the DO JUST ONE THING Challenge

My list to do seems to be a mile long.  Is that a summer thing?  It seems like everyone I know is doing project after project right now. 

SO, I gave myself a little challenge.  I've been doing it for two weeks now (I wanted to see if I could really do it before I blogged about it) and it seems to be working GREAT!  I call it (drum roll please) . . .

THE DO JUST ONE THING CHALLENGE

I have an ongoing list of things I need to do, but never seem to get to.  The lovely list has chores listed both big and small.  So on the super busy days, I pick a small job (like clean a bathroom drawer) . . . and on those rare days when I have a huge chunk of time (huh?  like, when does that ever happen?), I pick a big job (like empty out the storage unit). 

Side note:  Yes, we emptied out our storage unit yesterday!  Which will save us a whopping $100 a month on ridulousness.  It feels oh so great!  Although, now my GARAGE is full of crap that I now need to sell or donate, but at least that gets me one step closer to getting rid of junk we don't even use!  Victory!

So, if you have a bunch of annoying little (and big) jobs that just nag at you, and you never seem to find the time for them. . .  try the DO JUST ONE THING CHALLENGE!  If it works for me, it will work for anyone.  Trust me on this.  And it feels sooooooo great to chip away and my crazy list of things to do. 

Because, you know, clean and being organized feels good! 

From Top to Bottom

Just a quick tip I picked up on a while back, which may or may not be obvious to the rest of the world . . . because it wasn't to me! 

It is always best to clean from TOP to BOTTOM.   Gravity is your friend but can also be your enemy when it comes to cleaning.  Think about it.  You've finished mopping the floors, and you then wipe off the counters.  It is inevitable, some of that crud is totally going to fall on your newly mopped floor.  Yuk!

This is an especially helpful when you are dusting something like the ceiling fan (dang! those things can collect SERIOUS dust) and dust falls all over the floor.  Then when you vacuum, you can just take care of the dust with the vacuum.  Easy peasy! 

SO, if you already knew this, I guess you could teach me a thing or two about cleaning.  :)

Oh, and did you know?  Clean feels good!

The Ever So Fabulous Clothes Hanger Trick

Have you heard the clothes hanger trick when it comes to purging clothes you never wear?  Well, it is oh so simple . . . and it totally works!   I have applied this to my closet R E L I G I O U S L Y, and my closet (and tendency for collecting clutter) have loved me for it. 

It is as simple as this.  Turn your hangers backwards in your closet.  That way, after a month or two, or when you do the Seasonal Clothes Switch Out, you will know what clothes you haven't been wearing and you can just get rid of them.  I do this --  no. matter. what.  Even if I think that shirt is super cute - there is some reason I never wear it. . . and that means it is time to go!

Ok. This obviously isn't MY forest green Girbaud jeans.  Use your imagination, please.  And I'm pretty sure I didn't look at all like Katie Holmes wearing them.  But I DID peg them, like Miss Katie.  :)   Lovely.

Try this out.  Really, it works wonderfully!   It helped me finally get rid of the forest green Girbaud jeans I was holding on to from back in the 90's.  Which also didn't even fit anymore.  But knowing I had spent $80 on those babies (and that was a lot for a pair of jeans in the 90's!) made me want to hold on to them forever.  I hope their new owner cherishes them like I did.  I haven't missed them a bit. 

Oh, by the way, clean feels good!

Snapware Containers = organizational happiness

This lovely photo was from Becky Higgins' blog.  Her pantry just looks so much nicer than mine. 

Recently one of my favorite bloggers, Becky Higgins, did a post on her pantry organization.  Becky is Little Miss Perfect when it comes to, well, everything!  And I only mean that in the kindest way.  I am a huge fan of Becky Higgins.  Not only is she one of the most talented scrapbookers ever, but she is an Organization Queen too.  Love that combination!

Anyway, Becky recently organized her pantry and you can read all about it here. 

