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Gratituesday: The System

November 29, 2010 by Laura 37 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

The leftovers have been put away. The dishes are clean. My floor has been swept and mopped. The dishwasher has been unloaded. The table and countertops and window sills and chairs have all been wiped down. 

And I didn’t do any of it.

My wonderful husband (you’ve heard of him, right?) recently implemented a system. It’s a family kitchen cleaning system and I LOVE him…and the system he created.

Of course the boys have always helped out in the kitchen, but we never had any kind of system in place that would keep things fair and organized. More often than not, Matt would rinse the dishes if he was home, then I would find myself doing the majority of the kitchen cleaning because it just seemed faster and easier.

But Matt recognized that I was getting worn out and that we weren’t training our boys enough to serve in our home. He spent some time coming up with a thorough system, typed it up, put it into a plastic sleeve and put it on the fridge. Each morning, we fill in the chart with names of who does what after each meal. Matt and I are included in the rotation, so between the six of us, we can make pretty fast work of kitchen clean up. 

What I’ve been especially thrilled about is how the boys didn’t even question Matt when he showed them the system and walked them through each job expectation. And each time we finish a meal, they just check the chart to see which job they need to do before they leave the kitchen. It’s just…nifty.

The only thing wrong with this system is that we didn’t begin it sooner. It’s working beautifully and I am so grateful that Matt saw the need and took care of it. 

Next up…a Laundry System. :)

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Filed Under: Gratituesday Tagged With: cleaning, Gratituesday, kitchen, organized

Comments

  1. Jodi says

    November 29, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    Goodness gracious! I cannot wait until my babies are old enough to implement a system. That’s the most difficult thing about eating at home in my opinion- cleaning up the mess afterward!

    Reply
  2. Alicia says

    November 29, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    Care to share the details of your system?

    Reply
  3. April says

    November 29, 2010 at 9:20 pm

    What a wonderful idea!

    Reply
  4. Catherine says

    November 29, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    We’ve had a ‘chore chart’ similar to this for a few years now which shares the jobs evenly between the six children and myself, according to age and ability of course. The hardest thing I find is having to remind people to do their job/chore (and putting up with the complaining that sometimes goes along with it).

    Reply
  5. Holly says

    November 29, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    Yes~ you know you must share the details so we can all copy it! :-)

    Reply
  6. Alaina @ Three Ladies and a Dad says

    November 29, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    I would love to know your system…sounds wonderful!

    Reply
  7. It Feels Like Chaos says

    November 29, 2010 at 10:25 pm

    We so need to get a system like that going!

    Reply
  8. Rhonda says

    November 29, 2010 at 11:51 pm

    I recently came up with a laundry system that I love, because I am a lazy laundry lady. Tuesday through Friday each person in our family is assigned a day to do laundry. The other days are for misc. household laundry or a day of rest. The older the kid, the more responsibility. Laundry day includes stripping the sheets and washing anything else that needs to be cleaned. All clothes are washed in one load, then dried and put in the color coded laundry basket and sent to the person’s room. Some weeks I have enough energy to follow up on the folding/hanging of clothes, but some weeks, my boys dress out of their laundry basket and that’s fine with me. :)

    Reply
  9. [email protected] says

    November 30, 2010 at 5:51 am

    This is an awesome idea Matt. I will tell my sister about this, she has four kids and is always trying to get them to help out. They have tried chores, tried deligating, nothing seems to work. Maybe if Dad tells them, with his stern voice, they might act on it. I taught my daughter how to do her own laundry when she was about 11 years old. She made herself a list on which cycle to set the washer on, which temp. of water, and hung her directions on the wall beside the washing machine. She has been doing her laundry every since, she is now 16 years old. I just wish she would want to learn how to cook. Any suggestions on getting her in the kitchen?

    Reply
    • melanie says

      November 30, 2010 at 10:43 am

      Offer to clean up after her ;-)

      Reply
  10. Alison says

    November 30, 2010 at 6:12 am

    Bravo for your husband’s leadership! I have tried countless systems similar to this, but they never went over very well–probably because I’m single and live with my parents. I think there’s a lot to be said for the head of the house being the initiator.

    And Bravo to your sons! Sounds like they have a wonderful example by which to learn.

    Reply
  11. Amy Lynne says

    November 30, 2010 at 6:25 am

    I need to do that again. We had a chore chart, but time got away from us and it fell by the wayside. You’ve motivated me to try again!

    Reply
  12. pam says

    November 30, 2010 at 6:32 am

    I love Gratituesday, I love being reminded to be grateful

    Reply
  13. Jo Ann says

    November 30, 2010 at 6:51 am

    Yes, please share!

    Reply
  14. Kaleigh Stultz says

    November 30, 2010 at 6:54 am

    Yes, Please share the details of this system! My sister is in desperate need of some help from her kiddos and hubby… but she’s so exhausted and overwhelmed trying to figure it all out. This would help so much!!

    Reply
  15. Jane says

    November 30, 2010 at 7:21 am

    Great idea! I need a laundry system too. BADLY!

    Reply
  16. Meghan says

    November 30, 2010 at 7:24 am

    My favorite part of the whole post

    “But Matt recognized that I was getting worn out and that we weren’t training our boys enough to serve in our home.”

