Ahhhh it is Friday! That is supposed to be a good thing, right??!!
Last night, Friday eve, I was up late doing a load of laundry, so that my little one would have pants for school today, loading the dishwasher, putting away the sewing machine and various other supplies from a pinterest project that I got sucked into ... feeling really bad about myself because I hadn't got lots of the chores done on my list this week. I needed a reality check!
I am not super woman ... I get accused of being this super organized person sometimes that gets so much done ... It makes me laugh because up until a couple weeks ago, I would be getting all of these comments while sitting in my home that was in shambles. I was getting plenty of work done ... but not so much housework.
Last night, after putting away all of my crafty stuff and putting the few dirty dishes in the sink, I realized that the house really wasn't in shambles. If a friend walked through the door at that moment I wouldn't hang my head in shame at the craziness.
Yes, the bedroom didn't get vacuumed, the shelves didn't get dusted, the windows and mirrors aren't spotless ... but that's ok ... it will get done ... Sleep is more important than any of those things.
It's Friday now, and I have another list of things that need to be done. The important things have already been done before I write this post ... everything else is a bonus!
Have a great weekend!
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The Card System for time management - You expect me to do what, when, how??!!
If you read my first post and are thinking about starting the card system to help you get organized and better manage your time:
http://mooremagnets.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-card-system-to-stay-organized-and.html
You might be feeling a little overwhelmed ... asking me - You expect me to do what? Exactly When? How am I going to get this done?
I will admit that when you are first setting this system up, it is a bit of work. Thinking of all of the things you need to do, and having a hard time getting it all done now. Honestly, this is my favorite part of the card system, because I don't have to think about it all anymore. I know that all I have to do is pull cards out, check things off, work a little each day, and it will all get done. I also know that it isn't going to involve me rushing around and feeling overwhelmed that things have gotten out of control.
Today, I am going to take a closer look at my daily cards for you. These are things that I do everyday to help me stay on top of things. Your daily cards may look different as your problem areas may look different than mine.
The purpose of the daily cards is to maintain and to control your problem areas, and also to make the hard to keep clean areas easier when the day to clean them comes around.
You may notice that I have a bit of overlap on my daily cards. Like wiping counters, sweeping the kitchen and dining area, laundry and dishes. The reason for this overlap isn't to make me do these things if they don't need to be done, but more to make me look at these areas and to be proactive in keeping them cleaned up. About half the days of the week, I don't have laundry to do, but this way I am doing laundry one load at a time instead of 5 loads one day of the week. In the past, I have set up my cards to only do laundry one day a week, but then I had to fold 5 loads of laundry in one day, and I hate folding laundry. By breaking it up over several days, laundry doesn't pile up and I find it less daunting to fold them one load at a time.
Wiping the counters is also an overlapping task. Keeping the counters cleaned off is one of the areas that my husband and I tend to bicker over. He likes the counters clean and tidy, and I tend to pile things up there. So, I try to focus on those as a favor to him. It just makes the household more harmonious, and I know he appreciates my efforts.
I have also made daily cards for my children. Their cards contain their daily chores and we go over them each night. At the end of each week we review and I hand out allowances. There are other cards for them that they can do to earn extra money, but the condition is that all of their daily chores have to be met before they earn money for the extras ... if not there are deductions to their extra chores. They know that they can't just skip picking up their dirty clothes and dishes to earn money from washing cars ... They also know that they can't just was the cars every day.
Since I made my cards, I have also found that I have some other tasks that need to be done less frequently, more frequently, and things I have forgotten about too. So I will be adding those in.
Next time I will talk about some ideas that you might want to put as weekly tasks.
http://mooremagnets.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-card-system-to-stay-organized-and.html
You might be feeling a little overwhelmed ... asking me - You expect me to do what? Exactly When? How am I going to get this done?
I will admit that when you are first setting this system up, it is a bit of work. Thinking of all of the things you need to do, and having a hard time getting it all done now. Honestly, this is my favorite part of the card system, because I don't have to think about it all anymore. I know that all I have to do is pull cards out, check things off, work a little each day, and it will all get done. I also know that it isn't going to involve me rushing around and feeling overwhelmed that things have gotten out of control.
Today, I am going to take a closer look at my daily cards for you. These are things that I do everyday to help me stay on top of things. Your daily cards may look different as your problem areas may look different than mine.
The purpose of the daily cards is to maintain and to control your problem areas, and also to make the hard to keep clean areas easier when the day to clean them comes around.
Wiping the counters is also an overlapping task. Keeping the counters cleaned off is one of the areas that my husband and I tend to bicker over. He likes the counters clean and tidy, and I tend to pile things up there. So, I try to focus on those as a favor to him. It just makes the household more harmonious, and I know he appreciates my efforts.
I have also made daily cards for my children. Their cards contain their daily chores and we go over them each night. At the end of each week we review and I hand out allowances. There are other cards for them that they can do to earn extra money, but the condition is that all of their daily chores have to be met before they earn money for the extras ... if not there are deductions to their extra chores. They know that they can't just skip picking up their dirty clothes and dishes to earn money from washing cars ... They also know that they can't just was the cars every day.
