Cleaning up the Holiday's ~ Week 1, Day 5 - Entry way

If your home is anything like mine dear readers you have kids and with the holiday's comes even more items cluttering up your entry way/front door/ coat closets. Bulky coats, left over party candy from school, over due home work, wet boots, and don't forget the many hats, scarves, and gloves that are thrown in and lost. To get a jump start on that your first order of business today is to get out with the old and in with the new!

I have started limiting my children one winter coat and one sweater hanging in the entry. All other winter coats are to be placed in the spare coat cabinet for now or in their rooms. Summer coats are packed away for next year unless they are noticeably too small in which they go in the donate box.

Shoes are no longer stored next to the door unless wet. My kids have a bad habit of taking their shoes off anywhere in the house and losing them, oddly enough in separate rooms on opposite ends of the house.  From now on all shoes are to be placed on the snow mat to dry then moved to the appropriate bin, if they are not placed in one of those 2 spots they will be removed on a permanent basis because I'm tired of tripping over them.

Backpacks and purses are another huge problem for us. While I generally throw my purse on the floor next to my computer and it never strays the children do the same with their backpacks, books, and papers but all over the entry. In that area they will now come home clean out bags of everything not needed for the next day; old school work, letters to Mom, homework to be done, etc, and then place the cleared out bag into the coat cabinet. Thus getting the clutter off the floor.

Now guests can hang up their own coats when coming over instead of holding them or draping them across the couch.

Winter gear is a bit trickier for us. You see my entry has a coat rack and nothing else. It has been my goal since buying my home to put in some small shelves for storage and this winter it's happening. Mr Mechanic picked up part of the supplies already and will finish up the rest next month, just in time for the first snow fall. I have already bought cubby bins for everyone in the family as well as guests to use.
If you aren't one of the lucky ones to be builder friendly here is a great starting idea for your own cubby shelves.

There you have it readers, your living room and now entry are done. But Wonder Woman, what will we do now? Why routine, routine, routine. Are you ready to fly solo?

Cleaning up the Holiday's ~ Week 1, Day 4 - Furniture

Day 4 for me dawned bright and early like normal with just a hint of lingering cold. And while it didn't stop me from getting my routine, sans getting dressed done.  I didn't manage to get post written.
 

So without further ado I bring you day 4.

Drum roll please... 

ALL FURNITURE!

Pull out your couches, chairs, entertainment centers, even if it's just far enough to get a vacuum attachment behind and clean out the dust bunnies that have reproduced by the millions. How long has it been since your couches have been refreshed? Take this time to vacuum the cushions, under the cushions, and under the bottom. Take some dryer sheets and tuck in the folds for a fresh smell when your guests sit down, febreeze your living room if your furniture is a bit stale smelling. Do you have slip covers, throw pillows or rugs? Take them out and give a nice refresh as well. Place what you can in the wash, hang  others outside to air out (weather permitting). Did you know that sunshine actually kills germs lingering in your home, as well as naturally bleaches simple stains when left out long enough. I love it. For the first 2 years after we bought our home I'd hang out clothes out to dry during the summer. This year however the line snapped and Mr Mechanic hasn't had the time to build me a nice drying line, but I just loved the way things smell when we'd bring them in. Now during the winter I almost never hang the clothes out to dry and I wind up using Febreeze. Every so often I make my own to get away from so many chemicals there are in today's cleaning products and let me tell you the scents you can make are amazing. Are you ready for my totally great recipe? Well here it is, I have 2 of them that I love to use.

DIY Homemade Febreze is such a cinch to make, and you’ll save SO much $$ with this simple little trick!

• Add 3 tbsp. Fabric Softener {like your favorite scent of Downy} to empty spray bottle
• Fill spray bottle with approx. 2 – 3 cups hot water. {depending on size of bottle}
• Add in 1 tbsp. Baking Soda
• Mix, and enjoy!!
• Portions can be adjusted slightly, depending on the size of your spray bottle.

This is a good recipe since everyone always has fabric softener on hand. I can give rave reviews as to it's effectiveness even with my homemade fabric softener recipe.As will all household items please test a small inconspicuous section of your furniture to spray to make sure there are no problems with using the spray.

My next recipe is on I make the most as it doubles as a quick counter cleaner and air deodorizer. 

