PF Chang and Panda Express also sell some of theirs at other grocery stores. While I' cooking that, I'm heating up egg rolls or pot stickers in the oven or air fryer. I can usually get 3 nights out of that, where on the second and third nights, I'm just reheating the rice and stir fry, and cooking whatever appetizer fresh.
Pasta dishes: If I'm doing this, I'm probably going to cook up a whole pound of pasta, and some sauce with meat added. It'll get us usually 3 nights. Add a salad, and saute or roast whatever veggie is on sale (often what's in season). I'll add chicken with alfredo sauce, or ground beef or sausage with red sauce.
In colder months, I'll throw on a crock pot full of chili, which will last a few days. Sometimes I'll make plain pasta and we'll turn it into chili-mac. Other times, we might make cheese quesadillas to go with it.
Burrito bowls: make white rice in rice cooker or knock-off chiptole cilantro-lime rice. Saute green peppers and onions, remove and saute chicken breast strips, just like the stir fry night. Put the veggies back in the pan and add a pouch of Frontera (Rick Bayless' company) sauce - either green sauce, fajita sauce, or whatever sounds good. Heat up some black beans. Shred some cheese, chop lettuce and tomato. Build your own bowl. This also works with taco meat instead of the chicken, and keep the veggies separate.
Quick fish dinner (this is a one-nighter): Thaw fish the night before (or buy fresh). Saute some sort of fish (swai, cod, salmon, tilapia) in a pan. just a few minutes on each side. Sprinkle on some seasonings (I have a lemon pepper and also a mixed citrus grill one that I alternate). Make couscous - super simple - boil water/stock with a bit of garlic and lemon juice in it. Add the couscous and kill the heat; it's done in 5 minutes. For a veggie, we usually just open a can of peas and eat that with this meal. It can be done in 15 minutes, with the longest part waiting for the water to boil for the couscous.
Tonight we heated a frozen pizza. We made salads to go with it, plus is sauteed a container of baby bella mushrooms.
These are some of the more popular options I could think of while staring at reddit
My 5 year old is an adventurous eater. She loves looking through cookbooks and picking things to cook, so we go with pretty much anything. I wasn't planning on dropping in specific links to recipes, but her favorite it this Lemon Chicken Asparagus Pasta, which I scale up to 1.5x the recipe to use a whole pound of pasta. It easily feeds us for 3 nights, plus we invite my mom over for the night we make it since she likes it as well.
I'll be blunt, if I had to cook dinner fresh every night, it would be a lot harder with my our schedule. I'd be doing more prep throughout the day, using the crock pot more, or finding ways to cook quicker.
We had a period when our daughter did not like eating the same thing day after day for leftovers. I would do something like cook a meal on Monday and Tuesday, then have Monday's leftovers on Wednesday and Tuesdays' leftovers on Thursday, etc, to mix it up.
Some easy favorites around here:
Stir fry night: cook rice in rice cooker. Saute green pepper/onions/whatever else I want, or warm up some frozen mixed stir fry veggies or frozen broccoli. Take that out of the pan, then saute some chicken breast/chicken thigh/steak/shrimp. Put veggies back in, then add whatever kind of sauce you want and warm it through. I usually grab a pre-made sauce in a jar. Aldi has some good ones. PF Chang and Panda Express also sell some of theirs at other grocery stores. While I' cooking that, I'm heating up egg rolls or pot stickers in the oven or air fryer. I can usually get 3 nights out of that, where on the second and third nights, I'm just reheating the rice and stir fry, and cooking whatever appetizer fresh.
Pasta dishes: If I'm doing this, I'm probably going to cook up a whole pound of pasta, and some sauce with meat added. It'll get us usually 3 nights. Add a salad, and saute or roast whatever veggie is on sale (often what's in season). I'll add chicken with alfredo sauce, or ground beef or sausage with red sauce.
In colder months, I'll throw on a crock pot full of chili, which will last a few days. Sometimes I'll make plain pasta and we'll turn it into chili-mac. Other times, we might make cheese quesadillas to go with it.
Burrito bowls: make white rice in rice cooker or knock-off chiptole cilantro-lime rice. Saute green peppers and onions, remove and saute chicken breast strips, just like the stir fry night. Put the veggies back in the pan and add a pouch of Frontera (Rick Bayless' company) sauce - either green sauce, fajita sauce, or whatever sounds good. Heat up some black beans. Shred some cheese, chop lettuce and tomato. Build your own bowl. This also works with taco meat instead of the chicken, and keep the veggies separate.
Quick fish dinner (this is a one-nighter): Thaw fish the night before (or buy fresh). Saute some sort of fish (swai, cod, salmon, tilapia) in a pan. just a few minutes on each side. Sprinkle on some seasonings (I have a lemon pepper and also a mixed citrus grill one that I alternate). Make couscous - super simple - boil water/stock with a bit of garlic and lemon juice in it. Add the couscous and kill the heat; it's done in 5 minutes. For a veggie, we usually just open a can of peas and eat that with this meal. It can be done in 15 minutes, with the longest part waiting for the water to boil for the couscous.
Tonight we heated a frozen pizza. We made salads to go with it, plus is sauteed a container of baby bella mushrooms.
These are some of the more popular options I could think of while staring at reddit
My 5 year old is an adventurous eater. She loves looking through cookbooks and picking things to cook, so we go with pretty much anything. I wasn't planning on dropping in specific links to recipes, but her favorite it this Lemon Chicken Asparagus Pasta, which I scale up to 1.5x the recipe to use a whole pound of pasta. It easily feeds us for 3 nights, plus we invite my mom over for the night we make it since she likes it as well.I'll be blunt, if I had to cook dinner fresh every night, it would be a lot harder with my our schedule. I'd be doing more prep throughout the day, using the crock pot more, or finding ways to cook quicker.