The thing that got me oh so excited was that I have been using her new container of choice, Snapware Containers, for years in my pantry.  I love, love, love them!  Mostly because I like to buy things in bulk - like bagged cereal, giant bags of pretzels from Costco, and Goldfish crackers.  I also love to make homemade granola, which stays nice and fresh in Snapware, and it looks lovely too.  This is why I have such a love affair with Snapware.

When you pour your cereal (or whatever) the lid stays open.  It is genius, I'm telling you!

And it makes your pantry look so clean!  And organized!  Pure love.

I should mention that these little babies are NOT dishwasher safe.  That is the only drawback.  I feel like a pioneer when I have to scrub them out myself.  But I really think they are worth it!   And that is obviously saying a lot if I am willing to hand wash them. 

So try them out, if you are in a pantry revamping spring cleaning kind of mood!  They are a little pricey, so you may want to just try out a few to see if they work for you.  But they will last a good long time.  Especially if you don't accidentally leave one close to the stove and then turn it on.  I am sorry to say I know this from experience.  And I am also sorry to say that I am to cheap frugal to throw it away.  I still use the dang melted thing!   I just stick it in the back.  No one knows.  It is in the pantry, for hecks sake.   

You'll have to let me know if you love Snapware as much as I do! 

Because it is just the best thing to feel organized, because clean feels good!

The DREADED seasonal clothes switch out.

Do you hate the seasonal clothes switch out as much as I do?  This chore seems to last a full week for me for some unknown reason.  And it drives. me. crazy!!!   So, this year I decided to try things a little differently.  I enlisted the troops.  And let me tell you, they were not a bit happy about having their Saturday taken up by such a lame-o chore!  But it really did make my life so much happier and easier not dragging the winter clothes switch out f o r e v e r. 

So here is what I did.  Prepare to be amazed. 

1.  I had each boy (since that is what we have around our house.  except for me, of course) pull all the clothes out of their closet that are winter-ish.  I had them hold on to a few pairs of favorite jeans, but for the most part anything with "long" in the title - long sleeved shirts, long pants, long underwear (I'm kidding on the last one) were pulled out of the closet.

2.  I then had them remove the hangers.  And put in a tidy pile.  I can't handle a tangle of hangers.

3.  I folded the winter-ish clothes and put them in clear plastic Sterlite containers that are my fav for this sort of thing.  I have been using them for years, and I have a real love affair with them!  I buy them at Target . . . and sometimes they even go on sale!   Yay!  Anyway . . . you should know that I have to fold the clothes.  They have to look a little bit orderly since you can see into the containers.  I am quirky like that.  BUT if that doesn't bother you, this is another thing you should have your kids do.  I probably should teach my boys how to fold . . . but I am so not there yet.   Oh, and don't forget to label the outside of the containers with something brilliant like "Kade, winter."  Or the size would be good too.

BUT, I digress. 

4.  I then had them sort through their spring/summer clothes and pick the ones they still like and think they will wear.  We always seem to have closet overload - you know,the kind of closet squishiness that doesn't allow you to hang even one more t-shirt, and it is one of my New Year's Resolutions to stop that insanity.  SO, I told them they could have 15 shirts and 10 pairs of shorts and/or pants.  We will store the rest and see how we do.  If they aren't missed or needed (it is nice to have a back up plan in case I get seriously behind on the laundry.  Hey!  It happens!) they will be taking a trip to the local DI.  Or maybe I will even try to sell them. Who knows!  I also made them try on the keepers - just in case their sedentary winter lifestyle packed on a few extra pounds (I am probably talking about me here).  Or just in case they grew a little taller. 

And that is it!  I knew you would be blown away.  Getting the kids involved took my week long terrible, horrible, no good, very bad project and made it into a much easier task.  Love it!

Obvious rewards?  My kids learned a new skill (how to untangle hangers), our clothes are organized, and there was more time left over for me.  AND there might have been a little Cold Stone thrown in too.   Cold Stone is my favorite kind of reward.  Cheesecake ice cream with raspberries and almonds.  Pure bliss.  I think I've mentioned this before. 

