30 Day Recap, and Goals for May

Yesterday was the last day of the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge. Project 30 was to clean electronics. I had cleaned all of our electronics this past weekend (something we have to do quite often due to 20 sticky little fingers).

Since our electronics were clean, I had decided my sewing machine deserved some love. Sorry no pictures, but it is done!

Today I wanted to share the lessons I have learned from participating in the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge.

1. Surface cleaning is something that must be done every day around here. It is amazing how fast cluttered chaos occurs by going to bed with dirty dishes.
2. I need to spend some time developing my nightly routines. Doing things like picking up the living room, doing dishes, folding the last bit of laundry before bed takes under an hour total. Spending under an hour helps us start off the next day on a positive note.
3. I need lists. I always knew this, but this last month has solidified that concept. Having the cleaning list helped me stay on track. Keeping a running to-do list on the back guaranteed that I wouldn’t forget those little things I wanted to do.
4. We have too much stuff. This undertaking has made me realize that household purging will more than likely be a never-ending process around here. *As an added bonus to this challenge; I have become a hater of STUFF.
5. I am able to overcome unexpected bumps in the road. When the basement started filling with water, I didn’t panic or give up (I may have in the past). I just did what I could and kept plugging on.

I’m going to stop there.

I have a few more things I would like to cover today.

First off, Crystal is doing another challenge. May is the Clutter Busting Challenge. The challenge is to get rid of 7 things everyday in May.

This one is right up my alley. We have a huge garage sale with the neighbors every June, so the timing is perfect.

This past month I have been very tempted to pack everything up and take it to a donation center. Then I remind myself that every year our family usually makes $300 or more. For two days. I guess I can deal with this stuff for one more month. For the month of May I am focusing on ruthlessly going through our house.

Are you in? Can you commit to finding 7 things to get rid of for 31 days? As a side note, I think I will only post updates once or twice a week.

Here’s today’s purge:

Lastly, I’ll leave you with my goals for May:

• Go through the house top to bottom.
• Price everything for garage sale.
• Clean out garage.
• Plant garden.
• Open that darned etsy shop.
• Build up inventory, and decide what venues to try selling at this summer.
• Finish boys’ summer wardrobe.
• Get back on track with menu planning.
• Finish/post 31 by 31 list.

That’s not a complete list, but I’m heading in the right direction.

What are your goals for May?

Day 29, Cleaning Up The Cobwebs

I haven’t posted a 30 Day Cleaning update since last Wednesday. My negligence was disgustingly apparent by Sunday evening (in all honesty it was disgustingly apparent by Saturday morning).

I knew the boys and I would be gone all morning this morning (on laundry day). I resolved to get the house back in order before bed last night. Here’s what I did:

• Washed, dried, folded, and put away most of the laundry.
• Washed dishes.
• Cleared table.
• Cleaned (somewhat) the kitchen.
• Picked up living room.
• Vacuumed (I did ask permission to vacuum at 11:00 p.m., was hoping hubby would say “Nope, that will keep me awake.” Instead I got, “We can’t hear a thing upstairs, vacuum away.” Shucks.)

After all was said and done, it was almost midnight. I fell into bed exhausted, but at the same time relieved that we would wake up to a semi-clean home.

Today’s task was to clean one thing (area) that has been bugging you.

I choose the cobwebs. (Ha-ha, get it; bugging you…)

Springtime not only brings us tulips, robins, and baseball; but also cobwebs. They have been creeping up everywhere. Today I took my duster, and wiped those boogers out.

It took about five minutes.

Afterwards I asked myself, “why in the world did you wait 29 days (possibly longer) to do this?” Oh well, its done now.

Here’s my challenge for you: Tackle that one thing that has been hanging over your head (in my case it was literally hanging). Chances are it will only take a few minutes. After you are done breath out a sigh of relief, and stop berating yourself for letting it go so long.

What are you going to tackle?

Project 23 Update

We are 23 days into the 30 day Home Cleaning Challenge. Yippee!

Project #23 was to clean the floors. Mine need it bad….but I got distracted.

Our boys need summer clothes, so I spent a good portion of naptime sewing (hopefully I can post pictures later today, or tomorrow).

