Daily Chores of a Working Mother

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Whether we like it or not, and whether we define ourselves as homemakers or not, we all have to perform household tasks in order to make our homes pleasant places in which to live.

My new life as a four-day-a-week working mum has meant that I have had to change the way I manage the housework. While I am sure many (most) of you are more accomplished housekeepers than I am, I thought I would share how I manage our household - and it's a busy household with four active kids and two working parents - so that most things get done and nobody dies of neglect, starvation or dirty socks.

On the four days a week that I work I try merely to maintain household cleanliness with basic tasks that enable the household to keep running. On Fridays (my day off) I try to give the house a thorough clean. And on the weekend we catch up on anything not done during the week, which usually includes ironing, laundry, grocery shopping and gardening.

Daily Household Tasks

Preparing and cleaning up after meals

Making beds (done by those who sleep in them)

Sweeping the kitchen and family room floors

Keeping the kitchen clean and tidy

Basic laundry

General straightening and tidying before work and before bed

Taking rubbish out to the outside bin

Filling in notes, checking homework and other school-related tasks

Wiping over bathroom and kitchen sinks

Bringing in and opening mail

Remove obvious clutter

So long as these tasks are done - and I don't do them all myself - the house is fairly orderly and we can last until Friday when I clean properly. The house can also be made 'company-ready' fairly easily and quickly.

How have you managed to streamline your housework?

My next post: What I do on Fridays to spruce up my home for the weekend