Making Your Home Sing Monday!

Happy Monday everyone!

It's time for

Making Your Home Sing Monday!

First off, here's this weeks MENU

Now, let me ask you a question.

Have you SHINED YOUR SINK lately?

Now you're probably setting there going "what on earth is this crazy lady talking about?"

Well, if you are like me, you are not exactly the best housekeeper in the world.

You're overwhelmed.

You're distracted.

You're frustrated.

The mess is taking over your home and your life.

Well, for me, this is no longer the case. My house is no where CLOSE to perfect, but it is getting better.

How did I make that change?

Well, first I whined. A lot.

And I cried. A lot.

And I blamed everyone else in the house for the mess.

A LOT.

Then I got on the computer and talked to other moms. 

They recommended the FlyLady's website - www.flylady.net

The first thing the Fly Lady (who's name, by the way is Marla Cilley) tell us to do is to go shine our sinks.

And she gives detailed instructions.

That was the kicker for me.

So, I went and shined my sink for the very first time in my life.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Soon the rest of the kitchen followed, then the living room, then the hallway, then the bathroom.

Now, we live in a teeny tiny house, so really, that's all company will ever see.

Little by little, we're working on bedrooms.

Now, for you, you're shiney sink might not be a sink at all -

It may be your kitchen floor or counters.

It may be your bed being made

It may be a clean bathtub or toilet.

Whatever your "shiney sink" may be, go do it! Right now!

Waking up every morning and seeing that one thing shining back at you will make you smile.

And as everyone knows, 

When you give a mom a smile, 

her home sings!

Wanna play? Go visit MomsTheWord and link up!

All In A Day's Work

I made a list this morning.

I am the QUEEN of lists.

But this one was different.

I made a list of everything that has to be done every day in order for my house to stay in shape. 

I also broke it down into time increments (how long each chore should take).

It's a lot. 

6.1 hours worth 

(not including breaks or eating). 

And right now, I'm not doing everything on that list. I'm getting lazy and slacking.

But it made me realize something - 

It takes a LOT to make a household run.

But today I realized something else.

I CHOSE this.

I CHOSE to stay home and take care of my children and my home.

Whatever chaos there is around me - 

I CHOSE it.

The Lord teaches us that:  

". . .whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matt. 25:40)

This is a verse that I have to keep posted to remind me of what it's all for.

I pray daily to be a blessing to my husband and my children.

I made this list with the intention of sticking to it every day. 

It's harder than you might think (some of you "Born-Organized" people probably do most of this without thinking).

I urge you, if you haven't already, make a list like this one. Think about everything you have to do to make your home run smoothly. If there's something you're not already doing, start doing it. Start small. As the Fly Lady says - "Take Baby Steps". Add one thing at a time, either day by day or week by week, however you're comfortable, until you're just doing it.

I know you've all been chomping at the bit to see my own list, right?

Well, here it is. Enjoy!

(still haven't figure out how to link a word document into blogger yet. sorry!)

Daily Routine

Early Morning

Make Bed – 1 minute

Dress to shoes, hair, face, teeth – 15 minutes

Swish and Swipe – 2 minutes

Boot Laundry – 5 minutes

Coffee with God - 45 minutes

Prayer/Meditation – 15 minutes

Breakfast

After Breakfast

Unload Dishwasher – 5 minutes

Load Dishwasher – 5 minutes

Counter/Stove - 5 minutes

Reboot Laundry – 7 minutes

Help little ones make their beds – 10 minutes

Break

After Break (Late Morning)

Reboot Laundry – 7 minutes

Fold and put up clean laundry - 15 minutes

10 minute tidy in one child’s room – 10 minutes

Lunch

After Lunch (early Afternoon)

Clean off table, wipe down – 2 minutes

Vacuum floor – 5 minutes

Daily Chore – 20 minutes

Reboot Laundry - 7 minutes

Fold and put up clean laundry – 15 minutes

Fly Lady’s challenge – 15 minutes

Break

After Break (mid-afternoon)

Fold and put up final load of laundry – 15 minutes

Unload dishes (if needed) – 5 minutes

Load dishes (if needed) – 5 minutes

10 minute tidy in other kid’s room – 10 minutes

15 minute declutter – 15 minutes

Break

After Break (early evening)

Start dinner – 45 minutes

Dinner

After Dinner (mid-evening)

 Clean up dishes – 15 minutes

Load dishwasher – 5 minutes

Last counter/stove wipe – 5 minutes

Shine sink – 5 minutes

Kid’s Baths – 30 minutes

Kid’s bed

Grownup Time

Bed Time

Making Schedules

I have learned that schedules help with so many things.  They keep us focused at the task at hand, and remind us what's coming up later. I have schedules for everything: My daughter's morning and afternoon routines, cleaning routines, laundry routines . . . you name it.  Even my meal plans are a kind of schedule.  Here are a few examples:

Laundry Schedule:
Monday:
Sheets and Blankets
Towels
Tuesday:
Blues
Greens
Yellows
Wednesday
Reds
Thursday
Blacks
Browns/Grays
Friday 
Whites
Misc.
Saturday
Emergency Wash
Clean Laundry Room
Sunday
NONE


This has helped us tremendously with our laundry issue.