I did manage to sweep, scrub, and mop the stairs going to the basement. After having water in the basement, these stairs were disgusting! I cringed every time I walked down them. I am rather embarrassed to post pictures, but here they are anyways:

• I swept the stairs.
• Sprayed with citrus vinegar
• Folded laundry
• Came back and scrubbed away the dirt and grime
• Mopped

My plans were to vacuum and mop all the floors, but my seam ripper and I had a date.

Today’s challenge is the linen closet. Since most of our closets have been cleaned, purged, and organized I plan on finishing the floors and hopefully working on my dresser.

How is your home looking? Are you still following along, just starting, or just plain tired of reading about my adventures in a dirty home?

*Want a little humor? I started working on the boys’ summer wardrobe yesterday. Today, it is snowing. What the! (I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that it is April.)

How to Have Success With the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge

First lets have a quick update of Projects #20-22.

Today’s project was an easy one (because I have been keeping up with the challenge). Surface clean living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.

I have been taking care of the kitchen and living room every most nights before bed. All I had to do today was mild dusting of the living room and bedroom, make our bed, put clothes away, a quick swipe of the bathroom counter, swish in the toilet, and spray of the shower. I was done. (I’ll spare you the before and after; mainly because they are exactly the same as the other surface cleaning days.)

Instead I want to share how I ‘m making this challenge work for me. Its actually a pretty simple concept.

I printed the challenge and put it in a plastic page protector. I keep a dry erase marker inside.

On the left side I marked the weekends. If I have extra time, I can work on these challenges. On the right side, I simply check off each challenge as I finish it. Easy, right? Lets flip the page over:

This side is the key to lining this challenge up with my goals of purging my home.

I keep a blank sheet of paper, and a pencil in the back of the page protector. When I come across an extra project that needs to be done, I add it to the list. Some things on this list are the individual closets and cupboards that need cleaning, projects I didn’t get to (like clean the garage), projects I want to do (like painting), and things that need gone through and decluttered.

Days when I have more time and energy, I flip to this page and pick out a project. Complete the project, and my favorite part- cross it off.

This method is working wonders for me. Writing tasks down helps me see where I need to spend some time. Most projects only take 10-15 minutes when broken down into individual tasks.

Sweet and simple.

How do you keep track of your miscellaneous projects?

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge; Catching Up

Our basement is finally dry! I spent Saturday reorganizing my sewing room and putting it back together. Today I focused on catching up on the challenges I missed.

First was cleaning light switches and door knobs. The picture doesn’t do much justice, this job hasn’t been done since last summer…

Next was the pantry.

Then I tackled the back entrance. We have been using this door instead of the other backdoor. It becomes cluttered very quickly!

I decided to clean the other back entrance too. This one wasn’t too bad; just a little picking up, sweeping and mopping.

I gave myself an hour to clean. After these projects were finished I had time to pick up the living room and kitchen.

It feels so good to be caught up with the challenge!

How was your weekend? Did you use your time to catch-up, relax, or enjoy the much appreciated sunshine? (I did all of the above.)

Stop back tomorrow, I have an Earth Day project to share.

A Sneak Peek at My New Project

I have a confession…my attention is easily diverted.

For the weekend cleaning project I was supposed to choose between cleaning a closet, surface cleaning an extra room, or deep cleaning a bedroom.

Instead I started a HUGE project!

Want a sneak peak?

Talk about a huge project! I cannot wait to get it done, unfortunately I have to wait until the weekend to get anymore headway. (Need heavy equipment…)

Have I made you curious? Good, now I HAVE to finish this project (I love that I have a reason to be accountable).

Back to the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge. (See how easily my attention is diverted?) I did surface clean the room were I was working on this mammoth project. Not because I was following the challenge, but for the safety of my family. There were so many sharp wires, dust, small pieces and much more laying in the aftermath.

I also forced myself to do the dishes before bed, pick up the living room, and vacuum. After I type it out, it looks like I did more than I thought.

Does the oncoming of spring and sunshine inspire you to tackle huge projects? What big projects have you done recently, or are planning to do soon?

