If the kids take lunches to school, instruct the kids to lay out lunch boxes on the kitchen counter everyday after school.
While you are in your kitchen in the evening making dinner:
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- Sanitize lunch pails
- Fill them up with items that do not require refrigeration such as boxed drinks, water, snack bags with chips or cookies, etc.
While the evening meal is at a steady boil or pasta is baking in the oven – find the time to clean up – hand wash dishes or load up dishwasher, wipe counters, put away the spices or put the clean dishes away. Set the table for dinner with cups, eating utensils, plates, and napkins.
During dinner time, ask the children if they have any school related documents that need to be reviewed, completed, or signed and turned in right away. These documents could range from surveys, field trip permission slips, or questionnaires.
After dinner is done, delegate and divide chores equally:
- Clean up the dining table and counter tops
- Load dishwasher
- Place leftover food in storage containers
- Take out trash
- Sweep floors
Encourage everyone to keep the house clean throughout the week, cleaning up after themselves, put toys away, wash dishes, throw trash away, etc.
