Week 1: January 1 – Gather Your Tools!

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Happy New Year!!   This is the time of year we all turn to making resolutions.  Have you been conteplating some resolutions for the new year??   I don’t make resolutions, per say, I make goals for my year.  Goals seem more purposeful to me and I need to come up with a plan to meet the goals.   It helps to get me into a different mindset. 

Welcome to week one of The Fourteen Weeks of the New Year’s Cleaning Grand Plan from Organizedhome.com.    Take a moment and read the history of this Cleaning Grand Plan.   

Let’s get started!

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Yes, I did mean for it to say Spring Cleaning!!   The title alone makes me think of all the time I will be saving once Spring is really here.  It also makes me think I am so far ahead, not behind.   So, Spring Cleaning it will be.

This week we will be focusing on a couple of things to help you get ready to start the real work next week!  The first key to success is planning.  If you want to be successful with any project you need to make time in your schedule to complete the tasks.  

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Your first task is to grab you calendar/planner and look at next week to find some time to work on your Foyer/Entry Way.   I am looking at my calendar and it is really booked in the evenings next week.  So I know I can’t rely on having time to work on my cleaning plan in the evening.    I have Monday off, so I will carve out 2 hours to dedicate on January 2nd, after I get groceries.   I have something going on every evening this week except for Thursday and Friday, so I will dedicate some time on those evenings in my calendar as well.   My calendar is a very important tool that I could not get alone without.  I found a new one that I totally love.  I will need to write a whole blog post on my love of my new calendar/planner, but I digress.  

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The next task is to make sure you have everything you need to get started next week.   It would be a shame to find out the last minute that you are missing your favorite cleaner.    Everyone has their favorite go to tools for cleaning, so gather your tools.   Some of my tools include – rags, tooth brush, cleaner and magic eraser.   Make sure you have extra vacuum bags and garbage bags.  You will feel so on top of everything with your supplies gathered and your plan in hand!  

You are ready to conquer the world, well at least your foyer/entryway!  Good luck and let us know how you are doing!  Remember, small bites is the secret to eating an elephant!

Tasks this week:  Plan into your schedule time next week to work on your foyer/entryway and gather your tools/supplies.

Next Week:  Week 2: January 8 –  Entry/Foyer

 

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Wishing you a Happy New Year!
Jen C 
 

Previous Posts:
New Years…New Beginnings – intro post


 

How to balance it all………….

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As a working mom, I find it hard to keep things as tidy as I want around my house and still relax on the weekend after a busy work week.   How do you balance it all??  

 I am counting the days down until school starts and we are back into that busy routine.   I am starting to get ready by trying to get my routines in place again.  They have all flown out the window with summer.  Who wants to scrub a floor when you would be outside?   But this weekend I am going to get things caught up around the house and start following my routines again.  

Every year I try to tweak my routines to keep them fresh and hopefully keep me following them.  This week I discovered “Clean Mama’s” blog and I will be adapting her cleaning schedule to meet my needs.  I am starting simple!   I spent today getting my living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom in order.  I had not scrubbed floors or cleaned in a month!    Now that these rooms are back in good order, I will implement my routines to hopefully keep them like that with little effort.  

Hopefully tomorrow I will dig out the bedrooms and get caught up on laundry! 

My infamous hot spot……………a constant struggle for me.

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AFTER:
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Do you have an area in your home that by the end of the week it is a mess???   A hot spot that burns uncontrollably??   Mine used to be the coffee table, until we got rid of it.  Now, my hot spot each week is the kitchen table, which we use as our computer/office area. 

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These tasks will be completed each day.

1.   Make Beds

2.   Do at least one load of laundry and put away/

3.   Take care of clutter on Kitchen Table, etc

4.   Wash Dishes Nightly

5.   Wipe down the Counters  

6.    Sweep Floors

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Weekly Cleaning Schedule

I normally would just do all the cleaning in one evening, but I am going to try spreading my weekly cleaning over the week and see if that works better.  

Monday – Dust House

Tuesday – Clean Bathrooms

Wednesday – Wash Floors

Thursday –  Vacuum House

Friday – Menu plan/ Prepare Shopping List or Clean Bedrooms

Saturday – Wash Sheets and Towels  – Pay Bills/Budget Meeting

Sunday – RELAX

I hope to start implementing these new routines next week.  I am looking forward to having more order to our home again.   I enjoy having my house ready for guests at a moments notice.   These new routines may need some tweaking, but it is a start in the right direction. 

Do you have a daily and weekly routine??   I would love to hear all about them!!   How do you balance it all?

Blessings…………