s/o Well-trained Homes January edition--for those who want to level up their housekeeping game but aren't Flybabies

[Angie in VA]

The 4 things are, as I understand it, supposed to be able to vary according to personal needs (such as in if dishes are not a problem in one's own life, choose something else). ASCC's 4 are:

 

Do the dishes. (whether with dishwasher or not) (includes putting them away which can be a separate step in morning)

Sweep the kitchen.

Check for clutter in bathroom.

5 minute pick up (cleaning, decluttering???)

 

Five minute pick up. I did this w/ my Dh and ds the other day. Wonderful! 3 X 5 = 15, and then we worked a bit more. 

 

 

ITA w/ the poster who doesn't have a problem w/ bathroom clutter. But, as you said, those were ASCC's magic 4. 

Edited January 19, 2018 by Angie in VA

[xixstar]

The bathroom thing is interesting to me. I would say that's the one place we DON'T regularly accumulate clutter. Everything has a spot and people generally put things back where they belong. Everywhere else in the house, we do get clutter --

 

Kitchen -- mail, books, scraps of paper, groceries not yet put away, etc.

Living room -- books, magazines, papers, projects

Bedroom -- clothes, books

 

But the bathroom? Occasionally a hair product or a hair pin is left on the counter but that's about it.

 

 

I was thinking about the same thing - what clutter shows up in the bathroom? I mean, take a few minutes to toss clothes IN the basket, versus on the floor next to it, but clutter doesn't show up in my bathroom. Dining room table? Absolutely! 

[Laurie4b]

I've been reading but not posting lately. I've been super unmotivated. The task just seems overwhelming. It feels like I'll never get through the whole house with decluttering and simplifying.

 

Add to that feeling, the strong possibility that we will be significantly downsizing to a much smaller house this summer. I'm looking for a work from home job that has hours that will work with homeschooling to prevent that from happening but I feel like I need to mentally prepare myself for downsizing anyway. Knowing the local market, our new price range means no school room (we have a HUGE school room now with lots of hands on learning things everywhere and we use it for hours every day) and no garage (our garage houses tons of tools, a workbench, the riding mower, lawn and garden supplies, a "mud room" area for coats, jackets, hats, gloves, shoes, bins of outside toys, bikes and kayaks hanging from the ceiling, the deep freezer, bins with camping gear, pool toys, and more... where will it all go?! :confused1: ).  

 

So I'm unmotivated because I feel like at the rate I am going, I'll never get it all done or if I get past that, then I think, "well I might as well get rid of everything, because we will have room for nothing if we move. But I don't want to move so I'm not going to do anything." Awesome, right?  :unsure:

 

:grouphug:  Sounds like a challenging time. Hope you find some things here that you could do that wouldn't feel overwhelming but that would give you some sense of accomplishment. 

[Laurie4b]

• Continue running dishwasher regularly (just dh and I here. Every night is not really sensible.)  Ran last night after dinner,   Won't need running until tomorrow night. T: still not enough W: Done 

• Work in kitchen to clean up anytime something is in the microwave or on the stove that will need tending to within 5 min or so) Love this. Have gotten so much accomplished.  W: I found myself doing this without thinking about it today!  Th yes  Fri: yes 

Dishes done after dinner Got visiting adult kids to do dishes, but I had done anything I could ahead of time.Not today   W Yes! haha. Thought I had done it, but when I went to the kitchen Th, realized that I must have gotten distracted midway.  Th yes. 

15 min decluttering 4/6 days in MB Done . x2  Done but more maintenance than decluttering,  Yes  Th Yes x3 Fri: yes.

1 trip to remove some decluttered items from house . We've been snowed in and I may or may not make it out tomorrow so I don't know if this will happen. 

The "microwave minutes" strategy is continuing to work well in the kitchen, so much so that there is progress being made on reorganizing the pantry. I also have started doing this when I've got something on the stove that will take about 5-10 min or so. Saves things burning and the kitchen gets cleaner! 

 

One thing I've noticed is that when things are cleaner, I seem to notice little things that are out of place or need wiping up, etc. more than Ihave before. It's snowballing in the opposite direction from the way the snowballing usually goes around here!

 

The MBR is gradually getting decluttered. I've brought a few boxes out into the living room though so I can declutter to music while DH is in there working. 