Essential Oil Febreeze

• Add spray bottle with approx. 2 – 3 cups hot water. {depending on size of bottle}
• Add in 1 tbsp. Baking Soda
• Add in 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil
• Mix, and enjoy!!
• Portions can be adjusted slightly, depending on the size of your spray bottle.

Now my dear readers pat your self on the back... your living room is now back to square one and is drop by friendly.

Cleaning up the Holiday's ~ Week 1, Day 2 - Paper clutter

Yesterday we took 5 minutes and made a list of things that had to go. 
I found that most of my items was general clutter. Books that aren't mine, kids items that should be in a bedroom, extra newspapers and mail. I knew right away the paper clutter had to go!

So today's goal is to take 15 minutes and clear out the extra paper clutter you may have. Nothing says mess like last week's newspaper sitting on the coffee table.

How are your routines going? I know it's just the second day but a great start is to always shine your sinks at night, never have a load of laundry sitting in your washer or dryer over night, and always dress to your shoes. Just those 2 items can help set the mood tremendously. Today I didn't get dressed to the shoes and I didn't shine my sink. I woke up feeling sick and spent my day half heartily cleaning up. That mistake will not happen for me tomorrow. So tonight I am making my list, setting my goals, and making my plan on how to get there.
 
Evening
1. Make dinner
2. Go over morning plans with family
3. Make sure dishes are off counters
4. Laundry for the evening is wash, dried, folded, and put away
5. Blog post for tomorrow planned out
6. Bed at a good time

Morning
1. Get kids up, showered, and dressed
2. 15 minute chore time
3. Lunch money given before boarding the bus
4. breakfast and coffee for me
5. Laundry going
6. Blog post typed and posted
7. Community Cake dropped off
8. Check in at work for more class students
9. Laundry
10. 15 minute hot spot clean up

Afternoon
1. Lunch
2. T.V. time
3. Laundry
4. Start dinner 
5. Go over meal plan for the next day
6. Kids come home
7. 15 minute weekly clean up

 Repeat evening goals again.

now if all goes as planned tomorrow morning I can happily report that the evening and partial morning goals were met in my next blog post.

Cleaning up the Holiday's ~ Week 1, Day 3 - Surfaces

Today we're taking 15 minutes and clearing all living room surfaces of knick knacks, books, and other items to dust and organize. You may not get is all done in 15 minutes and that's ok, start with the worst area for you and move outwards.

For my home the main book cases are horrible, we hardly ever dust them and they get coated so quickly. When I do take the time to dust all the books come down and a deep dusting begins. It's hard since there are over 100 books between 3 shelves and I really have no order to the titles. I start with my shelf in the corner, it has the most knick knacks that I don't want the kids touching. Other shelves like the movies and entertainment center get a light dusting about every few days or week. When I dust them only the knick knacks are moved, but if I have time everything comes off and is deep dusted as well. Our gaming cabinet is the hardest to clean, I can't take everything out and it collects dust bunnies the size of a T-rex some months. This is a time I like to make sure I have plenty of canned air handy as well as dusting rags with spray. I use the canned air to force dust out of corners and from behind wires, then use the rags lightly sprayed with Pledge to clean out the dust I just blew around.

As many of my readers know I try to be green whenever I can so I do have a DIY Dusting Spray that does work on the wood, but I mostly buy Pledge Multi Surface because Mr. Mechanic likes it and it makes my cleaning a bit faster. Here is the recipe I use

D.I.Y Dusting Spray 

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup warm water

Stir/shake well. Store in a squirt bottle for optimal usage. 

This recipe will be good for about a week and then it's time to start another batch. If you don't think you'll use that much you can half the recipe.

I have another recipe for D.I.Y dusting cloths that I plan on trying out this weekend. I'll post the results after I test them in another post.

I am happy to report that my routine posted yesterday is going as planned
 
Evening
1. Make dinner
2. Go over morning plans with family
3. Make sure dishes are off counters
4. Laundry for the evening is wash, dried, folded, and put away
5. Blog post for tomorrow planned out
6. Bed at a good time

Morning
1. Get kids up, showered, and dressed
2. 15 minute chore time
3. Lunch money given before boarding the bus
4. breakfast and coffee for me
5. Laundry going
6. Blog post typed and posted
7. Community Cake dropped off
8. Check in at work for more class students
9. Laundry
10. 15 minute hot spot clean up

Afternoon
1. Lunch
2. T.V. time
3. Laundry
4. Start dinner 
5. Go over meal plan for the next day
6. Kids come home
7. 15 minute weekly clean up

  I feel good about myself this morning, I know it can be done and I have the goal in sight.

