When it came time to return to work, I was most worried about how I would get my household chores done. I used to divide my regular cleaning between days, working around Edwin’s schedule: vacuuming the kitchen and attached dining room while he lingered in his high chair; scrubbing the bathroom during nap time. I knew I wouldn’t have that time available to me once school started, and I wanted to figure out a new way to approach cleaning, a chore I usually dread. How could I make it less frustrating, less dread-full, and maybe even… more fun?

I stumbled on the answer the very first week of school. Edwin’s family birthday party was to be on that first Saturday, and I was anxious about cleaning the house for the party after my first full week of work. Nick and I played with the idea of hiring a cleaning lady, even calling one that had been recommended to us, but it didn’t work out. Realizing that we would be doing it all ourselves, I asked my parents to watch Edwin for an hour or so after work on Friday, so that Nick and I could clean. They readily agreed, and even asked if we wanted them to pick up takeout for us afterward.

At that point, it occurred to me that this situation was looking a lot like a tradition my family had when I was growing up. We’d come home on Friday afternoons, all of us from school (my parents were both teachers) and do the household cleaning. We each had a specific set of chores to tackle. When we were all done, we’d order takeout (usually Chinese food) and have a picnic on our newly-vaccumed living room floor (on a picnic blanket, of course) and watch the PBS shows Square One and Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Friday afternoon classics. We did this for several years, and it became one of our most established family traditions.

So that first Friday of school, my parents came to take Edwin, and Nick and I got to work. I poured myself a drink (hey, it was after 4), put on my wireless headphones and cranked up the dance music. I raced from room to room, chore to chore like the Energizer bunny, knowing that I had a limited child-free time to accomplish it all. I was shocked at how much energy I had and how fast I could clean, even after a full day of work. At one point, dancing to a favorite song while vigorously polishing the dining room table, I thought, This is fun!

By the time my parents brought Edwin back, pizza box in hand, the house was gleaming, and I had an idea. “Why don’t we do this every week?” I asked my parents and Nick during dinner. “It could be a new family tradition, based on our old family tradition.”

Everyone agreed, with the added rule that we’d alternate paying for takeout every week. We repeated the tradition this past Friday, and once again, everything went well. I even found myself looking forward to cleaning as I drove home from work. I’m so grateful to have found a creative, fun solution to the cleaning problem. Here’s why I think it works:

1. Fridays are a great day to clean, because when I’m done, I can relax and enjoy the clean house for the rest of the weekend. Also, I don’t mind losing that hour and a half of time with Edwin on Fridays because I know I’ll see him all weekend.

2. We’re rewarding our efforts with takeout dinners. Yum.

3. It gives my parents a special time to see Edwin and us, now that we’re not home as much during the week.

4. A cocktail and good dance music makes any chore more fun.

5. There’s nothing like creating a tradition.

Do you have a weekly or daily chore that you dread? How could you find a creative way to make it better?