Day 11, Decluttering the Bathroom Closet

Challenge #11 was to clean the bathroom. The bathrooms received their love, which wasn’t a huge task since it was done last week. I did have an extra project on my list though.

Our bathroom storage was getting out of hand, so my goal was to declutter and organize the closet.

This closet is deep, and tends to be yet another piling ground in our house. Everything was taken out of the closet. The shelves were washed, and towels refolded. Things that didn’t belong in there were put in their proper homes. I then threw away the bottles of stuff that have been in there forever, because we don’t need/use it. (L.A. Looks Super Hold Hair Gel? Really?) Finally, everything else (the stuff that belongs in this closet) was put back in the closet.

The sad part? I tackled this project about three months ago. How did it get this bad?

Now that my living room painting is done, I need to catch up on the basics around here (like dishes, laundry, etc.). I plan to tackle these basics, and Day 12-14 projects during naptime so I can enjoy the weekend.

Do you have to declutter the same spots as often as I do? Seriously, stuff multiplies like rabbits around here!

Last Month of Being a Twenty-Something Mama

First piece of business is a 30 day update. Project #10 was to deep clean the living room.

I had planned to remove the wallpaper border, and prep the living room for painting (one of my 30 by 30 goals).

During naptime I took everything off the walls, took down the wallpaper border (using a homemade remover that took the wallpaper off like butter, I’ll share soon), washed the walls, vacuumed behind the furniture, and started taping.

Process photos:

See that sample spot on the wall. That has been there for about six months. I joke with my husband that I was “making sure I could live with it.”

After hubby got home from work we made a stop at our local Ace Hardware and bought some paint. My initial goal was to get the trim painting done after the boys went to sleep, and paint the first coat the next night. Well, I kept going…and going. By 2:30 this morning the first coat is done! (I’ll share the after photo when the living room is completely done.)

On to other business, an update on my list: 

1. purge home, clear clutter {Ongoing. 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge has lit a fire under my rump.}
2. make cleaning a habit {Always ongoing, see above.}
3. make recycling a habit {After a few visits to town council meetings, our town finally started curbside recycling last August!}
4. scan pictures, organize pictures {This goal is crossed off because I know I’m not getting to it in the next 3 months.}
5. organize recipes {I have found a method that seems to be working, will share with you Wednesday.}
6. paint bedroom; decorate {This is not going to happen the next month, maybe in the next year…}
7. paint living room; decorate {Second coat going on tonight, then need to hang pictures, find affordable curtains, maybe even slipcovers for furniture.}
8. learn how to effective manage household, and time {I am happy to say that I am getting much better at this.}
9. make wedding album {See excuse #4}
10. journal for the boys {I am not very consistent, but the journals are started.}
11. journal for my husband {See #10}
12. learn how to use my camera, and take more pictures {Ongoing, getting better.}
13. have monthly date nights with my husband {Christmas gifts have helped us in this department.}
14. go on mini-vacation with hubby {We did go away overnight in September, and December. (not my idea of mini-vacation, but we will take what we can get!)}
15. go on vacation with the family {Thanks to a wonderful Christmas gift last year we took the family to Great Wolf Lodge. This is probably going to have to suffice for this year.}
16. read to the boys every day {I may have figured this out!}
17. learn to/teach the kids to pray (Lord's prayer, and Ten Commandments)
18. teach my step-daughter to sew and/or encourage her creative interests {Sewing will not happen this year, but I have been encouraging her creative spirit!}
19. implement a budget {Nope}
20. start nursing clinicals {Crossed off because I didn't get in this winter, hopefully in fall.}
21. manage time better {Isn’t this the same as #8? Improving greatly!}
22. get up early (like to start day by 6:00) {Boys are early risers. I am no means perfect, but so much better.}
23. dress for my hubby more often (less jeans and t-shirts) {I am struggling in the colder season, but I am crossing it off because 1. I wore skirts/dresses most of summer and 2. hubby likes me in jeans and t-shirts.}
24. style hair more, less ponytails {Since I made the cut, I have been better, not perfect, but better.}
25. blog regularly {Getting better, but I think I need to make myself a schedule.}
26. exercise regularly {You would not believe that one of my previous careers was a full-time fitness instructor and personal trainer.}
27. craft through books; get rid of books not needed {I have not actually been crafting through books, but I have been getting rid of the ones that do not inspire my creativity.}
28. craft through stash {Stash is still here, but getting smaller. The only materials I have bought have been project-specific.}
29. make a dress, and wear it {Made another one, look for it in the future, meanwhile check this one out.}
30. start selling on etsy {Been working on shop, a little. Need to tell my confidence (or lack of) to leave me alone. }
31. do a 365 project {I started. Got 21 days in. And quit. I will restart, after I knock out some of my more important goals.}
32. have a (semi) handmade Christmas {did not finish all I aspired too, but did manage to make a few gifts.}