Since I made my cards, I have also found that I have some other tasks that need to be done less frequently, more frequently, and things I have forgotten about too. So I will be adding those in.
Next time I will talk about some ideas that you might want to put as weekly tasks.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Skeptical about homemade cleaning products ... But this one works!
For years I have been really sensitive to fragrances and cleaners, and I have had to change the types of things that I buy because of it. This runs the gamut from laundry detergent, to lotions, to hand cleaners, and especially cleaning products!
I have seen many receipes for cleaning, and I have no doubt that dilluted vinegar does a great job cleaning windows, and lemon is a life savor for smells in the kitchen. However, those hard to clean places, like tubs and showers ... well I confess that I have always just broken down and purchased commercial cleaning products.
I recently came across a pin on pinterest for a tub and shower cleaner - Tub and Shower Cleaner that used Dawn dish detergent and white vinegar ... and I just had to try it because even the commercial cleaning products just don't do too well on the soap scum and mineral buildup from our well water.
The mixture is a 1 to 1 ratio of blue Dawn dish detergent and white distilled vinegar. They recommend hot vinegar, but I have mixed it with the vinegar cool and gotten the same results.
Update! I recently mixed it as a 2 to 1 ratio with 2 parts vinegar to 1 part blue Dawn and achieved the same results. I may try reducing it even more as it is very soapy!
I have to say that I am THRILLED with the results! I will absolutely not be buying any commercial tub and shower cleaner again! I can't say that I didn't do any scrubbing, because I did ... here's the picture to prove it ... But the amount of scrubbing I did was the same as I do when I use a commercial cleaner ... Only I wasn't gasping for air, running the bathroom fan, and had to sit outside for at least 30 minutes after I was finished.
My house does smell a bit like vinegar, but it must not be that bad because my son isn't complaining about it!
I only mixed up a small amount. Instead of the 12 oz and 12 oz mixture they indicate, I only did 4 oz and 4 oz ... frankly cause I didn't want to use all the vinegar I had, and I also didn't want this strange mixture around if it didn't work to my satisfaction.
The mixture wasn't nearly as clear looking as the picture above - that looks more like glass cleaner to me. Mine was thicker and milky looking. I will try increasing the vinegar and lessening the Dawn next time. However, I do think the thicker mixture allowed it to hang on the walls of the shower for a longer time.
Now, I can't wait to make my tub all sparkly and remove that film!
I have seen many receipes for cleaning, and I have no doubt that dilluted vinegar does a great job cleaning windows, and lemon is a life savor for smells in the kitchen. However, those hard to clean places, like tubs and showers ... well I confess that I have always just broken down and purchased commercial cleaning products.
I recently came across a pin on pinterest for a tub and shower cleaner - Tub and Shower Cleaner that used Dawn dish detergent and white vinegar ... and I just had to try it because even the commercial cleaning products just don't do too well on the soap scum and mineral buildup from our well water.
The mixture is a 1 to 1 ratio of blue Dawn dish detergent and white distilled vinegar. They recommend hot vinegar, but I have mixed it with the vinegar cool and gotten the same results.
Update! I recently mixed it as a 2 to 1 ratio with 2 parts vinegar to 1 part blue Dawn and achieved the same results. I may try reducing it even more as it is very soapy!
I have to say that I am THRILLED with the results! I will absolutely not be buying any commercial tub and shower cleaner again! I can't say that I didn't do any scrubbing, because I did ... here's the picture to prove it ... But the amount of scrubbing I did was the same as I do when I use a commercial cleaner ... Only I wasn't gasping for air, running the bathroom fan, and had to sit outside for at least 30 minutes after I was finished.My house does smell a bit like vinegar, but it must not be that bad because my son isn't complaining about it!
I only mixed up a small amount. Instead of the 12 oz and 12 oz mixture they indicate, I only did 4 oz and 4 oz ... frankly cause I didn't want to use all the vinegar I had, and I also didn't want this strange mixture around if it didn't work to my satisfaction.
The mixture wasn't nearly as clear looking as the picture above - that looks more like glass cleaner to me. Mine was thicker and milky looking. I will try increasing the vinegar and lessening the Dawn next time. However, I do think the thicker mixture allowed it to hang on the walls of the shower for a longer time.
Now, I can't wait to make my tub all sparkly and remove that film!
Monday, May 9, 2011
180 CD's on One Flash Drive
I've still been cleaning and decluttering around here ... just not being very good about updating my blog! Between taxes, spring break, end-of-school-year-craziness ... and regular work ... The blog has been a wee bit neglected!
But, for the last month or so, I have vowed to FINALLY put all of our music cd's on the computer, and on a flash drive!180+ CD's later ... here I am!
Can you believe that huge stack of CD's fit on this little 8G flash drive!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hit the ground Running!
