New Spring

Spring has finally found her way to our neck of the woods, she had gotten herself lost and I didn't think she was EVER going to get here.  Now that she has arrived, she has brought with her all the joy and beauty she has.  Flowers are in bloom, grass is green, leaves are starting to open.  The birds and squirrels I have fed all winter are busy making new homes for their little families.  If we take the time to sit outside and do nothing but enjoy the goodness of Spring, we  find ourselves renewed with energy and newness.  In the midst of busyness by our animal and bird friends, we find  peace and calmness all around.  By the simple act of sitting outside, I am able to soak up the suns goodness, watch the creatures prepare for new families, witness the new growth of vegetation and empty my mind of old stuffy, musty, useless thoughts that have accumulated there over the long winter months.

Another event that comes each year with Spring is the annual spring cleaning of 'stuff'.  Yards are being raked and mowed.  Gardens are tilled and planted.  Cars are being cleaned inside and out.  Windows are opened to let the winter stink out.  Bedding is on the line, homes are given a top to bottom scrubbing and the purging of unwanted stuff is in full swing. 

What types of unwanted items do you purge?  Clothes, shoes, purses?  Items from the back of the closet you haven't seen since last years cleaning?  Toys the children no longer use or have broken?  This year I am purging something else...my Facebook page.  It's going to take me a bit of time to achieve my goal, but I am set on getting it done.  I was reminded recently of something I myself have said several times: "If all a person knew of Christianity was what they learned by watching you, what would they learn?".   If all someone knew about me was what they read on my FB wall, what kind of person would they think me to be?  My goal is to remove unwanted posts all the way back to the beginning of my FB birth.  Once this undertaking is complete, I think my new clean page will bring me joy and peace.  Peace of knowing those who look at it will not be led astray.

Happy Spring to you all.  My hope for you is finding your own joy and peace in purging what is no longer needed or wanted in your life.

Pre Spring Cleaning Declutter

It looks like a bomb has gone off in my home after the weekend.  It is that time of year to start my pre-spring cleaning.  Time to go through each room and get rid of items I know longer want or need.  Time to get everything in tip-top shape and ready for a good spring scrubbing. 

I started in the back room.  The 'someone is coming over, hurry throw everything in there and shut the door' room.  It also serves as a guest room and my office.  Up until just recently, I had two babies in my daycare which also put two playpens along with various other baby items in this small room.  Have you ever seen the show Hoarders?  Yep, that would be this room.

I started the declutter process by first removing all baby items.  These are now in the living room needing to be put in totes and taken to storage.  Let's see, two playpens, a potty chair, a bumbo, two high chairs, baby toys and a walker.  I next put all Boy Scout and pre-school items in two piles on the bed.  I know, I know, I am just going to have to put them away at a later date, this at least helped me to get a bit more organized though in my decluttering and organizing.  Anything else left sitting around was either put in its proper place, thrown out or put in the pile to give away/yard sale.    Once the floor was cleaned (REALLY cleaned), I set up a play area for the children.  They have all they need to play house and they are so enjoying it this morning.

Once this room is complete, I will declutter each room, one at a time.  My goal is to have this entire process complete by Easter.  Once Holy Week and Easter are over, the Spring Cleaning will begin! If all goes according to plan, my house will be a lovey clean, decluttered, organized home just in time for nice weather and yard work to begin. 

April Declutter

I had mentioned earlier about a declutter calendar I have been following. I just can't hardly believe how much I've gotten done just by following it daily.

In case you are interested in starting along, you can click here for April's calendar. Honestly, doing one chore each day will soon have your home almost decluttering itself!

On another note, I must once again hang my head in shame as I admit to homemaker failure. Papa Bear was gone for two weeks and in his absence, my kitchen was spotless! Dishes done after every meal...AND put away. Table kept cleaned off. Floors mopped every day.

And then Papa came home...and the day he came home my counter and table looked like they belonged in a hoarder house! What's up with that? I so wish I was one of those women who keep a spotless home at all times. I would love to not cringe when someone stops by for a visit un-announced. I'd also love to be rich and never have to work again, but I don't see that happening either.

Start of Spring Cleaning!

It's time! It's time!

With Spring right around the corner, I find myself in the Spring Cleaning mood. I have been doing a bit here and a bit there and this morning I am pleased to announce my kitchen has been purged, decluttered, organized and spring cleaned!

So, two rooms down (bathroom was the first I did), five areas left. I think the next will be the laundryroom. Once it is done, Papa Bear is going to build two more sets of cabinets for me. After that, the whole room is getting a fresh coat of paint and some new curtains.

