If You're Happy When You're Cleaning Clap Your Hands!!!

It's that time of year and I don't know about you but spring cleaning can be the worst!!!  How fun is it to stay inside when the sun is shining and wash your windows or scrub your floors?  Ya...I know.  BUT I have discovered a few fun things that have made my long list of to dos more enjoyable. In fact, do I dare say they have made me happier?

First you must turn on the tunes.  My favorites right now are:

Coldplay

Priscilla Ann

A Fine Frenzy 

Nora Jones

and the best for last:

Kina Grannis

She is my new favorite and who I listen to non stop -thanks to Cortney- which you must look up and buy and memorize and dance to and sing at the top of your lungs while you scrub. She's clean and fresh and soooo adorable in person.  Kinda like how we all want our houses to appear right?  All right. Enough cheesiness.

 Okay so the music is on and your feeling pretty great.  Hopefully it's raining outside, unless of course, you want to open your windows up and let in the sunshine.  In that case it's sunny and brillinat out there. But, don't worry. You're not missing anything because it's still 7 am!!!!!

  Now don't go grabbing your stinky chemical cleaners that you have to use gloves for.  You knwo i don't believe in that  Find some of these AWESOME cleaners and you might just fall in love with cleaning all over again.  Well...maybe not in love but you will love the smells and you'll love the way you feel after their aromatherapiness does it's magic. Plus you'll have a clean house and I know you'll love that.

These first ones are my favorite for in the kitchen.  If you have been following this blog or you know me at all you'll know I am obsessed with lemon.  If my kitchen smells like lemon drops then I am a happy girl.  Plus I found these a Target and who wouldn't pay just a little bit more to be happy while doing a terrible task.

I use this for everything.  My table tops, counters, sinks, appliances...you name it.  In fact I look for things to clean with this stuff because it smells that good!

This other line I discovered a little while ago and have been testing out their different scents.  My favorite for the bathrooms is lavender and for the rest of the house is the Basil.  They are both fresh smelling and have those great aromatheraputic qualities... so don't be surprised if you find yourself grinning from ear to ear while you clean your toilets.

This stuff even comes in a concentrated bottle that you just add a little bit to a whole bunch of water.  I've seen this stuff at TJ Maxx, at Target and Walmart.  Try them.  I think you'll like 'em.

Both brands of product are natural and safe and smell amazing so cheer up and clap your hands.  Cleaning can be fun if you do a little extra something for your house and for yourself every once in a while!

Closet Therapy

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With the sunshine peaking through the clouds and the clusters of crocus popping up in my neighbors yard I am itching to do some spring cleaning.  I love myself a good clean room but I get the most out of digging through a winter infested closet and ridding it of all it's dust bunnies and expired "stuff." Seeing it all neat and organized, maybe even pretty enough to leave the door to the closet open, makes me think that one day I might actually be able to have cupboards like in the above picture. 

My plan today failed...but it's only because my ambitious mind told me I could do it all in one day.  Never mind the fact that my day was pretty packed with normal mom stuff anyway. I tend to get way ahead of myself and today was no exception.  I started this project way back in January and I got through a good chunk of my house but I never finished.  I blame it on the gray color of everything and the laziness I feel in February and into March.  So I have a new plan. A little more realistic plan this time:

Five days (by Saturday at midnight). 

One mission. 

To organize or reorganize and beautify every closet in my home. 

Definition of closet:: cupboard: a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space

That's a lot of doing and a lot of dust bunnies.  That's a whole lot of therapy to get me feeling good about my favorite season!  SPRING!!!

And to get you in the mood and to give you some inspiration:  Some loveliness!

Apparently these people only wear blue, green and white clothing...um and they only own 3 designs and 10 shirts total. 

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I adore baskets.  I am a basket junkie.  One day, if I could have it my way and not my husband's, everything I own will live in a basket.

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still one of my favorite ideas!!!

How cute is this little girl's tiny closet space?

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I think if I had some place like this I would want to clean every minute of my life.

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Although my closets will never look like this I am determined to at least have them organized and cleaned out by the end of the week!!!

NOW...who's with me? 