Oh, I had a great night's sleep! Woke up all refreshed and ready to go! As much as I love having all of my guys around for a long weekend, they sure can make a mess! I have a lot of friends who are such good house keepers. Honestly, I don't know how they do that - their counters are always clean, the floors are always clear, no dust can be found, and they must eat out all of the time! My house ... well not so much! There is always at least one room in the house that is in disarray, unless we are having an event at our house ... then I am drill sergeant mom and don't let anyone take out anything. So, today, I will strive to tackle the mess ... again ... and see if I can take one step towards becoming a more organized mom! Maybe I will get there before they all go off to college =)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Oh it has been so long!
I knew it had been a long time since I have blogged, but I didn't realize it had been since April!
Oh My ... I guess I had better either get back on the horse, or let it go.
So, let's try getting back on the horse before I throw in the towel.
I have blogged a lot in the past about trying to get organized, and well the past few months I have really been getting better. The house doesn't look like a tornado went through - or at least not as often as it used to! So that is a big improvement. I have also not been acquiring as much 'stuff' as I used to - so less stuff to find a place for! Hubby has FINALLY started working again, and school starts this week - so less people here to mess things up!
At least that's the plan! I seem to be able to mess things up plenty when left to my own devices, so maybe I can get better about that!
So, what did I do today?
Today I cleaned off my magnet board above my desk. It was hard putting away some of those art projects from last school year - and I must confess that I left the mother's day card up there - but with a new year comes lots and lots of new art work to display. I also went through the lunch menu with the little one to find out what days I need to pack lunch and what days he will be eating school lunch. I also clipped all of the coupons and got them organized in my coupon organizer.
Tomorrow I really need to work on things for the Etsy shop - I feel like I haven't made anything new in months! Which isn't really true, but every thing has been either for the consignment shop or custom orders - so no new listings. Which actually has been okay since I would probably would have gotten heat stroke taking pictures outside! So, tomorrow I am pulling out all the fabric, updating the fabric inventory, and taking pictures of the fabrics that aren't listed on my fabrics page! I also need to do a bit of grocery shopping and find loose leaf notebook paper since the walmart seems to be completely out!
There ya go - I have a plan now!
Oh My ... I guess I had better either get back on the horse, or let it go.
So, let's try getting back on the horse before I throw in the towel.
I have blogged a lot in the past about trying to get organized, and well the past few months I have really been getting better. The house doesn't look like a tornado went through - or at least not as often as it used to! So that is a big improvement. I have also not been acquiring as much 'stuff' as I used to - so less stuff to find a place for! Hubby has FINALLY started working again, and school starts this week - so less people here to mess things up!
At least that's the plan! I seem to be able to mess things up plenty when left to my own devices, so maybe I can get better about that!
So, what did I do today?
Today I cleaned off my magnet board above my desk. It was hard putting away some of those art projects from last school year - and I must confess that I left the mother's day card up there - but with a new year comes lots and lots of new art work to display. I also went through the lunch menu with the little one to find out what days I need to pack lunch and what days he will be eating school lunch. I also clipped all of the coupons and got them organized in my coupon organizer.
Tomorrow I really need to work on things for the Etsy shop - I feel like I haven't made anything new in months! Which isn't really true, but every thing has been either for the consignment shop or custom orders - so no new listings. Which actually has been okay since I would probably would have gotten heat stroke taking pictures outside! So, tomorrow I am pulling out all the fabric, updating the fabric inventory, and taking pictures of the fabrics that aren't listed on my fabrics page! I also need to do a bit of grocery shopping and find loose leaf notebook paper since the walmart seems to be completely out!
There ya go - I have a plan now!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Paperwork! Organizing my stacks!
It's a rainy day today, and I am finally finished sending out my outstanding orders. As much as I would love to just take the day off and do nothing, I have a giant stack of paperwork staring back at me!
I have several files already set up, but since our new computer arrived, I have decided to rearrange my desk. Things are coming along nicely, but it is forcing me to tackle some of the paperwork projects that I have been putting off for a while.
I will be taking pictures during the day to show you part of the process, but here is the list of the supplies I have ready to go to tackle this project!
File Folders
Label Maker
Large clean surface (my living room floor)
Stacks of paperwork
Empty file box
Note pad
Pens/Pencils
Shredder
I am not sure if I will be able to reveal my final office yet, but stay tuned hopefully it will come soon!
I have several files already set up, but since our new computer arrived, I have decided to rearrange my desk. Things are coming along nicely, but it is forcing me to tackle some of the paperwork projects that I have been putting off for a while.
I will be taking pictures during the day to show you part of the process, but here is the list of the supplies I have ready to go to tackle this project!
File Folders
Label Maker
Large clean surface (my living room floor)
Stacks of paperwork
Empty file box
Note pad
Pens/Pencils
Shredder
I am not sure if I will be able to reveal my final office yet, but stay tuned hopefully it will come soon!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Clean Up The Crap Wednesday - Continued!
So, I decided that I really needed to clean up our coat closet. Kinda funny that I call it that since we don't put coats in it, but I use the closet to store the vacuum, winter hats/gloves, and stuff for my business. This morning is was a complete disaster, and I actually couldn't even get the vacuum into the closet. Bad since I haven't used the vacuum since last week!!