    Awesome work!

    Reply
    • Rhonda says

      November 30, 2010 at 8:40 am

      Amen

      Reply
    • Lisa says

      November 30, 2010 at 1:10 pm

      Ditto! Laura, you are truly blessed by the men in your life!

      Reply
    • Baking Mama says

      November 30, 2010 at 5:01 pm

      Another “Amen”! I would also like details about your “system”!

      Reply
  17. kelly says

    November 30, 2010 at 7:26 am

    will you post a copy of your sheet that you display on the fridge and give me a few pointers that you used to implement it?

    Reply
  18. Tara says

    November 30, 2010 at 7:35 am

    I’ll agree with the sharing of your system! My hubby also implemented a rotation for clearing the table but that still leaves me with everything else. :)

    I DO have a great laundry system that works for me. You can read about it at my blog. http://minnesotamamma.blogspot.com/2010/05/works-for-me-wednesday-im-back.html

    Reply
  19. Nicole Smith says

    November 30, 2010 at 7:53 am

    Ooooooh PLEASE share! :)

    Reply
  20. Heather Eide says

    November 30, 2010 at 8:22 am

    There are so many systems out there. Could you share yours? It may be very helpful for many families! Thanks!!

    Reply
  21. Amber Rogers says

    November 30, 2010 at 9:01 am

    I do love systems. Concerning laundry, we have 7 children from 11 down to two.Each member of the family has their own laundry hamper. Monday and thurs. is parents and firstborn day. Tues. and Fri. is girls day. Wed. and Sat. is boys day. At 8 years old, each kid begins to do their own laundry (Part of the tradition is recieving a laundry hamper and detergent for their birthday, and yes, they actually look forward to this as it seems to make them feel as though they have “arrived” at some level of maturity.). Sheets, towels, napkins are just thrown in with whatever load is going in and if they end up in your basket, you put them away. Sometimes, if a child is looking for a way to earn money, I offer to pay the older kids for doing a smaller sibling’s laundry. This helps me out and they earn $2 per load. Of course, they do not get paid for doing their own, and I do occassionally keep an eye out for special fancy church dresses etc. This system works great at our house and there is none done on Sundays. Hope this triggers ideas for your house!!
    Amber

    Reply
  22. Bekki says

    November 30, 2010 at 9:54 am

    I would love to know what your system is! What a wonderful husband you have.

    Reply
  23. Susan says

    November 30, 2010 at 10:18 am

    I wish that I’d had this when my boys were little. What a blessing.

    Reply
  24. Laura says

    November 30, 2010 at 10:18 am

    Please post the system! I would love to see it!!! Please, please, please!!!! :)

    Reply
  25. melanie says

    November 30, 2010 at 10:48 am

    More kudos for Matt for taking charge! So much more effective coming from him. Husbands, take note!

    Reply
  26. Vicki says

    November 30, 2010 at 11:00 am

    I do not know if you have heard of Ana White or Knock Off Wood , but she has designed a WONDERFUL laundry basket holder/system!Love it!!

    http://ana-white.com/

    Reply
  27. Michelle says

    November 30, 2010 at 11:03 am

    I have to tell you how wonderful I think you and your husband are! Your love and appreciation for him comes through your posts every day. You are such great role models for every young couple.

    Reply
  28. Jenn @ Beautiful Calling says

    November 30, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    That’s awesome. At 2 and 3, our littles help clear the table but that is about the extent of it for now. I’m looking forward to when my helpers get a little bigger. {Though I am not rushing the cutie-patootie, exhausting, fun, frustrating baby days away!!}

    Reply
  29. Lisa says

    November 30, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    We have a system too, but my kids are much younger and need a lot of help. I’m hoping it will pay off when they are older and can do things on their own. I made a chart and each of them has a job to do after dinner. They load the dishwasher, rinse the dishes, or wipe the table. All of them take their plates to the counter, even my 16 month old twins try. I’m glad we have plastic plates!

    Reply
  30. Tanica says

    November 30, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    Yes, please post a picture and/or explanation of your system!

    Reply
  31. Cheryl @ Moms In Need of Mercy says

    November 30, 2010 at 3:47 pm

    I think having a routine, or a system, helps so much to keep things picked up. I blogged about creating a system on Excel here if anyone’s interested. It may be helpful for us visual types :)
    http://momsinneedofmercy.blogspot.com/2010/01/messy-monday-excel-at-your-tasks.html

    Reply
  32. Anitra says

    November 30, 2010 at 3:49 pm

    That is fantastic! Unfortunately, with just a two-year-old and a bun in the oven, my husband has been picking up the slack with housework lately. Can’t wait until the kids are old enough to really help – hopefully without nagging ;)

    Reply
  33. elizabeth says

    December 1, 2010 at 6:01 am

    I would love to know more! I just spent this morning cleaning the kitchen and taking out trash BEFORE I went to work. Can you say irritated??? I get no help in the house and I have a husband and 2 sons. My 12 yr old is disabled (probably about a 3 year old level) but even he could do more. Tell us more! :)))

    Reply

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