All About the Bathroom

I figured I was just the person to write a post all about cleaning the bathroom since I recently spent several days cleaning mine.  Well, not really several days.  A couple of hours each day for several days. 

As most of you know, I had a baby six (almost seven) weeks ago.  My bathroom wasn't perfectly clean when I left for the hospital and had not been touched since I came home.  I mean, I picked the wet towels up out of the floor and threw them in the wash and the trash can was emptied regularly, but that was about it.  

Who has time to do anything in the bathroom when you bring home a new baby?  I consider my time in the bathroom a success if I'm able to shower and brush my teeth.  It's a bonus day if there's time to shave my legs.  (If it were any other season than summer I probably wouldn't bother.)  

I've been busy.  Not my typical busy - new baby busy - and if you are a mom you know what I mean.  My priority has been nursing an infant, a hungry little infant I might add, and taking care of the rest of our 9 member family.  It hasn't been having a clean bathroom, or a clean anything for that matter.  

Maybe it should have been...  :)

I started cleaning my bathroom on Saturday.  Those of you with me on facebook probably thought I was kidding when I said I was going to post a picture when I was finished.  I wasn't.  I literally had to give myself that push to make me get moving on it.  The bathroom had gotten so bad I just couldn't get excited about cleaning.  (Crazy as it sounds!) 

So...here's the finished job.  I'm pretty proud!  The after pictures would mean more if there were before ones as well.  I thought about taking those but I just couldn't.  

I worked on this bathroom Saturday, and Monday, and Tuesday.  For your enjoyment I'm including a bathroom check-list as this really helped me.  

One thing I've learned is to break tasks up into smaller tasks.  It really is the only way to get big jobs done.  I knew it was going to take several hours to clean that bathroom so I kept waiting until I had a day with several hours to clean.  That day never came, and probably won't for a long time.  I finally decided to try to spend an hour or two here and there until I got it all done.  That worked.  I found little chunks of time when I could work while baby napped and everyone else was situated for a bit.  Try breaking your bigger tasks up into smaller ones and see if that helps you.  It did me!

Bathroom Cleaning

• Pick up clutter
• Take dirty towels to laundry area
• Put rugs in the washing machine
• Scrub tile and grout

Here's one of the reasons my chore took so long.  This shower! 

It's a monster if you let it get out of control.  I will never do that again. I use Crown Cleaner in here, (and bleach when necessary), and a vinegar/water mix on the glass doors.  Had I taken a before picture you wouldn't have been able to see anything.  The soap scum on those doors had made for plenty of privacy.  

• Swiffer/vacuum floors
• Spray and wipe mirrors (I do love vinegar for this.  I mix one part vinegar with two parts water in a spray bottle.)  
• Clean sink
• Clean tub
• Pour bleach in toilet bowl and swish around, wipe outside of bowl
• Wipe off windowsills and scale

• Empty trashcan
• Clean inside of medicine cabinet or drawers (I took everything out of the drawers and used a vacuum cleaner attachment and then a damp cloth to wipe down the inside of the drawer.  It had been a long time since I had done this and oh, what a difference it makes.)

• Wash shower curtain and/or liner if you have one
• Mop floor (I always leave the mopping for last and back my way out of the room with a damp mop.)

I cannot end this post without introducing you to my new cleaning companion.  Maybe you two have already met but if not, you need to!

This is Scrub Daddy.  If you don't have one you might want to get one.  I love my Scrub Daddy!  I'm even thinking about doing a giveaway here on the blog.  I have a lemon scented yellow one I'm using in my kitchen and this green one is for my bathrooms.  If you want to know more go to scrubdaddy.com.   

And one more picture, just because...

He's the reason I fall behind on my cleaning duties and he's the most wonderful reason in the whole world!!  If you have one of these at your house know that the time with your tiny baby will pass very quickly but the cleaning will stick around.  Enjoy the baby snuggles while you can.

Cleaning Inspiration

Happy Saturday!

What's on your agenda for this holiday weekend?  

I'm looking for a fun little mix of work and play.  As in, today I will work and hopefully Monday we will play.  I've got a list of projects a mile long.  Most of my family members are going in different directions today.  It won't do me any good to write out honey-do lists as not many of my honeys are going to be around. It's a busy season of life where I am.  I bet it is where you live too.  

I heard someone talking just yesterday about how hard it is to keep everyone's schedule straight.  When school starts so do a lot of other things...soccer, music lessons, AWANA, etc.  Kids take gymnastics, participate in clubs, and so much more.  The mom I heard talking said her children had even missed a few things because she was having trouble keeping everyone and everything on track.  Her comments got me thinking and I've started working on a post with tips to help schedule your family.  I will try to have that up in a couple of days.  

There is not enough coffee in all the world to help me today.  I slept a whopping four hours last night.  Which brings me to my next question - How's the Bedtime Challenge going for you?  I'm not sure if anyone (other than me) is working on it.  I dropped the whole thing when my honey was in the hospital and I left you hanging.  I'm sorry about that but I suppose you understand.  My blog took a backseat when my honey's life was in peril.  If you are still interested, I'd like to know how you are making progress in getting to bed earlier.  I'm not, (so far), but hope to in the coming days.  I do have a really neat prize to give away if anyone wants to pick back up on the Bedtime Challenge.  Your comments serve as entries into the drawing.  