Have you procrastinated on any Spring overhauls in your home? That is exactly what this paint job was, procrastinating! I am so glad I got my butt in gear!

Crafting With Twin Toddlers (And Day 9 Update)

It is no secret that I am a crafting mama. Sewing, crochet/knitting, refashioning, DIY jewelry, baking, you name it; I love it. (I hope you didn’t name scrapbooking. I am actually afraid to even start scrapbooking, because of my craft supply hoarding issues and all…)

After showing off my latest creations one question usually comes up, “How do you find the time with twins.”

So I have been pondering an answer to this question. I have found a few helpful ideas. I hope you will find one that works for you. Here goes;

My boys take a nap. A long nap. Fortunately for us, they also sleep through the night (most of the time). Most stay at home moms would be cleaning, relaxing, preparing dinner, or even napping themselves.

I do a little cleaning and food prep during naptime. Lately I have found that I can do a decent amount of cleaning while they are awake, with their ‘help’. Whatever housework is left I try to do after dad is home from work, or it simply goes unfinished (this is the reason I am participating in the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge).

When I have time, I fill my freezer to make meal prep easier. This can also be done while the boys are playing, or after dad is home.

The majority of naptime is reserved for ‘Mama’s Creative Time.” I have found what crafting I feel comfortable to do while they are up and around, and what craft tasks need to be done during naptime. If my projects involve the sewing machine, or ironing board they are done while they sleep.

All other projects are placed in a basket. Hand sewing, crochet projects, gluing, seam ripping, and cutting all go into this basket. I pull the basket out while the boys are playing and work on these projects. By utilizing this method I am able to finish more throughout the day.

*Extra tip: I also have a to-go bag of projects, like a crochet project. I keep this handy in my purse. This project is pulled out while riding in the vehicle, watching games, or waiting for appointments. (I even pulled it out once while waiting for a train!)

How do you ‘get your craft on’ with toddlers? If you are past the toddler stage, share your expertise, I am always looking for ideas.

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge, Day 9:

Today’s task is to surface clean a bedroom. Our spare bedroom closet has become the dumping place. We tend to shove everything that we don’t want to deal with on cleaning day in this closet to “deal with later.”

Not pictured is the hiding space in the back. This secret space is about the size of a dresser (and full to the brim!). This really isn’t a true before either. I had weeded out two huge boxes two weeks ago.

Cannot believe I am posting this for the world, how embarrassing!

I pulled EVERYTHING out, dusted, and vacuumed. Then I ruthlessly weeded through things. If it was a keeper I put it where it belonged. If I felt we didn’t need it, out it went!

So much better! Bonus, this project only took about an hour. (Sorry for the crappy pictures- it is really hard to take pictures of a closet.)

Don’t forget the pile of stuff leaving our home:

Are you cleaning along? Do you have a space like this closet, where everything is thrown right before company arrives?

Day 8 of My 30 Day Clean Home Journey

Today’s task is to vacuum and sweep the floors.

I vacuumed the upstairs, bedrooms and all. I even made our bed. (Yup, I am one of those people who forgets to make the bed.) I spent some time cleaning my sewing dungeon, which needed major attention after my weekend creations. I also finished going through, purging, and switching over the boys’ clothes.

All of this stuff is going in our annual garage sale, otherwise- leaving my house!

Sorry for being so brief, but I have a basketball team to cheer on. Can you guess who?

