Housework Shortcuts: Mom, When It Comes to Cleaning, Why Not Skip Some Stuff! by Heather Holter

A few years back I used to spend two to three hours a day cleaning. I did insane things like look for missing toys and socks. I did that for over a decade until all my kids were at school and I got a job. That is when everything changed. I am so happy it did! Here is how I go about cleaning these days:

• Every day I make meals, do dishes and I spend 15 minutes waltzing through the house and picking up kids junk, which I place on the craft table in the living room. 
• I wash all the laundry on Fridays. 
• On the weekends everyone takes their own junk off the craft table and takes it to their rooms. Then they need to clean their rooms, but they decide how to "clean" it. It is their space after all. I used to go and re-clean their rooms. That is just insanity. 
• The kids also need to pick up the basement playroom and TV area. 
• My husband vacuums on the weekends and we clean bathrooms and the kitchen, but I seldom mop or dust. 
• On Sunday I fold all washed laundry and give each kid their basket. They can put it away, or not. It isn't my problem if they want to live out of a basket. 

Life is so much more enjoyable since I started letting the non-essential chores wait. After all, moms need breaks, too! Right???