Don’t get it twisted…I don’t love cleaning the house either. There are a million other things I’d rather do, but it has to get done. My family deserves a clean and organized home and I am proud to give it to them. I’ve discovered a few easy ways to actually enjoy cleaning the house. Let’s get busy!

Listen to Music

The genre can vary but music takes me to another time and place. If I’m feeling chill it might be Johnny Cash or John Mayer. For my low energy days I find that country music is nice. When I just want to have fun and feel like dancing I tend to listen to rap or dubstep. Lately I listen to Alessia Cara Radio on Pandora, which features artists like Melanie Martinez and Halsey. I listen to a TON of music, and one of my indulgences is Pandora Plus. I pay $5 a month for ad free music, and I listen to it constantly. It’s nice because otherwise I would never hear new artists and I love that I can customize stations to get rid of artists that don’t fit my personality.

Dance

You’re standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes…what’s to stop you from shaking those hips like Shakira? You can even relive some of the “Zoot Suit Riot” days and swing dance with your mop (but make sure you’re not slinging water everywhere!). “Drop It Like It’s Hot” when you’re washing windows. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” while you’re folding your laundry. If you want to do things a bit old school and “Jump Jump” with Kriss Kross while dusting, no one will notice…and if they do maybe you’ll end up dancing together! Free Bonus:  Dancing can be great exercise!

He’s leaping for laundry and she’s picking toys off the floor.

Set A Timer

Sometimes even listening to music and dancing just won’t cut it for me. I can do anything for 5 or 10 minutes though, so I’ll set a timer. I’m amazed at what I can get done in just a few minutes. Five minutes are enough to unload and reload the dishwasher, clear the counters or dusting the living room. Ten minutes mean I can do multiple quick chores, vacuum or clean out the guinea pigs cage. If I only do one session, at least I got something done that day. Most of the time I set the timer multiple times through the day and do my chores in quick bursts of energy.

Open windows

Getting fresh air not only energizes you but really helps clean the air in your home. Unless you are living in Zabol, Iran (or any city listed
in the 10 Worst Cities for Air Pollution) open those windows! Fresh air sends your serotonin levels soaring because of the increased oxygen. It’s also especially great this time of year because we have all been cooped up with cold and flu season. Please note however, if you have allergies be aware of your local area…March and April in San Antonio can be rough.

Make A Reward

One of my best friends has a rule for uninspired days: he “adults” 3 times and can then do whatever he wants. So that basically means that he does three responsible things (pay bills, do chores, do small tasks) and then gets to do whatever he wants. It really works; I have done this so many times. I can do dishes, make sure I have meat thawing for dinner tonight and vacuum…then feel guilt free watching Netflix for a bit. Sometimes I don’t have the time to watch Netflix so a cup of hot tea is just the reward I need. Maybe you want to go on a bike ride, get a manicure or go shopping. Whatever you do for rewards, keep it in mind as you finish your “adulting”. You’ll enjoy cleaning when there’s a prize at the end.

Get the Family Involved

Who says the burden only lies on your shoulders? If you set the timer and involve the kids then you get a lot more done in the same amount of time. Kids need to learn that chores don’t just magically happen. At very young ages kids are perfectly capable of helping with household tasks. Laundry, picking up toys and even yard work are great for kids. Eric and Holly have put away their own laundry since they were about 2 or 3 years old. I supervised them, but they need to do the work themselves. Now that they are 6 and 7 years old they can do it completely by themselves, and I just check up to make sure they aren’t just hiding laundry in their toy boxes. That never happens though, right? If you employ rewards for your kids they might enjoy cleaning house too!

If these tips still aren’t working for you, ask yourself if you are using the right tools for the job! Check out the 5 tools I think every Mom should use!

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