Baby Steps for a Domestic Dropout

For someone with a blog about domestic pursuits, I have to confess that I have been a terrible role model lately. I barely cook. I rarely clean my house. I paid my mortgage payment 3 days late this month. I've gotten into the habit of tossing mail into a basket without even looking at it. I have no idea if we have enough toilet paper to get through the weekend.

In other words, I've been failing "home economics" with the flair of a dropout lately. So...when Monday rolled around earlier this week I decided that I needed to start trying harder. Take baby steps. Maybe reacquaint myself with the vacuum.

And so here is a story of my progress:

Monday: got up early, showered, and was ready for the day by 7:30. Made the bed (a small victory), paid bills, and designated one cleaning chore for the day: the floors.
Later: swept, mopped and vacuumed. Made baked potatoes for dinner (another small victory), and even had time to play frisbee AND do yoga.
Went to bed exhausted but happy.

Tuesday: got up a little later after hitting the snooze for 45 minutes. Still made the bed (hooray!) and picked another chore for the day: cleaning the kitchen.
Later, managed to plan a week's worth of healthy meals, go grocery shopping, clean kitchen AND make it to two evening events. Overall another good day.

Wednesday: husband has to literally drag me out of bed (seriously, he pulls my ankles off the bed), but manage to set a record by making bed again. I designate the bathrooms as my daily chore, and plan to make a healthy artichoke salad for dinner.
Later, accomplish salad but avoid bathrooms. Also, I did not work out or find the will to pick the scissors off my office floor (they'd been laying there since Monday).

Thursday: started day with similar scene involving me being pulled from my ankles out of bed. While making bed (4 days in a row!) I resolved to really clean the bathrooms this time, make another healthy dinner AND fit in a workout.
Later: substitute workout and bathroom cleaning for drinking beer and watching television, but still pull off a healthy dinner and even make leftovers. Scissors, however, are still laying precariously on floor.

Friday: try to pull the "it's Friday--I can sleep in" trick with husband to no avail. Make bed again! Make diligent plans to clean bathrooms before the weekend, spot clean the floors again, and serve a tasty buffalo chicken salad for dinner.
Later: it's too soon to tell, but it's not looking good for the bathrooms or those scissors on the floor...

Wishing you a happy (and domestic) weekend!
--steph