Small and Simple Blog

My friend Laurie has a crafty blog that is SOOOOO cute. I love her ideas because they are fun, simple and really affordable. This month she is doing a feature called "Thankful to be a Mother." She asked me to write a guest post having to do with organizing/schedules/etc. Below is what I came up with. I wanted to include a link for any of you who would like to check out her blog. http://smallandsimpleut.blogspot.com


Being a mother is not always easy and not always fun. I can honestly say though that I absolutely LOVE being a mother. One of my biggest challenges is keeping up with everything that I expect out of myself and staying sane in the process. I can drive myself crazy because I tend to set my expectations at an unrealistic level. Because I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking I should have time to do everything and do it all perfectly. The problem is that I am not perfect, I get tired and sometimes doing everything is really not what is most important.

My husband goes to work and he works hard, goes to school, volunteers to coach our kids teams, etc, etc, etc. So needless to say he has a very busy schedule. It's lonely sometimes being home with no adult interaction but I have found a few things make my days a lot more enjoyable and organized. I am very grateful that even though I am home all day my sweet hubby really doesn't expect me to do everything. Often, it takes his reminding me again and again before I remember that as long as the kids are taken care of and happy, everything else will be fine. To date I have never sent any member of my family out of the house with no clothes on - so I have to remember not to let something like staying 100% caught up with the laundry rule my life. It always gets done, eventually.

So on to my list of things that help me enjoy life, stay sane and keep my life reasonably organized. I include being organized with enjoying life and being sane because for me when life is chaotic it is hard to enjoy much of anything. I need order and my kids need order.

1) Have realistic expectations.
Mantra #1: We live in our house. Duh, right?!? Why then whenever I go visiting teaching or to a Pampered Chef Party everything in my friends house's are clean and perfect and blissful? It seems like everyone else lives in what looks like a model home. I want my house to look like a model home. There is a reason why a model home looks 100% presentable at all times - NO ONE LIVES THERE! There is also a reason why when you go visiting teaching it seems perfect - they knew you were coming. I have learned to accept the fact that kids play with toys, cooking dinner creates a mess in the kitchen and spills happen. If someone stops by and there are dishes on the table and food in my baby's hair - it's fine. That's what real life looks like and we are real people. I believe if a room can be made to look decent in 15 minutes then it isn't really messy.

2) Keep it simple.
We've all heard the saying 'a place for everything and everything in it's place.' I love this but for me I have to keep it simple. Sorting is my friend and I am in love with baskets! When we clean up at our house it usually consists of finding a basket and throwing our toys, shoes, mail, etc inside. If you keep your organizing so simple that a 2 year old can understand the system, guess what happens? A two year old can clean up. It's amazing. I've had many extended family members ask me how I taught my boys to clean up so well? It wasn't that hard - I showed them what I expect and worked with them until they understood. Now, when we are getting ready to leave Grandma's house they know what to do and they don't complain about doing it.
My favorite organizing set up is in my boys' room. They have a designated basket for cars, guns, dress ups, balls, and one for games. When it comes time to clean up I don't have to worry things will get lost or shoved under the bed in one big mysterious heap. They know where things go and it is so easy for them to do it right that it always looks perfect when they are done. Even though their room doesn't always look clean it only takes 15 minutes to have it looking great so I say it isn't really that messy. Fool proof system, love it! Plus did I mention that I think baskets are super cute? The other thing I love about baskets is that if you say it's time to sort your toys it doesn't sound as scary as saying "go clean your room." Sorting is fun, not a chore.

3) Have a plan.
Mantra #2: Make a list. I love to write stuff down. It's therapeutic for me. If I write something down I know I won't forget. Even if it takes me a month to get to a certain task, it will be checked off at some point in time. Making a list also helps me to know what to expect. You can call it goals setting, a "to do list", a chore chart, whatever. I don't care what you call it but the key for me is to write stuff down. I usually have a list in my planner, one by each phone and one on the fridge. It might seem excessive but if something I should be doing isn't on a list somewhere I can pretty much guarantee you that I will forget. Lists save my life. My kids need to know what to expect as well. They LOVE it when I make them a list of "chores" that they can check off. Really, who doesn't love putting a big check mark next to something that you won't have to think about again for a long time? Check lists are my fave.

4) Get in a rhythm.
I need consistency. I hear all the time that children need consistency and routine in their lives. It's how they learn responsibility. Well I must still be a child at heart because as much as my kids need a routine to life so do I. This can become as detailed or as simple as you like. The key is finding a routine that works for you and stick to it. Rather than routine sometimes I think of it as a rhythm. We don't necessarily eat lunch everyday at 12:00 noon but sometime between 11:30-1:00 when my baby is up from her morning nap we have lunch. I just need to know what comes next. When I have a rhythm to my day it is easy to know when to schedule Dr. visits, run to the grocery store, etc without messing up naps, meals and chores. We all know that tired or hungry kids are gRuMpY kids!
I have tried so many schedules in my life. I've done the kind where you plan out every minute and have a to do list 2 pages long single spaced for one day (yes I type out my to do lists - I'm nerdy like that) to the very vague, Monday I will do some laundry and Tuesday I will clean a toilet or two... Currently I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't plan every second but I like to have a few specifics mapped out for myself.

