Routines & Rhythms Saving my Life This Summer: Clean Mama Becky Rapinchuk

Edition 4/4: How a Cleaning Expert and Blogger balances motherhood + work in the Summertime

(background photo taken outside one of my favorite restaurants in san francisco)

Today, for the fourth and final edition of “Routines and Rhythms Saving my Life This Summer,” we have the irreplaceable, game-changing ‘Clean Mama.’ I discovered Becky’s website in a season where I had two young kids and absolutely could not find a cleaning routine or system that worked for me. I felt constantly overwhelmed, unable to commit to a strict schedule and super motivated to make a change. Friends, Clean Mama was absolutely the answer.

I’ve been blessed enough to have conversations with Becky in the past thanks to social media and she’s been a blog and newsletter for years which is just so special to me. If you’ve yet to discover all things Clean Mama from her products to her resources, be sure to do a fulllll deep dive after reading the gold standard today!

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1. Can you introduce yourself for anyone unfamiliar with you? Your elevator pitch, if you will.

Hi! I'm Becky from Clean Mama - I started blogging about what I was cleaning and organizing in my home in 2009, opened an Etsy shop in 2010, and as the Clean Mama Routine was shared far and wide, I have added tools and products to help others keep their homes neat and tidy in a quicker and easy way.  

2. Where do you actually do the bulk of your work and what are the benefits and challenges of that?

I have an office at our house but can be seen working from the kitchen table or in my car waiting for a sports practice to end. I work untraditional hours and find that I get more done when I am squeezing work into quiet pockets of time versus working for 8 hours in my office.

3. What does childcare look like for you in the summer?

My kids are 17,15, and 11 but they most likely don't remember a time when I wasn't 'working'. I started Clean Mama when my youngest at the time was 2 and my oldest was 4, but I was also working an early morning shelf stocking gig and then I became an admissions counselor for three years. Before that, I was an art teacher and— my dream job— a stay-at-home mom for 3 years. All of this to say, if there's a schedule or working routine out there, I probably tried it. That provided for some heartaches but it also helped to form the work/family balance that we have. I don't have childcare anymore but my oldest and middle will hang out with my youngest if I have a work call or appointment. I keep summers as 'light' work-wise as possible and while my dream would be to take the summer off, I will take days and afternoons off during the week and keep weekends as work-free as possible.