A question I am frequently asked is, “How do you have time to eat healthy, keep up the household, and take care of a little one without a maid?” I sometimes think that Westerners living an expat lifestyle overseas have forgotten that their counterparts in their home countries do manage to take care of children, the household and often a full-time job – all at the same time! I don’t feel that having one child (as that is the only experience I have, to-date) means that you need to sacrifice an orderly household and healthy eating and living. Naturally, there will always be bad days and even bad weeks – when someone (or everyone!) is ill, your partner is away or working late, there are too many work or social engagements, etc. Overload every now and then is an inevitable part of life, whether you are single or married with several kids. However, generally-speaking, I think that with a good, solid routine, things can stay sane and clean on the home-front. I will never say that things are perfect, but they are good enough, which is good enough for me!
Before my son was born, I could clean as much or as long as I wanted to. Our household operated like a well-oiled machine. A place for everything; everything in it’s place. Life with a newborn definitely threw a wrench or two into my daily operations around here. With Kevin back to work after only a week paternity leave, and no family here to help, I was thrust into the world of managing the constant needs of a baby and the constant needs of our apartment.
As little Fergus grew and his schedule changed, my cleaning and maintenance schedule had to evolve with him. When he was on three, dependable naps a day, my routine was as follows:
- Nap 1: Physical household tasks (straightening, cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc.)
- Nap 2: Desk (table)-based tasks (emails, online activities, phone calls, etc.)
- Nap 3: ‘Mama’s choice’ – personal hygiene, resting, reading, or staring at the wall
When we cut down to two naps, things looked like this:
- Nap 1: Physical household tasks + desk-based tasks
- Nap 2: ‘Mama’s choice’ (see above) + cooking
Well, folks – we are now done to one nap, which makes me dread the day when nap time is obsolete! This is my current cleaning routine, managed with a 23-month old and a husband who frequently works out of the country. What happens during the rest of the day varies depending on the day of the week, as we have numerous structured and unstructured activities that we participate in. Regardless of what is going on for us, I am most always waking up in my own bed, we are home for the now one-nap-a-day, and we are home for dinner.
I hope by sharing my schedule, you can use it (and add or subtract to it, as necessary) as a blueprint and guide to establish your own routine for maintaining a clean house with a young child.
THE WEEKDAY DAILY CLEANING SCHEDULE:
UPON RISING (BEFORE CHILD IS UP, OR WITH KEVIN WATCHING HIM):
- My own personal hygiene (shower, clothes, make-up)
- Make bed
- Unload dishwasher
- Get breakfast set out
- Put laundry load #1 in washing machine
AFTER BREAKFAST WHILE SON IS PLAYING:
- Breakfast dishes, clean table and kitchen
- Sweep floors
DURING NAP TIME – GO CRAZY!
- Mop floors
- Clean toilet and rest of master bathroom (the one we use most)
- Light dusting
- Pick up messes and toys
- Put laundry load #1 in dryer or hang to dry
- Put laundry load #2 in washer
- Empty dehumidifier
- Dinner prepping (chopping up veggies, putting something in the slow cooker, etc.).
- Take out garbage
- RELAX! Or deal with emails, do something else, read, etc.
ONCE HUSBAND COMES HOME (IF HE IS IN TOWN):
- Finish preparing dinner
AFTER DINNER (WHILE HUSBAND BATHES SON IF HOME, AFTER SON GOES TO BED IS HUSBAND NOT HOME):
- Dinner dishes, clean table and kitchen, load dishwasher and turn on
- Either iron or bake/make a dessert, alternating nights (the key to ironing for me is to do it several times a week, in which case I only have a few things to do and it only takes 10-15 minutes).
- Get the mail and deal with it promptly
- Any cleaning I did not get to during the nap (in case I took a nap myself, etc.)
- Put laundry load #2 in dryer (fold it and put away before bed)
WEEKLY and MONTHLY tasks (see below) I do on the weekends. My husband, if home, can take our son to the pool for an hour, or to Gymboree class or free play and I can knock out a bunch of stuff. This leaves my son’s weekend nap time free for me to rest, hang out with hubby, deal with paperwork or outstanding issues, get some laptop work done, etc.
On Sunday evening I do rough meal planning for the next week, get fruit and wash/cut up/freeze for morning smoothies, clean out fridge, make any food orders online. Grocery shopping I do with my son and the stroller as we live within walking distance from the supermarket.
Saturday morning is always sheet washing time.
For reference, here are the tasks that need to be done in our abode, and their frequency:
DAILY:
-Sweep floors
-Mop floors
-Light dusting
-Clean master toilet (the main toilet) and sink
-Quick clean of master tub
-Take out garbage
-Food prep and clean-up
-Load and empty dishwasher
-Wash two loads of clothes
-Empty dehumidifier
-Get and deal with the mail
-Bake a paleo bread/muffin for son and husband or make a raw food dessert (every other night)
WEEKLY:
-Clean other two toilets
-Clean other two bathroom sinks
-Clean other bathtub
-Mop and clean balcony (small balcony which we rarely use)
-Water plants
-Ironing
-Clean out fridge/glance in freezer
-Grocery shopping/online grocery orders
-Dry cleaning
-Pay bills due
-Meal planning for next week
-Smoothie prep for next week
-More thorough dusting/windexing
-Wash sheets
MONTHLY:
-Wash duvets or bed coverings
-Put throw pillows and stuffed animals in dryer to kill dust mites
-Wash bed pillows (the ones we sleep on)
-Vacuum the couch cushions, furniture
-Clean filters in air purifiers
6-MONTHLY:
-Clean out cabinets, drawers, closets and purge, reorganize, check for expired food
-Touch up scratches and marks on the walls with paint
-Wash down the doors
-Polish the wood furniture
-Move washer and dryer and clean behind them
-Replace filters in air purifiers
And that, my friends, if how you keep the house (or in our case, apartment) clean with a baby/toddler and without a maid or grandma around to help. It CAN be done, without killing yourself. I promise.
Do you have any cleaning or scheduling tips to share? Please comment below with what works best in your household!
To our health,
