It's not too late to start, if you are interested in the 31 Days To Clean Challenge. The blog info is
here and the 3
1 Days To Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way e-book can be found
here. You can start anytime, do it any way you want to, there aren't rigid rules... don't be intimidated. There's also a helpful and encouraging
forum, as well as twitter friends at the #31daystoclean hashtag!
Day 6 - The Mary Challenge was about lists, and well... I love lists, so this should be no problem for me whatsoever. However, it also says to put your lists in order of importance... that, I don't do so well. I usually just scribble out whatever pops into my head, and go about it as it seems fit - not necessarily from top to bottom. The Martha Challenge had Preston and I digging out all kinds of stuff, rearranging and piling up a pretty good size donate box!
- 1/2 of the cabinets are clean/organized, got a donate pile, wondering if I can put my non-stop-talking-5-yr-old in that pile.
- Match game!
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| Oh, if only it could stay this tidy! |
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| Nothing comes crashing down when opened! |
Day 7 - I technically started Day 7 on the evening of Day 6 because I knew I'd be busy most of Saturday. I was right! So, I finished up the last little bit of cleaning out and organizing my pantry Saturday evening. I didn't have much to throw away, because I've done a pretty good job of staying after the things in there and making sure they don't expire and sit for ages. Of course, that's only after having issues with that in the past.
- Got a head start on Day 7's Martha challenge last nite, just a little bit to do today... but busy otherwise!
Day 8 - My husband helped me do some organizing (well, it WAS Mother's Day after all!). And after I finished throwing lots of random things away, I couldn't believe the difference in my drawers! We also got a couple drawer organizers so that little stuff isn't just rolling around in there and getting lost. Hooray! It's amazing to open a drawer and not be completely overwhelmed at the mess!
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| Everything has a place! |
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| This drawer OPENS now, yay! |
Day 9 - Oh boy, dealing with laziness. Yikes. I definitely took this message to heart and stayed busy and active ALL day (on a Monday!). I took little breaks to rest and check email, but pretty much kept going the entire day long! That made me feel good, like I was really accomplishing something. And I got that kitchen floor looking awesome. For a few minutes, till the kids went back in there. Oh well. Better than nothing!
- Ok, Monday, I certainly have a "Six List" for you! But first... coffee!
- Caught Callen just before he made friends w/a quarter-sized spider in my kitchen! Yikes!
- Got baby in his bed for a nap, setting up the kid on the DS for a bit... Kitchen floors, here I come! Day 9 of
- It feels weird to walk on clean floors... that's bad, huh?
Day 10 - I already see my house (at least my kitchen) shaping up in the way that I want my whole house to be. Organized, clean, inviting - my goals, for sure! There's a huge difference walking into my kitchen to get a drink... opening the cabinet to find the cups all nicely arranged and then opening the fridge and seeing it so clean! It not only looks good, it makes me feel like I'm finally doing something right! Moving into the Living Room today. Spent some time with my windows... again getting a bit O.C.D. with the dirt in between the screen and the sill. I'm serious, I don't want that guck in my house anymore!
- My Six Lists keep becoming Sixteen Lists.
- Day 10 of COMPLETE! And before lunchtime even, woot!
- is seriously cutting into my 'net surfin' time. I suppose that's a good thing, though. Clean house v. 1,000 blogs to read...
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| Yuck! Ugh... |
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| SO much better! |
Day 11 - So, I accidentally got carried away and did most of Day 12 stuff today as well. Oh well, less work for tomorrow! As I'm sitting here, looking over my work... I am just so pleased that I'm actually accomplishing these goals. The kids are being mostly cooperative (not completely, but when Callen takes a nap I am able to get Preston distracted with DS, tv or computer long enough to really get things done!), and though I'm exhausted from the hard work... my results are gratifying for sure!
- Curse you, popcorn ceiling!!! Full-fledged living room dusting going on over here!
- Got a little carried away and did most of Day 12 too, oops. Less to do tomorrow, though! Living Room looks wonderful!
Day 12 - I really appreciate that this e-book is so encouraging, especially in letting us know that we don't have to get everything just right all the time. It doesn't wave it's finger at me, telling me that I've been a bad housewife all these years, and it's about time I shape up! It allows for grace and forgiveness, at the same time as it says "hey, get up and do SOMETHING at least!" It is giving me the motivation to get off my butt, off the computer, and get busy! Not quite half way through with the 31-day challenge, but feeling great about it!
Day 13 - I got carried away again, which... is a good thing... I mean, the house needs it, right? I mopped the entire living room, entry way, laundry room, hallway, and both bathrooms. Once I had finished the living room, I was just like... well, I have the mop and stuff out... might as well get after it! Haha!
P.S. This wasn't part of the challenge (yet), but I spent some time tidying up Callen's room, and 5 minutes later, this is what I came across...
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| Oh, baby... way to go. |
He pulled down everything from his shelves and spread it around like it was before. Apparently, he likes it that way!
4 comments:
Stopping by from Joyful Mothering. :) Way to go!!...and love that your little one pulled it all back down. So very, very typical in this house too!! :)
Jolanthe @ Homeschool Creations
I find it hilarious that you spent Mother's Day cleaning out drawers. One of my favorite TV shows "The Middle" had the mom spending Mother's Day all alone in her house (that was her gift), and the first thing she decided to do was clean out a kitchen drawer that had been stuck for weeks. Then she went to put away the screwdriver that she used to open it (after spending an hour organizing it), and so on and so on... until she had spent her whole fixing things and did not get one minute to enjoy herself. It was a total "if you give a mom a muffin" moment.
I have learned to allow my children to put things away how they want them, as long as they are off the floor and the drawers and doors can still open and close. If they cannot find something, they have only themselves to blame. (Mine are 11, 8, and 4, so older than yours and with a little more sense of WHY it helps to be orderly. But your littlest is just too sweet!)
Super laughing over here that he pulled everything right back off the shelves! That is priceless.
I completely agree about the feeling of accomplishment from doing the tasks in this ebook!!! I feel down right smug at times. Just need to tackle that whole list thing. ;)
Wow!! you are certainly motivated! Great job on your house. I love your little one...it reminds me of some advise I got once...you can only organize yourself, you can't force anyone else to be organized...so true!
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