As for me not sleeping last night, that comes from a long list of the "cons" of my life.  I'm speaking of pros and cons.  Let me show you what I mean - 

PRO:  I made it to church on time Wednesday night.  Not just on time, early!  I got to see a friend who just had a new baby (she's precious!).
CON:  Seconds after my friend walked in with her new baby our youngest threw up in the floor.  Vomit literally landed next to the baby carrier that had just been put down.  We went home.

PRO:  Our sweet Pastor gave one of our sons a set of golf clubs.
CON:  Said son promptly busted out an entire window of our neighbor's house with a golf ball.

PRO:  We've been blessed with six precious children.
CON:  Raising six children is very hard work.

PRO:  Of our six children, four are male.  All of those males are adolescent age.
CON:  Adolescence is tough! (x 4) 

PRO:  We have indoor plumbing.
CON:  Cleaning boy bathrooms is about to kill me.

PRO:  We are not naked.
CON:  Doing the laundry for eight people is keeping me up half the night.  

There.  You get the idea now.  :)

My to-do list is calling me, the children are too.  A lot.  I will leave you with a little link for cleaning inspiration.  I liked it and thought you might also.  It inspired me - for a few minutes.  (Perhaps it will not wear off so quickly on you.)

May your weekend be cozy and blessed!

http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/05/qa-how-do-you-stay-motivated-to-get-housework-done.html

30 Days to Ultimate Clean - Week Two

If you are following along in the 30 Days to Ultimate Clean challenge then you know this is week two.  You should also know that I am still on week one.  I did finally get the pantry finished, and for that I am very thankful!  It feels great to have the pantry cleaned out and organized.  I managed to get five of the seven things on last week's list done.  I have moved cleaning under the kitchen sink and the coat closet to this week's list.  I hope that works out okay since this week is VBS week for us.  If you've had any experience with VBS you know how fun, but exhausting, VBS can be.  Toward the end of last week when I had planned to work on the last two items on the list, my thoughts turned to planning my Bible School lessons and decorating my room.  (I will have a post later this week on that.  Our church is using LifeWay curriculum - Agency D3.)  Our whole family is involved so it can get a little crazy around here.  

Anywho, back to the Ultimate Clean Challenge.  Here's what is slated for this week.  It's a very daunting list, I must say.

Sunday, June 8 - Refrigerator (I don't know about you, but I did not get this done yesterday.  I'm planning to knock it out today.)

Monday, June 9 - Kitchen cabinets and drawers

Tuesday, June 10 - Laundry Room

Wednesday, June 11 - Linen Closet

Thursday, June 12 - School Closet

Friday, June 13 - Master Bedroom Closets

Saturday, June 14 - Kids' Closets

I think the name of the game for this cleaning challenge is flexibility.  There are jobs that are rather small that can be doubled up with other jobs.  There might be some things on the list that you don't need to do and on those days you can do some make-up work.  Don't get stressed out here (*talking to myself*).  The beauty is, anything we get done is better than doing nothing and is a step in the right direction for getting our homes cleaned and organized.  Some work is better than no work, right?  

Okay, lastly today I have some pictures of my pantry.  I just have after pictures.  I didn't manage to take any before.  There's nothing fancy or spectacular about this.  It sure feels great, though, to have it done.  (I have repeatedly reminded the members of my family to keep it this way.  I hope we do!)

That cardboard box you see is for holding grocery store bags.  I save them for lining small trashcans and picking up after pets and other things.  They're pretty useful so I try to keep some around.

I have this little cart on wheels for potatoes and onions.  I keep an insulated bag behind it and a container of cat food sits on the floor.  A few more cleaning supplies are on top, for easy access.  

To corral all of my baking supplies I used two baskets.  This is so much better than all the loose ingredients stuck in different places.  When it is time to bake everything should be easy to find.

Our family likes to go on lots of picnics, and take lunch to the pool and things like that, so I made a little place in the pantry for picnic supplies.  I just used a cardboard box to hold all the plastic utensils so they're easy to grab when we are packing up.

One of our furry little family members likes to eat bread.  She doesn't bother anything else, just the bread.  Oftentimes someone would leave the pantry door open, just a little bit, and she would find her way in and get into the bread.  I think (hope) I have fixed that problem.  I bought this basket with a lid to store our bread in.  Now if we can just keep everyone remembering to put the lid on the basket, problem solved.  :)

I've got some Command hooks to keep aprons accessible and in that little area I also store my cleaning tools.

I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it was a great way to store cupcake liners.  We had packages of liners all over the place and now they are gathered into one location.  The glass jar makes it easy to see what we've got.

Today is Pantry Day!

 Raise your hand if you are excited.  (hand raised over here!)

I really have been looking forward to this.  My pantry needs a good cleaning out, and has for a while.  Today is the day!  My honey and two oldest boys are at work so it's just me and the other four kids at home.  I've given my 12 year old boy and my 8 year old girl a pile of math to work on.  I'm sweet like that.  (I promised them some playtime after the math is all done.)  My three year old is now having a Cinderella obsession so I'm going to let her watch that movie while our 15 year old, still recovering, rests.  If things go as planned, once my morning chores are complete I'm going to get to work taking everything out.  I'm so excited!  I love projects like this. 

