Do you give yourself a day off?

PearlieGirl'sMom · September 2010

Not from parenting, of course, but from house work, chores, etc?

We all know that staying at home is a job.. don't we deserve a day off?

Stacyc625 · September 2010

Yup- absolutely. Fridays. I do not clean. and weekends I do not clean (obviously I run the dishwasher, make beds and wipe down the kitchen etc)

And I do not clean during MWF naps. I do haul butt during Tues & thurs naps to give myself the day off on Friday-

susanmosley · September 2010

I give myself all sorts of time off. Our house is smallish, pretty well organized & pretty clean. To keep it this way does not require a ton of work. so, yes i often take housekeeping breaks.

PearlieGirl'sMom · September 2010

susanmosley:
I give myself all sorts of time off. Our house is smallish, pretty well organized & pretty clean. To keep it this way does not require a ton of work. so, yes i often take housekeeping breaks.

Our house is small, too, but I feel like I am NEVER done.. probably because I am a very slow cleaner and do not have a lot of energy (I have fibromyalgia) but also as soon as I clean P's room.. it is trashed again. :Sigh:

Rink08 · September 2010

I have a weekly cleaning schedule which allows me to have weekends "off". The other days I start when I wake up and only clean for a few hours. I'm done by the time I have to go pick up DS from preschool. Today was the downstairs livingroom, hallway, foyer, and stairs to second level.It took about 2.5 hours (It normally will take longer but I'm not able to carry the vacuum right now and didn't vacuum the stairs) but now all I have to do cleaning wise for the rest of the day is pick up whatever DS or I take out and finish putting away laundry (which will probably wait until after dinner).

When I worked, I used to wait until my day off to clean and found that I would get overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once. Breaking things up is a lot less stressful for me.

ashleywebber · September 2010

I don't clean on weekends minus straightening up, wiping down the kitchen, dishes, and if something comes up (like a load of laundry that has to be done). I have a 4 day cleaning schedule so DS and I can go somewhere without worrying about cleaning that day.

wifeandmama · September 2010

Sort of - sometimes. Well, not really. Sometimes I do less cleanign on the weekends but if I just take "off," then there's more work to be done on Monday.

susanmosley · September 2010

wifeandmama:
Sort of - sometimes. Well, not really. Sometimes I do less cleanign on the weekends but if I just take "off," then there's more work to be done on Monday.

alright so I guess I lied. I don't take days of from running the dishwasher, picking up, wiping down, etc. But I sure take days off from scrubbing & such. Also, I let DH pick up a little more slack somedays

jenifairies · September 2010

PearlieGirl'sMom:

susanmosley:
I give myself all sorts of time off. Our house is smallish, pretty well organized & pretty clean. To keep it this way does not require a ton of work. so, yes i often take housekeeping breaks.

Our house is small, too, but I feel like I am NEVER done.. probably because I am a very slow cleaner and do not have a lot of energy (I have fibromyalgia) but also as soon as I clean P's room.. it is trashed again. :Sigh:

I feel that way too. I have depression though, not fibro. Anyway, one thing I've done that is reeeally helping is to schedule time. Like I make a list (short list) for the day and then I block off time for things. Like 830-9 dishes, 9-930 sort clothes and start washer, 10 take DD to the park, 12 internet/reading. I specifically allot for break times for me and time for DD to get my sole attention. Obsessing about the house being a wreck=shut down and procrastinate, so I stick to my list and things are getting handled.

I also started doing Mom's Day Out with her. I'm a student, too, so studying takes up part of that time, but I've decided that my 'days off' are not going to be all work. Last Friday I folded clothes while I caught up on a few dvr'ed shows, read, and took the longest bath ever. But you know what? I was SO productive this weekend and yesterday. The recharge time really helped.

taylormillgirl · September 2010

I may have given myself too many days off. It's dusty around here. Embarrassed

Julie004 · September 2010

I do! My house always gets clean but I'm a firm believer that spending time with my kids is number one. Helping them learn and grow is my job. Dishes can wait until bedtime. I usually take Friday's off from doing any housework. During the day when DD has her quiet play time is when I do work, about 45 minutes a day or so. I do one room at a time. Try FLYLADY, it's awesome!

susanmosley · September 2010

PearlieGirl'sMom:
susanmosley:
I give myself all sorts of time off. Our house is smallish, pretty well organized & pretty clean. To keep it this way does not require a ton of work. so, yes i often take housekeeping breaks.
Our house is small, too, but I feel like I am NEVER done.. probably because I am a very slow cleaner and do not have a lot of energy (I have fibromyalgia) but also as soon as I clean P's room.. it is trashed again. :Sigh:

But that is exactly the deal - it IS never done. DH and I were just talking about this. House work will be there every moment of every day. If you bust your a$$ it will still come back. If you work at a pace that provides you with balance (I have luckily found mine for now and it includes many days without scrubbing and hard labor AND short cuts - such as an awesome drying rack next to the sink, storage bins DD can toss all of her things it, etc), it will also come back. I just know that my life is much better only having to maintain at a rate that gives us plenty of time to pursue more important endeavors - which is often lounging on the floor doing a puzzle, or sipping tea and reading a magazine.

Jerseygirl16 · September 2010

taylormillgirl:
I may have given myself too many days off. It's dusty around here.

This. lol

Cherryblossoms07 · September 2010

Yes. I always give myself one day off a week, usually Fridays. I don't clean, I get take out for lunch and we have pizza for dinner so it is a very easy day for me. I also try not to clean on the weekends, but it doesn't always work though. I cannot relax if the house is messy.

ali-1411 · September 2010

Staying home is not a job for me. My whole life is a day off.

Julie004 · September 2010

ali-1411:
Staying home is not a job for me. My whole life is a day off.

Perfectly stated!

kimilane · September 2010

Yep. I take every weekend off to enjoy time with DD and DH. Smile

Of course, I still do the normal "mommy" stuff like cooking or putting dishes in the dishwasher, etc but it's at a more leisurely pace instead of really focusing on what I'm doing and getting it done.

NewMrs07 · September 2010

At first I was cleaning or doing laundry 7 days a week and then I realized that sucked so now I take the weekends off to enjoy time with hubby. And I clean little by little, one day I'll do the bathrooms, the next dusting, etc. When I was working FT I did everything on Saturdays and it was exhausting. Then I only had Sunday to have fun, that sucked too. I think working people should work 4 days then get 3 days off, everyone would be more productive, IMO.

lwrigley2000 · September 2010

Yup, all the time.

DarcyLongfellow · September 2010

ali-1411:

Staying home is not a job for me. My whole life is a day off.

I completely agree with this!

I feel like my life is pretty cushy. I get to play with DD all day, every day. I obviously clean my house, but it is -- in no way -- my primary focus. If I feel like cleaning, I do. If I don't, I don't.

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