* Maybe on Saturday I'll post some before and after pictures of my closet space....maybe!

eXtreme Pantry Staples: No Limits!

Oh, it seems there are no limits to the uses for humble vinegar and simple baking soda in my home.

From cleaning my floors to washing my hair; and from making laundry powder to ....

SCIENCE!

Baking soda is also my go-to for scrubbing the sink and bathtubs, and for blotting up messes made on the carpet by my son-in-potty-training. It seems there's not a problem under the sun that I haven't tried to solve with baking soda and/or vinegar.

What's your favorite way to use vinegar and baking soda?

Four-On-The-Floor Tuesdays

... your floors!

Tuesday is my floor cleaning day. Oh, I do love a clean floor, don't you? Every place I've lived in since I first got married has had hardwood floors ... and there's definitely a reason - I love them! I remember being a bit nervous about them at first, due to a notion of unknown origin that they're hard to take care of. Living, as I do now, in a house with both hardwood and carpets, I gotta say, in terms of ease of care my vote definitely goes with the wood.

For a long time, to keep them looking lovely, I used a commercial cleaner. And then I read in a magazine that so-and-so's housekeeper kept her wood floors gleaming by using a simple solution of warm water and vinegar. "Hey!" I thought, "That's pretty much what I use on my windows!" (I add a little dash of rubbing alcohol to the mix, to help it dry faster.) So I've been using my homemade window cleaner on the hardwoods and I haven't looked back. I love that it's safe for our home environment (as well as the global one), it does a great job, and it's gentle on the floor's finish. Saving a few extra pennies on cleaning supplies doesn't hurt either, of course!

Now if only I could find a solution for the not-so-white-anymore carpet in the rest of the house. (Seriously, if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them!)

Breaking It Down...Jenni Style

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Having a home of my very own is a huge blessing and I am super grateful for it's ability to keep me and my family dry, safe and warm but enjoying it's beauty and charm can only happen if I am keeping up on the mountains of work that go into creating that pleasant cozy atmosphere.  Having a spotless home while taking care of little people and trying to cook meals, teach lessons, be around for a husband, fulfill callings, be there for neighbors, and find some time for myself can be pretty overwhelming sometimes.  After living here for a year now I believe I am beginning to get the hang of being okay with a little mess and learning to use my time better.

   

I use to be able to clean my entire apartment, top to bottom, in just 3 hours.  Now, I am lucky to get a room done in that time. Especially with kids wanting to be played with and interruptions from the computer.

Tonight I have broken it down for you cute readers.  Here are 3 lists for you to keep on your fridge.Whether you have a minute to do a little something or you have an hour or two, you will be surprised at how little time it can take to keep a semi orderly home.

A minute or less to complete:

Wipe crumbs off the kitchen table 

Water your plants

Empty a few trash cans

Wipe spots off a mirror

Clean a toilet

Sweep off the front porch

Dust a small room

Vacuum a rug

Clean out your kitchen trash can

Put your shoes away

Put a load of laundry in

Make a bed

Put the couch back together

Wipe down the bathroom sink

Open your fridge and remove gross things

Wipe down your counters

Open your blinds

Collect the dirty clothes

Throw out the junk mail

Shake out the welcome mat

Start the dishwasher

Get something on other then your cutest jammies (I add this because sometimes I put this one off)

Clean off a highchair or toddler's chair 

If you have 10-20 minutes you can do something like this:

Clean a bathroom floor

Dust the bookshelves

Wipe the spots on your couch

Unload the dishwasher

Sweep your hard floor surfaces

Clean your microwave

Wash the window above your kitchen sink inside and out

Clean your dripper pans

Get rid of the stuff hanging out in your couch.

Wipe down dining room chairs

Vacuum the stairs

Pick up all the toys

Clean the tub

File your stack of papers that you know you have sitting on your kitchen counter

Load the dishwasher

Go dump all the trash in your car.

