Friday Chores ... The End of an Era

Oh, the mind games that I play, to try and motivate myself ...

When I ran my daycare, I had a routine that was strict. I followed it to the T and I moved mountains on a regular basis.

I was 'stuck' home with a house full of kids, for the better part of 11 years. I didn't have long stretches of time at my disposal. I had moments between crisis's, needs, wants, bickering, lunch, snack, after school and pick-up and drop-off times. I made the most of those moments. Now? I could have 6 hours at my disposal ... and I accomplish absolutely nothing.

It was early in my daycare career that I began the ritual of Friday Chores. After sharing our house with other people's children for five days of the week, I lived for Fridays. The day when I washed off everyone else's germs ... so that for the weekend, it was just our dirt. It's a totally different feeling. Family germs verses the unknown.

In the beginning, I spent two hours after everyone (finally) left on a Friday night cleaning, scouring and vacuuming. As time progressed, I squeezed the Friday cleaning into Friday morning and afternoon. So by the time the last child (finally) left on a Friday evening, the house was clean and I was in weekend mode.

I honed the art of my Friday cleaning schedule. I loved summers because I could finish off my cleaning just before nap/quiet time, have our afternoon snack outside and not mess up my clean house. We even waited out rain storms in the play house ... I was not bringing 6 - 8 sandy kids into my clean house!

This fall, my return to school and the decreased daycare load still didn't affect my Friday cleaning schedule. Sure, the house wasn't quite as dirty. But dust happens. So does the need for a regular sanitizing of the bathroom. The plants are thirsty. The mats need to be shaken out every so often anyway. Friday was as good a day as any.

Lately, those Friday chores just haven't been happening. I thought that the plants could probably use a fast. So I starved them for an extra six days this week (Honestly! How hard is it, to water three plants!?!?)

A few Fridays ago, I started my Friday Chores and didn't finish them until the following Wednesday. That was so close to Friday, I figured that was a 2-for-1 deal. So I took that Friday off. Then came the next Friday. Ahhh, what's another week? Finally, this Friday was looming. It was time.

I have started to dread the hour or so, that it takes to do these menial little tasks. The less that you do, the less you want to do ....

So, I decided to kick-start my Friday Chores on Thursday this week.

I started with the idea that anything that I accomplished would be one less thing to do on Friday. The momentum kept me moving until I was complete. Friday Chores completed on Thursday. What a concept.

The need to 'wash off everyone else's germs' that was the origin of my Friday Chores, is no longer one of my obsessions. The runny noses, unrestrained sneezing and coughing, the bathrooming of the pre-school set and milk spillages at lunch and snack time are all but a memory. My 'big kids' are a clean and self-maintained group.

I believe I've come to the end of an era. The Friday Chores are ... no more. Maybe I'll only do Those Chores every week and a half ... or two. And I won't 'save' them for a Friday. I'll squeeze them into a mid-week-day and get the job done before the weekend.

Friday is ever so much sweeter, when the house is already clean. Or ... you just don't care anymore.