5) Refresh yourself.
Whenever I feel a case of the crazies creeping in I can usually pinpoint one of two things that I'm neglecting. First, I have to feed myself spiritually or I get worn out. Making time to study the scriptures/Ensign helps me be more prepared to deal with the challenges of being a mom and it recharges my battery. Second, I have to exercise. Going to the gym sometimes feels selfish but if I don't do it I get grumpy and that doesn't help anyone. I know I will never be Miss Fitness USA and honestly that isn't my goal but I have to take care of my body and make the time to work out. Finding what I love has helped. I can't set fitness goals or regimens according to what other people do or like. I love yoga so I do yoga. It isn't trendy but it's my me time so it's about ME. Lots of girls keep inviting me to Zumba - I'm sure it's great if you are coordinated and spunky - but I'm not. Zumba isn't for me and I don't have time in my life right now to do things just to please other people. Find what you love and do something that's all for you. If it works out that it is something you can do with friends, great!
6) Play.
Mantra #3: Have fun with your family. The best part of being a mom is being able to spend time giggling with my kids. As much as I love having a clean house and an organized life none of that compares with having fun with my family. Kids grow up way to fast. I know I take for granted how much time I have with my children because my husband who sometimes goes days without seeing them at all has to remind me. It won't be long before my boys don't want to play Candyland with their mom so I have to take what I can get. I try to spend quality time just playing with my kids everyday. I cherish our time together. For example, this morning I spent an hour playing with a balloon and reading a book with my baby. It was so simple and I can pretty much guarantee you that it will be the best hour of my day no matter how much I get accomplished from here on out. I think it is so important for our kids to see us let loose and have fun. I know I am the mom - it's my job to teach and to discipline but it's also my job to love them. I want to make sure that my kids have memories of their childhood they can look back on and know that mom loved them because she played with them.

I am so grateful to be a mother. It is the biggest blessing in my life. No matter how big my children grow or how smart they become they will always need me to be there for them because I am their mom. I hope an pray I can be the kind of mother that they need.

Clipboards

My friend Becca inspired this idea. You know that stack of papers that you have to hold on to for a month or a week and then send back to school...or the stack of misc papers that you need to do something with someday in your spare time? Well I've found the solution!

The boys helped pick out their own cute paper and we glued it along with cutouts of each of our names onto clipboards from the $ store. Now if one child is wondering where his reading chart is for school or if the other can't find his half finished picture from Primary I just remind them to check their clipboard. No more piles of papers and nothing gets lost! For family night I let the boys display their amazing school work from the previous week and we check the clipboards for anything we need to work on. The old stuff goes in the trash after being adequatly admired and the new stuff gets done as a family. Tada!! I love it!

A side note, I believe this is the second time Becca has been mentioned on this blog, yet she isn't a contributor. I'll have to see what I can do about that...

Memories that will last

I am lucky enough to have great back-door neighbors.  One day a few weeks ago, we saw you out there jumping on the trampoline with your sons.  My kids thought that was awesome! And I thought it was the greatest reminder of all that no matter how clean (or not clean) your house may be, those memories are the most important. 
Children want to see their parents laughing and happy, not stern and too busy to play.  So, while maybe dinner was put off a half an hour, and your hair was static-y, your children feel happy knowing they are important.
Since that day, I've tried to deliberately spend time with my kids, without phone, computer, cooking or cleaning.  It's hard to ignore stuff that "needs to get done," but my new focus is specific time each day to play.  Thanks for that great reminder!

FYI

I have tried and tried but cannot get my either of my blogs to cooperate with me. I can't see the messages I have posted and I can't read comments. I have been a little bit wondering about being done blogging anyway so to any of you who are dying to know how clean my house is just give me a jingle. I have loved reading everybody's tips on cleaning but for the time being (and possibly forever) I am done contributing because it is too much stress trying to figure out this error message. Sorry to say but I have other things to do with my time besides trying to blog on a broken system. I will still check for your insightful posts - Happy Cleaning.