 I think I will post before and after pictures.  No promises...but I think I will.  In the meantime, here are some pictures that bring me inspiration.  I hope they inspire you also.

I so want to do this to my pantry door.

From 4.bp.blogspot.com

I really like the idea of using baskets.

From bhg.com

From bhg.com

From oneperfectroom.com

 Are you cleaning out your pantry today?  If so, I want to hear from you.  

Cleaning Your Washing Machine

If you are doing the 30 Days to Ultimate Clean Challenge I'd really love to hear how it is going for you.  The bigger jobs are taking a lot more time than I planned.  I cleaned out my purse and wallet no problem and was very pleased with the results, but I finished only part of cleaning the van and half of cleaning the garage.  I must say, we have a lot going on in our family right now (I mean A LOT) but still, I was hoping to complete these tasks not just get a start on them.  I suppose, considering we've had several doctor's appointments in a couple of days, and a sweet boy recovering, I shouldn't get caught up in these things I want to get done.  I will just be thankful.  :)

Today's challenge is to clean the washing machine and even though I'm late, I do have those tips I promised.  

These three easy steps come from Better Homes and Gardens.

Step One  Run an empty, regular cycle on hot, using 2 cups of vinegar instead of detergent.  The hot water-vinegar combo removes and prevents bacteria growth.  

Step Two  In a bucket or nearby sink, mix about 1/4 cup vinegar with a quart of warm water.  Use this mixture, plus a sponge and dedicated toothbrush, to clean the inside of the machine.  Pay special attention to soap and other dispensers, the inside of the door, and if you have a front loading machine, the rubber seal.  Give the machine's exterior a quick wipe down, too.

Step Three  Run one more empty, regular cycle on hot, without detergent or vinegar.  Done!

30 Days to Ultimate Clean - Week One

(Thank you all for your concern for Nic.  Our family has been blessed by your texts, calls, and comments.  We are taking it one day at a time and asking God to help our hearts trust in His will.  Nic has not changed much in the last two days.  He is still experiencing a very painful headache and blacking out often.  We are in regular contact with his doctor and are trying to be patient while his brain heals.  He is sleeping a lot and we believe this will greatly aid in the healing process.  Thank you again for your prayers and concern, from the bottom of my heart.)



Tomorrow is June 1st.  Can you believe it?  I was just saying the other day I couldn't believe May was here already, and now it's gone.  

Tomorrow starts my 30 Days to Ultimate Clean Challenge.  Are you ready?  

My hope is that by focusing on just one thing each day I will be able to accomplish the jobs on this list.  I am very, very busy every single day as I'm sure you are too.  I tend to go from one thing to another each minute but not always feeling like I finish anything.  I think this list will help.

Rearrange this list any way you see fit - take things off, add other things, whatever you want to do to make it your own.  Please share your list here too.  As we read other moms' lists we are inspired!  (I'm going to get a little head start and clean out my purse today.  It will be nice to go to church tomorrow with an organized bag.)

I've written out the first week.  That doesn't look too bad does it?  Well, Tuesday looks a little intimidating but the rest of the week's not bad.   

Sunday - June 1st:  Purse

Monday - June 2nd:  Van

Tuesday - June 3rd:  Garage

Wednesday - June 4th:  Washer  

Thursday - June 5th:  Pantry

Friday - June 6th:  Under kitchen sink

Saturday - June 7th:  Coat closet  

**I will be passing along some tips for cleaning your washing machine before Wednesday.  Stay tuned!

30 Days to Ultimate Clean

I saw an idea like this on Pinterest and I thought I would make one for myself.  Maybe you want to try it too...

• Day 1  Purse
• Day 2  Van
• Day 3  Garage
• Day 4  Washer
• Day 5  Pantry
• Day 6  Under Kitchen Sink
• Day 7  Coat Closet
• Day 8  Refrigerator
• Day 9  Kitchen Cabinets/Drawers
• Day 10 Laundry Room
• Day 11 Linen Closet
• Day 12 School Closet
• Day 13 Master Bedroom Closets
• Day 14 Kids' Closets
• Day 15 Backyard
• Day 16 Living Room
• Day 17 Dining Room
• Day 18 Dishwasher
• Day 19 Oven
• Day 20 Microwave
• Day 21 Windows
• Day 22 Baseboards
• Day 23 Carpet
• Day 24 Hard floors
• Day 25 Electronics
• Day 26 Curtains
• Day 27 Mirrors
• Day 28 Bathroom sinks, tubs, and toilets
• Day 29 Medicine Cabinet
• Day 30 Bathroom Drawers

I think I will wait until June 1st to start this since the rest of May is sooo busy.  What do you say?  Want to join me??  

Hello and Happy Friday!

I want to introduce you to some super cute dolls and also answer the question I mentioned the last time I wrote.  I didn't get to post regularly this week, or show you any trouble spots as I had planned.  Sometimes (a lot of times recently) things don't go as planned.