*hint, camo is our families #1 favorite color, #2 is maize and blue

30-Day House Cleaning Challenge Weekend Update

Are you getting sick of my Cleaning Challenge posts yet? Hope not, we have three weeks left! The challenge for days 5,6,and 7 is posted here. (I kind of did my own thing.)

First off, this is leaving the house:

The guys sorted through their huge hat collection! (Bonus- I found a proper storage technique for the rest of them.) On to the cleaning:

Usually one day every other weekend we have a family cleaning session.

The sad thing is that besides the basics we need to survive (like dishes and laundry), our house doesn’t receive a whole lot of attention until this bi-weekly cleaning day.

This week was different. Because of this 30-day challenge the family only had to clean up their messes (they will learn to clean up after themselves someday, right). I decided to deep clean a little more. No pictures today, but here’s what I did:

• File papers
• Make homemade hot pockets for freezer
• Clear bar properly (this means that I actually put everything in its home!)
• Clean breakfast room
• Clean dining room (dusting and all!)
• Vacuum upstairs and downstairs
• Clean the remaining downstairs interior windows
• Clean boys’ room
• Switch boys’ clothes over (man they grow like weeds!)
• Laundry (this is stellar, I usually spend all day Monday doing laundry!)
• Bake chocolate orange scones (okay, this is not cleaning, but I was so motivated by my clean kitchen that I baked!)

I have plans to get just a little more done this weekend, if time (or energy) permits. If not, no big deal.

I am so tickled with how much I accomplished!

Do you pick up after your family, or do they help? It takes such a conscious effort for me not to constantly pick up trash the kids leave around the house. We are trying to teach them to clean up after themselves, but sometimes it seems easier to do it myself.

Thanks so much for sticking with me! Stop back tomorrow for the promised sewing updates.

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge, Day 3 and 4

The challenge for day 3 was to surface clean a bedroom. Let me tell you, ours was in desperate need.

Before and After:

Yesterday I had quite the struggle. It seemed like I was taking one step forward and two back. Our bedroom wasn’t completely finished until this morning. It’s done though, to me that is all that matters.

I also managed to tidy the living room, and clean the kitchen (dishes included!) before bed. A glass of wine and watching some Duck Dynasty with the hubby sounded like a better idea, but I bucked up and got it done. This morning I was so glad I did. It always feel nice to wake up to a clean slate.

Today’s challenge is to surface clean other rooms (laundry room, office, etc.). I decided the office area needed my love. Actually I was so tired of trying to catch stuff as it avalanched from the Mountain Toddler Twin Cannot Reach Area. (This is a real place, we actually have a geographical range of these mountains in our home!)

We are so bad about putting things away around here. Everything seems to move higher and higher (due to growing toddlers), but never goes to its rightful home.

My boys have taken a liking to the printer; pushing buttons and tearing out paper. Each time I need to print I have to refigure the settings. The was moved up top. Papers were filed and the desk received its much needed dusting.

I hate this piano. It came with the house, nobody plays or expresses an interest in playing. Do you know how hard it is to get rid of a piano? Enough rambling…This is also a high spot were things get shoved out of the boys’ reach. Again, I put everything away and dusted.

Leaving our house. The bag contains some of my clothes, and outgrown/stained clothing of the boys. The stack of magazines are hard to let go. These are old knitting magazines. I tried to get rid of them last month, but just wasted time fantasizing about projects. The reality is that it will be a long time before I get around to knitting anything. I already have my crafting time full of sewing and crochet projects. Out they go (actually they are going in the garage sale, hopefully someone else will find happiness among the glossy pages).

Are you cleaning along?

If so, how’s it going- I would love to hear your secrets, or struggles.

House Cleaning Challenge, Day 2

I mentioned yesterday that I am participating in Crystal’s 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge. Project #2 is bathrooms. Crystal suggest setting a timer for 20 minutes, and clean the bathroom.

I knew I needed way more time than twenty minutes, but I also have a goal to deep clean and declutter.

I spent naptime cleaning the downstairs bathroom. This bathroom had become a catchall. Sadly, this is also the bathroom guests use. I guess we know our friends love us for who we are…..



Yes, we currently keep our recycling bin on the bathroom counter. The boys are kept out of this room (for the time being), so this is a safe place for the sharp can lids, glass, plastic bags, etc..