Cleaning up the Holiday's ~ Week 1, Day 1 - Living room

The living room is the hub of activity for your holiday guests whether it be coming for a dinner party, a day of chatting, or staying awhile. Your guests will be spending a good amount of time in this area, so it should reflex you and place them at ease.

First step of the day is to take 5 minutes and list everything that doesn't need to be in the room, things that are better used other places, or things you need to get rid of. Once you have that list put it in a prominent place to look at in the days to come.

Second step of the day map out your 15 minutes per room. This is to clear out your daily grunge. Dishes, laundry, trash. your home didn't get dirty in a day it won't get cleaned in a day. Start working on your routine. FlyLady suggests a wonderful routine that can be adapted to fit your needs.

 Before Bed Routine: Start as soon as dinner is finished don’t wait till 10:00pm.

1. Shine your sink; go to bed with a clean kitchen.

2. Put things away from your Hot Spots.

3. Lay out your clothes for tomorrow; check your calendar for appointments.

4. Take some time to relax; bubble bath, good book or magazine.

5. Go to bed at a decent hour.

Morning Routine: Start as soon as your feet hit the floor.

1. Make your bed.

2. Get dressed to lace up shoes.

3. Put a load of laundry in the washer.

4. Empty dishwasher.

5. Eat breakfast, drink your water, take your vitamins.

6. Check your calendar for appointments.

7. Think about what’s for dinner.

8. Police your Hot Spots and put things away.

9. Set a timer and declutter one little area for 15 minutes.

10. Where is your laundry? Put it in the dryer.

11. Take a break and rest while you check your Holiday Control Journal.

Afternoon Routine: Start as soon as you get home from work.

1. Start dinner, put hot soapy water in your sink, and clean up as you cook.

2. Fold and put laundry away.

3. Set the table.

4. Enjoy dinner.

Remember to take it slow and steady or you will crash and burn. Take lots of notes and don't be afraid to try something new.

Cleaning up the Holiday's

The holiday's are fast approaching and I don't know about everyone but my house suffers from CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) With some tweaked help from the FlyLady.net and her wonderful Holiday Control Journal I have slowly started taking back my home just in time for the holiday parties and hub-bub of activities that never seem to happen for my family. Christmas cards... never sent because i missed placed the cards or address book. Hand made gifts... poorly done because I've used all counter space for dishes or projects. Not this year! This year I may not get everything done but I will feel better about having people over.

I have adapted the Holiday Control Journal to fit my needs for the next 2 months. I have thoroughly planned to spend the next 8 weeks in preparation for getting my home in order. I will be spending the next 5 weeks getting my whole home ready for the holidays and the 3 weeks after prefecting my routine while enjoying the activities I have planned. Please join me for each week for Cleaning the Holiday's by working on one area at a time.

Week 1- Living room and Entry. The first places your guest will see when coming to your home.
Week 2 - Kitchen and Pantry. A well planned meal or party starts with these two rooms.
Week 3 - Dining Room. Be able to sit down to your meal with flare and not exhaustion.
Week 4 -  Bathrooms and Bedrooms. This is mostly for your piece of mind.
Week 5 - Extra rooms or Extra care. If you have an office, your yard, or just need more time on another   room now is a great time to do it.
Weeks 6-8 - Work on a routine that works for you. While Fly Lady has a great starting point it doesn't work for everyone.  Take the time to get to know what works and why. Take notes for future use.

Now I'm a bit late in posting this so Day 1 & 2 will be posted right after this. I look forward to your comments and helpful tips.

Teaching our children valuble life skills

I'll be the first to admit I want my kids to be kids. There were times growing up that I hated my parents for giving me chores and I swore if I ever had kids I'd never make them do chores. Well it's been many moons later and I can say "Yep my kids have chores". Now their chores aren't big or strenuous for them, I believe that even at a very young age your child can pick up after themselves. I didn't start having my kids even pick up their rooms till they were about 6 and that was a big mistake, I'd still be cleaning their rooms if they had their way.  This chart has floated around the web for sometime now and while my Monsters now have a firm grasp on their chores, it has helped to make sure they are not doing more than they really can handle.