As far as my plan to "do less" in 2014...check!  I nailed that this week.

Back to the super sweet, handmade, adorable dolls my sister is making.

Here's a little peek...

 Aren't they just darling?  She loves to make dolls and it shows in every creative detail!

She will custom make a precious friend for your child to love.  You can find more information here.

Please go take a look at these cutie pie dolls and help me spread the word by "liking" KNIT KNACK PADDY CRAFT ON FACEBOOK.  Thank you!!



The last time I posted I shared with you my cleaning schedule.  I told you I would explain how I do my cleaning around our homeschooling.  It's not a big revelation and I don't have a special creative formula.  This is just how I do things and for us, for now, it works (most of the time).

I pick one thing to work on each day because I no longer have time to clean the entire house all at once.  I focus on one area of our home and aim to get that clean.  If I get anything extra done it's a bonus!

I'll take you through the week...

Monday is bathroom cleaning.  We typically do school work until some time between two and four in the afternoon.  Dinner is scheduled for six.  After school and before dinner, while the children are playing, I will clean the bathrooms.  We have 2 1/2 baths and by cleaning them lightly each day the deep clean doesn't take very long.  There are many Mondays when my oldest son and my honey help with this chore and we get it done in record time.

On Tuesday I clean the kitchen.  This is a big chore but I work on it throughout the day.  While the kids are eating either breakfast or lunch I will run a sink full of hot soapy water and clean out the refrigerator while chatting with them.  I throw out the old stuff and wipe down the shelves.  I wipe off the exterior too.  I can usually finish the fridge in the same time it takes them to eat their meal.  During other little calm spots in the day I will go into the kitchen and do 5 - 10 minute jobs.  I can wipe counters, or sweep, or dust the spice shelf, or shake out rugs, or a number of other things in those little windows of time.  After we finish up school for the day I will do whatever work is remaining.  I move the small appliances off the counters and wash them well.  I clean the microwave, and the stove, and the dishwasher.  I wipe down the outside of all the cabinets and I clear out the hot-spot of mail that collects on the counter.  Once every couple of months I run the self clean on the oven.  By the end of Tuesday I have the kitchen cleaned.

Wednesday I clean glass.  I use paper towels and a 1/3 white vinegar, 2/3 water mix.  I clean our front and back doors and the mirrors all over the house.  If I have time before the kids get up I will try to get a few things cleaned first thing in the morning.  I'll do a few more while the kids are playing in the afternoon.  I don't clean much glass after dark because I can't see it as well.  On days we are pressed for time I will give each of the kids a different place to clean after school and we will work together quickly.  I try to do a few windows here and there too but it doesn't always happen.  The front and back door are a must because they are covered in doggy nose prints and little hand prints and other UFOs.

Thursdays are when we dust and vacuum and everyone chips in on this.  We take one hour mid morning and divide up into different rooms.  Every boy has a dusting rag and works on the room they are assigned to.  The little girls are each given a rag also and they crawl all around the house doing baseboards.  We play music and act silly.  In the afternoon we take another little chunk of time and vacuum.  Only one person can vacuum at a time but he/she will usually have a partner to move stuff and put it back.  It feels so good when we get this job done.  By doing these jobs each week things never get too terrible.

On Friday mornings the kids know if it is their Friday to strip their bed.  I remind them, of course.  As soon as they get up, those whose day it is, strip off their sheets, comforter, pillow cases and pillow shams.  They pile it all in the laundry room.  The morning starts off with one overwhelming pile but as we work on it all day long we whittle it down.  By bedtime a bunch of beds have clean sheets and the huge pile of sheets and blankets has disappeared.  The next Friday we do all the other beds.  We flip flop every other week.  I put a load of laundry in before breakfast.  We get it in the dryer as soon as the washer stops.  I immediately start the next load and we just stay right on it between spelling tests and history quizzes, etc.  (I make good use of my timers on Fridays.)

At one point I didn't think I could ever get used to cleaning this way.  Now I prefer it.  For many years I had a cleaning day.  I cleaned the entire house, top to bottom, on one special day of the week.  I didn't think I could ever accept breaking up the cleaning over several days.  I believed the house would never feel completely clean all at once.  Over time, as our family grew and our homeschooling became more involved, circumstances forced me to start breaking up my cleaning day a little bit.  I eventually got to the point where I preferred to clean the way I do now.  This method enables me to keep the house more or less clean all the time.  The cleaning jobs don't take gigantic amounts of time because the cleaning is done in a cycle.  If I have to miss a day (or two or three like this week) it's no big deal because I know I will get to it the next week when that day rolls around.  If we have special plans I can double up on something or eliminate something and get it next time.  If you are homeschooling and you're having trouble figuring out when to clean house try breaking your cleaning into five parts and do a little bit each day.  There are all kinds of ways you can do it.  I hope this helps.

Have a warm and cozy weekend!

How do I do it all? I don't!

