Keeping Up With The House: Have Reasonable Expectations


This is the first of the 5-day series How Do I Teach…! Check out the other great topics for the series at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom and follow along for some tips to start your school year right!


This week I’m going to talk about 5 tips to help you teach and still keep up with the house:
  • Have Reasonable Expectations (today’s topic)
  • Have a Weekly Cleaning Routine
  • Have a Morning and Evening Routine
  • Enlist Help With Home Management
  • Simplify and Streamline

Reasonable Expectations

I am not some great housekeeper. Even when I wasn’t homeschooling and our weeks were pretty simple, it was a struggle to keep our home clean and tidy. But I did my best because it was important to me!

Now, four kids later and with homeschool and other great activities on the schedule, is is still important! 

Keeping our space clean, efficient, and welcoming helps keep me focused on the training and learning that needs to happen while also providing a place of safety and refuge. 

The challenge? It seems nearly impossible sometimes to maintain order. Who has time or energy to sweep the dining room 5 times (before lunch) and keep the bathroom sanitary when there’s always someone who needs a diaper changed, a nose wiped, a squabble settled, or a listening ear during piano practice? 

One of the best things we can do is learn to adjust our expectations. We won’t be able to do as much housework as we were doing before. We need to embrace the Good Enough in our homemaking, focusing our efforts on what is MOST important for us and our home. 

We simply cannot maintain a pristine home if we desire to invest our best time and energy into the eternal things instead.

What are some things I’ve learned to let go of? 
  • The pile of unfolded laundry in the bedroom. It’s ok. Really. It is. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s going to be ok. 
  • Leaving the counter cluttered as you stumble to bed. 
  • The messy stacks of books in the living room. I think of them as art. 😉
  • The dirty windows (I can still see through them). 

You get the idea. This is MY list of what to let go of. Yours will be different. 

What are some things I simply must maintain? 
  • The bathrooms must get some kind of daily tidying and a good cleaning regularly.
  • I make sure the table and floors don’t have crumbs and such on them. 
  • I try to do the dishes and tidy the kitchen before bed (doesn’t always happen).
  • The toys need to be at least contained a few times a day.
  • The house can be “company ready” in an hour.

Bottom line: You’ll need to define “good enough” for you, appreciate those times you can do more, and take the other days in stride. 

More Resources:

Tomorrow I’ll talk about establishing a simple weekly cleaning routine to help you on your way to “good enough!” 




Check out these great bloggers participating in the How Do I Teach series!

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ Homeschool Gameschool ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ No Doubt Learning ~ Mrs. Redd’s Classroom Blog ~ Proverbial Homemaker ~ My Joy Filled Life ~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Vicki Arnold ~ Only Passionate Curiosity ~ Living Life and Learning ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ For This Season







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Linking up with:
Monday – The Better Mom, A Mama’s Story, What Joy is Mine
Tuesday – Road to 31, Growing Home, Time-Warp Wife, Hip Homeschool Hop, Real Life Homeschooling
Wednesday – Raising Arrows, Black Fox Homestead, Deep Roots at Home, Hope in Every Season, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well
Thursday – Teaching Mama, All Things With Purpose, Serving Joyfully, Leaving a Legacy, Giveaway Day with Hip Homeschool Moms, Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, Raising Mighty Arrows
Friday – Womanhood With Purpose, Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling
Other – Look What We Did, Mom Tested Family Approved

Use loop scheduling for flexible and effective task management - great for homeschooling, homemaking, and more!

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. Lisa M. (aka. Lisa @ Farm Fresh)

    19 Aug 2013 Reply

    Tauna…sigh. a Series after my own heart! I “mentally” sat here and agreed to your list of “let go'” and “maintain” because they are so similar to my own! It felt GOOD to see I’m not the only one making these choices! Your posts this week will be the perfect supplement to day 4 of my own series, so I hope you don’t mind that I will link up your series on that day as “extra encouragement” for my readers.

    1. Tauna M

      19 Aug 2013 Reply

      You sure can! It’s funny because I already shared your series on my blog facebook page because I knew it would be one I’d want to follow!

  2. Rachael

    19 Aug 2013 Reply

    I need to employ your suggestion of a “let go” and a “maintain” list. I struggle immensely with Messy House Guilt. Thank you!

    1. Tauna M

      19 Aug 2013 Reply

      So do I! But having that “let go” and “maintain” list has been so helpful for me in that. I hope you find the right balance for your home and family too!

  3. Ashley

    20 Aug 2013 Reply

    The OCD in me is shaking at the thought! My expectations have definitely gone down with three kids, but I’m not sure how much more I can let go of! lol I guess time will tell! (Or they will have to have me institutionalized)!

  5. Crystal

    20 Aug 2013 Reply

    Fantastic advice. I’m having to let go of being the perfect housekeeper (think Martha Stewart – I can’t live up to that!). With a tiny place, working from home, homeschooling, etc, it’s just not going to happen. It’s so hard! I love the idea of the “let go” list and what to maintain. Very good ideas and thanks for sharing!

    I have found that sticking an over the door shoe holder on the closet door of the hall closet for art supplies and pencils has helped a great deal with clutter!

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