Fun with a Washing Machine

Well, this post is not going to help solve the ironing dilemma, but, I do want to mention a few things I've learned the past few months.
In February I started using cloth diapers on my #3.  He seems to have extremely sensitive skin and diapers and wipes were just too much.  So, I went with cloth.  As a result, I have learned a few things about my washer.  Some of these have probably been obvious to everyone but me.  If so, apologies in advance.
1.  Prewash or soak hard stains just like you would a crusty baked pan.
2.  Doing a cold rinse cycle before a warm or hot wash MAY keep a stain from setting in.
3. Drying in the sun will take out stains. 
4.  warm or hot water cleans better than cold (only use as necessary.  I'm all for saving energy).  Of course, check your fabric for temperature guidelines.
5.  Nothing cleans more easily than 100% cotton.
6.  Did you know you can wash your "Dry Clean Only" laundry?  I found out the dry cleaners is far from dry and it's a large, hot, community washing machine.  So I got brave with some old stuff and then tried things I care about.  I did a cold "hand wash cycle" and then hung to dry.  For more delicate items, use a drying rack, not hangers.  Still, this required a lot of ironing afterward. 
7.  I also have learned to not stuff the washing machine as full as possible.  If the clothes are packed together and don't move around freely, they won't get clean.  (yup, this seems like a no-brainer.  But most of this" running a household info" is all new to me.  That's why I like this blog!)

Cloth diapers also require only selected kinds of detergent.  Many contain "optical brighteners" or other additives that can be harsh on baby's skin or make cloth diapers not absorb as well.  Fabric softener, for example, is really an oil that of course will cause the diapers to not absorb as well.
My detergent of choice?
Charlie's Laundry soap.  
It cleans and interestingly, I noticed that since I had to quit using fabric softener in the washer and dryer my clothes rarely have static.  Also, even a small bag seems to last a LONG time!

I know the community at large is not waiting with held breath for my next brilliant post, but I do want to apologize to Paige for my absence. Group support is no fun when you are the only one that contributes. I haven't stop cleaning my house, I've just been trying to fit in a new found hobby of "couponing" into everything else. Plus between kids and my hubby taking online classes, my computer time is very limited. Sorry.
As I was trying to think about what to post on, I realized I never responded to the nemesis known to many of you as bathrooms. Truth is, I kind of like cleaning bathrooms, with 2 major exceptions: floors and showers. I think the first must is consistency. It's hard when you dread it, I know, but you must do it every week. Second, I have a few germaphobic tendencies. I do not want to use the rag I used on my toilet on anything else in my house, or even wash it with my socks. It's just gross to me. So, I'm all about the Clorox wipes (or lysol, kirkland, etc.)
I use as many as necessary to wipe down my counter, sink, soap dispenser, and toilet. IF I do this every week, it's powerful enough to take care of things.

If I need something heavier duty however, I pull out the big guns: Scrubbing Bubbles.
I still use the disposable wipes with it, but it adds some cleaning power. As for the toilet bowl, my favorite cleaner is Lysol Power Cleaner. It just does the job. I haven't gone as far as disposable toilet brushes because it's not like I'll use the brush on anything else, so I don't care if it's gross. (I know, I'm weird.) Before we had a water softener I'd also need to spray some lime away in the bowl and scrub every couple of weeks.

Now, as for my shortfalls, I'm trying to make progress. I, of course, cringed at using the same mop on my bathroom floors as my kitchen floors. (I have a 3-year-old boy, need I say more?) But, I recently purchased the Swiffer mop Paige reviewed and I'm super excited to give it a try and change my ways. Up to this point most of my floor cleanings consisted of scrubbing on my hands and knees with a Clorox wipe. I'll tell you, that towel is much too small for the job.
As for the shower, (shudder) I'm guessing it's like the rest of the bathroom and wouldn't be so bad if I gave it some attention every week. Do I dare tell you that I think my shower was only cleaned probably twice in the last year, and one of those times was by my husband? Kind of pathetic. It just doesn't seem like there's an efficient way to get it looking good. It's a long tedious job that can't be done with kids at your feet, and since my shower shares a wall with my light sleeping daughter, it can't be done when kids are sleeping either. I'm giving the new Scrubbing Bubble power sprayers a try since I made money buying them.
They seem to do a fair job, but they definitely don't do the work for you. I also want to try a magic eraser on the tub, I've heard it works wonders. So, I guess I have something to report back on now. ;) But if you have a better way, please, please, please help!

Why Does It Matter?

I was doing the dishes yesterday and since all of the kids were upstairs playing quietly (or napping) I turned on the T.V. for background noise. The program that came on was interesting so I thought I'd share.

'The Doctors' were talking about the question: "Does having a cluttered house lead to obesity?" The surprising answer is that having a cluttered house and being overweight is linked. They reported that people with a cluttered house are at an increased risk of obesity and depression. Who wants to be overweight and depressed??? Not ME!

They talked a little about before trying to lose weight or diet or anything like that it is important to put your house on a diet. AKA - De clutter. My favorite part of what they said was that if you de-clutter then you will spend less time cleaning because you have less stuff. Tada!!! This was a major moment for me. Seriously magical. I want to spend less time cleaning!