 

 

 

[Laurie4b]

• Continue running dishwasher regularly (just dh and I here. Every night is not really sensible.)  Ran last night after dinner,   Won't need running until tomorrow night. T: still not enough W: Done  Sat: Done
• Work in kitchen to clean up anytime something is in the microwave or on the stove that will need tending to within 5 min or so) Love this. Have gotten so much accomplished.  W: I found myself doing this without thinking about it today!  Th yes  Fri: yes Sat yes
• Dishes done after dinner Got visiting adult kids to do dishes, but I had done anything I could ahead of time.Not today   WYes! haha. Thought I had done it, but when I went to the kitchen Th, realized that I must have gotten distracted midway.  Th yes. Sat yes
• 15 min decluttering 4/6 days in MB Done . x2  Done but more maintenance than decluttering,  Yes  Th Yes x3 Fri: yes. Sat no
• 1 trip to remove some decluttered items from house . We've been snowed in and I may or may not make it out tomorrow so I don't know if this will happen. Nope. 

 

For this week, I'm going to keep the same set of goals. I have been sweeping more than I used to as well though it isn't a goal and I find I'm doing stuff like wiping spots off my cabinet at odd times---not all the cabinets, just the few that got my attention. 

 

I really hope this is sustainable, because everything looks so much better! 

 

Last night, though, I had a dream that I came home and someone was having their wedding in my bedroom! (Yep--that room that has been the stash and dash room in this house with no garage, attic, or basement that I've been working on decluttering!) It was looking better in the dream than in real life, but I was still in shock! And the wedding party was waiting in the bathroom/closet area to come out for the ceremony!  :svengo: (We don't have a large closet nor bathroom, so they must have been quite squished) Not quite sure how to interpret this!

[xixstar]

Okay - we did another mass clean event this weekend (BIL/SIL came to visit), things are looking even better and I finally tackled some areas of my kitchen that have been bothering me for months (like 12+). 

The table that stayed cleared since Christmas finally succumbed to the vortex of stuff, but it is mostly cleared back off again. 

Last week, starting a load of laundry while I make my morning tea was successful -- I will keep that going.

Cleaning while waiting for additional cups of tea did not work -- I just stopped drinking, I think because I didn't want to clean.  New approach - I will work on laundry when waiting on tea. Laundry is one task I really struggle with and want to get a handle on - so hopefully this will work.

Kids have stayed mostly on top of chores, though the did miss a couple days. However, instead of me just grumbling when the dishwasher didn't get run as assigned, I went ahead and ran it. So, I'll keep that up because skipping it sets me up for a poor morning.


I need to set some more goals but I'm really nervous about setting goals and not meeting them. I've had such a long long string of failing to meet my own goals, that I just can't bring myself to make new ones lately. 

[xixstar]

Oh and I have scheduled 5 events to host at my house in the next 3 months.

MY new years resolution is to host a craft or game night once a month -- I just barely got one scheduled for this Friday and added a February one too.  This will push me into action!

I am EXTREMELY anxious about letting people in my house. I normally never invite anyone over, in fact, a very very small handful of friends have ever been in my house. It makes me so anxious to have people come and see how cluttery and messy my house is, but I also need to stop being held hostage by my house -- this is the year I get over it!

I was also worried no one would come, but I scheduled a more advanced level craft night for March, making psyanky eggs after another hive member mentioned the hobby, and got a lot of great interest, so hopefully people will show up to my house and I won't feel judged while they are here. 

Finally,  we'll be hosting a birthday party for one child in March -- I've never done formal parties for my kids because we couldn't afford to do them somewhere (that and I don't enjoy small children en mass). So, after attempting to scheduling one at Michael's craft store failed (the advertise a $50 party reservation but I learned you still have to buy craft supplies and $50 was my budget limit), I decided we'd just host a small party at home. This will be the hardest event for me -- at least craft nights I will be inviting friends of many years into my home, so I think I won't be judged too harshly -- but complete strangers/parents of dd's friends? Eek! 

So, I've got until March to get my house into stranger worthy stage -- and until Friday to get to 'good friend' worthy stage. lol.

[regentrude]

Oh and I have scheduled 5 events to host at my house in the next 3 months.

 

MY new years resolution is to host a craft or game night once a month -- I just barely got one scheduled for this Friday and added a February one too.  This will push me into action!...

 

So, I've got until March to get my house into stranger worthy stage -- and until Friday to get to 'good friend' worthy stage. lol.

 

The regular hosting of  gatherings is a great way to keep a house in company ready cleanliness state. I can highly recommend it.

[xixstar]

The regular hosting of  gatherings is a great way to keep a house in company ready cleanliness state. I can highly recommend it.