So Here is the before picture:
I am ashamed that this closet still housed:
- playdoh toys that my son hasn't played with in almost 2 years
- a basked of coloring books, markers, and crayons that I didn't know about
- and bags that I transport product in that were falling all over the place
- the lids to plastic storage bins that are probably long gone
I want
to use this closet to house:- overflow shipping supplies
- bubble wrap
- over flow baggies for product
- wooden shape supplies
- overflow of magnets
- winter hats/gloves
- vacuum cleaner and parts
So, I emptied it out and put everything back - I have relocated the coloring things to my son's room, but most of the other stuff is going to goodwill or the trash!
I can even fit the vacuum in the closet now!
Also - I wanted to point out my organizing solution! I hung an over the door shoe rack with clear pockets on the back of the door a while back - but most of the pockets were empty. So - they have been filled up and arranged so that I can see everything! The best part is the pockets are clear so I can give the label maker a rest for
the day!
Clean up the Crap Wednesday
My house is a mess! So I really do need a clean up the crap day! I haven't decided what task I am going to share with you yet, but I can promise lots of pictures and that the space will be organized when I am finished!
So... Stay tuned, this post will be updated later today =)
So... Stay tuned, this post will be updated later today =)
Monday, July 27, 2009
Mommy Time Monday
So, I am going to try to get back on track for blogging! It is a little difficult as I have too many projects going on right now, but no time like the present to form a habit ... Right?!
Today I am really going to clean the house ... I mean a good cleaning - sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, bathrooms... etc. Really I have let things go for the last week, just getting by with picking up. So, it is time to hunker down and get this place under control!
My mommy time today is actually happening right now! I got up early this morning - 5 am - and enjoyed getting on Facebook to catch up with friends. I have been looking at everyone's sweet pictures, reading about their activities, and leaving little comments to let them know I was there.
I know it isn't a very glamorous mommy time, but it is one of those little things that we don't always take the time todo.
On one other note - Here are some pictures of the giant magnet boards that I have been finishing up - They are quite big at 23"x48" and my customer chose some beautiful Amy Butler fabrics. Enjoy... and Happy Monday!
Today I am really going to clean the house ... I mean a good cleaning - sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, bathrooms... etc. Really I have let things go for the last week, just getting by with picking up. So, it is time to hunker down and get this place under control!
My mommy time today is actually happening right now! I got up early this morning - 5 am - and enjoyed getting on Facebook to catch up with friends. I have been looking at everyone's sweet pictures, reading about their activities, and leaving little comments to let them know I was there.
I know it isn't a very glamorous mommy time, but it is one of those little things that we don't always take the time todo.
On one other note - Here are some pictures of the giant magnet boards that I have been finishing up - They are quite big at 23"x48" and my customer chose some beautiful Amy Butler fabrics. Enjoy... and Happy Monday!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Clean Up the Crap Wednesday's
Sorry I have been out of pocket for a few weeks. I have felt rather overwhelmed with things going on in life and business.
But....
Alas, the messes in the house don't stop just because mommy is overloaded!
So, for the last couple weeks I have been doing a 15min clean up. I am always amazed with how much I can get done in 15 minutes. I have also started involving the kids. My 5 year old loves to set the timer on the stove to start us out, and then we basically run around like crazy picking up things for 15 minutes. He will run into the kitchen every minute or two and announce how many minutes we have left. I try to make the process fun by acting silly and running around in circles a few times, but all the silliness aside, we are cleaning up!
To set up our 15 minute clean up we start by talking about what we are going to work on before the timer is set. Next we talk about the fact that 15 minutes is not a long time, so we must work as fast as we can, and finally we go into the kitchen and start the timer.
I probably would not set the timer for a whole 15 minutes if my son was any younger, but I also don't set the timer any longer for our teen and tween. It has definitely helped get the boys jump started about cleaning up, and they are happy that they don't have to clean for more than 15 minutes.
My son also gets a kick when I announce that I need another 15 minutes, and generally he leaves me alone to clean during my extra time.
So - set your timer for 15 minutes - you will probably be amazed at how much you can do!
But....
Alas, the messes in the house don't stop just because mommy is overloaded!
So, for the last couple weeks I have been doing a 15min clean up. I am always amazed with how much I can get done in 15 minutes. I have also started involving the kids. My 5 year old loves to set the timer on the stove to start us out, and then we basically run around like crazy picking up things for 15 minutes. He will run into the kitchen every minute or two and announce how many minutes we have left. I try to make the process fun by acting silly and running around in circles a few times, but all the silliness aside, we are cleaning up!
To set up our 15 minute clean up we start by talking about what we are going to work on before the timer is set. Next we talk about the fact that 15 minutes is not a long time, so we must work as fast as we can, and finally we go into the kitchen and start the timer.