Clear off your bathroom counter and wipe down the sink

Fold a load of laundry and put it away

An hour or more:

Spot clean some carpet

Organize a closet

Baseboards

Wash windows inside and out

Organize the pantry

Write up a menu and shoping list for the week

Give your car a nice shine

Weed the front and back yard

Mow the lawn

Deep clean a bedroom

If it's anything like my shower it will take at least an hour

Wipe some walls down

Go through the toy box and put things back together

Clear up everything

Go through everyone's clothing and make a donate pile

Take a bath (that's cleaning right?)

This is obviously not everything that needs to be done around a house but it is a good indication of what you can get done in the time you have.  It may feel choppy and out of order but it keeps me from sitting on the couch and watching something dumb. If I only have a precious 30 minutes to spare I know I have enough time to make the room I am in more enjoyable.  Try it out and let me know how it goes.  Happy cleaning!

How to Make Your Home Feel Warm and Cozy Without Cranking Up that Darn Thermostat

Anybody out there have an energy efficient husband who likes to keep things brisky just to save a buck?  Well I do and I am learning to love him for it.  Our house is set to be no warmer then 65 chilly degrees.  I know that's not awful and I should be happy to have a home that keeps me out of the rain and out of the wind but when mommy's little toes are cold then mommy doesn't want to anything but sit on the couch, light a fire and eat popcorn.  My first instinct was to crank up the heat but when I did I found myself getting sweaty and yucky feeling just from scrubbing the floors or running up and down the stairs to get things for my Sadie.  I had to think of some other ways to make my home seem warmer so that I could function the way I was designed to function.  After trying out a few of my methods I came to see that not only had I created the illusion of warm, cozy and inviting home but the thermostat was registering a higher degree of yummy warmness without having the heat kick on at all.  So we are going to use every sense we have to create our perfect winter refuge.  No more trips to the mall just to get out of the cold house or excuses to be lazy.  It can be done just by living well...

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Sound:  Crank up the tunes!  Having music on makes me dance, helps me enjoy my work and creates a more inviting enviroment.  When I dance and sing and act silly my kids want me to hold them and go crazy and they are always warm.  Essentially you are raising your body temperature just by having fun.  Turn it on first thing in the morning and watch what happens.  Life becomes snappy and silly and kid like.  If you need to relax and are not into the dancing then put on some awsome classical stuff or some smooth jazz (jk about the jazz...unless, of course, that's your thing!)  Bonus:  you'll also burn some extra calories.  Music just makes everything more fun...even cold yucky toilets seem less daunting when there's music echoing in the bathroom.

My favorite muffin recipe

Smell:  Bake something first thing in the morning.  If you have bread to make that day then do it right away.  Make some of your families favorite muffins even on a Thursday and then freeze the leftovers for another morning.  Make something yummy for dinner or, heaven forbid, dessert for later. The smell will be warm.  Your tummy will be warm and yup...your hot oven will cozy up your rooms.  You will want people to come over and be there just to smell what you are smelling.  Cooking is one of my favorite easy ways to warm things up. 

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Sight: This one is easy!  Vacume your carpet and turn on a few lamps or light some candles.  The lines that the vacume makes in your carpet will make you feel warm I promise.  Plus doing a dance with your vacume will get you up and moving, will make you happy to see a clean floor and the vacume produces heat.  Also turning on a few lamps creates a warm type of light.  Open up your blinds, even if it's gray out there and think about how much cozier your house is then that dark wet sidewalk.  You could also always paint your walls a yummy warm color but for now I am sticking with the easy solutions.

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Taste:  Eat or drink something warm!  It could be as labor intensive as homemade soup or pasta or it could be a simple piece of toast or warm popcorn with some hot chocolate.  Just standing by the oven or stove and warming your hands can make a huge difference too.  I sometimes even drink herbal tea.  This one's my favorite.  It's calming and well...warmer then water or milk.  A comfy tummy is a happy tummy.

 

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Touch:  This one is my very favorite!  Slippers with furry centers, baby cheeks and hands right after they wake up, layers and layers of homemade quilts, fireplace heat, a husbands hand, cozy socks, cuddling with your 4 year old in the morning while you watch cartoons and oh how I wish I had flannel sheets right now. 

