Routine and rhythm

One of the things I am finding most valuable in my day to day happenings is the little bit of routine I am currently sticking to. The more I do it it just sort of becomes the basis of my daily rhythm and others things work in around it and fit in the open spaces, so long as I get my housework basics done. 

It is 5 very simple core things that I am working on as a basis to my day. I'm sharing a list of those things, in no particular order, along with an explanation and a couple of embarrassing confessions telling how these became my base tasks.

1. Doing the dishes

We hand wash our dishes. We do not have a dish washer. The kitchen is a zone that can easily get out of order. When my balance is off and/or depression is creeping into my life the kitchen can be a messy place that I don't venture into. My new regime is simple and actually doing it makes it simple to keep doing .. aha! As Rhonda says, housework never ends.

I wash dinner dishes from last night and breakfast dishes from this morning. Today.

I rinse and leave on the rack to dry, I usually do this around mid morning after a few other things and they can be put away later in the day.

2. Reading 

A paragraph or two, a page, a chapter or more. I have two books sitting by my chair with my knitting and Down to earth is my go to right now as I find it is broken down with lots of sub headings and sections so it is lovely digestible bits that I can stew on for a while if I wish. I also have creative Thursdays there and I will read it. Personal reading is something I have moved away from, to a degree, since the children were born. I do enjoy it and have a consistent desire to learn new things so it makes sense as a valuable addition to my day.

3. Fold yesterdays washing

A month or two ago I had a system or more of a non system happening where I would wash, load it in the dryer, take it out and dump it on the spare bed while I generally neglected and ignored it. Every morning I'd be scratching through it like a chook trying to find something to wear, my daughters socks, clean undies and/or track pants for my son. The Mr faced it each day through gritted teeth and often ended up wearing mismatched socks. This created so much tension for me and everyone else. One day I just decided to fold the washing, enough was enough, there were at least 4 baskets. 

After that I found selecting clothes from my wardrobe was such a joy. I really like the convenience of it ;)

So now I fold as I go, usually the day after I wash. One basket is no trouble. Everyone wins.

4. Line dry the washing.

Using the dryer for me is just plain lazy most of the time, we do have cold winters here but the wind works just as well to dry the washing if you get it on the line early enough. This gets me outside in the fresh air and thinking about the garden too. Its saves money and is better for the environment, If my fingers feel frozen I do the dishes after I hang the wash. :) As we live in Australia, while we are not based in Sunny QLD, admitting I used the dryer on such a regular basis might be the most embarrassing thing I have shared here. 

5. Knitting

I have mentioned here recently that I am working on some waffle weave squares.
The waffle weave is a simple 4 line pattern and if I feel like its time to sit down for a bit, Its a nice break to do something creative and work up 4 or 8 rows of a pattern. Creativity is a part of how I live and breathe, I could not exclude it from my days, right now I am not producing doll clothes for sale as I work on getting a productive, happy, healthy home happening. Knitting is a way or me to create something with my hands while I work to find my life balance.

There are of course many more things that I do in a day but working to ensure these things are happening now help my family life go more smoothly and pleasantly. I have some other things Kitchen and food related that I am building into my days and weeks but will save them for another post. I hope posting this here might encourage someone to make a decision to change one habit that is not working for them or establish a routine to correct a problem. 

Happy Day Sweet readers. x