• Nothing on the floor that doesn't belong there except in the kids' rooms or playroom.  This includes laundry from when i don't return the hampers in time to catch the next batch (figure out a way to resolve this once and for all!)

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. Pick up as we go, if something needs to be put down for awhile, it can't go on the floor (i.e., grocery bags, etc).  BREAK THIS HABIT
2. NOTHING put on the steps anymore to go up or down.  BREAK THIS HABIT
3. NOTHING can stay in the hallway anymore for more than 1 hour.
4. Either buy another hamper to put inside each current one so there is always an empty upstairs or figure out a way to keep baskets where they should be - no more totally removing any hampers from our bedroom/bathroom.

• Whole house looking neat within reason at any given moment.

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. kids start picking up more,
2. find places for recent homeless stuff,
3. give scott some cabinets for all of his projects, figure out a place where we can keep more stuff in the bedroom,
4. no more kids eating in our bedroom, scott and i have to remove our dishes as soon as we're finished
5. no new drinks in the bedroom until the old glasses are taken downstairs,
6. have boxes in the coat closet, laundry room, and upstairs to hold anything that needs a decision or to be put away when i don't have time (kids aren't allowed to put things in them)

• nothing shoved in a closet or cabinet that doesn't belong there - stuff can be shoved in and not be so neat but it at least has to belong in that particular closet

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

• don't do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

• no messy piles, trash, errant shoes or gloves, or house stuff that strayed and stayed in the garage.  Any piles should be neat, garage should be reasonably presentable.  It can be junky but no more popsicle wrappers, shoes everywhere, garbage bags, piles of stuff from household projects stuffed here and there, junk all over the radial arm saw, top of freezer and workbench. 

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. figure out an area where things from the house can go while they're in transit to the attic or elsewhere that is neat and contained,
2. Keep ONE big, lined trashcan in garage for loose trash and kitchen bags.  Remove it AS SOON AS it's full and bring in another one,
3. put a container near the back door for cardboard
4. put a container on the workbench for project stuff that needs to be put away,
5. make the radial arm saw a "no fly" zone (put post-it notes all over it)

• kitchen counters free of spills and gunk - crumbs are okay

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. use a plate to keep cooking utensils on while cooking,
2. get wipes and put in a handy place (if i'm keeping a shiny sink, i know it'll drive me crazy to keep messing the sink up to wet a rag),
3. make koolaid and other messy things IN THE SINK
4. do all measuring and scooping, etc, IN THE SINK

• shiny sink

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. shine it each nite,
2. don't put dirty dishes in there,
3. wipe it out after using it,
4. make sure to grind anything in disposal before bed

• bathrooms and kitchen only a few swipes away from looking good

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. swishnswipe master and boys' bathrooms each day, hall each week or as necessary,
2. put doorknob back on hall bath to keep little guests out of there and make them use the boys' bathroom
3. make sure kitchen is presentable before bed each nite and keep after it during the day,
4. buy paper plates to cut down on dirty dishes,
5. marker kids' names on their cups so i know whose is whose and limit them (AND ME) to 2-3 different cups per day, try to do more cooking/prep work all at one time instead of throughout day (such as making tuna or tomorrow's lunch and breakfast up in advance while making dinner and feeding both kids at once)

• my desk area to be neat - my papers always look messy and the kids are starting to leave junk on my desk again

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. find a better holder for papers that haven't been sorted out yet,
2. put a set of drawers in the kitchen to hold things below, empty it at least once a week on paperwork day
• things that come in from the kids' backpacks that need action on my part,
• mail that needs to be dealt with,
• scraps of paper from around the house,
3. start following thru again on what happens to the kids' stuff they leave here and grounding them from my computer when they leave trash,
4. find a better place for game cds

• kitchen/dr cleaned and swept, dining room table clean

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. erik does most of kitchen on weekdays (already happening but now add game nights),
2. scott and i do kitchen on weekends;
3. make myself responsible for shining the sink, checking erik's work, and sweeping once erik's done
4. Do a 20-thing pickup to get rid of anything that Erik left because he didn't know what to do with it (he is always done by 7 so this won't be a problem - he has unlimited phone and internet use from 7-9 each nite but isn't allowed to start until the kitchen is done :-) )
5. put a post-it note on my mirror to remind myself to check this

• every room picked up incl kids' rooms and playroom

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. make nightly chores part of kids' routine again - no bednight snack 'til their chores are done
2. chane picks up his room (make sure there are places for everything) and swishes/swipes boys' bathroom (his choice);
3. braeden picks up family room and his room (get his stuff sorted and find easy places to put things;
4. scott does playroom;
5. i do living room and our bedroom
6. post-it note for myself to check

• boys' bathroom swishednswiped

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

• chane (see above) - help him

• all hot spots in the bedroom cleared - if necessary, the junk can go on the kitchen island because i KNOW i'll put it away if it's there (i hate anything on the island)

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. for now, put post-it notes everywhere i don't want anything to land,
2. find a box for our room to hold stuff that needs to go out and make sure it gets emptied each nite, even if i only manage to empty it onto the island (kids can't put stuff in it)

• no greasy grimy fingerprints or footprints anywhere in the main living part of the house including mine and scott's desks

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

1. make sure windexing and dust-bustering are part of nightly room chores
2. post-it note to check this

• any ongoing projects must at least look neat with no trash or messy piles around them

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS: 

• just do it!!!