10 Habits in 10 Years

Inspired to jot down my own set of 10 habits for a well run home by this post, here's what I've learned/implemented in my 10 years of being a wife and later a work from home mom...(some of these are duplicates)

1) Get up before the kids.  My ultimate goal is to get up 2 hours prior to the boys.  However, most of the time its usually just an hour.  During that time I can read, spend time with the Lord, exercise and get dressed and ready for the day.  I don't necessarily get all that listed done in that time frame but I get a good start.  I don't exercise everyday, either.  Need to, though!

2) All dirty dishes loaded into dishwasher or washed before going to bed.  This habit began a long time ago when I got tired of waking up to a dirty kitchen.  Who wants to cook breakfast if you have to clean before you can start?  This has been one of the best habits!

3) Quiet time.  This is for my sanity but the boys enjoy it as well.  They always look forward to it.  They play quietly in their room while I have an hour in my room after lunch.  I can nap, read or get online.  We do this nearly every day unless we aren't home.  To any moms out there who have children not currently napping...while it does take some training on your part for a short time, the fruit of your labor will reward you over and over again...so worth the short term sacrifice.  Many times kids need down time, they just don't know it.  :)

4) Prep dinner in the morning.  I try to make a meal plan out a month or at least a week in advance.  However,  I find that prepping it in the morning makes it so much easier in the evening.  I'll do as much as I can in the morning to prepare it.  Even just setting out the ingredients or recipe gives me a sense of accomplishment because I know what my plan is for the evening.

5) Do 2 complete loads of  laundry from start to finish each day that I'm home.  When I do this, it is amazing how well kept up it is.  If I don't do this...oh, it seems to be overwhelming.  Typically I do this Mon-Thurs and take the weekend off.

6) Morning routine - We have a morning routine and it works wonderfully!  The boys get their chores done which includes a quick bathroom clean up.  Kaleb washes down the sinks and Isaac swishes the toilet brush around the bowl to keep the toilet clean daily.  Our bathroom stays in pretty good shape this way.  We try to do the same things in order so that it's easy to stay on top of things.  We also start a load of laundry first thing in the morning and make our beds after we get dressed and ready for the day.

7) Protect Sundays - or you can choose any day of the week that works for you.  We like to keep Sundays open for rest.  This is not always possible but after church we come home to a lunch in the crock pot, put on our comfy clothes, eat and head up to our beds for naps.  Helps to get our Monday started up right!

8) Regular Date Night - oh, how we need to really work on this habit.  We have found that when we get out on a regular basis (for us, twice a month) we are refreshed and ready to tackle parenting issues, work issues, and home stuff.

9) Weekly Plan Sheet - I like to plan out my week with to do lists and schedules.  I schedule everything in (even naps!).  It helps since I work from home and need to keep a very structured routine to get stuff done.  I like to do this on Sunday evenings and then hubby and I can discuss the week and know what's going on.

10) Be in bed by 10pm .  Sometimes it's impossible to do but definitely a habit we stick to when we are home.  It helps us get enough rest for the day ahead.

I definitely have some habits I need to work on to add to this list, but these are definitely helpful habits in our home!  I'd love hear what helpful habits you have for your home.