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Lamberts Lately: Easy Recipes & Home Organization

🧹 Making summer chores (actually) happen

Published 14 days ago • 2 min read


Hi Reader!

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Now that summer is in full swing, you might be noticing the same thing I do: more time at home usually equals more messes, more laundry, and a lot more "stuff" scattered across the living room floor.

I’m all for a relaxed summer schedule, but I also know that if I don’t have a system in place, I’ll spend my entire vacation playing catch-up. That is exactly why I rely on a few simple tools to get the kids involved and keep our house from descending into total chaos!

If you are looking for a way to bring some order to the summer days without being a drill sergeant, here are my go-to resources:

The Organization Systems:

A collage of colorful chore chart printables, including a weekly "Chore Chart" binder, a framed "Every Day I Will..." checklist, and small slips of paper with specific tasks like "Clean Walls" and "Clean Out Closets." A vertical "Our Day at Home" daily schedule for kids, featuring color-coded time blocks for activities like breakfast, chore time, academic time, and outside play.
  • ​Summer Chore Chart: This is a lifesaver for setting expectations. It’s simple, visual, and helps kids know exactly what needs to happen before the fun starts. (PIN)
  • ​Visual Schedule: Sometimes kids just need to see the "flow" of the day to understand when it’s time to work and when it’s time to play. (PIN)

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Quick Wins for the Whole House:

A collection of household cleaning supplies, including OdoBan disinfectant spray, Lysol multi-surface cleaner, Bar Keepers Friend cleanser, and a stack of white melamine foam sponges. A flat lay of printed cleaning schedules on a bright yellow surface, including a "Daily Chores" checklist and a "Room of the Week" deep cleaning guide, surrounded by colorful pens and pencils.
  • ​Cleaning Supplies List: I keep a kid-friendly kit ready so they can grab what they need to wipe down counters or baseboards. (PIN)
  • ​Home Cleaning Schedule: Use these printables to break down tasks into daily or weekly bites so the house stays manageable. (PIN)

The Deep Clean Checklist:

Two "Spring/Fall Cleaning Checklist" printables showing a 14-day plan with specific tasks for the kitchen, living room, outside, and bathrooms highlighted in green. A purple binder open to a "Declutter Room by Room" checklist, featuring pink-coded sections for the kitchen, living room, and playroom with checkboxes for items to purge.
  • ​Deep Cleaning Checklist: Summer is a great time for "zone cleaning." Give them one specific page of this printable to tackle as their weekly goal. (PIN)
  • ​Decluttering Checklist: Use this to help them purge old toys or clothes before the new school year starts - it works for any room in the house! (PIN)

I’ve found that if I make the "work" part of the day clear and predictable, we get to the "fun" part a lot faster - and I’m a much happier mom for it!

Let me know: Do you do a formal chore list in the summer, or do you just wing it?

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Lamberts Lately: Easy Recipes & Home Organization

Leslie Lambert

I love to talk about easy family recipes, home cleaning & organization, DIY projects, productivity, and the occasional battle story.

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