We had a period when our daughter did not like eating the same thing day after day for leftovers. I would do something like cook a meal on Monday and Tuesday, then have Monday's leftovers on Wednesday and Tuesdays' leftovers on Thursday, etc, to mix it up.
@rudytoot Best thing I did was make a list of all the things to clean in my house. As broken down as “mop bathroom, clean baseboards, vacuum 2nd floor.” Then I broke down the list by daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. So now I have a checklist of every possible thing to clean, and whenever I’ve got some time I can glance at the list and pick something.
@rudytoot First things first, get into a routine with your baby as soon as possible. Establish flexible but consistent wake and sleep schedules — this is the KEY to getting more done! If you can predict when they’ll be down you have oodles of time while they sleep. I miss those days of like 4+ hours of daytime sleep to get stuff done!
I have a to do list everyday. I typically break down bigger projects/organizing/deep cleaning I need to do and give myself a few days to do that, and then always daily more menial tasks. I clean every day but don’t have a cleaning schedule, I just clean whenever I see something needs it. I also take time everyday to remove any clutter or purge whatever isn’t being used to make room for future items to come in. I meal plan on Thursday/Friday and shop over the weekend. I cook almost everyday, I might prep some in the AM and then finish up around 4/4:30. Laundry I do 1-2 loads most days of the week, but if I’m cleaning a ton one day I might skip laundry. To do lists are key. It’s easy to waste away a nap time wondering what to do and yet unbelievable how much I can get done in 45 minutes of focused work.
Also, get anything done while your baby is awake that you can! That means folding laundry, cooking, cleaning etc. I save gardening or ironing (in our basement) resting or phone calls/focused work for nap time. Just do little chunks every day and you’ll never be behind!
I have a to do list everyday. I typically break down bigger projects/organizing/deep cleaning I need to do and give myself a few days to do that, and then always daily more menial tasks. I clean every day but don’t have a cleaning schedule, I just clean whenever I see something needs it. I also take time everyday to remove any clutter or purge whatever isn’t being used to make room for future items to come in. I meal plan on Thursday/Friday and shop over the weekend. I cook almost everyday, I might prep some in the AM and then finish up around 4/4:30. Laundry I do 1-2 loads most days of the week, but if I’m cleaning a ton one day I might skip laundry. To do lists are key. It’s easy to waste away a nap time wondering what to do and yet unbelievable how much I can get done in 45 minutes of focused work.
Also, get anything done while your baby is awake that you can! That means folding laundry, cooking, cleaning etc. I save gardening or ironing (in our basement) resting or phone calls/focused work for nap time. Just do little chunks every day and you’ll never be behind!
@rudytoot My (SAHM of 2.5 y.o., 25 weeks pregnant) biggest cleaning tip is to create low, medium, and high energy versions of your cleaning list. There will be days where your motivation is in the negatives or your kid needs 100% of you but you still need the house to be functional.
Example: Bathrooms Day (weekly)
Low: clean inside of toilet and inside of sink
Medium: clean mirror, clean inside and outside of toilet, clean counters and sink, restock tp and soap, change towels
High: all the medium stuff plus clean shower and/or mop floor
Example: Kitchen cleaning (daily)
Low: clear table, sweep walkway, either load or unload the dishwasher
Medium: wipe down table and main meal prep counter, sweep floor, unload and load dishwasher
High: medium plus pick one: handwash big dishes and scrub out sink, deeper clean of all counters/stove and maybe some cupboard/appliance doors if needed, mop the floor, deeper clean of kid items like high chair
Example: Bathrooms Day (weekly)
Low: clean inside of toilet and inside of sink
Medium: clean mirror, clean inside and outside of toilet, clean counters and sink, restock tp and soap, change towels
High: all the medium stuff plus clean shower and/or mop floor
Example: Kitchen cleaning (daily)
Low: clear table, sweep walkway, either load or unload the dishwasher
Medium: wipe down table and main meal prep counter, sweep floor, unload and load dishwasher
High: medium plus pick one: handwash big dishes and scrub out sink, deeper clean of all counters/stove and maybe some cupboard/appliance doors if needed, mop the floor, deeper clean of kid items like high chair
@rudytoot Second everyone saying to declutter, that would be my number one tip!! And a cleaning service every other week if you can swing it. That may sound indulgent for a SAHP, but it’s honestly shocking how little time I have to scrub tubs, dust, clean mirrors, etc. Nearly all of my time that’s not childcare is spent on cooking, dishes, and laundry. That keeps me busy all day, I’m constantly moving and rarely get a chance to sit for more than a couple minutes at a time. You also have to factor in the interruptions - if I have an hour by myself, I can get done what takes me an entire day with kids underfoot.
@rudytoot ADHD mom here. The best tool I have to help with keeping the house clean is a magnetic calendar that I keep on the fridge. I pick one big chore to accomplish (e.g. laundry, vacuum, clean bathrooms, etc) and write it on the days of the week. I usually only do one or two big chores a day or sometimes have rest days between them. Dishes and keeping kitchen clean are the only chores I reliably do daily. The rest of the time I just follow my impulses and let the ADHD steer so I might suddenly and randomly organize the dining room or whatever but the living room is a cyclone.
It’s not the best and my house is often cluttered but I just wanted to present a realistic image to you. Also important to note my husband does his equal share of chores.
It’s not the best and my house is often cluttered but I just wanted to present a realistic image to you. Also important to note my husband does his equal share of chores.