Motivated Moms

     I grew up in one of those houses that always looked perfect.  Anyone could drop in at a moment's notice and the house looked as if it had just been freshly cleaned.  When I moved out on my own, well... not so much.  I needed two hours notice that guests were coming just to make the place presentable.  I never understood how my mother and my grandmother had kept their houses looking so neat and tidy all the time.  This was a problem I struggled with for many years.

     A few years ago I found the Motivated Moms app for my smart phone and my house has never been the same.  It's neat, orderly, clean, and stress-free (at least as far as the cleaning schedule is concerned).  This app hasn't just helped me to get organized, it has actually changed my life.  Now I am the woman who has guests drop in with no notice and compliment my home.  It sure does feel good.

     In the interest of full disclosure, let me tell you that I am an affiliate for the Motivated Moms program.  However, I only receive compensation when people purchase the e-book.  I receive nothing if you purchase this app, but I really do recommend the app.  I suppose that if you are one of those people who really likes paper to-do lists that the printable e-book would be more appealing.  But I feel like the app offers so much more because you can change things on the fly when you need to - plus I just love my tablet and that's where I keep all my organizers together in one place.

     I know, I know...  You are dying to know what this miracle app is and how it works.  The app comes pre-loaded with lists of chores that you do each day.  These chores include the mundane sweeping and running the dishwasher, as well as extensive annual chores like flushing out the hot water heater.  The refrigerator is constantly cycled through as a chore worked in small increments instead of a two hour cleaning marathon every month.  On Tuesday of this week I had to clean the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.  Easy.  It took me about 5 minutes.  Tomorrow I will have to clean the refrigerator drawers.  And next Thursday I will clean the refrigerator door shelves.  It's just there - a plan!  Have I mentioned before that I love a good plan?  I do!

This is a screen shot of my app.

     Every morning I get up and start on my lists.  I open my Motivated Moms app and start checking off the chores as I go along.  I can personalize this app in so many different ways.  Turn the daily Bible reading on and you have a plan to read the Bible in a year.  Add your own chores to customize the list for your life.  As a homeschooling mom, I have added lesson plans and grading into my lists.  I added my own pet bathing schedule and reminders to give my pets their medications.  I've even used this app to break apart huge knitting projects and give myself the chore of adding a single square to an afghan every day.  The possibilities are endless.

     The various printable chore planners can be purchased here for $8 each.  There are also some available for the final months of 2015 for $2.  A one year subscription to the app costs $7.99, or you can purchase a two month version of the app for $1.99 and purchase additional time using in app purchases.  There is also a Lite version of this app that allows you to try it out for two weeks absolutely free.  (That's how I started.)  Give it a try.  And make sure to let me know in the comments if it helps you as much as it has helped me.