So here is the deal, get rid of stuff you don't need and then you will never have to clean it up again. I am so excited about this. It is simple and honestly - it should be a no-brainer but I just loved the way they linked weight, clutter and sanity all in the same discussion.

I am going to start with my recipe stack. I have miscellaneous papers with recipes, all sorts of cards that are different sizes, pages riped from magazines and recipes printed from emails and from websites all mishmashed in my cupboard. I hate it whenever I see that stack on my counter. I seriously lose 5 minutes of my life every time I need to find a recipe. If I clean it up and organize it then I will save time and I'll never have to see that nasty stack again. What will you do?

Ideas? Comments? Goals? Please share.

Hubby is Home!

My best friend and I get to play all week long. He took this whole week off from work to stay home and project around the house, spend some good quality time playing with the kids, watch world cup soccer and just hang out as a family (something you can never do too much). So far it has been great and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week!

Who wants to clean when they have their best friend around and can just play instead? Not me!! I will be taking the whole week off as well.

Duh!

What I'm about to say may sound really dumb but just forgive me in advance.

It's amazing what you can get done in the morning when you wake up early. It is also amazing how quickly you crash when you wake up super early in the morning and forgot to go to bed until almost 1 o'clock am the night before.

I've been getting up at 6 to go running. FYI, I am not a morning person in the least. So last night just before 1 o'clock, I headed to bed. Hubby thought there would be no way that I would still wake up at 6 to go running so I think just to prove him wrong I did it. I should have proved him right!

When I got home from my run I did some yoga, took a shower and got completely ready fixed hair makeup on and real clothes (all before 8 am) which is kind of a miracle for me. I fed the kids when they woke up and started doing stuff around the house. That is the point at which I crashed. I had absolutely no energy. After lunch we went to the Library and I've done nothing since we returned home. Apparently sleep is more important than I thought.

I think I'll go to bed early tonight.

Bathroom Day!

I have missed both Monday's since I started my challenge. Today is the first day that I've done all of my weekly's on a Monday. My bathrooms are sparkling clean and I love it!

Another product review: the Swiffer sweeper. Last week on kitchen day I tried the sweeper (which I also purchased with coupons a few weeks ago). I hated it but I didn't want to review it yet because I wanted to give it a chance on bathroom day. The reason that I hated it so much for my kitchen is because I have kids. If you have kids you know what I mean. If you don't have children then let me explain. My kitchen floor usually has enough crumbs to feed a small army. Daily we have large crumbs, small crumbs, wet spills and sticky messes on the floor. I am fairly confident in saying that as much food as enters the mouths of my kids also ends up on the floor. When I tried to use the Swiffer sweeper on it there was no way it could all stick to the magic pad. It was simply too messy.

So what did I think about the sweeper for the bathroom? I LOVE IT!!! Why the difference? The main difference for my bathroom was that my bathroom floor is fairly clean to start with. We don't have food crumbs or other messes on the bathroom floor. The main mess on the floor is either dust or hair. The sweeper did amazing with both of these messes. I also used the wet cleaning pads after sweeping with the dry cloths and it did a great job. I love that you can flip it to the edge and scrub - I used it to clean off shoe marks on the floor. I also used the scrubby edge to clean the base boards without bending over. I really did love using it.

How is everyone else doing? I miss having other bloggers add feedback. Let me hear what you have been up to. What is working in your home?

Product Review

I was clipping coupons a few weeks ago and came across a $5 off coupon for the "Rug Stick" and a free $5 gift certificate to Target for purchasing it. So with the $10 incentive I decided to give it a try. Our carpets are horrible and I would love to rip it all out but that is not in the picture at the moment. Anyway, because the carpet is terrible it is hard for me to want to spend money to maintain it. But for such a good deal, I figured the rug stick might be nice for those unexpected accidents to keep the carpet from getting worse.
Last night I had my first chance to try it out. My hubby was polishing his shoes and managed to get polish all over the carpet. I thought it was a lost cause - dark brown polish all smudged into the carpet.
I busted out the rug stick asap and was pleasantly surprised. It actually cleaned up the polish pretty nicely. I don't know if I would have purchased this product at full price but I'm glad that I bought it and now I have it for future cleanup. We have lots of accidents around here so I'm sure it will get a lot of use.

Day Off

Monday's report:
Chores: Nope
Shopping with sister: Yep
Yesterday besides a load of laundry and a load of dishes I did absolutely nothing around the house. I did, however, have a super fun day with my sister and got some cute new clothes. Like Danielle, getting ready in the morning always feels like an accomplishment. Since having my baby I hate getting ready because I feel like I have nothing worth putting on that fits me right. I think a few new things to wear will boost me in the right direction so that I want to get ready and feel like it is worth it when I do.
Today: I'm ready to catch up on my house after a great day off.

