Rewards

I don't pretend to be an excellent housekeeper but I do my best and, generally, I'd give myself a B in housekeeping. I don't strive for an A because, truthfully, I don't care that much and I have other things I'd rather do. I do like a clean and tidy house, however, so I've come up with a few strategies that work for me.

1. Do the chore you dread the most first. There's nothing worse than knowing you have that big pile of dishes or laundry to do if you truly hate doing those chores. I always start my day with cleaning the counters and cleaning all the leftover dishes from the night before (from snacks) and breakfast dishes. Then I throw in a load of laundry and leave for my morning walk. If nothing else gets done that day, I can still feel a sense of accomplishment.

2. From my old waitressing days - I never leave a room empty handed. There's almost always something that needs to be put somewhere else. I'll take the dirty mug with me when I leave the living room or take a book to the bookshelves when I leave the family room. At the end of the day, this makes a big difference.

3. I reward myself all the time. I tell myself that after the floors are swept I will have a cup of tea or after the laundry is folded I will knit for half an hour.



Today I have a LOT of chores that really need to be done and I've made good progress. I took some time to photograph the Malabrio I bought yesterday and realized it's almost impossible to capture these colors. I started a new project last night during the Super Bowl (I SO don't want to talk about that). I cast on for the Scrunchable Scarf using the Malabrigo in Bergamato. This stuff is so scrumptious that I don't want to put it down. I don't know who the scarf is for yet but I'll put it away for Christmas.



Well, I could sit here all day but there are sheets that need to be put on the beds and socks to sort and fold. I think I've used up this reward allotment. I'll feel better at the end of the day if I have a long list of chores that I've finished.