Day One of Decluttering ~ the Bathroom

I hope you are all ready to embark on a journey with me to Declutter your home and KEEP it clean!!

On my list for today is: wash the kitchen sink, start to declutter the bathroom, wash all 3 bathrooms and get my curtains 'sown' and rehung.

If you don't know How to declutter ~ and I thought I did, but this gives a few extra hints to make it go smoother read this: How to Declutter

Before You start on your bathroom I suggest you read this: Flying Lessons You don't need to read all the links, the one I liked best was 'Shine Your Kitchen Sink'

Now if you are anything like me ~ I am a HUGE procrastinator and get distracted VERY easily. I suggest you read this: Tips for Not Getting Sidetracked  This one can wait until the decluttering has been started.

Now are you ready to have some FUN!!

I challenge you to join me!

So my middle one is at his first music class of the year and the toddler is sleeping and that means I have some wonderful quiet time!!   

There is a mountain of sewing to be done, projects for fun and repairs too.
There's the never ending laundry and dishes

But for now I will ignore the phone (which just rang) and enjoy the quiet tapping of the keys

I have a few challenges for you my friends and anyone else reading this.

CHALLENGE NUMBER ONE ~ This month (or as long as it takes) I am challenging myself and the rest of you to get my AND your house CLEAN and DECLUTTERED.

I was inspired by Sarah Mae with her 31 Days to Clean. But I think I want to take it a step further so I am starting off with the Fly Lady's Plan to Declutter.

I plan to start off next week. September the 14th. It's zone 3 next week which is the bathroom and one extra room. It looks like it will take a few months to be at the point where I will be maintaining a clean house. It also looks like every month you rotate through the Zones.

Here's a little blurb from the Fly Lady site :

Once you have decluttered the zone (this may take a few months to actually complete - there is no rush here!), then you are ready for FlyLady's detailed cleaning list. You will be amazed at how easy it is to do detailed cleaning when the clutter is gone! What is more amazing is how easy it is to keep it clean when your routines are in place! FlyLady says, "The house practically cleans itself!"

Here's the link to a printable Detailed Cleaning List but be warned and read this first:

Do not try to do this until you have decluttered your "Zone". Spend 15 minutes a day decluttering and then you can start doing some of your detailed cleaning. Do not worry about this. You have not done it in years and one more month isn't going to hurt anything. Toss out the clutter first. It will be easier to clean. - FlyLady

So here's my challenge to you:

I'm inviting you to join me in DECLUTTERING your home! But in the meantime don't forget to maintain a somewhat clean house for the sanity of everyone living with you.

Jen made up this cleaning schedule for herself and has shared it with us.

**** It was mentioned that laundry is not on the list. I know some people like to do laundry once a week and others more often, so feel free to add it to your weekly list on the day(s) that suits you most!!****

Daily

• dishes/dishwasher
• Change dish cloth and hand towels
• Make beds
  

Weekly

Monday – baking, bathrooms, kitchen sink (clean it like you would your toilet!) garbage, microwave

Tuesday – floors (whatever that means to each of us… vacuum, swiffer, mop) and water plants

Wednesday – dusting, mirrors/glass that need to be attended to (kids fingerprints) like on a TV stand or china cabinet, glass sliding doors…

Thursday – bathrooms

Friday – floors, water plants

Monthly

Week One

• wash bedding
• Wipe down, vacuum out (whatever you need to do) yourCoat/shoe area (mud room/entrance/closet
• Organize/sort/rotate toys

Week Two

• wash fridge in, out and tidy/wipe on top
• Dishwasher
• Stove
• Tidy up laundry room/area
• Wash (soak) toothbrushes

Week Three

• Wash bedding
• Wipe down, vacuum out your coat/shoe area
• Organize kitchen cupboards (like plastics cupboard)
• Wipe out cutlery drawer

Week Four

• Wipe down table/chairs
• Make a meal schedule or list of ideas for the next month
• Take inventory from your freezer & cupboards to
• make a list of groceries needed to replenish & menu ingredients needed
• Look at calendar for next month’s birthdays / Anniversaries… add to shopping list if there is a gift that needs to be purchased, get a card (make one) and get it ready to be mailed

Addendum ~ Now that we are back to routine, I have created a chore chart for the kids. We did it a little different this year as the oldest wanted each child to have their own. So I will change the magnets every night so the kids can look in the morning for their chores that day. I found these great magents at Michaels last summer. I adapted them slightly as they aren't quite old enough to mow the lawn LOL

Muffin Tin Monday - dips and sauces

So finally we were able to participate again - this has been a busy July so far! Glad to do it for the kiddos today again!
Last night, a new Sunday dinner tradition I hope/think - we had homemade waffles topped with homemade custard, fresh berries and/or homemade raspberry topping and whip cream - yum! So with our leftover waffles and toppings we filled our muffin tin!
The yellow/white is custard -- recipe can be found HERE on a most wonderful blog called "Mennonite Girls Can Cook"... the brown is syrup, and there was a little of the raspberry topping left as shown...I then filled another muffin tin with veggies and a dill dip - mainly for myselfHave a great Monday!

word filled wednesday ~ Oregon Coast

We are on the Oregon Coast this week - here's a taste of this gorgeous part of God's great creation..."Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created." Psalm 148:4,5

For more Word Filled Wednesday posts, please visit Extravagant Grace!

Word Filled Wednesday ~ dragon fly

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18

Muffin Tin Monday ~ Copy Cat

For more participants in this fun carnival, visit Her Cup Overfloweth.Today's theme is Copy Cat - which means you are to copy another MTM you've seen and give them credit for it!
I liked an idea I read about on My Family My Forever when it was the theme of Numbers. So I copied her today! Thanks for this great idea!

I filled 6 muffin cups with things that we could use as a "trail mix"... so
#1 = dried cranberries
#2 = marshmallows
#3 = goldfish
#4 = cheerios
#5 = butterscotch chips
#6 = Kix (which my kids don't like really, won't get any more when we cross into the USA for groceries!)

I gave them each a baggie and then they first rolled the green dice which would equal which food they got. Then the big white dice determined how many of each they got to add to their trail mix.
Fun Fun! Have a great week!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them?
I see them in my Son - who is being creative here by dressing himself up from a table full of heaping cloth for this purpose - he got right into it - I love it!

For more Fingerprint Friday entries, visit Fingerprint Friday at PamperingBeki - The Blog

Word Filled Wednesday ~ wind

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

I remember talking to a co-worker at one point about believing in God - someone we cannot see - and so I compared it to wind in that we believe there is wind because we can feel it, we can see the effects of it yet we can't physically see wind either! There is a passage about it found in John 3:1-10... and for further reference (though I didn't 100% check out the doctrine to make sure it's Evangelical) is found here.

For more Word Filled Wednesday posts, visit Extravagant Grace.

Mystery Card

For a fun idea for Father's Day, try this mystery card as described in this video by Heavenly Homemaker ... pretty fun!


Thanks for this tutorial!!

WFMW - Disposable Cameras

Lately I have found so many disposable camera lying around the house. Don't know where they all came from, but what a great idea for the kids.

If you are going on a trip. Get them a little disposable camera (though if you are comfortable with them using your digital, that works too) to document the trip kind of like a scavenger hunt. There are 24 pictures and you could make a list of 24 different things you know you will see, like a cool building or an out of state/province/country licence plate. Kinda like THIS photo hunt I'm doing but on a much lower level. Then you can put them all in an album and have their perspective of the trip... like this:
Keeping the kids busy on road trips Works For Me!!


I participated in the Works For Me Wednesdays hosted by We are That Family ... click on this button to go and visit more posts with frugal ideas!