I love this time of the year when it is barely warm enough to crack a window just a bit to let in some fresh air, yet not warm enough to really get out and do anything. Once it's warm enough to be out, I find I have to literally force myself to get anything done inside.

De-clutter Calandar

A wonderful website was brought to may attention and it is way too good not to share with all you.

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2012.htm

Each day has one simple chore. It may be to get rid of expired medications, or clean under the bed, or declutter your candles. Yesterday had a chore I found to be great fun: Dance in your living room!

I shared this site with my dear friend Alicia as we are both on the organizational wagon right now. She asked me yesterday how I was doing with it...I laughed and told her I wasn't doing it, I only sent it to her! This resulted in me getting the evil stink eye and a copy of the calendar handed to me with instructions that I would be doing it.

Today's chore is to get rid of hair doo dads you never wear. This should be easy since I went from middle of the back hair to a short bob, leaving me with all sorts of hair doo dads I no longer have the hair for.

Give this site a look and see what you think.

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The Three Aways

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Put away, throw away, give away.

Any successful purging of 'things' begins with the three aways. It's best to set up boxes, bags, totes, baskets...etc that you can put items into easily. When purging an area, set your holders close by so as you pick up an item, it can either be put directly away or put into one of your holders. Once your area is purged, it is then time to deal with your holders.

Obviously the throw away is the easiest, so go ahead and get it out of the way.

The give away then needs to be determined if it is to be given away to a specific person or is it being donated to a thrift store, church, needed organization. Organize into where it is going, and then make arrangements to get it there. Set a limit on how long your stuff will sit before it is delivered. It doesn't do much good to purge an area only to have piles of 'things' sitting around.

The put away is where you need to be very careful. It's easy to put this stuff somewhere just to be done with it, only to have to purge the same items more than once. Take the extra time and put things in their proper places.

Once all your aways have been taken care of, stand back and admire your work. Even if the whole rest of the house seems to be falling down around your ears, take pride in what you have accomplished!

Remember, your areas needing purging didn't get the way they are overnight. Don't put the unrealistic expectation on yourself of getting it all done at once. Take your time, enjoy the purge. That's right, take satisfaction in the job you are doing, know when it is done, you will be a less cluttered self.

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Challenge Yourself

A member on Prairie Homemaker, a Christian homemaking site I've been part of for years, posted a challenge to us all. Her challenge was to change/do one thing each week. This sounds like an easy enough thing to do, I mean really, how hard can it be to do something for one week, right?

I failed miserably the first week. I challenged myself to keep the kitchen table cleared off. Seriously, how in the world did I flunk this?? I started out so well getting it cleaned off, put a new tablecloth and Christmas decoration on it. That was the extent of it though, it has remained a catch-all. Despite my Epic fail, I am not giving up! My goal today is to get that blasted table cleaned off again. By cleaned off I mean putting each item where it goes, not just moved it to another spot so I can claim victory over the cluttered table.

My challenge this week is to have the dishes and counter clean before going to bed. This one is going well so far. I do love getting up in the morning to a nice clean kitchen...well, minus the cluttered table that is. Now, if only there was a way to wake up to breakfast already cooked, I would be a happy little girl!

Garage cleaning blues

The crispness in the air, the leaves off the trees, the frost on the window reminds me of....

the huge mess in the garage needing to be cleaned.

We have a very small one car garage. In fact, it's so small, when I pull in, I have to pull in close to the wall on the passenger side which still only leaves me able to open the drivers side door part way. I have to get in and out sideways.

Having such a small garage means all the 'stuff' I store in there throughout the year has to find another home for the winter. And there is alot of 'stuff'. Each year when it comes time to clean the garage, I vow to not let it get so bad again....I can't even remember how many times I've made that vow, but I haven't lived up to it yet.

Now, the frost is here, and I need to attack it again. I'll spend a couple of days going through all the 'stuff', getting rid of much of it so I don't have to try and find somewhere else to stash it. I'll run across items and say to myself, "Oh yeah, I forgot all about this".

As much as I dread this annual task, I dread even more having to scrape my car windows, or worse yet, having the car doors froze shut. Being a volunteer for our local ambulance, it's important for me to be able to respond to a call immediately.

Alright, after this winter, I vow to not let my garage get so bad....yeah right, who am I kidding?

Closet cleaning time

Fall is upon us and it's time to change our closets and dressers from warm weather clothing to cool weather clothing. Here are some tips on doing just that:


1
Take everything out of your closet. Even your shoes. You can start with the hanging items and move to the folded clothes and drawers. Or start with folded clothes and drawers, whichever is more of a mess. But take everything out.

