Tag Archives: cleaning

Clean For Green

How clean is your home? So many of us whine and complain that cleaning our living space is a never-ending chore. We wake up from deep slumbers with a smile on our face remembering the dream we just had:  The one where our entire house was clean for more than a couple of hours. Household chores are part of a vicious cycle that will follow us to our graves.  But, would your take on washing dishes, dusting and scrubbing toilets change if you were given cold hard cash to complete them? One of the most popular home businesses out there … Continue reading →

Put Kids to Work

My parents were huge proponents of the idiom:  “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings.” In other words, my mom and dad hated seeing their offspring sit around when there was work to be done.  And when you’re living in a home occupied by six people, there’s never a shortage of tasks to be completed. For me, summer meant tennis camp, swimming lessons and plenty of chores.  In my dad’s eyes, no job was too dirty for his little girl.  Looking back, I don’t begrudge my father for keeping me and my brothers busy during the dog days of summer.  In … Continue reading →

Summer Cleaning

Since it is summer perhaps it is time to do a little summer cleaning with the kids. Break out the mops, dustpans, and garbage bags because it is time to clean and de-clutter. I always feel lighter after cleaning out a challenging closet or a kid’s room. Probably one of the most challenging rooms to de-clutter are the kids’ rooms. My kids find ways to hang onto the craziest things. With three girls in one room and a messy boy in another room, I suspect a lot of garbage bags will be used. This year, I am enlisting the kids … Continue reading →

Staying Safe While you are Nesting

Have you heard stories of pregnant women who suddenly become possessed with an urge to deep – clean their entire homes from top to bottom? It does happen some times, and it is called “nesting”. Please note that I said that it happens some times, for some pregnant women.  I never experienced an overwhelming urge to deep clean my house during either of my pregnancies.  I kept wondering (and I am sure that my husband did too) when I would find myself washing the windows or mopping the   floors like a woman possessed, but it just never happened. If you … Continue reading →

Fire Your Maid Service and Get Your Family Cleaning

Admittedly, I wouldn’t say no to maid service, if it was free that is. Since it isn’t I have to rely on myself and my family to do the cleaning. Getting three kids to clean is a chore in itself, even when just has to do with cleaning up after themselves. Still, I’d rather have train the family to clean than pay for a maid. Plus, this way, my kids get some valuable real-life lessons, thrown in. Routine is Everything Establish some cleaning routines, and cleaning won’t take up so much time. It is easier to do a quick wipe … Continue reading →

Spring Cleaning for the Home Based Business

One way that I have been channeling the freshness and energy of springtime is spring cleaning. I have been making an effort to clean and de – clutter all over the house, and that includes the area where I do my work and the places where I store the items that I use for work. For my home – based businesses, it also means making sure that my computer files are neat and orderly so that I can find things quickly if I need to. I will be the first to admit that it is difficult to devote time to … Continue reading →

Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness?

Is it really true…is cleanliness next to godliness?  Well for some housekeepers it is!  I tend to have a mixed view on this. While I want a clean home, I don’t want it to feel untouchable.  And I certainly don’t want it to become more important than the relationships that happen inside. I really hate that when my children were younger, I oftentimes made them feel that the state of my home was more important than they were.  Obviously I never truly felt that way but it was the message I sent more times than not. Complaints were always coming … Continue reading →

Simple Method of Decluttering

Spring is in the air.  Okay, maybe not yet.  But the fact we’re nearing the month of March certainly has my eyes on the prize of no more snow and green grass. So it’s time to start thinking about spring cleaning, for those who partake in this time-honored tradition of cleaning the house.  Specifically, I want to look at the concept of decluttering; because I’ve found that by tackling this first, it makes cleaning so much easier. Here is how I like to approach the clutter monster that tends to overtake my home during the colder months.  My initial focus … Continue reading →

Using Pinterest for Housekeeping Tips

Have you discovered Pinterest?  I tend to spend oodles of time on there every-so-often. And when I do, discover a wealth of great resources, tips and ideas. One of the areas that I have especially enjoyed navigating is with homemaking.  That’s because I love taking care of my home.  I pride myself in it. Not in the fact that it’s perfect (you will find a cobweb and a layer of dust somewhere) or that it’s the most beautiful house (lots of areas inside are in need of TLC), but it’s my domain. It is where I find my place of … Continue reading →

Parenting Can Change Your Perspective in Surprising Ways

This evening, I found myself doing something that I had never imagined myself doing. Lately, I have been spending the hour after the boys go to bed doing things just for me, like reading a book and relaxing with a cup of tea. Tonight was different, though. I spent that hour cleaning as much of my house as I could. At first, I felt like cleaning for that hour meant that I was giving up my precious leisure time. That thought did not make me happy. Later in the evening (after I had cleaned), I realized that tonight, cleaning my … Continue reading →