Ah Spring. The second half of April is a busy time around here cause Spring = Cleaning. Deep cleaning. Like move the furniture and vacuum up enough dog hair to cover a third dog. Evolve the closets from long-sleeves to short. Obscure chores are remembered (like polishing the saucepans?) and figuring out how to remove the dust from the fan blades; cleaning window sills and tracks; mending the fly screens; sanitizing the remote controls, keyboards & electronics; organizing the linen & broom closets; bleaching the garbage bins; and de-cluttering the scary dark place called the playroom!

Jobs for the next week include:

• Clean all school backpacks & lunchboxes (liquid detergent, warm water, outside to dry). Wash the ice bricks.
• Refresh wardrobes. Set up 3 clothes/shoes/accessories piles for each person:

Pile 1: Put in oversized sealed box until Fall

Pile 2: Clothes that need mending, resizing, shortening. Shoes that need cleaning/polishing

Pile 3: Items to be dropped off at the consignment shop (or donated)

• Get out the spring/summer clothes and replenish closets with gaily colored clothing. Update each child’s measurements and note what items need to be purchased for a complete wardrobe.
• Soak all kids’ socks & knickers (they are all white) in a bucket of water with a capful of bleach for a day and wash.  This will get them back to a crisp white and removes a lot of grungy dirt
• Tidy up the bathroom, including the 200+ hairbows!
• Work with each child to tidy up their homework area/organize their school papers/scan artwork
• Inventory the food storage
• Change over the bedding from winter flannels/microfleece sheets and winter-weight duvets to spring cottons w blankets

There’s probably more to do, but that’s a good start for now considering I still have the ‘usual’ chores of managing a busy household with 3 kids and a menagerie of pets.