I probably would not set the timer for a whole 15 minutes if my son was any younger, but I also don't set the timer any longer for our teen and tween. It has definitely helped get the boys jump started about cleaning up, and they are happy that they don't have to clean for more than 15 minutes.My son also gets a kick when I announce that I need another 15 minutes, and generally he leaves me alone to clean during my extra time.
So - set your timer for 15 minutes - you will probably be amazed at how much you can do!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Clean Up The Crap Wednesday!
Something always needs to be cleaned up and organized around my house. Truly I could blog about this everyday, but I will spare you - and only blog about it on Wednesdays!
So, I decided to clean out my supply cabinet. Originally this cabinet housed our TV and stereo, but we recently purchased a TV that hangs on the wall. I use this cabinet to hold all of my supplies that I use in the house, as opposed to the supplies that are used in my workshop. I found that these items needed to be in a temperature controlled environment, and also didn't need to be exposed to the dust that is created by power tools in my workshop. The pictures really just do not show the full scope of the disaster this cabinet was, and I have been putting off the task of cleaning it out for months!
So, first things first, the cabinet is emptied out. You can see that I literally just took everything out and piled it on the floor. For me, it is just easier to get everything out and then sort it. I sorted by a few different categories for the first sort: Trash, doesn't belong in this cabinet, and keep. Next, I sorted out the things that were staying
in the cabinet by what I used them for - office supplies, fabric and fabric crafts, paper crafts, partially finished projects, tools (used in multiple crafts). Next, I sorted each of these categories by how often I used the item.
This last sort is required because this cabinet is fairly deep, and I want to utilize all of the space. Therefore I placed the items that are used least often in the back of the cabinet, and items used most often in the front of the cabinet.
Putting things back in:
As I said above, I tried to put the items that I use least often in the back of the cabinet. However, I also had a few boxes that were full of excess office supplies. So, I took out a small amount of these supplies to store at the front, or in a different location, and then placed the boxes in the back of the cabinet.
I didn't buy any new containers for this organizational project. I simply re-purposed what I had already. Baskets that weren't being used now have a purpose, and bins that were overflowing were cleaned out and used for a different purpose.
There were a few surprises that I found - First was a box of supplies that I didn't realize that I had, and I had just purchased more of these supplies the week before - what a waste of money!! Also, I found a box of paperwork that needed to be added to my tax documents! (Glad I haven't finished taxes yet!).
Lessons Learned: I really need to do things like this more often! Buying supplies that I already have, and having tax documents in a supply cabinet is really bad! I also learned that I need to get better about not putting things in this cabinet that don't belong here! Finally, I need to remember that every square inch of every space does not need to be occupied. Having a bit of room is helpful when you need to move things around, take things out, and put things back in. Also, I am quite sure that there is a supply that I need and have not bought yet!
So, I decided to clean out my supply cabinet. Originally this cabinet housed our TV and stereo, but we recently purchased a TV that hangs on the wall. I use this cabinet to hold all of my supplies that I use in the house, as opposed to the supplies that are used in my workshop. I found that these items needed to be in a temperature controlled environment, and also didn't need to be exposed to the dust that is created by power tools in my workshop. The pictures really just do not show the full scope of the disaster this cabinet was, and I have been putting off the task of cleaning it out for months!
So, first things first, the cabinet is emptied out. You can see that I literally just took everything out and piled it on the floor. For me, it is just easier to get everything out and then sort it. I sorted by a few different categories for the first sort: Trash, doesn't belong in this cabinet, and keep. Next, I sorted out the things that were staying
in the cabinet by what I used them for - office supplies, fabric and fabric crafts, paper crafts, partially finished projects, tools (used in multiple crafts). Next, I sorted each of these categories by how often I used the item.This last sort is required because this cabinet is fairly deep, and I want to utilize all of the space. Therefore I placed the items that are used least often in the back of the cabinet, and items used most often in the front of the cabinet.
Putting things back in:
As I said above, I tried to put the items that I use least often in the back of the cabinet. However, I also had a few boxes that were full of excess office supplies. So, I took out a small amount of these supplies to store at the front, or in a different location, and then placed the boxes in the back of the cabinet.I didn't buy any new containers for this organizational project. I simply re-purposed what I had already. Baskets that weren't being used now have a purpose, and bins that were overflowing were cleaned out and used for a different purpose.
There were a few surprises that I found - First was a box of supplies that I didn't realize that I had, and I had just purchased more of these supplies the week before - what a waste of money!! Also, I found a box of paperwork that needed to be added to my tax documents! (Glad I haven't finished taxes yet!).
Lessons Learned: I really need to do things like this more often! Buying supplies that I already have, and having tax documents in a supply cabinet is really bad! I also learned that I need to get better about not putting things in this cabinet that don't belong here! Finally, I need to remember that every square inch of every space does not need to be occupied. Having a bit of room is helpful when you need to move things around, take things out, and put things back in. Also, I am quite sure that there is a supply that I need and have not bought yet!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Cleaning up my Physical House
Of all of the ‘houses’ that I am trying to clean up, I will say that cleaning up the actual house is the easiest. This is not to say that I like to clean, or that I keep an immaculate house, but basically cleaning is pretty easy. Pick things up, put them away, wipe counters, mop floors, vacuum – none of them require a lot of brain power.
