Recently I’ve been trying to find a better balance between all of my duties as a stay-at-home mom. There’s housework, meals, blogging tasks, and of course – quality time with Eleanor. Naps and post-bedtime for Eleanor used to be my sweet spot for tackling my “to do” list, but I was finding that I still just didn’t have enough time (or energy) to get it all done. Something needed to change.
I created a list of reoccurring household tasks and assigned them each to a day of the week. This worked… for awhile. But I found myself feeling a bit disconnected from Eleanor, and I missed some of that quality time with my little buddy. So I decided to stop working around her and work WITH her instead.
Daily tasks didn’t have to be all about ME or all about HER – it could be about US! Here are a few simple ways I incorporate Eleanor into my everyday routines:
1. Unloading the dishwasher
Eleanor LOVES getting to hand me the clean dishes out of the bottom rack of the dishwasher. She tells me “here go” as she passes up each fork and spoon one by one. Does it take longer? Yes. But it’s adorable and she feels so accomplished.
2. Joining me for workouts
Mommy Fitness has become a 2nd home to Eleanor. She loves getting to join me at Cardio and Strength. And instead of relegating her to the back of the room with her toys, Julie gives her her own bench, weights (3 lbs), and ball so she can participate too. We leave class a tired pair (and ready for a nap)!
3. Easy cleaning tasks
I sweep our floors daily, and somehow my little tot would always find a way to walk directly through the pile. I got her a mini dustpan and broom at Ikea, so now she gets her own section of floor to take care of (works like a charm, haha). She also helps me dust all over the house (ok, mostly her toys) with a dry microfiber cloth.
Obviously, there are still plenty of times where I can’t give Eleanor my undivided attention (and self-direction / ability to entertain herself are good skills for her to learn), but then there are other times where I throw out my “to do” list and opt to play dollhouse ALL day instead ;)
There’s no perfect mix, but at least we occasionally have clean dishes with some help from E ;)
Your turn:
What household chores are your kid’s responsibility?
What’s one task that you always put off? Mine is cleaning bathrooms