My kids do just about everything on this list and it's nice to know I can count on them to help around the house. 

Cadence is 12 and does most of what is on the list. He likes to shop with me and run up to the gas station if I run out of milk. He makes dinner and some weeks he cooks more than I do because he loves it. Now he can't sew but if it needs hammered, screwed, or stapled he's on it. If it's his normal daily chore... he's no where to be found but he'll help any other time.

Tydan is 11,  he'll do his chores if I'm watching but anything more is like pulling teeth some days. He'd rather be sitting on the couch in front of the tv or playing outside. He does a pretty good job when he puts his mind to it and even comes up with some great short cuts.

Daytona is 9 and Daddy has babied her a bit too much. I finally put my foot down with her chores so for now she's a chore floater. Since the boy's have set chores everyday she is to help them both. I even went and got her her very own pet to take care of. (Oreo the guinea pig)

While you may think my that list is super long we break our chores and even the house cleaning into days of the week.

Monday - Kitchen and Laundry Room. Everything scrubbed, organized, and a weekly fridge cleaning. Monthly we pull out the appliances and clean behind them.

Tuesday - Office and Pantry. This is a organize take stock type of area. Monthly we defrost the freezers.

Wednesday - Living Room and Entry - Big purge areas! You would not believe what my kids can pack into the entry way bins in a week. Dusting and monthly couch moving is a must.

Thursday - Bedrooms, Bathrooms, and Hallway. Now if all goes as planned during the morning and evening getting ready for bed these  areas are already clean. If not now is the time to deep clean.


Friday - Dining Room - Another room that if cleaned daily is not a problem, but we tend to use this area as a catch all for projects.

Weekend - Yard work when needed.

The Monsters have a chore binder in case they 'forget' what they are suppose to really do in an area. Their binder even has a place to keep track of books they've checked out, T.V time, how much they have in allowance, and because I'm a cool Mom a place to ask a sibling to change chores with them. And just in case the binder goes missing, they have charts set up in the dining room that tells them what is to be done, when, and even for how long. We are big fans of the 15 minute pick up.

Chores are always red while fun things happening are green. This month's board is all about prepping for a Halloween party.

Chores, Cakes, and Coupons

Life has been hectic at the Lowry Household. Mr Mechanic is working long hours in preparation for winter layoff, the Monsters are driving me batty, and to top it off we got new pets...
                                  Meet Morwen the bunny 

                                                     and Oreo the guinea pig

Tink thoroughly hates both of them when they sit on my lap. With Oreo she actually growls, with Morwen she runs away. It's amazing that my 6 and a half pound Chihuahua is scared of a 3 pound bunny. Oreo happens to be Daytona's new chore, she really doesn't do much other than clean her room and help her brothers with their chores. Now to get the hubby to make me a feed/bedding bin for all the animal stuff. It has taken over my pantry, which is part of our 'homesteading' make over in the years to come. (self sufficient in 5 years)

Community Cakes is going great for me so far. Here's today's main cake. A bit of a problem with the top scroll work but a good job over all. Lot's of fun making it. It's chocolate cream cheese, with a caramel pudding center, cream cheese flavored buttercream. The piped rosettes on the side is 4 different colors and the daisies are made from hardened fondant.

That's not just my latest cake, I made this one for my friend's little boy's first birthday. Vanilla with Chery pie filling, covered in fondant. First time making boots, hat, and rope words but I loved it.

And of course his smash cake. Vanilla with buttercream and removable fondant decorations.

I heard both cakes were a big hit, even with the minor flaws that Only I can apparently see.


I'm getting back into couponing, it's been great knowing I can pay full price for something and not have it break the bank but winter is coming and the log isn't as stocked as it normally is this time of year.  Hopefully Mr. Mechanic and sons can bag us a deer next week to help offset some of our meat lackage. (yes I know lackage isn't a word but I like it)
 
Sometimes I feel I am all alone in the world when I'm doing my dailies, but then I find a group of women who feel the same way and slowly we begin to click. We have a coupon club, meet ups, coffee dates, and just like that I begin to new friends and get new ideas. Coupon apps and cash back apps are AWESOME! Really! it can be a pain to remember to grab each receipt plus enter it in to multiple apps and scan each product you bought but I promise it's worth it. Start slow and quickly gain speed. I'll periodically post items of interest here but for now I'm signing off to clean house.