Originally Posted by
bisous
...
I crave structure. I like to relax but can't unless my environment is very orderly. My house is small so kids in messy jammies making messes is not my happy place. And my small space requires very little in the way of actual cleaning but a whole lot in the way of organizing and reordering. I do want my people to have a good weekend too. I'll write more later but have to head into my productive Monday morning sesh, lol.
DH has ADHD, and he struggles with clutter. It bothers me a lot less (literally A LOT less) but we've been taking the time to break up projects that might end up as major weekend time-sucks into ... smaller daily tasks that all 3 of us share.
ETA: I also want balance for my kids. And there are at least 3 people in my house (including DH) who are ADHD so I become the "heavy" for getting ANYTHING done. Even fun stuff. It is emotionally taxing to be the "driver" for the whole weekend for two days straight. I enjoy my Sundays a lot if I have a good Saturday.
I hear you on wanting balance, but deferring EVERYTHING to Saturday isn't balance. It's probably why your Saturdays feel less enjoyable and more like pain points.
Start small. Checklists have really helped the family members in my house (which is small, but your description of your house sounds a lot like the house I grew up in before we renovated, so I COMPLETELY understand the challenge with a large family - to put it in perspective, my family had 2 adults, an elementary schooler, a preschooler, a toddler, and an infant before my parents moved forward on the reno!) who have ADHD.
DH has his own, but DD and I work on hers to ensure that she knows how to do everything on it AND that it won't make her late for school - certain tasks are expected every day before school and after school. I reserve the right to call a wild card for something pressing but not listed, like books on the floor, toys that haven't been cleaned up, light housework (dusting, mopping, sweeping, etc.), or yard work (current issue is weeding the flower beds, but we also rake leaves and sweep up grass clippings.)
The checklists help us keep the clutter to a "10-minute pickup" level without putting a huge amount of responsibility she's not quite ready for on DD's shoulders.
PS - I'd be happy to share the checklists we're using if you think they'll work; I have them on my Google Drive. I did a cheap-o method to make it dry-erase by printing a sheet, sliding it into a sheet protector, taping it to her door, and then using hook-and-loop (Velcro) sticky tape to add a dry-erase marker to the whole business.
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Liz
DD (3/2010)
"Make mistakes! Get messy!" - Miss Frizzle