Printable Daily Cleaning Schedule for Busy Moms

As a busy, homeschooling mom of three boys, I know first-hand how challenging it can be to keep your house clean. Life gets crazy on a regular basis around here! If I didn’t have an easy-to-use daily cleaning schedule, I’d be even more of a hot mess than I usually am.

So today, I’m sharing my printable Daily Cleaning Schedule with you, so you can get on a simple cleaning schedule too!

With this cleaning schedule, you’ll be able to stay on top of all those recurring tasks, like laundry and dishes AND find time for the deep cleaning tasks that you keep putting off.

No more slaving away all weekend just to get ready for the week ahead. No more wishing you could find a free Saturday to finally organize your pantry.

I’ve realized that as long as I have a good cleaning schedule that utilizes a looping routine, I don’t have to work as hard to keep my house clean AND I don’t feel stressed trying to find huge blocks of time to get everything done.

Here are a few of my personal tips to make this cleaning schedule work its tail off for you!

Zone Cleaning

My older boys are finally able to handle some cleaning on their own (can I get an amen??) and little brother (who’s 3) is getting the hang of it too.

For the older ones, I typically assign them one room (aka zone) of the house to clean up during our 10-minute tidy-up (more on that below).

By giving them a zone to clean up, we avoid the whole, “That’s not my shoe,” “I didn’t play with that,” “There’s so much stuff I’m frozen like a deer in headlights” scenario that used to play out in our playroom every time my kids heard the words “time to clean up.”

This way, they know they’re responsible for everything in their zone, no matter who it belongs to AND they can finish quickly without getting overwhelmed by the idea of cleaning the whole house.

This works well with younger kids too – I actually highly recommend it as a training method if you ever want your toddlers to start picking up their own toys. They just need more supervision and step-by-step instructions. But you’re already doing that all day long, right?

10-Minute Tidy-Up

When do I use this awesome zone cleaning method? During our daily 10-minute tidy-up. I was sick and tired of picking up every room in the house after my kids had all gone to bed, but couldn’t think of another way to get the house clean and KEEP it that way.

Until I figured out the 10-minute tidy-up.

The other day, I actually got my boys out of bed and told them in no uncertain terms that we would NEVER be going to bed with a messy house again.

But how to enforce this awesome mom rule? Enter the 10-minute tidy-up. Typically I set our good old-fashioned egg timer (because it has the added benefit of making that little ticking sound) for 10 minutes. You can also use your phone, the oven timer, anything really.

Then I give the boys their zones, do the whole “ready, set, go!” and before I know it, they’re rushing to get their space clean and tidy before time runs out.

They actually love the racing element of this method (most kids do), so it doesn’t feel so much like work to them. And I get my house cleaned up in just a few minutes a day.

My tip: I reward my kids with coveted iPad time if they can get the job done before the timer rings. Trust me, this works like gangbusters. Give it a try in your house for extra motivation.

Don’t be afraid to employ this cleaning schedule throughout the day if your kids are messy or have a habit of leaving things out when they move on to a new activity.

Morning and Evening Routines

There’s nothing like starting and ending your day with a calm, clean home. But how do you get it that way without feeling stressed all the time?

The key is to add routines to your daily cleaning schedule.

I’ve learned that routines make everything a thousand times easier. Instead of trying to think about all the things I need to do before bed, I simply rely on my evening routine to work through them quickly.

I’ve included my own morning and evening routines in this checklist, but feel free to modify it on the blank version to meet your own needs.

My tip: Listen to a favorite Spotify channel or podcast while you work through your routine. You may even find yourself craving that daily cleanup time.

Ready to get your home clean and make your life a whole lot easier?

Originally written and published by Melissa Fitzhugh. Used with permission.

The Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Terryn Drieling is a wife and mom who’s used to feeding many mouths, and she nailed it with this recipe! In her words:

“I am pretty sure it is a scientific fact that fall has a flavor. That flavor is pumpkin and/or pumpkin spice. This pumpkin bread is a combination of the two – the perfect combination, in my humble opinion. And don’t even get me started on the texture. It too is perfect – like cake, but with a slightly crisp exterior.

In addition to having the perfect taste and texture, this delightful little quick bread is a fan favorite among husbands, and especially, children. Thus, confirming its title as The Perfect Pumpkin Bread. But, don’t take my word for it – go ahead and try some.”

The Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

3 1/3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 cups sugar

1 cup real butter, melted (because life is too short for subsitutes)

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Grease loaf pans. I dust the greased loaf pans lightly with a little sugar and cinnamon, but that is totally optional.*

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar, using an electric mixer on medium. Add the eggs and continue to beat until combined.

4. Alternately stir the four mixture and the water into the butter mixture, using a wooden spoon or rubber scraper. Add the pumpkin puree and stir until the batter is completely combined.

5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake for 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the loaves cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove them from the pans. Cool completely on wire racks before serving.

*I usually use my mini loaf pans, but big loaf pans work great too. Plus, that means a bigger piece of delicious to enjoy later.

Originally written by Terry Drieling for Her View From Home. Used with author’s permission.

A Wife of Valor

Recently I opened my Bible to Proverbs 31. As a female, this chapter is one very familiar to me. When I was 13 my mom sent me to a weekly Bible study for young ladies. As a tomboy who loved adventure and despised anything pink, a Proverbs 31 study brought to mind a neat orderly row of girls dressed in pink frilly dresses dutifully knitting socks while conversing in low tones. Turns out that picture was actually pretty accurate.

To attend, you had to wear a skirt or dress that was knee-length or longer (no pants or shorts allowed). Each week you had to memorize two verses of Proverbs 31, with the end goal of memorizing the whole chapter. Each week we learned a new skill: embroidery, cooking, sewing a pillowcase, and honestly I don’t remember what else, except that it had to do with becoming the model future wife and mother that Proverbs 31 supposedly dictated all little women should be. All I know is that it was the most boring time of my life (except for the snack break, that was the highlight for sure).

One week, as we sat in our skirts, embroidering roses on handkerchiefs, I mentioned in an exasperated tone how much I despised sewing (after pricking myself for the tenth time with the sewing needle). Fast forward to that afternoon, when my mom received a call from the study leader who basically said your daughter is being a bad example by saying she hates sewing, and we may have to ask her to leave if she doesn’t settle down and conform to the biblical image of femininity that we are trying to instill in these girls.

I admit my attitude was NOT where it should be. The heart behind that group was in the right place, and the leader genuinely cared about each and every student! I will also add that I was probably the only girl who didn’t enjoy everything, the others thought it was loads of fun.

But I have to be honest. That study ruined Proverbs 31 for me for many years. In my mind, that passage meant becoming a stagnant entity whose sole existence was to slave in the house and care for husband and children. The Proverbs 31 woman appeared to me as a passive behind-the-scenes person who didn’t really play an exciting role in the family unit. As a result, that scripture really fell off my radar as the years went by and I became an adult, a wife, and then a mother myself.

Until that day a few weeks ago when I opened up my Bible to that chapter and began to read.

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.

Proverbs 31:10

I checked out the footnotes in my Bible for that verse, and it translated “virtuous wife” as lit. “wife of valor”. Hold up. Valor? I looked up the definition of valor.

Valor: strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness: personal bravery….Great courage in the face of danger, especially battle.

Turns out the word valor comes from the Latin “valorem”, which means “strength, moral worth” with the sense of “courage” added later.

This changed everything for me. I saw Proverbs 31 in a completely different light! The image in my mind of the P31 woman was formerly of a diminutive, forlorn, forgotten individual who rarely thought for herself, deferred to her husband in all things, and modestly remained in the background of life.

Yet what comes to mind when I read, “Wife of valor”? I see a woman who holds down the frontlines at home. I see a woman who courageously fights for her family, who puts their well-being first and protects them no matter what. Who trains up her children to be warriors for Christ. A strong woman who doesn’t fall to pieces when hardships comes upon her family. A wife whose husband trusts and respects and goes to for advice. That is a woman I will gladly aspire to become!

So, I challenge you, weary soul in charge of the daily ins and outs of your household, read Proverbs 31 in a different light. Look for the character of the godly woman it describes, and picture her going about the various tasks of the day with courage, bravery, and strength of mind. God knows full well that being a mother requires those traits just as much as a soldier!

Let’s be a wife of valor most importantly for our husbands. My husband needs a wife who he can trust won’t crumble when the going gets rough. A wife who can be counted on to share the burden of raising a family. A wife he can come home to with anticipation, knowing that she will be there with arms open wide to greet him, no matter how the day went.

The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.

Proverbs 31:11

Learning about the wife of valor will be an ongoing lesson for me, one that humbles and convicts, but one that I am so thankful the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to. May it be an eye-opener for you as well, friend!

Written by Strength & Song Admin, Natalya Brown.