So you see...easy solutions and they are all really pretty fun.  The key is to do it before you find yourself trapped in your bed wishing you didn't have any resposibilities or any place to go and still shivering because all you can think about is how cold it will be to pull off the covers.  Start the day out right and you'll be amazed at how much living can go on in a home that's full of warm comforts.   

A House of Order

I consider myself to be an organized person and a decent housekeeper. Today I tackled the whole house and am resting my bones with contentment. I thought I'd share some tips that work for me, and hopefully you can use something that will help you with organization and upkeep of your own little nest.

Some people clean a room each day of the week so as not to be overwhelmed with the task of the whole thing. I use a divide and conquer approach because I like everything to be clean all at once, but you can apply my tips to however you approach your housekeeping.

• Rise and shine! I'm a morning person, so before I'm able to find any distractions, I jump in full-bore. I even stay in my jammies to clean so that when I'm done, I can throw them into the laundry and have clean ones to wear the same night.


• Let it ring. Unless you are expecting an important phone call, don't answer when it rings. This breaks your focus from your task, and once this happens, you'll find other things to do that distract you from completing it.


• Top-down. Clean from the top down. I live in a 2-story house, so I start on the 2nd floor in the farthest corner room and work my way toward the stairs and down to the main level. If you have a main floor and basement, start downstairs and work your way up. In a split-level house, do the upstairs, then the downstairs and end on the main level. Basically end in the area where you'll take the garbage/recycling out. Same philosophy goes for what you're cleaning. Start on the top shelf of the closet, cabinet, fridge, etc.


• Lights out. This isn't the most energy-conscious way to do things, and I don't do it every time, but if I'm feeling overwhelmed by the task ahead, I'll turn the lights on in each room and when a room is finished, I turn it off. You could do the same thing with shutting the doors as the rooms get finished.


• Put it away! When you find something that goes somewhere else in the house, just put it in the destination room and go RIGHT back to your original room you're working on. This means some double handling of items, but you will keep your focus, avoid distraction, and get things done quicker in the long run. I usually find toys all over the house that need to go in the family room. By the time I get to the family room, there's a huge pile of toys waiting to be put away. Once you're cleaning that room, put stuff away NOW. Moving stuff from one pile to another in the same room is not efficient.


• Spin cycle. Keep the laundry going while you're cleaning. I empty baskets full of clean laundry onto the sofa, and after everything else is done, I can relax and fold laundry (which I actually enjoy) while I'm watching TV.


• Suck it up. Vacuum last. This goes along with the top-down strategy. There's nothing like seeing fresh vacuum tracks and not-yet-trampled carpet that says clean.


• Dear John. Clean bathrooms last (although I'm tempted to clean them first and get it out of the way). I personally don't like the idea of cleaning kitchen stuff after cleaning the bathrooms, even with thorough hand washing. Not sure if I should say this, but the easiest way for me to clean the shower is when I'm in the shower. It's too difficult to scrub the shower and rinse the cleanser off without getting myself and the rest of the bathroom soaked. So, spray something like Scrubbing Bubbles on the walls and when you're done with the house and are ready to shower, take a sponge with you and wipe down the surfaces before you get on with shining yourself up. Water stays in the shower and it's OK that I get wet. I can't be the only one who does this, right?


• No feathers. Feather or fuzzy dusters don't work. They just seem to stir the dust around. Get yourself an old soft t-shirt and some furniture polish and go to town. Use the fuzzies to get hard-to-reach places like under the DVD player.


• Nuke it! Who likes cleaning the microwave? Me either. Here's an easy tip. Get a sponge wet (don't wring it dry), and microwave it on high for 2 minutes. Take it out - careful it's hot! And all the little splatters inside will be softened enough to easily wipe them off. And your sponge is disinfected too!


• Air it out. Just like some fresh air is good for our bodies, same goes for our homes. Even on a chilly winter day, just 15 minutes of an open window will air it out nicely.

So, there you have it...a few tips for a happy, healthy home. Our humble abode is far from perfect - most of our walls have yet to be painted, there's a lack of adequate furniture, and there are bins of yet-to-be-hung artwork. But it's our HOME, and I think we're all a little more calm, happy and at peace when it's clean and orderly.

So what's next? Sit back and enjoy the show: