My kitchen from a couple years ago had tons of counter space... it was constantly being covered in mess. This is where my kitchen cleaning list originated: it was a MUST HAVE and also became my kitchen cleaning life saver! It helped even me to stay on track... well, sort of ;0)
If you read my post a week ago (click to read: A Recipe for Disaster) You will know that my kitchen does not run like clock work. We are either avoiding disasters or cleaning them up. So it may seem rather ironic that of all people, I (Linda/bearknudsen) would be writing to tell others how to keep an orderly home… after all, if you could see my kitchen now- ha! It is laughable! But I will say it WAS mostly cleaned up by my semi-unsupervised children (don’t worry, my oldest is a mostly responsible 15 year old)… 6 children fixing lunch for themselves, and the kitchen was in pretty good shape by the time I got home from an all afternoon business trip. How did I do it?
Well, first of all I bribed them… whoever cleaned it got to drink the rest of the carton of the coveted chocolate almond milk.
But secondly! And perhaps the key to #1 is that they have been trained in what I like to have happen to get the kitchen clean. Years ago I knew I needed help. My kitchen was in a constant state of disaster- more so than it is today! (see all those counters in that picture?) To achieve my desired results for a kitchen which maintains a semblance of order I made a cleaning list, printed it, laminated it, stuck magnets to the back, and tacked it up to the upper right hand corner of the fridge. I don’t let anyone move it around… if they do- I move it back to its proper location so everyone knows right where it is. It has had that place ever since (a couple of years now. I did make a new one when we moved and a few of the items/order changed). It is a nice guideline. I’ve included a pdf of this list below. Feel free to use this one or create your own. I include important phone numbers and our home address so if the children ever had trouble remembering in an emergency/or for a babysitter, they always know where it is.
Click here to view the pdf of the: Kitchen Clean up List
In the beginning it was a MUST for me as well as the children, to have a list. If I am working on the dishes and kids start standing around I can easily tell them to “look at the list” and they will go through it and if we’ve done the job we holler out “check!” until we get to an item that needs to be done and then they go do it.
What about complaining? I don’t have any super magic pills… yet… It seems there is always a certain amount of complaining. The list doesn’t take that away. I think that if I had a magic pill it would be the kind that I have to take because it has more to do with my own attitude and example than children having a problem with complaining. If I have an exceptional attitude it spills over to them. When I feel lazy and lethargic… guess who else feels the same way? Awesome Attitude= Awesome Results!
For my older boys, if they can listen to music or a book on tape as they clean they are more willing participants (food, ie: chocolate milk, is also always on my side!)
As always, it is a work in progress. I listen to lovingly older and much wiser women, they tell me to appreciate the messes now because kids will grow up and I may one day actually miss the mess. I work to remember that sage council as I am cleaning up spills (like the one this morning when the carpet got covered in a spilled and broken mug of smoothie which fell as my 5 year old was trying to drink it while walking across a balance beam in the family room… well, technically the balance beam was on the tile in the kitchen but the carpet just happens to be a magnet for smoothies!) Ah yes, these are the messes we will one day laugh about and cherish!
My goal is NOT the clean kitchen… my goal is to enjoy the journey, and even more than the journey itself, I desire to enjoy those who are on my journey with me, to cherish them now – today and each day I am lucky enough to be with them. An organized kitchen is simply part of living a well balanced and ordered life and teaching children the same principle… when there is order, there is clarity of mind and peace of spirit.
Well- it is getting late- this post is far too much like my thoughts- all jumbled up! Looks like I could use some clarity of mind by getting to that messy kitchen… But in the end, I’d rather get this post to you in a B+ format than not get it to you at all just because it isn’t perfect.
All my loves and best wishes for you and your family! May you enjoy the tender, though messy, moments with your dear little ones, and also those moments with those who are grown bigger than you who are just as dear.
Hugs, Happiness, and Health, =) Linda/ bearknudsen
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