How to Meal Plan and Clean with Kids at Home
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Before COVID-19, I had a fine tuned system in order to get all the tasks of a stay at home mom done in a way that allowed me to have time for myself and time to spend with my kids. After all, that is the point of staying at home in the first place.
Now that normal has a new definition, some of those systems have been tweaked slightly to allow time for homeschooling and to manage all the other balls that I am now juggling. In a time when just watching the news is enough to spark a panic attack, having a system in place to streamline my household responsibilities has kept me sane.
Here are 10 tips to achieve your household cleaning and meal planning while self isolating, quarantining, etc.
Have a template for your meal planning
I don’t mean that every Sunday you have spaghetti, unless you’re into that then go for it! I have categories for the week that make it much easier to figure out what to serve. These are the categories that we have every week: Crockpot meal, Leftovers, Breakfast for dinner, Chicken, Meatless, Turkey/Beef.
These work for our family. You could replace one with plant-based, tofu, keto, etc. I only plan out 6 meals a week (including a scheduled leftovers night) because we never stick to it exactly. Hey, life happens! Also, we can pretty much anticipate a frozen pizza or muffin tray dinner to make an appearance at least once a week.
Grocery Pick Up/Delivery
I was a frequent flyer at the pick up line for groceries a few weeks ago. Now, we have switched to delivery. Honestly, I prefer pick up and will switch back to that once it is safe. The only issue I have had with having other people do my shopping is the produce selection. If you are particular and have a heavy produce list, I recommend placing an order for pick up of the dry goods and then run in and just pick the produce you want at the stage of ripeness you need. This saves time and undoubtedly a few battles between the children.
Compartmentalize your cleaning
This is the single most helpful system I have in place. I used to clean the whole house on one day. I was literally spending the entire day cleaning. It was stressful. It was also cumbersome with all the gear that was needed.
I wrote down all the cleaning that I do. I then broke it down in a way that made sense for me. For me, the worst part is having to heft all the things I need from room to room. I broke my tasks down based on what I was cleaning- meaning I vacuum all the carpets on the same day, I mop all the floors another day, I wipe appliances another day, etc.
This is far less cumbersome. I no longer clean an entire bathroom in one day. Now, I mop the bathroom floors one day and I can just take the mop from bathroom to bathroom. The next day I will do all the tubs so I take the cleaner and brush from bathroom to bathroom. I don’t have to have the toilet cleaner, tub cleaner, sponges, Windex, etc. all at once.
You could also break it down based on location - first floor, second floor, and so on. Or you could break it down based on room - bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, etc. The point is, figure out what would be easiest for you and make cleaning run smoother.
Make a schedule
Take each cleaning task from the compartmentalized list that you made and work them into a schedule that works for you. Take into consideration how often tasks need to be done. For example, I have several tasks that don’t need to be done on a weekly basis, but need biweekly attention. For this reason, I created a two week schedule that details what tasks need to happen each day of the week for week 1 of the rotation and week 2 of the rotation. For example, week 1 of the rotation will include mopping the floors on Thursday, but week 2 will show wiping the appliances on Thursday instead of mopping again. I have included a printable below of the tasks that I do daily that you can use as is or that might be helpful in getting the ball rolling for your own schedule.
Schedule things that aren’t really considered chores, but need attention
I have included changing the towels, washing the sheets, and taking out the trash on my cleaning schedule. If I didn’t I would likely never do those things or remember when I last did them. Also, they are pretty simple tasks and crossing them off the list is rewarding.
Determine an order of operations
There is nothing worse than realizing you have to do something twice. Once I decided I would divide tasks based on what I was cleaning, I determined an order of operations that would make me more efficient. For example, I vacuum the wood floors on Tuesdays so I know that I need to dust on Monday in order to pick up all the debris that has landed on the floor.
Balance your workload
Some tasks just take more gear and time. If you plan to clean the entire bathroom one day, don’t also schedule an entire wipe down of the kitchen. Instead, plan to clean the bathrooms and do one of those things that isn’t really considered a chore like change the towels or take out the trash.
Allow time for catch up
I schedule a time to catch up on the chores I just didn’t get to as well as time to hit the hot spots once again over the weekend. For example, our wood floors are always dirty - grass getting dragged in, dried play doh, who knows what else. So I usually end up vacuuming the hot spots again.
Make a list and put it somewhere that you can’t avoid it
My list is on the fridge. I look at it every morning when I get my coffee creamer out. That way I can know if I need to change the towels when I go get ready for the morning. Or I know if I need to make the bed or strip it to wash the sheets.
Delegate
You didn’t have all those kids for nothing! I encourage participation in household chores as early as 18 months - 2 years. They are able to take their plates to the sink, put their clothes in the hamper, put their clothes away in the dresser, etc. Make it a habit for them now and take it off your plate.
Getting to the gym or your kids’ music classes aren’t options right now, so turn up the jams and have the whole family participate in their chores. Or turn it into a Cleaning Olympics with winners receiving small prizes for the best work. I imagine it is in times like these that your children won’t recall the fear or uncertainty of COVID-19, but they will remember watching Mom vacuum while dancing to Baby Shark.
Stay well!