Evaluate your house

We have white linoleum in our kitchen.  Hence the reason I do a quick mop on Tuesdays and a full mop on Fridays.  It shows e v e r y t h I n g.  I suspect that whenever it gets changed to a nice neutral dirt-hiding floor (like my Mom and my sister-in-law have), I may only need to mop once a week.  We also have 2 cats, 1 bird and one dog.  This is why I vacuum twice a week and tidy the couches once a week.  If you don't have pets, this may not be necessary.  Evaluate your home and your habits and plan accordingly.  I also plan so that the big impact cleaning is done toward the end of the week.  So, the house is the cleanest, per se, going in to the weekend, when I spend less time cleaning and more time on other projects and events.  Evaluate your work schedule and school schedule and plan accordingly.  Stick with it.  Remember, a tidy home glorifies God!

Clean Sooner

I clean before things look horrendous.  The bathrooms don't look horrific when it comes to cleaning time on Thursdays.  However, I can clean them a lot quicker.  During the times when my chores have had to wait a few extra days or an extra week (usually on account of sickness in the house or a new baby or something), I have found that I then have to spend WAY more time on those chores.  When I've skipped a week mopping, I've promised myself that I wouldn't do that again any time soon.  It was awful having to scrub so hard!  So, save time, and clean sooner!!!  Keeping most things on a weekly rotation saves time in the long run and then you rarely have to see that awful buildup of weeks' worth of crud.  Maybe you'll find you don't hate it so much.  And, maybe you'll find you can squeeze it in those smaller windows of time that we Mommies seem to have.

Practical Help

Here's the practical side of how I keep my house tidy.  Remember that post on rotations?  I use the same concept on cleaning.  I created this rotation when Skeeter (#1) was only approximately 6 mos. old.  I found that my thinking went like this, "Oh the house is clean."  I thought this for several days.  Then, suddenly EVERYTHING needed to be cleaned on the same day.  And, it all looked terrible.  I'd rather do a little every day and have the house basically tidy all week.  Then, drop-in visitors don't create panic and embarrassment and my family has a nice place to live. 

M - Tidy couches (we have pets), Wash Fingerprinted Windows, Clean Microwave, Generally Tidy up from Weekend
Tu - Quick Mop Kitchen, Vacuum Whole House, Pull Down Cobwebs
W - Dust House
Th - Clean All Bathrooms
F - Full Mop Kitchen and Bathroom, Vacuum Whole House

Every morning, I tidy up the kitchen (meaning any additional dishes, sweep floor, etc).  I do at least one load of wash every day.  We tidy up toys (we call it quick-clean) before lunch, before supper and before bed, so that keeps the toys under control.  I rarely go to bed without completing the chores for the day.  The house is manageable this way.  I can plan around my rotation.  For example, Wednesday is my easiest day so I tend to make plans more often on Wednesdays.  Mondays are catch-up day from the weekend.  And, this rotation rarely changes so I typed the above from memory.  I know what is expected and the house benefits, as does my family. 

For Him, him and your children

I take the Bible so literally.  And, I think to myself, if Jesus lived here, how would I keep this place?  If this was Jesus' house, how tidy would it be?  I love Matthew 25:40, 45 that talks about whatever you've done to the least of these, you've done to Christ.  Whatever you've NOT done to the least of these, you've NOT done to Christ.  I know that children definitely fall into the "least of these" category.  Just think about it.  Whatever I do to them, I am doing to Christ and whatever I haven't done to them, I haven't done to Christ!  It's mind-boggling.  Even convicting!  And then, there's Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, do heartily as to the Lord and not to men."  Keep your house tidy unto Christ.  This is my way of serving and blessing His name.  That's how literally I take the Bible.  It even applies to how I keep my home.

For your Husband

Some husbands care what the home looks like and some don't.  However, I strongly believe that this is a huge way you can bless your husband.  You can make the home a haven.  I actually belive that some women are driving their husbands away from them by unconsciously making their homes an added stressor to him.

- Proverbs 31:12 says that she does her husband good!  I think every one of us agrees that it's a harsh and nasty world out there.  We must do all we can to help our husbands.  My tidy home is one way I do my husband good.  Coming home is a breath of fresh air.  It's peaceful.  It's happy.  It's full of love.  Untidyness is rarely any of the above, especially peaceful.  If he comes home to an untidy, disorganized mess habitually, in his head, he thinks that it's just one more thing amiss in his life, that needs to be handled or fixed.

- Proverbs 31:11 even says that my husband safely trusts in me.  Our home is our largest investment, with several smaller investments in it - appliances, vehicles, furniture and most importantly, PEOPLE.  How I care for those investments can affect my husband.  My husband trusts me to care for all those things.  In essence, the chain of command is God, my husband, then, me.  I'm a steward.  And, I want to hear, "Well done, you good and faithful servant."  In the here and now, I want to hear it from my husband.  In the Great Hereafter, I want to hear it from God.