He Noticed

I know that I am very old fashioned when it comes to being a wife and mother. I know a lot of people don't want this life but I'm happy this way. Over the weekend I got to go out with a friend and visit - it's been way too long!! She was laughing at me because I love to grind my wheat by hand to make bread for my family. "Why don't you just get an electric grinder?" she asked. My answer, "Because I like to pretend like I live on a farm." Plus my kids get to help me grind it by hand, it wouldn't be so fun to have the machine do it all. Maybe someday I'll get an electric grinder but for now I really enjoy doing it slowly, by hand.

I share this story to illustrate that I actually find joy in doing things the old fashioned way. I LOVE being a stay at home mom and it makes me so happy to take care of my children and my husband the way women did way back when. Sure sometimes I wish I could get out of here and have something else in my life to make me feel more important. But, I know it would not be worth it because I already have what really makes me happy - a family. I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my kids full time and not have to work outside of the home.

Yesterday I did all of my daily and weekly chores from the heavy duty schedule and my house looked better than it has in months. I also spent some really good quality time playing with my kids, teaching them some new skills (planting seeds and grooming flower beds), and having them sit curled up on my lap reading to them (a personal favorite). When hubby arrived home he found a house in order and a very happy family. The best part - he noticed.

I do everything that I do in my life because it really makes me happy and I enjoy it. It is the icing on the cake when I see that he also gets enjoyment out of it, and that he really appreciates what I do being at home. Plus, I really just love making him happy. All in all, it was a great day and today is already shaping up to be just as good.

It's hard to admit

It's hard to admit when you don't follow through with stuff. . . well guess what? I didn't.

Today was supposed to be the day I did everything on my list and felt so proud of myself. Well it's almost 9pm, kids just barely went to bed and hubby isn't home. I have been gone all day, haven't cleaned a thing and I'm done. I want to sit down and chill for a bit.

It was a productive day though, I got together with my mom and sister and made a dress for my baby girl. This project has been on my to do list for literally MONTHS! Now, it is done and the pattern I was borrowing from a friend has been returned. Stress is officially relieved. And the best part - the dress is adorable!!

The plan for tomorrow is better. It is more likely that I will get stuff done around here. I told the kids we will either visit the park or the library (depending on the weather). Other than a short trip out we will be home all day and I WILL clean.

Tonight I will iron (argh) while watching pride and prejudice (yay) until hubby gets home. That's better than nothing.

New Idea

So I was talking to a friend this week about the blog. Our conversation has inspired a new idea for this blog (thanks Laurie). She said she was amazed if I do everything I say I do in the heavy duty schedule, I quickly told her that I do not. But then as we were talking I explained that I do have a printed schedule that I check off what I've done so that I can look back and actually know when the last time was I did each chore. For example, even if I don't get my bathrooms cleaned that week I can look back and realize, wow it's been 3 months, I better go scrub some toilets before mold starts growing in there.

So what is this new idea?? Have you seen Julie & Julia the movie? Well I know I'm way behind the times here but I just saw it about a month ago. My new commitment is that I am going to follow (as best I can) the heavy duty schedule for one year and see how it goes. I figure next week we start a new month and kids just finished school - it is the perfect time to start a new routine for my life. Feel free to join me or just check in and laugh at me when I don't get my chores done - we all know I'll miss a day or two, or twelve. But I'm committed to doing my best and reporting honestly. Even if no one reads I think it will be handy for me to keep track of what I'm doing a little better.

One important reminder for myself as much as anyone else is that my whole goal is to find better ways to keep up with the daily 'to do's' without feeling like it takes over my life. I have little ones at home and they are my most important priority. I will not neglect my kids in order to have a clean house. So buckle up and here we go - I'll begin reporting next week.

Deals to Meals

One thing I know that we all need help with is creating meal plans and budgeting our grocery lists. I found an amazing site that does all of that! They compare prices for you and then post the best deals around town (and the best part is they now doing this 12 western states, wahoo!!) They even show you ways to use everything you just got on sale in your meal planning.

I also love their recipes for using real food (aka food storage items) to make yummy meals for my family. I have used a lot of their food storage tips and substitution ideas for making everyday cooking more inexpensive. Check out their blog, I added their button on the right for quick linking. Another link is here just in case dealstomeals.blogspot.com

Check it out, I promise it is worth a look.

You may wonder, 'Why haven't you posted in over a month?'

Well the answer to that question is simple, I haven't cleaned my house in over a month.

My baby has been so sick and sad and she just can't get better. It seems like she's sick with one thing and as soon as it's cleared up she's got something else. It began with RSV months ago and we've had a few colds and ear infections as well.

Last week was the week of the mystery illness. She didn't seem sick necessarily but she was not acting like her. It was as if someone else's mean, grumpy baby took over her sweet little personality. Just within the last couple of days I've got my baby back, wahoo!!! She is back to being super happy, fun and she's even started sleeping again. (Amazing what a lack of sleep can do to a mommy.)

Even more exciting...today I spotted a little tooth that finally broke through. Mystery illness solved! I'm expecting several more teeth soon, but one is good enough to celebrate for me!

Hopefully things will return to normal around here. Happy, healthy kids free up time for me to clean and to blog about it. See you soon!

Bathrooms

Did you ever notice that the commercials that advertise bathroom cleaning products (or almost any cleaning product I suppose) are shown being used in a perfectly clean room? I hate that. I think that the reason that the bathroom (and specifically the shower for some) is the worst thing to clean is simply because they get super nasty! Let's face it, any bathroom I have ever been in is harder to clean than just a quick swipe and calling it a day.
So in tackling this nemesis I propose that everyone share their favorite bathroom cleaning product. What works in real bathrooms? - not just the kind of bathroom where one little spill is on the counter or where the toilet is already perfectly clean and you just swirl something around to make it look like you are cleaning.
So lets hear your tips and tricks for cleaning the bathroom along with your favorite cleaning products to use.

What I was doing wrong

Sometimes we make life harder for ourselves. When our lives involve lots of cleaning, this isn't hard. Sometimes it's in the name of fun for the kids, sometimes it's out of lack of willpower, but often it's out of our control. I've recently discovered that I've been making my life harder for no good reason at all! Since I've been married I've experienced every dishwasher situation from a fabulous cleaning machine to no dishwasher at all. Our house previous to this one had the most horrible dishwasher ever. We rented there for 3 years and used the dishwasher solely as a sanitizer. The dishes had to be SPOTLESS to go in, and then you had to be certain to run the disposal before you started it. Ever since this experience, I've been very leery about trusting any dishwasher. We've been in this house almost 3 years, and even though the dishwasher was upgraded and brand new, I've washed every dish before it went in. Finally, my friend Becca challenged me to just throw everything in- as is! I started doing it and it worked! Even dinner party dishes that sat over night! I lightly rinsed off the big chunks and threw them in with whatever was crusted on. I used the heavy setting and voila, sparkling clean dishes! The only problem I've had is with the silverware- they're on the door and don't get blasted as thoroughly. What a time saver it is not to wash my dishes before the dishwasher does! So now I'm looking for other things I may be overdoing. Not to cut corners, just to clean smarter.

Time to Tackle

It's time to tackle another nemesis. HB was nice enough to get us started by answering the paper/clutter question. Even though that wasn't my personal nemesis I still loved what you wrote and have thought about it a lot. I love "one touch" and I've been trying to set up ways to help myself do things that way, paper or otherwise.

So I propose a problem rather than a solution, help me tackle my nemesis: ironing.

What are your tricks? I see people with ironed clothes and families who look so nice in their pressed clothes. However, everyone whom I have asked how/when to get ironing done claims that they just don't do it. Well, I don't believe you and even if it is true that answer is not good enough. I need real help here...my hubby has to have ironed clothes and I feel like a slacker wife when he does it himself - even though he says he doesn't care. I really want to be good at it but so far I'm not. HELP!

What are you doing?

I like this blog and here's why- it makes me think! My house hasn't been spotless by any means, but my cleaning has improved! I think about cleaning, while I'm cleaning, and I start to find things that work better for me or at least motivation to get done what I need to do. So, now that we are all considering better ways to do what we do, I propose some goal setting. My goal is to be "ready" by 10am every (weekday) morning. To me, this means having my downstairs presentable as well as myself. There will be some toy clutter, and I'll likely be sporting some yoga pants.However, my hair will be under control, I'll have some amount of makeup on, lose the pj shirt, and have a generally picked up downstairs. This way, if somebody stops by at noon, I don't have to be completely embarrassed. Also, if I want/need to run an errand it's not an event just to get ready to get out the door. So this is my goal, what's yours?

The One-Touch system

Although my house is not perfect, I like organizing. One of the things I've learned from reading organizing books is that you should organize your house to fit your habits and not the other way around. If you organize to fit your already-established habits, your organization is much more likely to be successful.
An organization thought process that I really like is the One-Touch method. This means that you should be able to clean or organize your space in one touch. For cleaning, it means that you put stuff away right away. You clear the table and put them right in the dishwasher instead of letting them sit in the sink or next to the sink. I'm okay at doing this for breakfast, but usually after dinner is when I let things sit.
Here's what I did to clean up the paper clutter. When I bring the mail in, my habit is to just drop it somewhere. This makes a messy table or countertop. In addition, then I end up "touching" it several more times every time I move it out of the way before I finally get to sorting through it and doing bills and etc. What I did to solve that problem was I created a file system in my kitchen. I know I'm not going to change my habits and immediately file what needs to be filed, shred what needs to be shredded and pay what needs to be paid right when I walk in the door. This file system was a solution so I have one place to easily sort and drop my paper mess and get to it when I can. This system really works for me because I pay bills once a month. The rest of the month, I just let things accumulate. This system may not work for you, but think about your habits and creating a space for organizing your habit in One Touch.

