When I worked outside the home, had less square footage, and didn’t have kids, Saturday morning was my cleaning day. It was great, I’d turn on Food Network or the radio and clean, straighten and organize until I was done. With my hubby and myself, the house usually stayed neat and tidy until at least the middle of the next week.
I thought that when I became a SAHM,  I’d be able to maintain a semi-spotless home and have dinner on the table by 5 o’clock every night. Yeah, right. It’s a constant battle of me and the toys. And the dog hair. And half the food from my tots’ plates on the floor. And the bathrooms. Okay I’ll stop.
We moved into a new house about a year ago, so that was a great time to de-clutter, but there is still the daily grime dilemma. How can I keep my house clean without hiring a cleaning lady? I decided to start by making a list of all the things that have to be done EVERYDAY in order to not embarrass myself if I have a drop-in visitor. (We’re not talking closets here, we’re talking the major spaces in the house.)
Here’s my everyday cleaning list:

sweep floors

wipe counters
clutter
laundry (I try to do one or two loads everyday)

Then I looked at everything that should get done through the week and attached them to days that made sense to me:
Monday – clean bathrooms

Tuesday – dust house
Wednesday – vacuum house
Thursday – wash floors
Friday – menu plan and grocery shop
Saturday – wash sheets and wash towels
Sunday – just the everyday cleaning list

I took these two lists and merged them into a simple checklist and worked with it for a couple of weeks and it worked! I wasn’t spending all of my little ones’ nap time cleaning and the house looked great. Understandably, there are still major cleaning tasks that need to be done at different times, but I tackle those on an as-needed basis. I created a special spot on my checklist where I can fill in tasks/projects that I’d like to accomplish during the week. I also have a place under each day of the week for what our meal plan is for dinner. My docket is a great place to see my week at a glance and to keep on top of chores and projects. 
Wanna give this a go? Make two lists – things that have to be done every day and things that have to be done once a week. Put the two together and you have a weekly to-do list. Later this week, I’ll share my personal daily docket – you’ll love it! I also have included a place for kids’ activities and special projects.