However, what do you do when you start with heaping piles of dishes, toys, paperwork, laundry, and a whole host of other doo-dads and what nots? One thing at a time. When you are starting with a mess that seems out of control, just do one thing. Focus on one area or just do one thing. Soon, all of those one things turn into many things and the piles get smaller.
There is one technique that I discovered a few years ago that has literally changed my ability to clean house and I will explain that now.
Does this sound familiar? Decide you are going to clean off the kitchen counter. You notice that you have about 8-10 pens or pencils (No wonder you can never find a pen at your desk!). Take pens and pencils to your desk. Put them away. Notice that there are 3 toy cars and a handful of legos on your desk. Take toy cars and legos to sons room. Decide that his room is a bigger disaster than you last realized. Put away toy cars and legos. Look around and see dirty socks, pajamas, pants, and shirts. Take dirty clothes to laundry. Decide that if you don’t start laundry now you won’t finish until next week sometime. Open washer, eeewwww, you forgot to put clothes in dryer. Start washer again to rewash soured clothes. Take laundry out of dryer. Fold laundry. Take clean dish towels to the kitchen. Wait a minute, now 30 minutes has passed and you have only cleaned 8-10 pencils off of the counter that you were cleaning!!!
This used to be my problem. It would seem like I was cleaning and picking up all day long, but never actually getting anything cleaned up! So, now I don’t clean like that anymore. I now have a designated basket that I take from room to room with me when I am cleaning. So, if I am cleaning up the kitchen, I take the basket into the kitchen with me, and as I am cleaning and I run across something that doesn’t belong in that room. Instead of taking it to the room, I put it in the basket. This way, I don’t get sidetracked and I actually get the space cleaned up!
Once I am finished with that one space, I go to the next space and take the items out of the basket that belong in that space. The basket is stored in a central location and everyone knows that if they can’t find it – Look in the basket! I empty it out completely every week.
I also have a cleaning schedule. I know the spaces in my house that need to be cleaned daily, weekly, and monthly. So I put them all on a calendar and clean them on that day. Everyday I do a general clean up, and more importantly, I require the kids to help. Also, I try to do one load of laundry per day, and wash dishes everyday.
Cleaning time generally takes me about an hour to an hour and a half each day.
I didn’t learn from my parents how to keep a clean house. My mother was a single mom and just gave up on requiring us to keep our rooms clean. However, she did give me a book that truly helped me learn to clean my room. I highly recommend it for children and parents!! I still use the lessons that I learned from this book, and I will soon be giving one to our youngest son to help him.
http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Your-Room-Survival-Kids/dp/094151000X
If you have any cleaning tips, please, post them in your comments! Every bit helps!
However, what do you do when you start with heaping piles of dishes, toys, paperwork, laundry, and a whole host of other doo-dads and what nots? One thing at a time. When you are starting with a mess that seems out of control, just do one thing. Focus on one area or just do one thing. Soon, all of those one things turn into many things and the piles get smaller.
There is one technique that I discovered a few years ago that has literally changed my ability to clean house and I will explain that now.
Does this sound familiar? Decide you are going to clean off the kitchen counter. You notice that you have about 8-10 pens or pencils (No wonder you can never find a pen at your desk!). Take pens and pencils to your desk. Put them away. Notice that there are 3 toy cars and a handful of legos on your desk. Take toy cars and legos to sons room. Decide that his room is a bigger disaster than you last realized. Put away toy cars and legos. Look around and see dirty socks, pajamas, pants, and shirts. Take dirty clothes to laundry. Decide that if you don’t start laundry now you won’t finish until next week sometime. Open washer, eeewwww, you forgot to put clothes in dryer. Start washer again to rewash soured clothes. Take laundry out of dryer. Fold laundry. Take clean dish towels to the kitchen. Wait a minute, now 30 minutes has passed and you have only cleaned 8-10 pencils off of the counter that you were cleaning!!!
This used to be my problem. It would seem like I was cleaning and picking up all day long, but never actually getting anything cleaned up! So, now I don’t clean like that anymore. I now have a designated basket that I take from room to room with me when I am cleaning. So, if I am cleaning up the kitchen, I take the basket into the kitchen with me, and as I am cleaning and I run across something that doesn’t belong in that room. Instead of taking it to the room, I put it in the basket. This way, I don’t get sidetracked and I actually get the space cleaned up!
Once I am finished with that one space, I go to the next space and take the items out of the basket that belong in that space. The basket is stored in a central location and everyone knows that if they can’t find it – Look in the basket! I empty it out completely every week.
I also have a cleaning schedule. I know the spaces in my house that need to be cleaned daily, weekly, and monthly. So I put them all on a calendar and clean them on that day. Everyday I do a general clean up, and more importantly, I require the kids to help. Also, I try to do one load of laundry per day, and wash dishes everyday.
Cleaning time generally takes me about an hour to an hour and a half each day.