The questions I am asked most frequently are about how I get everything done.  I tend to shy away from this question because I don't have it all together, or figured out, and don't want to appear that I do.  I keep it real with you girls when writing this blog.  I'm not going to pretend it's easy to keep a house full of people organized and clean.  Most days, if you dropped in, you would find our dining room to be a mess with a table full of school books and pencils and paper.  You would find dishes in my sink and piles of laundry to be sorted and washed.  You would find toys all. over. the. place.  Things are not perfect here.

When I started this blog I decided I would write about home and as I found a way to do things that works for me, I would share it.  I'm sharing my cleaning schedule, which is reformed often, to help answer that dreaded question, "How do you do it all?".  I don't do it all perfectly.  Some days I don't even do it and many days I do it all wrong.  So there.  If you are looking for perfect homemaking you've come to the wrong blog.  I will give you some dos and don'ts today and a look at my schedule and you can take it from there.

The first DON'T.

Don't compare yourself with other mamas.  Do your best.  If I compare myself with another mom who has fewer children I am going to experience frustration.  If I look at all she is able to accomplish and then get down on myself when I can't do that I will develop a spirit of discontentment.  A mother of six cannot compare herself to a mother of three.  For that matter, you shouldn't compare yourself with any mother regardless of the number of children.  We should share ideas, and pass on recipes, and alert our friends when there is a killer deal on say, detergent, but we shouldn't compare.  Every mom is in a different season and situation.  Mothers of two have a different home life than mothers of ten.  Mothers of teens have quite a different schedule than mothers of littles.  Mothers of teens AND littles have an entirely different thing going on all together.  Comparing with other mamas profits nothing.  Learning from other mamas - yes.  Comparing - no.

Another DON'T.

Don't try to be like anyone else.  Be you.  God created you and chose you to be the mother of your children.  Don't try to imitate another mama.  Pray and study scripture and seek to be a godly mama (and wife) to your own peeps.  Picking up ideas, seeking advice, finding tips and ideas is all good but trying to be just like so-and-so is not.

One last DON'T.

 Don't skip your time with God.

Okay, assuming you are still with me, here are some dos.

Do start each day in prayer.  The prayer of a righteous man (or woman) accomplishes much.
Do make yourself a schedule.  This is, of course, my opinion but I feel strongly about schedules.  I have found I can accomplish much more with a schedule as opposed to without.
Do let go of perfectionism.  I am a recovering perfectionist and it is not easy, but here's the deal - things are not going to be perfect and you will wear yourself out trying to get them that way.
Do get all family members on board.  Instead of you doing it all, train the children to help.  Kids as young as two can do chores.  Make sure all family members help out around the house.  The more children you have the more essential this is.  Perhaps with one child you could do everything (although I don't recommend it) but certainly with many children you cannot.  Everyone eats food - everyone helps with clean-up.  Everyone wears clothes - everyone helps with laundry.

I will leave you with my most recent cleaning schedule.  As always, I'm happy to answer your questions just send them to my inbox or leave them in a comment.

Monday - Clean bathrooms.  Our bathrooms require a daily light clean and a weekly deep clean.  Remember there are eight people here, five of which are male.
Tuesday - Clean kitchen.  I do a deep clean of the kitchen each week, including cleaning the refrigerator.  If you do this weekly it never gets too bad.
Wednesday - Clean Glass.  This is my day to work on couponing and to clean the glass (doors, windows and mirrors).  Our front and back doors have lots of glass and are usually covered with little hand prints and doggy nose prints.  I try to keep up with the windows but they get dirty so fast!
Thursday - Dust and vacuum.  I get everyone on board for this, otherwise it would take forever.  Little ones do the baseboards, the rest of us divide up and conquer the rooms.  Many hands make light work.
Friday - Change bedsheets.  We have seven beds and I do four one week and three the next.  Every bed is getting clean sheets every other Friday.
Saturday - Catch-up (garage, yard, etc.)  Depending on what's going on I sometimes use Saturdays to catch up on extra work I need to do.  During warm months we often use Saturdays to clean out the garage, wash the cars, or work in our yard.

Daily (except Sunday) - Laundry (everyone), Swiffer (Ethan), Empty trash cans (Colin), Sweep steps (Eli), Feed pets (Nic), Sweep porch (Colin), pick up toys (Clare and Olivia), make beds (everyone), straighten rooms (everyone), take out recycling (Olivia), clean-up breakfast (Ethan), clean-up lunch (everyone), clean-up dinner (Nic).

I have a feeling I know what your next question is going to be.  How do we do this cleaning while homeschooling, right?  It's not as hard as you might think.  I will answer that question in the next post.  :)

Summer Cleaning Schedule

I mentioned my Summer Dinner Schedule...

MEATLESS MONDAYS
TACO TUESDAYS
ITALIAN WEDNESDAYS
COMFORT FOOD THURSDAYS
FUN FRIDAYS

Here's my Summer Cleaning Schedule.

MONDAY - Dust and vacuum
TUESDAY - Mop 
WEDNESDAY - Deep clean the kitchen
THURSDAY - Clean the bathrooms
FRIDAY - Change the sheets 

Do you cook and/or clean differently during the summer months?  Do you do more cleaning, or less?  Do you find you cook more or less in the summer?