I've heard this recommended many times -- my house will probably barely borderline on company-ready, but I will at least stop putting my life on hold because of clutter.  Really hoping that joy and happiness can cover up a lot of visual mess. :) 

[OneStepAtATime]

The regular hosting of  gatherings is a great way to keep a house in company ready cleanliness state. I can highly recommend it.

 

:iagree: 

 

DS/DD have friends that come to our house once a week for board games, D&D, and dinner.  It really helps in keeping the house cleaner.  :)

[EMS83]

Painting in the kitchen and bathroom DONE!  Some baseboards installed, plans for transition strips.  And I got little paint samples for touch ups in the rooms I'm not painting.  So we can get back to regular chores and trying to stay on top of them.  I plan to do the little touch up stuff here and there in my free time.  

 

We're still rounding up stray Christmas stuff, too.  :D

 

 

ETA: I also have a lot of unfiled seatwork papers that need taking care of.  At least enough to fill a 1/2" binder.

Edited January 22, 2018 by CES2005

[theelfqueen]

Just so you all know... I read this as "Well Trained Horses" every time.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[cjzimmer1]

Last Monday I scrubbed the basics in the bathroom.  Personally I don't feel the need to rescrub the shower every week.  So yesterday I cleaned the counter and toilet and swept the bathroom floor.  Since I was happy with the status of the bathroom, I used the time to target other areas in there today.  I wiped the top of the tub surround.  Dust always collects up there but I forget to clean it because it's above my eyesight so I just don't think about it.  I also did one of my least favorite jobs.  I pulled out the washer and dryer and cleaned under/behind them.  I also got out the brush to clean out the exhaust pipe for the dryer.  For the longest time I never knew such a job existed (because our dryer was vented directly outside in my childhood home) but after we lived here about 15 years we noticed that our bathroom was super muggy whenever we ran the dryer.  Turned out that the vent pipe was completely closed off due to lint and it was all backing up in the house.  We ended up dismantling the entirely length of pipe to clean it out and get the spot that was plugged.  It was such a huge job that I never want to repeat that I make a point to clean the pipe once a year now so that will never ever happen again.  So when that was down, I fixed the bifold doors that cover the washer and dryer.  The bracket shifted about 6 months ago but since I despise rehanging bifolds, I've procrastinated fixing it.  Since I had to remove them to move the machines, I tackle fixing them as well.  The total bathroom job took me about 2 hours but it feels like it was a lot longer because of them number of times of contorting myself to get behind the machines as I worked through the mess.  I'm done cleaning for today. (well I'll still do the dishes because I do those every night)

[Laurie4b]

Last Monday I scrubbed the basics in the bathroom.  Personally I don't feel the need to rescrub the shower every week.  So yesterday I cleaned the counter and toilet and swept the bathroom floor.  Since I was happy with the status of the bathroom, I used the time to target other areas in there today.  I wiped the top of the tub surround.  Dust always collects up there but I forget to clean it because it's above my eyesight so I just don't think about it.  I also did one of my least favorite jobs.  I pulled out the washer and dryer and cleaned under/behind them.  I also got out the brush to clean out the exhaust pipe for the dryer.  For the longest time I never knew such a job existed (because our dryer was vented directly outside in my childhood home) but after we lived here about 15 years we noticed that our bathroom was super muggy whenever we ran the dryer.  Turned out that the vent pipe was completely closed off due to lint and it was all backing up in the house.  We ended up dismantling the entirely length of pipe to clean it out and get the spot that was plugged.  It was such a huge job that I never want to repeat that I make a point to clean the pipe once a year now so that will never ever happen again.  So when that was down, I fixed the bifold doors that cover the washer and dryer.  The bracket shifted about 6 months ago but since I despise rehanging bifolds, I've procrastinated fixing it.  Since I had to remove them to move the machines, I tackle fixing them as well.  The total bathroom job took me about 2 hours but it feels like it was a lot longer because of them number of times of contorting myself to get behind the machines as I worked through the mess.  I'm done cleaning for today. (well I'll still do the dishes because I do those every night)

 

Wow! Glad you figured out why the bathroom was muggy! That could have been dangerous. 

Impressively productive day! 

[Laurie4b]

Yesterday I couldn't get on the site.  I did two 15 min decluttering segments in the MBR. (Mon, I missed) . Today, I did one. 

 

Kitchen has been staying pretty clean. I find now that pressing microwave buttons is triggering the response that it's time to clean. Happened to me today at a friend's house when I put something in the microwave! 