Another schedule I use is my cleaning schedule.  Of course, there are things (like dishes and general picking up) that need to be done daily, but for detailed things I use this list (along with my Fly Lady Daily Challenges)

Monday
Change Sheets
Sort Laundry
Take Trash Cans to Curb
Tuesday
DeClutter
Sweep and Mop
Vacuum
Wednesday
(Class this day, so no detail cleaning)
Thursday
Clean Fridge
Pantry/Fridge/Freezer inventory
Meal plan for next week
DeClutter Kids Rooms
Friday
Bathroom
Sweep and Mop
Vacuum
Saturday
Weekly Home Blessing
Kids Clean their Rooms
Laundry Room
Sunday
Day Of Rest


Then, of course, there is daily schedules and routines for my daughter (6):

After School Schedule
3:30-4 Snack
4-5 Homework time (If no homework, may play outside or with toys)
5-5:30 DVD/TV time
5:30-6 Dinner
6-6:10 10 minute tidy in room
6:10-6:30 DVD/TV time
6:30-7 Bath Time
7-7:30 Quiet time
7:30-7:45 Reading Time
7:45 Bed Time


Emily's Morning Routine


Make Bed
Put clothes in hamper
Get Dressed to shoes and hair
Take breakfast dishes to sink when done
Make sure backpack gets to car


These are just a few of the examples of how schedules can improve your life.  I am a chronically disorganized person by nature - I have to have these (posted everywhere, mind you) otherwise, my home is in shambles. Give them a try, if you dare!  You might find they improve your life as well!

God and Housework . . . ?

I went back to "Sink Reflections" last night, and read Marla's take on marriage. Then I read it again, to make sure I really understood the message. The jist of it is (what I get out of it anyway) is that we CAN do it all, we just have to stop thinking that everyone has to do "their fair share".  In other words - if it's not getting done, just do it yourself. I need to go back and re-read this message periodically.  I'm notorious for using the words "It's not MY mess" and "Well, if they're not going to clean, I'm not . . . ".  Of course, I've gotten much better about that over the past few months and realized that I can't EXPECT them to do it. No, it SHOULDN'T all be on my shoulders, but most days if I don't do it, it won't get done.

So, I need to take a deep breath and forget when DH forgets to take the trash out - just pack it up and take it myself.  And I need to forgive when DD doesn't clean her room - just grab a trash bag and get after it.  The point I'm trying to make is this - if you are a wife and mother, and especially if you are a stay at home mom, more falls on your shoulders.  That's just the way it is.

If you want to look at it from a biblical standpoint, Titus 2:4-5 says "Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Proverbs 31 speaks of the Noble Wife throughout. Verse 13 says "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands". Proverbs 31:15 "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." And verse 17 "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." And 27 "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." The point I am trying to make here is that we should be looking at it all as a blessing to our families and to God.

It is for God that we wash the dishes.  It is for God that we make the beds.  It is for God that we vacuum, mop, scrub, wipe, and plan. It is for God that we raise our children. If we go through our days with God in our hearts and minds, then the "details" about who's doing the work (us) is forgotten.

Cleaning Frenzy!

It's spring time again! We all know what that means, right? Taking down the drapes, cleaning out the closets, decluttering the kitchen. Right? Well, not for me. That's right, I have taken a vow to SPRING CLEAN NO MORE. Why? Well, first of all, let's face it, unless you are "B.O. (born organized)" it is NOT going to get done. And if it does? Well, it's not going to make much difference b/c by next week it's all going to be right back to where you started! So what's my point?

Rather than planning on doing it one weekend, a year, why not plan on doing it ALL THE TIME! Stay with me here . . . No, I'm not crazy.

If you've ever heard of Marla Cilley (a.k.a. the Fly Lady), then you know just what I'm talking about. She has devised her own system (taken from several different systems and mixed in with her own genius) that takes away the need for "spring cleaning".

It's all about the baby steps. What's a baby step you may ask? Well, a baby step is EXACTLY what it sounds like. Rather than jumping right in and cleaning your entire house from top to bottom, Marla has shown us how to do smaller chunks of things, one at a time. And it all begins with shining your sink. But that's just the beginning. For the fist 28 days, you have a new task to try. Everything from the ridiculous to the mundane. But by the end of it all, your home will look better than it has ever looked.

The secret? Don't do more than you can do in small chunks of time. Got 15 minutes? Do a declutter in one of your messiest rooms. Only got two? Put out a hot spot. Get the point?

One of the Fly Lady's mantras is "You can do ANYTHING in 15 minutes". How true this is. From cleaning a desk to scrubbing a bath tub. It might not be DONE in 15 minutes, but it will surly look better than it did before you started!

And DON'T try to shoot for perfection. WHY? Well, because frankly, it's pretty much unattainable. In her book "Sink Reflections", Marla tells us "We are imperfect beings and PRAISE GOD FOR OUR IMPERFECTION" (15). The only perfect being that ever walked the earth was Christ himself. Although as Christians we should strive to be Christ like, we cannot attain it - which is why He paid the ultimate price for us. Not to mention the fact that the need and desire for that perfection is what got our homes as messy as they got to begin with.

SO, if you have a home that is frankly, embarrassing, then DO something about it. One 15 minute segment at a time.

Incidentally, my own mantra combines the wisdom of the Fly Lady and the catchiness of Geico - "15 minutes now may save you an hour or more later". And it is so true.

So, go. Meet the Fly Lady at www.flylady.net. And while your at it, go pick up a copy of Sink Reflections. I promise you, she will change your life. She changed mine!