I change my cooking and cleaning schedules a bit in the summer partly because we are doing less school and partly because I just like changing things up.  I still prepare three meals a day for my busy household during the summer but we eat a lot of salads and use the grill a lot more.  My crock-pot gets a workout year 'round.  I love it during the fall and winter months for hearty soups and stews and chili.  I love it just as much in the spring and summer months because it helps keep the kitchen cool.  Right now I've got Chicken Tortilla Soup cooking in my crock-pot and boy does the house smell good!  It only takes a few minutes to load up your crock-pot and then you can spend your day doing other things while dinner simmers.  When it's time to eat...voila!  Dinner is served!  :)

I try to do a little bit of extra cleaning during the summer simply because I have a little more time.  We aren't doing full time school so I have a few extra hours to do some scrubbing, or decluttering, or whatever.  Our school year cleaning is more upkeep and when summertime comes I can really get into some deep cleaning.  With eight people living in and sharing a home there is always plenty of cleaning to do.

So...what about you?  How is your schedule different during the summer?

Recommended Reading #3

Happy Monday Morning to you!  Today, the reading I am recommending is Sink Reflections.

This book literally changed my life.  I have always been a bit of a neat freak.  From the time I rented my first apartment when I was 19 years old I've had a little obsession with keeping things clean.  This obsession wasn't an issue all the years I lived alone in my apartment.  It wasn't really a problem when I married, or with one, two, and three babies.  During those years I was somehow able to keep the house as clean and tidy as I desired.  However, once those babies started getting bigger and we added baby number four I started to feel a struggle taking place.  I still wanted the house "perfect",  but doing things the way I had always done them was no longer working.  With four babies I wasn't able to spend a whole entire day cleaning.  With my numerous responsibilities and the blessings of having many children, my way of "keeping house" was not working.  I needed a new way.  I knew I must develop a new strategy and a new system before things got out of hand.

Enter Flylady!

I was at a party where someone mentioned "Flylady" so I went home and looked her up.  A few days later I ordered her book and my life has never been the same.  Flylady (A.K.A. Marla Cilley) has an amazing way of getting to the heart of the matter.  She is down to earth and completely realistic and her ideas, suggestions, and routines totally work!

Her book will help you establish a morning and a night time routine (which makes all the difference!) and will get you out of any rut you might be stuck in.  You will find a cleaning schedule that works for anyone.  You will also find help for getting out of C.H.A.O.S - can't have anyone over syndrome.

I use what I learned from this book every single day.  Our house is not perfect, but I am able to keep it under control, even now with six babes, my honey, our furry family members, and a pretty steady stream of house guests.  Flylady showed me how to set up a laundry system, how to do a room rescue (lifesaver) and how to get things accomplished while not being weighed down by perfectionism.  Don't get me wrong, my laundry still backs up and our house can get very messy.  The Flylady difference is that I now know how to get out from under a huge mess.  I've learned methods for running my home which make things a lot smoother - even if I don't follow them perfectly all the time.  Applying just one of the things you learn in this book once in a while will help your family and home and sanity!

If you are in need of a new way of doing things, or if you feel overwhelmed with clutter, this is the book for you!  I promise if you read this book you will find something that helps you.  I've recommended it to many friends over the years and I've loaned my copy out so many times the cover barely stays on.  Every single person I've mentioned it to has come back to me and shared how the book helped them.  I promise it will help you too!

Clean Before Spring - The Last Week!

Hello and Happy Monday!

It's the last week of the Clean Before Spring challenge.  Can you believe it?
And...there are only two more days until spring is officially here!  Woo-hoo!  I love spring time!  I love each of the four seasons and I'm very thankful for every single one.  There is something so special and wonderful when one season changes to the next.  We've been enjoying temps in the 70s here in the south.  I can see flowers popping up everywhere and the grass is a beautiful green.  The children have been playing outside and there is chalk artwork on the driveway, bikes and scooters are everywhere, and our littlest one is loving blowing bubbles all day long.  The warm weather is such a blessing.

This week we are working in the bathroom(s).  I have three and I plan on cleaning each of them.  Let's finish out our spring cleaning with a bang!  I love, love, love that I have my spring cleaning done before spring.  Or maybe I should say, just in time for spring.  How about you?  Did this "Clean Before Spring" help you at all?  Even if you only did parts of the challenge you probably accomplished more than you would have without it.  I'm hoping so!

Here is the bathroom detailed cleaning list:

Wash area rugs.
Scrub floor.
Straighten drawers and cabinets.
Clean shower stall.
Wash shower door.
Throw away empty bottles.
Clean mirror.
Clean toilet.
Clean sink.
Clean bathtub.

I'm planning to work in my bathrooms each day this week.  At the end of the week I hope to have three sparkling clean, ready for spring, bathrooms.  I'm doing a makeover on one of the bathrooms and I can't wait to show you before and after pics.  My biggest challenge for the week is the bathroom our four boys share.  If you don't have four boys you can only imagine what it takes to keep up their bathroom (and please, for your own sake don't let your imagination go too far).  We have daily cleaning we do in that bathroom, plus one of the boys cleans that room each week.  Even still I've got my work cut out for me. Their bathroom has two sinks, a huge mirror, a fish in a fishbowl, several drawers and cabinets, and of course a tub and toilet.   My newest favorite thing for cleaning bathrooms is my sponge wand.  I fill the handle with vinegar and dishwashing liquid.  I use this for scrubbing the bathtub and sinks and it works beautifully!

If all goes as planned (I say that lightly since in a family of eight plans can change quickly, and dramatically) this is going to be a super fun week here on the blog. I've got an easy Easter wreath to show you that I made over the weekend, an exciting guest post on home organization, a new and delicious spring recipe, and a sneak peek at a birthday party I'm working on. Please stop back by, bring your friends, and if you haven't joined my site yet do so today!   Thank you!

Happy Monday!

Got a busy week coming up?  We sure do!  A good busy, but busy nonetheless.  The best part of all is friends from out of town are coming to stay.  I couldn't be more happy about that!

The best way to head into a busy week is to have a plan, especially with meals.  Knowing what's for dinner each night, before it's time to serve it, saves a lot of time and frustration.  We have soccer 4 out of 5 nights this week and the one night we don't have soccer we have AWANA, so it's crucial that I have dinner on the table on time.  Here's what I've got planned...

Monday - Broccoli and Cheese soup, homemade bread
Tuesday - Taco Bar
Wednesday - Vegetable Soup, crackers (and special dessert)
Thursday - Meatballs, rice, carrots
Friday - Pizza, salad

This is also the third week in the Clean Before Spring 4x4.  It's time to work in the living room.  Here is the detailed cleaning list.

Dust
Clean windows
Straighten bookcases
Clean off tables
Straighten closets
Throw away trash
Clean out magazine racks
Clean under cushions
Vacuum or mop

Find the best way to divide this list up and do a little bit each day so that you are not overwhelmed or neglecting the other things you need to do.  As I mentioned earlier we have company coming and I would like to finish before they arrive, which is Tuesday.  I'm planning to do some of these chores today and Tuesday morning.  This way I will finish my spring cleaning for this room but also manage to take care of the children and teach school.  If I tried to do all of this in one day I would probably neglect the kids or neglect my school responsibilities.

Get your week off to a great start by making a meal plan.  Make sure you have all the ingredients on hand so you are ready to prepare dinner each night.  Don't forget to love on your husband and kiddos.  Cooking and cleaning are an important part of a cozy home but not as important as love!

Have a great Monday!

The Girls' Room

I know, I know...I promised some bedroom organization tips.  Sorry for the delay.  It's been a BUSY week that included a driver's license for this big guy,

an AWANA theme night which required some dressing up for this little gal

and this big fella,

plus projects in abundance...

and music lessons, soccer, school, so forth and so on...you get the drift!

Anywho, here are those ideas I said I would share.  Maybe a useful idea will pop up for you!


We are starting up in the little girls' room.  This might be my toughest room to organize because little girls tend to have so many little things.  (And don't even THINK about getting rid of any of those itty bitty trinkets!)

I hung this on the inside of the door.  It helps to organize all that "stuff" that would otherwise be cluttering up the room.

It's just a simple shoe organizer I picked up at Walmart.  I chose one with clear pockets so the items are easily visible.  When the bedroom door is open you don't see it at all but when the door is closed all of those little goodies are right there.  We have miniature princesses and dolls and card games and such tucked away neatly as opposed to scattered all over the floor.
 

Hair bows are a big deal around here and we have amassed quite a collection.  I hang them in the closet so it's quick and easy to find one to match an outfit.  I used two pieces of sturdy plastic and clipped them to a hanger.  There are little slits in the plastic to clip the bows onto.  You could easily use wide pieces of ribbon.

Another hair do-dad I find everywhere are pony tail holders.  I gave my little gals an empty paper roll and had them gather them there.  This may seem like such a tiny thing but it sure beats having them everywhere.  Just tuck that little roll into a drawer and they're there when you need them.

I've gotten absolutely hooked on Command products lately.  These little hooks are just one of my favorite things.  They are easy to put up, and when you want to remove them - no damage to the wall whatsoever!  I hung several inside the girls' closet to hold all of their little purses and bags.

Anything you can get up on the wall keeps things from piling up on the floor.

I also have this hanging in their closet.  It hangs on my littlest girl's side of the closet and holds all the baby items I need to keep up with.  We've got lots of hats and bows in these pockets and I can simply grab what I need when I'm in the closet picking out clothes.

Lastly, here's what the girls' room looks like all cleaned up.  I use all kinds of plastic containers and baskets to keep things tidy.  We've got one big basket for stuffed animals and a smaller one for special trinkets.  There is a container for play food, one for play jewelry, one for Barbies, one for Polly Pockets, etc.  It can get pretty messy in here at times but since everything has a place we can tidy up in no time flat!

I'll be the first to admit, my girls have too much stuff.  And there's really no getting around it at this point.  Every little stuffed animal and doll is so important to my 7 year old and she knows who gave it to her, for what occasion, and exactly where it was purchased.  We try to clean out and donate once a year but it is really hard for her to decide what she can do without.  If you have a little gal like mine there might not be much you can do about it now, but one thing you can do is remember this when you are at the store or the amusement park or museum.  Instead of buying something to bring home, use the money for a special consumable something, or some special experience.  For instance, instead of shopping at the Aquarium gift shop when we visit our fishy friends I suggest we take our spending money across the street and buy ice-cream or use the money to buy a behind the scenes tour with the penguins.  This is a better way to use spending money and is completely clutter free.  Instead of buying some little dinky toy at the grocery store use the money to buy the Popsicles the children love the best.  The kids will enjoy choosing and you will not be adding any clutter to their bedrooms.  Win-win!

Clean Before Spring 4x4 - Week Two

We are already on week two of the Clean Before Spring 4x4.  How are things going at your house?  Spring is almost here!  (Don't forget this coming Sunday we will be "springing" our clocks forward!)

This week we are in Area 2 and will be tackling the bedrooms.

At our house there are four bedrooms.  There's the master bedroom, the big boys' room, the little boys' room, and the girls' room.  (I just might post some pictures later.)  Since I will be cleaning four rooms, I am planning to do one each day for four days.  At the end of the four days I will have completed my spring cleaning in the bedrooms.  Woo-hoo!

Here is the detailed cleaning list for the bedrooms.

Dust furniture 
Vacuum 
Clean off the desk
Clean cobwebs
Wash bedding including bed skirt and mattress pad
Flip mattress
Empty trash
Wash windows
Clean the blinds  
Straighten drawers
Clean under the bed
Straighten the closet
Clean the carpet  

The master bedroom should be a place of peace and rest.  It should be your own special retreat from the world.  Clutter in this room can weigh your mind down and affect the quality of your rest.  This week aim to get your bedroom clean and clutter free.  Maybe you will even want to reward your hard work by buying something special for your bedroom when you are finished cleaning it.  Perhaps a new bedspread and curtains, or something on a smaller scale like fresh flowers or a candle.  Treat yourself to something new to reignite your love for your master bedroom.  My master bedroom is big and has two very large closets.  This tends to make it an easy target for anything we're not sure what to do with.  We also fold all of our laundry in that room.  I would like to change my bedroom back to the lovely space it should be.  Do you want to make your bedroom a place of peace and rest?  Join me!  I will be sharing some super neat bedroom organizing tips this week.  Stay tuned!

Clean Before Spring - 4x4

There are approximately four weeks until spring.  With that in mind I've divided the house into four main areas and we will clean one area each week.

Here are the four areas as I see them.

Area 1 - Kitchen
Area 2 - Bedrooms
Area 3 - Living Room
Area 4 - Bathrooms

Of course, it goes without saying that each and every home is a little bit different.  It will be up to you to adjust this cleaning plan to fit your particular home.  The plan I have written will work for all homes, big or small, you may just have to tweak it a bit.  

This week we will clean Area 1 - the kitchen.  (The good news is we have already completed a lot of the tasks on this list!)   

Here is your detailed cleaning list.  Remember, the kitchen is the heart of your home!

• Empty refrigerator and clean thoroughly.
• Clean microwave inside and out.
• Clean stove/oven.
• Wash canisters, knick-knacks, etc.
• Straighten drawers and cabinets.  
• Wash inside windows.  
• Scrub down cabinet fronts.
• Clean lights.
• Clean out under sink.
• Throw away old rags.  
• Clean pet dishes. 
• Shake out/wash rugs. 
• Sweep and mop floor.
• De-clutter and clean counter tops.
• Clean curtains.
• Organize and de-clutter pantry.

There are 16 things on this list.  Choose four items to do each day and in four days you will have finished spring cleaning your kitchen. 

Should you have any questions do not hesitate to email or leave them in a comment.

Have a happy (cleaning) day!  :)   

Clean Before Spring #14

You thought I had forgotten, didn't you?  Well, I didn't.  I took a purposeful (needed) break from my laptop and TV for two days.  It has been pretty amazing to see what I have been able to accomplish over the last couple of days, not the least of which was more Bible study and prayer time.  I have to say it was quite an eye opener.  I now know what my life looks like without TV or computer.  I went to bed earlier, got up earlier, got more laundry done, did a lot of little projects that had been hanging around on my to-do list, read more to the kids, played more with the kids, baked some bread and more.  I may need to take these TV/computer breaks pretty often.

The cleaning assignment for today is to take everything off the kitchen counters and clean them.  Do one section of counter at a time.  Remove your coffee maker, blender, canisters, or whatever happens to be sitting there and wipe your counters clean with hot water and soap.  Once a section is dry, clean the items, put them back where they belong and start on the next section.  Is there anything you can eliminate?  Is there something you can put away in a cabinet?  Is there an item you don't need that you could donate?  Your kitchen will be neater and cleaner with less on the counter tops.  Do you have a pile of "stuff" on your kitchen counter?  Are there school papers and mail strewn about?  How about finding a basket for the papers you need to keep and trash the stuff you don't need.  A pretty basket will disguise that growing pile.

It's only a month until spring!  Starting Monday we will be kicking it into high gear as we focus on the 4 main areas of the home.  Four areas in four weeks...this is going to be fun.  I promise!  And just think, our homes will be clean before spring!!!


Have a happy weekend and enjoy your family!