2
Dust all the shelves, hanging rods and shoe storage areas. You want your closet to sparkle and avoid having dusty marks on your spring clothes, so clean it out before putting anything back in.

3
Clean the inside of the drawers with a damp, soft cloth. This will remove all the lingering little pieces of fluff, dirt, drawer-sachet-explosion and mess.

4
Vacuum the floor and wipe down the baseboards.

5
Wipe down the closet door.

6
Put your spring and summer clothes into storage. Make sure they're neatly folded with tissue placed in easily wrinkled clothes. Use sachets to keep them smelling fresh and mothballs to deter varmints.

7
Pull out your fall and winter clothes. Evaluate each item. If it's stained, set it aside to be cleaned (either at the cleaners or your hamper). If it needs repair, put it into a repairs area. If it's too small, give it away. If it needs ironing, set it in the ironing pile. The goal is to walk into a closet that is full of clothes that you can get dressed into comfortably and quickly.

8
Place your clothes back in the closet and dresser. As you hang them, turn hangers around backwards. As you wear an item, place the hanger the right way. When it comes time to do your spring closet cleaning, you will be able to see which items you are not using and able to remove. Make sure to organize like items together as you put them away.

If your no longer wanted clothes are in good shape, consider donating them to your local thrift store.

Now, stand back and admire your work!

Bedroom checklist

A woman on Prairie Homemaker (a wonderful frugal Christian site) was asking about cleaning/organizing her bedroom. This led me to find something that I could also use as the bedroom is a constant trial in my domestic life. This week, I will be working on following this list.

bedroom checklist

{declutter}
clothes
 if you don't like something in your closet, you probably won't ever like it, so pass it on
 turn all of your hangars around backward and then when you wear something, hang it up the right way
 make a list of any essentials you need for the holiday
 pack away your seasonal wardrobe so that you have more space in your dresser and closet

flat surfaces
 scale back the number of knick knacks and mementos you keep
 clean off flat surfaces and find homes for the things you tend to just set down.
 sort through books & magazines and give away any that you won't read again

storage
 sort through the piles in your room and find homes for the items
 empty the closet shelves and sort through any long-term storage
 in the guest room, organize and sort through your storage to create an inviting space

{clean}
 wash mattress covers & replace any old or worn out pillows.
 wash sheets and hang comforters outside to air out.
 dust ceiling fans & reverse fan direction
 dust high shelves, window & door frames
 dust dressers/tvs
 dust shelves/knickknacks
 clean blinds and shades
 clean windows/mirrors/screens
 spot clean upholstery & carpet
 clean under/behind the couch
 wipe baseboards
 vacuum and/or mop

{maintain}
 don't let flat surfaces accumulate stuff, find a home for the stuff
 don't use your master bedroom as a catch all
 dust & clean glass/mirrors weekly
 pass on any clothes that you haven't worn after 6-8 weeks unless they're special occasion items

Cleaning Bug

This so applies to me!

Well dear friend, there is a bug in my house and I fully intend to take advantage of her visit....I'm talking about the ever elusive cleaning bug! She doesn't make a stop at my house all that often, however, I am embracing her visit with open arms. We sat down together this morning with pen and notebook and pretty much filled the front and back of a sheet of paper with the items we would like to accomplish while she is here.

Tomorrow, my day is completely empty ( I know, what's up with that??!) except for lunch with a dear friend. My bug friend and I are going to get an early start on our list and work straight through the day on it. Our goal is to have at least half of it done by the time we turn in for the night.

Due to previous plans, we may not get gobs of time on Sunday, but we're going to give it our best shot on getting the entire list done this weekend!

Hmmm...if my bug friend and I achieve this goal, I must reward us in some way. I'll have to put my thinking cap on about that. Maybe I'll let Papa Bear treat me to dinner out .

Well, off I go, I'll report back to you all on Monday how it went 'cause I'm sure you'll all be sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear.

'Stuff' happens without me

Wow, came on this morning and realized it has been a week since I last posted! You all know how it goes though, life just seems to happen. It's all been good though. Not the usual can't seem to catch myself coming and going. I believe this is in great part to my new attitude. For years I have always had 'stuff' to do several evenings a week...Scouts, church, Rescue Unit, Community Club...plus the throw-ins of getting my hair done, doing the shopping, children's ballgames...etc. I've decided that I just can't do it all AND be a good wife at the same time. I've actually been saying no! *gasp* Can you believe it?? Guess what I discovered...life is still going on around me even though 'stuff' is happening and I'm not involved in it!!

I've been able to be here more at night when Papa Bear comes home. I've been doing more cooking for him also...oh yeah, Papa Bear is liking this!

