Back to School Organizing . . . set up a homework station!

Ah, school supplies. I just love them! I have to admit, I have bought a few too many boxes of crayons this year (and my kids rarely even use them anymore) just because I can't pass them up at a mere $.20 a box. Seriously!

But Back to School can also mean Back to Clutter. You know what I'm talking about. And I am no expert in this department . . . so I turned to one of my favorite organizing experts on one of my favorite organizing blogs. Aby Garvey has a great website called Simplify 101, and her article on Getting Organized for Homework totally spoke to me. Aby suggests setting up a homework station. I took Aby's great advice, and it is working like a charm (ok, I know it is only week 2, but so far so good).

I purchased a simple basket and added the following items:

- pencils (sharpened) . . . and an electric sharpener nearby

- crayons

- highlighters

- extra notebooks and notebook paper

- erasers

- glue sticks

- scissors

- ruler

- markers

- stapler

- calculator

- file folders (with each family member labeled clearly)

No more wasted time looking for a glue stick! No more wasted time trying to find the stapler (although, I have a son that likes to use the stapler for everything . . . hopefully this one can stay put). And all of their schedules, class disclosures and even the lunch menu has a place for easy reference. I am sure we will add and subtract items (school lingo, get it?) as the year goes on until we have come up with the perfect solution to our homework needs. I am loving it so far! More organized equals a one happy mom!

We are off to a great start! And it feels great! Even my boys were a little excited about their homework station - and that is pretty dang hard to get them excited about anything homework related. Well, except for my stapler loving son. He shares my love for school supplies. Man, I love that kid.

So, set up a homework station! It might just take away a little bit of homework stress! And we can all use some of that!

And obviously, clean feels good!

C'mon, get those kids cleaning!

You are a busy mom (or dad).

You work. You clean. You pay bills. You do laundry (it is like a full time job - seriously!). You volunteer. You carpool. You are a built in kid's taxi service. So, why do you do ALL (or mostly all) of the jobs around the house too? It it time to get those kids involved!

I've tried a million different things to try to get my kids to clean. Chore charts, dry erase boards, checklists, stickers, point systems - and they just didn't work for our family. I finally decided to try what my mom used to do back in the day - when I was little. It worked beautifully when I was a youngster.

Mom's Method to Get the Kids Cleaning:


Write chores on a post-it note.

Change them up each day so they don't get boring or monotonous.

(this are my actual chore post-its notes. i know, impressive, right?)

And that is it! It works like a charm. I tried it this summer, and it honestly worked better than anything else I've tried. My kids actually did their jobs with very little complaining. Our system wasn't confusing or hard to stick to it. It worked! Victory!! And now that school is back in session, we are still sticking to it. Yay!!

Who knew? I should have just listened to my mom in the first place.

It definitely reminds of the KISS acronym - Keep it Simple, Stupid. Sometimes the simple plan is the plan you should go with.

Lesson learned. Thanks, Mom!

And, I feel I should mention, clean feels good!

P.S. If your chore system for kids works for you, by all means, stick with it! You are one of the lucky ones that has it all figured out. And please, feel free to share it with the class. Comment below. ;)

Vinegar is your friend!

Don't you just love a good household product that has many, many purposes? Vinegar just might be the Queen of Multipurpose around the house. There are just so many great things you can do with vinegar! Here are a few favorites, and maybe a few you haven't thought of.

DID YOU KNOW?

Vinegar is environmentally safe and very economical.
Vinegar is great at killing germs, bacteria and most mold.

AROUND THE KITCHEN

My vinegar lives in the kitchen pantry, so it truly makes it convenient to grab for these quick clean up solutions. I've tried all of these and they work like a charm!

Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean. This works like magic!!

Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.

To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.

So, grab your vinegar bottle next time you have a clean up job to do in the kitchen. And don't worry, that vinegary smell actually goes away and leaves your kitchen smelling great! Thanks, Vinegar. You've made my life a little easier.

And don't forget! Clean is good!

Source: http://www.vinegartips.com (for lots of other great tips for using vinegar, check it out!)

Do you refuse to do windows?

Well, I do. I have to admit, the outside windows in my house are just one project I used to never get too. Until now. Oh my gosh. This is life changing. I am not even kidding you. You know how DVR was life changing? And iPods? And cell phones? This is one of those things.

Introducing . . . The Windex Outdoor All-In-One Glass Cleaning Tool. If you haven't tried this yet, you really should. Your outside windows will look professionally cleaned in just 3 easy steps. You just need to buy the starter kit (which includes the pole and one pad). And after that, all you need to buy are the refills.

Here is how it works. I hope you can follow these detailed instructions. If not, there are pictures on the packaging to make it even easier.

1. SPRAY window and cleaning pad with garden hose

2. WIPE window with cleaning pad. Robb thinks I should elaborate, but no elaboration is needed (obviously, he hasn't cleaned the windows). It is really that easy. Just wash your window with the window washing pad.

3. RINSE window with garden hose. No need to hand dry!

And that is it! Really! It is amazing, I tell you. I did all the outside windows at my house in less than one hour. And they looked incredible!! As much as I loved having the cute window washing guys come and do it once in a while, I won't be calling them again. No need!

Try it, you'll like it. I promise.

There is even a video demonstration here and you can get a coupon here

And remember . . . clean feels good!

Welcome!

Do you love all things clean as much as I do? Then definitely check back often. I am planning to keep this updated with all my favorite cleaning tips and other interesting stuff.

This blog is brought to you by BrickHouse Cleaning (our family business!). We know a lot about cleaning carpet, tile, upholstery, garage floors and even mattresses. Call us for a free in house estimate on your cleaning needs. 801.572.1000