3 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Try New Foods

Are there foods (maybe some vegetables…) that you just don’t like? Can you think of a time from your childhood when you decided that you didn’t like that particular food?

I can think of many instances where I discovered I didn’t like certain veggies as a kid. One of those times was when I was really young, and a neighbor boy tricked me into eating mushrooms out of our front lawn. I didn’t know I had done anything wrong and that night around the dinner table I declared over a slice of pizza that, “I like mushrooms now.”

My mom’s red flag went up because she immediately asked me what changed. So I told her and then I proceeded to get rushed to poison control with samples of the variety of mushrooms from our yard.

Thankfully, they weren’t poisonous and I left unscarred…physically. Now, I had a memory of a friend tricking me into eating something that could have potentially been harmful to me.

To this day, I’m still working on discovering a love for mushrooms (I’ve made progress!).

Bananas are a fruit I never liked. But about 2 years ago, I challenged myself to eat half a banana a day for a year and see how it went. Believe it or not, I actually like them now (mostly).

As our family got more comfortable in the kitchen and we slowly began to train our taste buds to enjoy certain ingredients we turned our noses up at before, it has become really important for me to help my kids figure out what they like, and to still respect ingredients they don’t prefer, respecting the effort that went in to creating the meal that’s on their plate.

I recognize that there are just some foods they are never going to like. My nine-year-old dislikes parsley and cilantro, but loves shrimp, while my oldest likes those herbs but strongly dislikes shrimp!

However…none of this stops me from using these ingredients in my meals! I consider it a challenge to help them find ways to enjoy it. Even my husband, who’s never liked Brussels sprouts or meatloaf, has finally turned the corner because I never gave up on trying new ways of cooking these foods! To be clear, I don’t go out of my way to make food with ingredients they don’t prefer, but I won’t avoid a recipe that looks amazing just because it contains one item a family member may not love. Also, don’t go out of your way to avoid “easy” kid-friendly foods. Some nights, chicken nuggets or pizza are where it’s at! Or, perhaps, a slightly elevated version of a simple favorite – zucchini pancakes, anyone?

I don’t really believe in hiding vegetables in my kids’ food, either (unless it happens to be with these healthy cookies), so I thought I would share some tips with you on how I get my kids to try new foods.

1. Skip the manipulation/bribe tactics. As many of us have, I got the guilt trips as a kid to try new foods. Please don’t use the “if you love me, you’ll try it” card. This made me resentful and I resisted eating those foods more when that was done! This roasted zucchini and tomato pasta is a great meatless dinner option that doesn’t hide veggies. Encourage your child to try a bite or two. And if they still don’t like it, let them just eat the pasta. But don’t let that deter you from making that meal again. If at first you don’t succeed…

2. Invite your kids to meal prep with you. I’ve actually found this to be sacred time with my little ones! They use plastic knives (if they are little) to help slice bananas for a fruit salad, or lately, my kids have been really into snapping the ends off of asparagus – fun, slightly destructive, and noisy! But, also, when I notice a behavioral issue flaring up, I like to invite them to come sit at the counter with me while I work in the kitchen. After I’ve disciplined or had one of “those” talks with my child, I’ve found that this is a great way to spend some time together and just talk to them and let the conversation flow. It allows them to see that while I am disappointed in their behavior, I’m not holding it against them and still love them and want to spend time with them.

3. Take advantage of Farmer’s Markets. Our kids love the farmer’s market! Ours has a kids’ booth where they can earn “tokens” to buy items in the market for checking in, doing scavenger hunts, or taking part in different activities like blending flour to make pancakes or crushing apples to make juice. Let them each pick out a fruit or vegetable to incorporate in a meal or snack. Not only are they having a say in what they are eating, but it exposes them to something maybe they haven’t heard of before. Even if they choose a veggie they’ve had a lot, encourage them. We love fresh green beans and I always snatch some up when they are in season and make this Szechuan Green Beans and Pork dish. Also, everything is more appetizing and interesting when you’re buying it outdoors from the farmer who grew it!

I hope these simple ideas can encourage you to keep working with your family on finding new ways to get your kiddos to try and enjoy new foods. I think one of the keys to fostering a healthy relationship between your child and food is to keep the conversation open, ask questions, and even make it a bit of a game – help them see a new recipe as an adventure or an opportunity for discovering a new favorite! And don’t forget, this works on spouses, too! Just ask mine!

In Him,

Chels, Catz in the Kitchen

Originally written by Chelsia Rief for Proverbs 31 Ministries.