I'm still struggling in my mind about 'stuff' I am missing, feeling I'm letting others down. Not that 'stuff' isn't getting done, I'm just used to having my fingers in it. I do have a friend though who is helping keep my on track. She's a busy-bee person also. It's good to have someone to talk to and keep accountable to when making life changes. Even better when that person understands first hand what you are trying to accomplish. Thank you Alicia!

I ask, dear friends, that you say a prayer for me to keep this up, for it not to fall to the side like so many of my well meaning attempts to declutter my life have done.

Now, time to get off of this computer that seems to suck me in and rob me of so much time that could be spent else where. See....I'm doing it!!

My kitchen is clean!

A good Proverbs 31 woman takes care of her family and home. I want to be a good Proverbs 31 woman! Sadly though, I am a mediocre wanna-be Proverbs 31 woman. *sigh*

I am often overwhelmed at all I need to accomplish around here. Of course, all that needs to be done is of my own making. I come home and drop items only to do a 'hurry and make the house presentable' sweep of the house, moving all the dropped items around. Yep, welcome to my world.

Today though I am having myself a little The Kitchen is Clean party in my mind. There are balloons, cake and punch. The best part of this party in my mind is no mess to clean up! My clean kitchen gets to stay clean!

I got up this morning and decided it was time to tackle this area of my home. Notes I had written to myself months ago were removed from the front of the fridge. Mason jars were taken off the counter and put away. I found the table!!! I even came across something I had lost a long time ago...the top of the fridge!

Papa Bear came home and said he must be in the wrong house. I told him I kind of liked having the kitchen clean and maybe we should try and keep it that way...this, of course, got me an eye-roll.

If you will excuse me, I'm going to go sit in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and enjoy the view.

Thinking-Changing story

Hillbilly Housewife is a site I have enjoyed for many years. I was just over there doing some looking around when I ran across a story that has made a huge impact on me. I won't go so far as to say it is life changing, but I will most definately go so far as to say it is thinking changing for me.

I do hope you will grab a cup of your favorite reading beverage and take the time to read this story. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/queens.pdf

Tidy Tuesday

This weeks Tidy Tuesday is the bed. Not the whole bedroom, just the bed area. It's fall and time to make some changes.

Completely strip bedding and wash ALL of it. This would be a good time to get out your winter bedding ready to go.

Pull bed out and sweep under...yep, time to say goodbye to all those dust bunnie herds that have been living under there. What else is under there? A lost sock, some change, the cat you thought ran off 2 months ago? If you're like me, you use this area for storage. I have under-bed totes that I keep my out of season shoes in. Time to go through those and get rid of any that I don't think I will be wearing.

If your bed goes against a wall, this is a great opportunity to wash down that wall.

Do you have a headboard with shelves...declutter and clean.

Do you have a standing headboard...dust and polish if needed.

Bring in some muscle with you and flip your mattress. Remember to flip both front to back and head to foot.

Once the bed is moved back into place, now you can make it with your winter bedding.

This is one of those jobs that really shouldn't be worked on over the week...you kind of need your bed each night. Plan this tidy for a time when you have a few hours to devote to it.

Now, once your bed area is completed, stand back and admire your work. Happy sleeping!

Tidy Tuesday

Today's decluttering is going to be on our purse. Or if you are like me, you have several purses going at one time...please tell me I'm not the only one who does that!

I have a fond memory from my childhood days of watching my mom clean out her purse. She would dump the entire contents out on the table and it was almost like Christmas for us kids as we got to help sort through it all. Change (LOTS of change), mints, gum, wrappers, receipts, tissues, pens (LOTS of pens), wallet, lipstick...the list goes on and on. I remember also how much lighter her purse was after one of these cleanings.

So today, empty that purse out on the table. Get the kids involved by letting them work on matching items...even if it's just seperating out the change. Get rid of anythng you don't need to carry....how many pens do you need, how many tubes of lipstick, is $72 in change really needed?

When this is all done, put it on your shoulder and listen carefully as your shoulder lets out a sigh of happiness!

Tidy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, dear friends. How did the cleaning schedule go for you last week? I hope you were able to come up with a rough draft to work off of. Don't expect to have it cut in stone right off the bat, it takes time to work up a schedule that really fits. I'm interested in hearing how it is working out for you.

This week is the fridge. Yep...That place where science projects seem to happen all on their own.

What you will need:
garbage can
cleaner (I like my bleach water spray bottle)
cleaning rag, drying towel

Take everything out and decide if it's a keeper or a tosser. If it's not going to be used up, then cut your losses and toss it. After the fridge is empty, pull out the drawers and shelves and wash well. While those are drying you can clean all the gunk that has spilled and has been hiding under the drawers. Wipe the sides and top well. Don't forget to do the door storage area too.