I didn’t learn from my parents how to keep a clean house. My mother was a single mom and just gave up on requiring us to keep our rooms clean. However, she did give me a book that truly helped me learn to clean my room. I highly recommend it for children and parents!! I still use the lessons that I learned from this book, and I will soon be giving one to our youngest son to help him.
http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Your-Room-Survival-Kids/dp/094151000X
If you have any cleaning tips, please, post them in your comments! Every bit helps!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Cleaning up my spiritual house
I will start this little clean-up series with cleaning up my spiritual house, and because of how I am conducting this little cleaning exercise; I will also end the series with cleaning up my spiritual house.
You see, as I have been going on this journey to clean-up and organize my life, I have discovered that my spiritual self is benefiting greatly from this. At the core of my belief system is the belief that the way that I treat myself and those around me is the most important thing of all, and when the things in my life are an unorganized mess, it means that I am not treating myself or those around me very well.
I would say that the unorganized mess is responsible for 80% of the arguments that I have with my spouse. The unorganized mess causes lots of stress and is a good excuse of why I don’t spend as much ‘quality’ time with my children as I would like. The unorganized mess is why I didn’t get holiday cards out at Christmas time. The unorganized mess is why it takes me two or three times the amount of time working on projects, because I spend so much time trying to find adequate space to work and looking for the tools and materials that I need to finish the projects.
The other thing that I have found in this process is that, when my other houses are cleaned up, I get more time to spend in my spiritual house. This means more time for reading and reflection, more time to enjoy the people around me, and a better feeling about myself in general. My husband has also complimented my efforts, my kids love their spaces that we have created together, and knowing that I have finished lots of those lingering projects gives me a sense of accomplishment.
So, how can you start to clean up your spiritual house?
First, begin my completing one of the small cleaning tasks relevant to one of your other houses. When you are finished, take a moment to praise yourself and enjoy the feeling of having one less thing on that to-do list. Next, tell your spouse or someone close to you what you have just accomplished. By telling someone you are first celebrating your accomplishments, and next creating a sense of accountability to continue your efforts. Finally, don’t quit, spend some time figuring out what needs to be done and rank the things that need to be done in order of importance and size of the task.
If you are following the lead of this series you will also need to decide which of your houses each task fits into. For an example, a large part of my cleaning was my physical house, but once things were put away, it was time to re-visit the overflowing drawers of my desk and stacks of paperwork. Since I work from home, my drawers and stacks of paper work included things that belonged in my business house, financial house, and family house. I didn’t try to conquer all of those things at one time. Instead, I started by sorting the stacks by which house they belonged in, and importance.
Since this post is about cleaning up your spiritual house, you need to add another item to your list. Every time you complete a task, no matter how big or small, celebrate it! Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, and tell others about your accomplishments. Also, if you too have a spouse that complains about the unorganized mess, ask for praise for your accomplishments from them. When a person receives praise about their accomplishments, it greatly increases the likelihood that they will repeat these same accomplishments. You are no different. Explain this to the other people in your life, and let them know how important it is for them to recognize your efforts. This was extremely difficult for my husband to understand. However, as time has gone on, and he sees that I am continuing to make improvements, the compliments and praise have come easier and easier.
It was never my intention to live in a spotless house, and that is still not a goal of mine. Please do not come to my house and expect to be able to eat off of the floors! My goodness, that is what the plates are for! However, it is my intention to live in a house that isn’t a chaotic mess all of the time. So, as I tell my husband, I am not going for a immaculate – just less complete disaster!
I hope you have been inspired in some way by this post and your comments are always welcomed! I will continue to post about cleaning up the houses in my life!
You see, as I have been going on this journey to clean-up and organize my life, I have discovered that my spiritual self is benefiting greatly from this. At the core of my belief system is the belief that the way that I treat myself and those around me is the most important thing of all, and when the things in my life are an unorganized mess, it means that I am not treating myself or those around me very well.
I would say that the unorganized mess is responsible for 80% of the arguments that I have with my spouse. The unorganized mess causes lots of stress and is a good excuse of why I don’t spend as much ‘quality’ time with my children as I would like. The unorganized mess is why I didn’t get holiday cards out at Christmas time. The unorganized mess is why it takes me two or three times the amount of time working on projects, because I spend so much time trying to find adequate space to work and looking for the tools and materials that I need to finish the projects.
The other thing that I have found in this process is that, when my other houses are cleaned up, I get more time to spend in my spiritual house. This means more time for reading and reflection, more time to enjoy the people around me, and a better feeling about myself in general. My husband has also complimented my efforts, my kids love their spaces that we have created together, and knowing that I have finished lots of those lingering projects gives me a sense of accomplishment.
So, how can you start to clean up your spiritual house?
First, begin my completing one of the small cleaning tasks relevant to one of your other houses. When you are finished, take a moment to praise yourself and enjoy the feeling of having one less thing on that to-do list. Next, tell your spouse or someone close to you what you have just accomplished. By telling someone you are first celebrating your accomplishments, and next creating a sense of accountability to continue your efforts. Finally, don’t quit, spend some time figuring out what needs to be done and rank the things that need to be done in order of importance and size of the task.