Yes, that's right. That is SNOW you are seeing.  I took this photo from my window, just today.  Yikes!  It is April 29th!

OH, and I should mention that Mother Nature also rewarded me by bringing back cold and freezing weather.  Nice.  And there is NO WAY my kids are pulling back out their winter clothes.  They are just going to have to toughen up.

But that is ok, because now we are READY!   Ready for spring!

And it is the honest to gosh truth . . . clean feels good!

The super-fantastic-can't-live-without-it CLEANING toothbrush

Ok.  It is obvious I get pretty excited about cleaning products.  Anything that makes my life a little easier?  Who wouldn't be excited?  Well, I have been using this lovely cleaning toothbrush for years . . . and I am still in love with it!  Maybe you already use a toothbrush for cleaning in the nooks and crannies that seem to collect all kinds of grossness.  It is pure genius!

This little tool has become priceless in my cleaning routine.  You can't believe how much easier it has made my life!  It can get into the tiniest of places and after just a little bit of agitating, most crud comes up with ease.  I'm not even kidding!  This past weekend, I realized how disgusting the kitchen faucet had become.  You know, hard water yuckiness and other grody junk that had set up permanent residence (there is a reason I didn't take a photo of it for my blog - ewwww!  No one should see that up close.  I promise.).  Just a little Lime Away and my handy dandy toothbrush made it a breeze!  Ok . . . not a breeze . . . but it was a much easier task than it might have been is my pre cleaning toothbrush days.

So, here is a link to my favorite ever cleaning toothbrush.  I order it from The Clean Team.  And they last for a super long time.  Seriously, mine have lasted for years.  And I am pretty hard on them!  I love the fact that you can tell they are different from a normal toothbrush.  I can't imagine how tragic it would be if you or one of your kids accidently mixed up your teeth toothbrush with your cleaning toothbrush.  Nasty!  This way, you will never ever have that problem. 

Some of my favorite uses:  yucky faucet handles (obviously), stovetop scuz, toaster muck, skuzzy light switches, filthy window tracks, toliet rottenness, grody door handles, refrigerator crud . . . you get the idea.  Pretty soon your kitchen (and everywhere else) can look just as spiffy as this lady's. 

Try it!  You'll like it!  :) 

And of course, undeniably, clean feels good!

Whiter whites! I swear!

I consider myself a laundry professional.  I know, I know, the word professional would imply that I get paid to do laundry.  Well, not exactly.  But sometimes I pay myself with Cold Stone.  Shhhhhh . . . don't tell my husband though.

BUT here is my point.  I am pretty darn good at laundry.  And I am willing to share my very favorite laundry tip with you, my faithful blog readers. 

Here it is:   CASCADE (yes, the dishwashing kind . . . the powdered version)

Have you wondered the best way to keep your whites their whitest?  Cascade is the answer.  I swear.  I read about this tip on a blog years ago.  I wish I knew where so I could give credit where credit is due.  But really, this has improved my laundry results in a noticable way. 

Here is what you do:

1.  Add 1 cup of powdered Cascade Dishwasher Detergent to your load of whites.  If you have a high efficiency front loader, you can still do this - just add it to your clothes, not where you add your detergent.  That is what I do, anyway.

2.  Add laundry detergent, as you normally would.

3.  Soak load overnight.

4.  Rinse as normal.  You can even do an extra rinse cycle if you want. 

I love the results!  You won't necessarily notice a big difference the first time you do this, but you should notice a significant improvement by the third or fourth time.  My boys wear WHITE shirts everyday for their school uniform, and their shirts really do look pretty darn great, if I do say so myself.  And these are seriously rough and tumble, get crazy dirty, laundry nightmare-ish, stain after stain after stain kind of boys.  But they look great as they head out the door in their white shirts!  Really, they do!

Try this . . . and let me know what you think!  I love the results. 

Because, believe me, clean feels good!