These before pics are real folks! I weeded out the expired medication (some expired in 1998!), purged things that we simply didn’t need to keep, and organized the rest. Not pictured is the under the sink cupboard and the drawer under the counter. Trust me, much better!

After spending so much time in the little bathroom I had talked myself out of cleaning the upstairs bathroom.

Then I fed my boys butternut squash soup.

On a not-a-bath-day.

They needed a bath… I decided to do a quick clean while they were happily splashing in the tub. Talk about two birds, one stone!

Here are the items that are leaving my house today. (Expired meds, purged cleaning supplies, and trash not pictured.)




Only 28 days to go!

Do you clean a little everyday, or have a big cleaning session once a week. I have flip-flopped between the two methods. I am still trying to decide what works the best for us.

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge, Day 1

One of my 30 by 30 goals is to get my housecleaning act together. I used to be really good at this… then I had twins. It was like the housekeeping part of my brain was on temporary layoff. (Don’t believe me? Take a look at some of my earlier posts!)

Crystal from Money Saving Mom is doing a 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge, and I am joining in. Our home needs a good deep cleaning before the weather breaks because 1. We are extremely busy in the summer (baseball!). 2. We spend so much time outside when its nice out. 3. The chore chart starts when summer break starts. I like to give the kids a clean slate.

I will be posting my progress the day after the challenge. Want to join in? Pop in over here.

Project #1: Set timer for 15 minutes and surface clean living room. Wash dishes and clean kitchen. Find 7 things to get rid of. Vacuum living room.

Living room:



I had a little more time, so I washed the blankets on the furniture, vacuumed under the cushions, washed the windows and television.

Kitchen:



Our kitchen was a mess from the weekend. Not anymore! It felt so nice to wake up to clean surfaces in the kitchen.

Items leaving our house:



Are you doing any spring cleaning? If so, what is your favorite method; a little at a time, or a couple of full day cleaning sessions?

Where Did Summer Go?

Summer has flown right on by! It seems like we are always busy. We have been enjoying the weather. I have been experimenting in the kitchen (trying my hand at egg-free cooking, successful recipes coming soon). Hubby finished the tree house. The boys are very efficient at walking, in fact they are almost running. And, I have been (slowly) plugging away at my to-dos.

Here's a little update on last month's goals:

1. Work on purging computer room. I had a very successful week with this last month. Plan to finish it this month.
2. Focus on daily cleaning habits. We started a chore chart for the kids, so some cleaning habits of mine were worked on too. Need much work in this area. Ongoing.
3. Make a 30 meal list. I wrote down some of our favorite meals. Tried some new ones. Now I need to compile them all in a binder to make meal planning a little easier.
4. Start journals. Nope, not yet.
5. Read to boys everyday. Overall I was pretty good at this.Ongoing.
6. Continue to get up early. Was good for a while, then started slacking. Needs work. Ongoing.
7. Sew, and crochet. I was very good at this last month. Ongoing.
8. Start etsy shop. Just need to take that leap, and list.
9. Make two Christmas presents. Nope, not yet.
10. Look for dress to make, start making. Did it (nap time dress). Would like to make another dress if time allows.

This month's goals:

1. Finish computer room.
2. Establish cleaning routines.
3. Complete meal binder.
4. Complete and write in journals.
5. Continue reading to boys everyday.
6. Establish regular wake time.
7. Continue to use up craft stash.
8. Make two Christmas presents. Find stocking pattern.
9. Start on boy's Halloween costumes.
10. List in etsy shop.

Does goal setting work for you? How do you manage those massive to-do lists?

Monthly Goals

Yes, I know, its almost the middle of the month. These goals are geared for my 30 by 30 list. Which starts the 11th of the month.

Anyways, here's what I plan on working on this month:

1. Work on purging computer room.
2. Focus on daily cleaning habits.
3. Make a 30 meal list.
4. Start journals.
5. Read to boys everyday.
6. Continue to get up early.
7. Sew, and crochet.
8. Start Etsy shop.
9. Make two Christmas presents.
10. Look for dress to make, start making.

It doesn't look so difficult when its broken down into smaller chunks. Lets see how I do this month.