As you can probably tell, I don't think I've done any shredding since Christmas break.

I bought the file organizers at an office-supply store and then just Mod-Podged paper inside and used scrapbooking rub-on letters to label them.

Now if someone could tell me what to do with my shoe mess!

The Heavy Duty Schedule

This may look familiar to some of you, especially if you are my sister. I have had this schedule for a while (and I have altered it somewhat from the original) but rarely use it. I wish that I were organized enough to use it because it covers just about everything you need to do in your house EVER, but alas, I am still a work in progress.

DAILY CHORES

*make beds *dishes *bath kids *pick up clutter *sweep floor *read books to kids *dinner *weekly chore

WEEKLY CHORES

*Monday - bathrooms (toilet, tub, sink, counter, mirrors, shower, mop floors), laundry, take out garbage

*Tuesday - dust (frames, lamp shades, furniture), vacuum upstairs

*Wednesday - change bedding in one room, ironing, grocery shopping

*Thursday - kitchen (appliances, counter tops, mop floor, clean out baskets and organize), vacuum downstairs

*Friday - monthly chore, laundry, yard work

*Saturday - windows, clean out fridge, clean out cars

MONTHLY CHORES

*Week 1 - Baseboards, vents, window wills, clean & sort toys downstairs

*Week 2 - Wipe doors & knobs, light switches, telephone, remote, deep clean fridge

*Week 3 - Yearly job, sweep garage, clean car, wipe fronts of cupboards

*Week 4 - Clean & sort toys upstairs, window sills, wash trash cans

YEARLY CHORES

*January - vacuum under furniture, replace air filter

*February - Clean inside oven, wipe walls down

*March - Wash blinds &/or curtains

*April - Wash screens & outside windows, replace air filter, change batteries in smoke detectors

*May - Plant flowers, straighten & wipe closet (Master)

*June - Straighten & Wipe Drawers

*July - Straighten & Wipe Cupboards, replace air filter

*August - Defrost Freezer

*September - Straighten & Wipe Closets (All except master)

*October - Turn Mattresses, Wash Comforters, Pull up Plants, Replace Air Filter, change batteries in smoke detectors

*November - Wash Light Fixtures & Ceiling Fans

*December - Organize Desk & filing cabinets

The Original version of this schedule had the weekly chore of bathrooms divided up into two different days doing certain jobs in the bathrooms one one day and the remaining jobs in the bathrooms on a different day. I am a little bit OCD and I like my bathroom to be completely cleaned when I do it, so I moved it all to one day. Feel free to use this schedule and re-arrange stuff differently if it works better for you.

Also, we will talk more later about the "clean out baskets & organize" listed on the day to clean the kitchen so don't be confused. Good Luck!

Confession

I must confess because otherwise I won't be held accountable, and then how can I improve? Today was a lazy day. I want to blame it on a sick kid and getting back from a trip last night, but I took a nap for heaven's sake! And again, here I am on the computer rather than getting something accomplished. Okay, now that I've gotten it off my chest I can turn the guilt into motivation. Here I go...

Wahoo!!

I don't have much to say so this will be quick - I just wanted to give myself kudos. It is just after 10 o'clock am and I am already showered (I even shaved my legs, amazing!), dressed, with fixed hair and makeup!! Go me!!!

Baby girl is still asleep so I'm off to clean downstairs. I love today!

Regis is wrong

Well the poll asking how often you wash your sheets has officially closed. In case you don't already know, the reason for that poll is that my sister Dawn was watching Regis and Kelly and they were talking about how disgusting people are who don't wash their sheets every few days. They both said they wash or change their sheets every other day or something crazy like that.

I wanted to do a poll to put Dawn's mind at ease because I know that normal people aren't able to do it that often and we aren't disgusting, just regular.

Why we love what we do...

On Monday I was doing my usual downstairs cleaning. I love to vacuum my kitchen floor, but I only bother bringing the vacuum downstairs when I'm going to be doing the carpet as well. So I had the kitchen ready and asked my 3-year-old to clean up his toys so I could vacuum the carpet next. (This always translates into him playing with toys until I'm ready to help him put away his toys.) After I finished the kitchen floor I turned off the vacuum and heard my son saying, "Look what I did Mommy, look!" I look over to see the toy box overloaded and anything that he couldn't stuff in there on the couches. He even picked up all the shoes and put them on the couches! He was so excited. He then proceeded to tell me I needed to do the carpet now. So, I turned the vacuum back on which caused him to jump on the couch of stuff and cheer, "Go Mommy, go! Go Mommy, go! Whoo-hoo! Great job, Mommy!" repeated until I was done. The 1-year-old didn't know what was so exciting, but she was happy to clap along. Nothing like your own cheering squad to make you want to keep your job forever. (At least the mommy part;)

Name Your Nemesis...