If you are following the lead of this series you will also need to decide which of your houses each task fits into. For an example, a large part of my cleaning was my physical house, but once things were put away, it was time to re-visit the overflowing drawers of my desk and stacks of paperwork. Since I work from home, my drawers and stacks of paper work included things that belonged in my business house, financial house, and family house. I didn’t try to conquer all of those things at one time. Instead, I started by sorting the stacks by which house they belonged in, and importance.
Since this post is about cleaning up your spiritual house, you need to add another item to your list. Every time you complete a task, no matter how big or small, celebrate it! Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, and tell others about your accomplishments. Also, if you too have a spouse that complains about the unorganized mess, ask for praise for your accomplishments from them. When a person receives praise about their accomplishments, it greatly increases the likelihood that they will repeat these same accomplishments. You are no different. Explain this to the other people in your life, and let them know how important it is for them to recognize your efforts. This was extremely difficult for my husband to understand. However, as time has gone on, and he sees that I am continuing to make improvements, the compliments and praise have come easier and easier.
It was never my intention to live in a spotless house, and that is still not a goal of mine. Please do not come to my house and expect to be able to eat off of the floors! My goodness, that is what the plates are for! However, it is my intention to live in a house that isn’t a chaotic mess all of the time. So, as I tell my husband, I am not going for a immaculate – just less complete disaster!
I hope you have been inspired in some way by this post and your comments are always welcomed! I will continue to post about cleaning up the houses in my life!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Cleaning up my 'Houses'
No, I don’t have more than one house – just one small house that I share with my husband and 3 boys, but I am referring to my one physical house and then my mental or philosophical houses. One of my new years resolutions was to really get a handle on things that I wasn’t keeping up with as well as I wanted to. These things included house cleaning, paperwork, time management, and a whole host of things. I really didn’t know where to start with most of it, but I did know how to start cleaning up my house, so I started there.
I spent most of the Christmas break cleaning, but then I found that about 2 weeks after the kids went back to school that things were starting to slip. NOT HAPPY! I spent way too much time and energy getting things put away for them to just go right back to chaos. So, I have ventured on a journey to take my house cleaning to another level.
I am writing this on my blog first to inspire me to keep on going, and second because I thought it might help someone else out there!
First things first, assess the situation – HONESTLY! What do I need to clean up, and where do I start.
I have said it in the past, and I will say it again – I am NOT a list maker! So, Instead of making a list of everything that needed cleaning up – which I already know – I decided to change my thinking. I am now thinking of all of the different aspects of my life as my “Houses” – in Sociology I was taught that they are “Roles”, but I have decided to think of them as “Houses” since I will be cleaning them up.
Here are my houses:
Business House – Includes all non-physical aspects of my business – ie all work that requires my brain and not my hands or physical items.
Family House – Includes my extended family – mother, father, siblings, cousins, etc.
Physical House – The place we live in
Financial House – Paperwork, bills, taxes
Friendship House – Includes all of my friends, and my children’s friends
Crafting House – The physical pieces of my business
Spouse House – The hubby and our relationship
Mommy House – The kids and our relationship
Spiritual House – My mental well being, and beliefs (I will not be discussing religion)
Right now I am tackling or have tackled my Business house, Physical House, Financial House, and Crafting House. Those were the places that needed my attention first, and I will let you know how I tackled one of them in my next post.
Perhaps you would like to go on this journey with me.
I spent most of the Christmas break cleaning, but then I found that about 2 weeks after the kids went back to school that things were starting to slip. NOT HAPPY! I spent way too much time and energy getting things put away for them to just go right back to chaos. So, I have ventured on a journey to take my house cleaning to another level.
I am writing this on my blog first to inspire me to keep on going, and second because I thought it might help someone else out there!
First things first, assess the situation – HONESTLY! What do I need to clean up, and where do I start.
I have said it in the past, and I will say it again – I am NOT a list maker! So, Instead of making a list of everything that needed cleaning up – which I already know – I decided to change my thinking. I am now thinking of all of the different aspects of my life as my “Houses” – in Sociology I was taught that they are “Roles”, but I have decided to think of them as “Houses” since I will be cleaning them up.
Here are my houses:
Business House – Includes all non-physical aspects of my business – ie all work that requires my brain and not my hands or physical items.
Family House – Includes my extended family – mother, father, siblings, cousins, etc.
Physical House – The place we live in
Financial House – Paperwork, bills, taxes
Friendship House – Includes all of my friends, and my children’s friends
Crafting House – The physical pieces of my business
Spouse House – The hubby and our relationship
Mommy House – The kids and our relationship
Spiritual House – My mental well being, and beliefs (I will not be discussing religion)
Right now I am tackling or have tackled my Business house, Physical House, Financial House, and Crafting House. Those were the places that needed my attention first, and I will let you know how I tackled one of them in my next post.
Perhaps you would like to go on this journey with me.
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