After returning the shelves and drawers, return items. This is a great time to do a bit of organizing. I keep mine in sections:
milk, water and other drinks on top shelf.
Pickles, mayo, butter, cream cheese...the staples, on the left middle shelf.
Leftovers go on right middle shelf.
Eggs and yogurt on left bottom shelf.
One drawer has lunch meat and cheese.
One drawer has fruits.
One drawer has veggies.
Condiments and jelly go in the door.

Now, this is where I have to say, "Hi, my name is Mama Bear and I'm addicted to my label maker". I have gone so far as to label my shelves. Yes, I know it seems a bit odd, but even though *I* know where everything goes, the rest of my family seems to not remember. The leftover shelf is an important one as it cuts down the above mentioned science projects. Also, having a place for each thing cuts down on the 3 open jars of pickles and 2 bottles of ketchup that always seem to happen.

Tidy Tuesday--Schedule

Something different for today instead of just working on a specific area. This week we are going to work on a cleaning schedule. It's all too easy to get side-tracked and before you know it, half the day is gone and the bed isn't even made! A cleaning schedule not only helps to get the daily maintenance done, but to keep the home in semi-order so that it may not get out of control...leaving us feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start.

My schedule is broken down into three categories: daily, weekly and monthly.

Daily
make bed
cat litter
clean bathroom
gather and sort laundry
walk through and pick up each room
kitchen
vacuum
sweep
mop
weekday chore

Weekly
Monday: laundry, icebox, water plants
Tuesday: laundryroom, iron
Wednesday: bedding, bedroom, pantry
Thursday: laundry, dust, wipe down upholstery
Friday: office, iron
Saturday: Family projects

Monthly
check/change furnace filter
pull out icebox and stove
pull out washer and dryer
pull out bed

Do I follow this every day? Uummm...noooooo. But it does give me a guide that helps me. My goal IS to get to this every single day!

Tidy Tuesday

Can you guess from the picture what this weeks challenge is? That's right, this week we are going to hit the bathroom with gusto! I'm not talking about a little wipe down here, I'm talking about nooks and crannies.

Don't be overwhelmed, take it a little at a time. Break it down so that you do a little each day. Listed below are some areas that should be taken care of:

Declutter counter Get rid of of all the do-dads and what-nots that don't belong there and put them away, give them away or throw them away. After the counter is empty, give it a good cleaning..remember to get in the corners and the back splash.

Toilet Use a toilet bowl cleaner ( I like Lyson Cling Gel) and let sit while you are doing something else. After letting cleaner sit, use a cleaning brush or cleaning rag and wipe down entire toilet with cleaner. Remember to get the back of the bowl and the water line.

Medicine cabinet Throw out unused prescriptions and outdated over the counter medications. Wipe down all shelves. Return items in an organized manner. Clean mirror.

Drawers and cabinets Remove all items one drawer/cabinet at a time. Do the throw away/give away of any items that you don't use or haven't used in a while. Don't hold on to it thinking that you will get around to it at some point. Get little boxes or totes to keep like items in. Put all hair spray, gel, mousse, defrizzer..etc. it one box. All make up in one box...you get the idea. Cords to hairdryer/straightener/curling iron can be folded back and forth and place a toilet paper roll over to keep in place. Run toothbrushes through dishwasher. Hair brushes and combs can go through dishwasher or soaked in sink with hot water and dishsoap.

Sink Remove all items. Refill soap dispenser if needed. Spray sink and faucet with tub and tile cleaner. Wipe well and rinse. Shine sink with window cleaner. Replace wiped down items ONLY if they need to be sitting out.

Bathtub Basically same as sink. Keep only items in tub/shower that you need/use. Do you NEED to have 3 kinds of soaps and 2 kinds of shampoos? How can you declutter this area? Wash or replace shower curtain. Wash or replace bathmat.

Rest of room Wash curtains. Dust all corners, even the high ones. Clean vent. Wash all walls. Sweep and mop floor. Pay special attention around the toilet area. Sometimes a good mopping on the hands and knees is best.

Now, stand back and look at your clean and organized bathroom. Be proud of the work you have done.

Declutter challenge

Mel, from Prairie Homemaker, has challenged us to a declutter. If you all don't mind, I'll bring that same challenge to my little blog. Each week we will have a different area to work on.

This week our challenge is to get rid of at least one thing each day. Either throw it away, give it away, freecycle or thrift store it.

Each Tuesday for a while I will be listing the new challenge. Let's all work together and little by little we will declutter our homes.