I figure that just like with everything else in life some people are good at certain things and other people are good at different things. So here is a fun little game that we can use later on to focus on certain areas we want to improve. I want to find out what you are good at and what you need help with. Then I can get tips from you to help me with my areas of difficulty and maybe you can learn something from me. Ready? Go.

1) Name your nemesis. What is one thing that you always feel like you are behind on or that you avoid doing around the house because you don't like doing it?

2) Name your fave. What is one thing that you are really good at keeping up with around the house or that you really enjoy doing?

The schedule...

It's a long and probably never ending journey to balance life, family, and housework. Since my 2nd baby was born I've had many discussions with friends on how to improve the system. I have to give my friend, Heidi, most of the credit for this schedule idea. The plan is to have a set schedule for basic cleaning throughout the house. Ideally, if you miss a day you don't double up, you just wait for it to come back again. I've found it helpful to include a "free" day. I use this to do detail cleaning, grocery shopping, or catch up when things are out of hand. So, here it is for your thought:

Monday- Downstairs & Garbages
Tuesday - "free" day
Wednesday- Bedrooms
Thursday - Vacuum
Friday - Bathrooms

Adapt for yourself and give it a try. In addition to the schedule, my goal is to do 1 (and only 1) load of laundry every day and clean out the sink every night. I try to get my cleaning done after breakfast so that we can play in the afternoons, but that's still a work in progress.
Any suggestions on when to actually get ready for the day? It would be quite embarrassing if any of you knew how often I'm still in pj's well into the afternoon.

Thanks Flylady

I am on my way to bed but I am so excited about my spic and span sink that I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to post it. FYI, my hubby is a little embarrassed that I was taking a picture of our dirty dishes so hopefully no one thinks less of us. Ta da! I have never been good at keeping up with dishes. Embarrassing or not but hey, at least I'm being honest. I know most people probably already have a clean sink when they go to bed each night, but not me. I've been in the habit of doing last nights dishes after I feed my kids breakfast in the morning. I am already looking forward to waking up tomorrow to my nice clean sink. Think of the free time I'll have after breakfast, I wonder what I'll do?

Go Clean Your Kitchen Sink

A year or more ago a friend of mine told me that she keeps her house clean by using a website called flylady. I tried it but there was so much information there and I ended up wasting more time reading all about how to clean my house than actually doing anything to make my house any cleaner. Anyway, she did have a few good ideas and my favorite is to clean your kitchen sink.

It sounds simple, and that is the beauty of it, it is!! Every night before you go to bed you clean your kitchen sink. She even has a slide show of images sent in by people whom she has inspired, you guessed it, the images are all kitchen sinks. I will submit an honest before and after picture tonight after I do it but I haven't done it yet. Today is my starting point. Feel free to share your sink as well.

And just in case you want more info, here is a link to the fly lady site, enjoy. http://www.flylady.net/

Did you ever notice?

Am I the only one who has noticed that it is always easier to clean someone else's house? Messes never look quite so messy when it isn't MY junk piled up in every corner.

I have helped sisters, friends and neighbors when they need stuff cleaned in a hurry and can't do it all. I am always happy and eager to help someone else in a pinch. I love getting together with other women and getting stuff accomplished. I always get a lot more done when I am surrounded by my girlfriends. Having someone to visit with, laugh with and be crazy with makes getting all of the chores done so much easier. I love getting organized and having a clean home and I love love love the sense of accomplishment after a hard days work, BUT....

Whenever I am alone at my own house I feel helpless. Too much to do and too little time. Lack of motivation and being just plain overwhelmed. I struggle to find the balance between having a neat and orderly home and still spending quality time with my children. O how I long to sit down and relax in the evening without feeling like I should be doing something productive.

So here's to making daily chores at home as enjoyable as being together with the girls having fun and getting stuff done. Please join me and share your ideas and accomplishments as I share mine. My goal is to have a fun, POSITIVE place where I can give myself (and any of you who want to join me) kudos for everyday stuff like getting the laundry done. Hopefully then I can replace the feeling of never doing enough with a feeling of accomplishment at then end of the day. Why not give myself props because my kids were able to find clean underwear in their drawer when it was time to get dressed??

Honestly, my goal isn't to have a perfect house 24/7. I mean, seriously, we LIVE here. People use dishes to eat and kids play with toys so it makes sense to have a few things in the sink or legos on the floor. My goal is, however, to be able to invite someone in who stops by without being ashamed of my mess.

So buckle up and let's get to work. It's time to give ourselves credit for being amazing!! And, I'm hoping that by sharing together we can be more productive and become even more amazing. When you get stuck, just imagine you are cleaning someone else's house.