[aggieamy]

I'm a bit late on the discussion of what to do with the sheets but we're another family that only has one set of sheets per bed. On our beds we only use the fitted sheet so in the linen closet I have a king, full, and twin sized flat sheet. If someone gets sick and we have to change sheets in the middle of the night we strip off the dirty ones and throw the king sized flat sheet onto the bed for the rest of the night. This also helps with a potty training kid who frequently has accidents. 

 

The bonus is that it only takes a second to throw a flat king sized sheet over a mattress and throw a blanket on it. DH and I can do that in less than a minute so the kid is back in bed as fast as possible. 

 

If we used our flat sheets on the beds then I'd probably still have one extra king sized flat sheet around because they are useful for picnics and making forts in the living room. 

Edited January 25, 2018 by aggieamy

[cjzimmer1]

Yesterday I couldn't get on the site.  I did two 15 min decluttering segments in the MBR. (Mon, I missed) . Today, I did one. 

 

Kitchen has been staying pretty clean. I find now that pressing microwave buttons is triggering the response that it's time to clean. Happened to me today at a friend's house when I put something in the microwave! 

 

I haven't reached that level yet,  I still find myself wandering away before I catch myself.  Then I grab a rag and start washing walls.

 

I haven't been willing to tackle the high cupboard or the low kickplates yet but all the kitchen walls have been washed and now I'm working on the hallway.  I desperately need to paint but have been procrastinating that because it's such a huge job (my kitchen, dining room, and living room are all one big area (with 12 foot cathedral ceilings to boot) that is joined with the entryway (and then stairs downstairs) and the upstairs hallway. There is no way to separate any of it so once I start painting that whole area needs to be done) but at least getting the walls washed is good prep for that eventual task.

 

Today and the rest of this week will just be keeping up with the maintenance tasks.  We are hosting another tournament this week at our church so I need to do the grocery shopping and cooking for around 100-125 people.  Next week I will get back to furthering decluttering and projects.

[cjzimmer1]

I'm a bit late on the discussion of what to do with the sheets but we're another family that only has one set of sheets per bed. On our beds we only use the fitted sheet so in the linen closet I have a king, full, and twin sized flat sheet. If someone gets sick and we have to change sheets in the middle of the night we strip off the dirty ones and throw the king sized flat sheet onto the bed for the rest of the night. This also helps with a potty training kid who frequently has accidents. 

 

The bonus is that it only takes a second to throw a flat king sized sheet over a mattress and throw a blanket on it. DH and I can do that in less than a minute so the kid is back in bed as fast as possible. 

 

If we used our flat sheets on the beds then I'd probably still have one extra king sized flat sheet around because they are useful for picnics and making forts in the living room. 

 

You know so many people have posted (here and elsewhere that I've been reading) about only having one spare set per bed size  that clearly it works for some people.  But I find when I have a pukey kid, that we go through 3-5 sheets in a single night and woa to me on the nights when we have multiple pukey kids.  Having lived through that where the pile of sheets and blankets waiting to be washed is taller than the washing machine and both machines are running at full capacity, I'm way to fearful to ever try that approach.  We have an episode like that about every 3 years.  I'd love to say it has improved with age but I have a teenager who literally does not feel it when he is about to puke.  He will be talking or sleeping or whatever and it will just start coming up. So there is a always a mess when he gets it (the good news is that he has the best immune system in the house so seldom gets the stomach flu even when others do but when he gets it watch out)  it never completely gets in the bucket because he has no forewarning.

Edited January 25, 2018 by cjzimmer1

[aggieamy]

You know so many people have posted (here and elsewhere that I've been reading) about only having one spare set per bed size  that clearly it works for some people.  But I find when I have a pukey kid, that we go through 3-5 sheets in a single night and woa to me on the nights when we have multiple pukey kids.  Having lived through that where the pile of sheets and blankets waiting to be washed is taller than the washing machine and both machines are running at full capacity, I'm way to fearful to ever try that approach.  We have an episode like that about every 3 years.  I'd love to say it has improved with age but I have a teenager who literally does not feel it when he is about to puke.  He will be talking or sleeping or whatever and it will just start coming up. So there is a always a mess when he gets it (the good news is that he has the best immune system in the house so seldom gets the stomach flu even when others do but when he gets it watch out)  it never completely gets in the bucket because he has no forewarning.

 

 

We had a night like that with DS a few weeks ago. We put his waterproof mat from his bed on the floor beside our bed and made him a bed out of the mat and towels. That way we just had to replace the one at his head evertime he threw up. It was a long awful night. 

[Angie in VA]

I have been avoiding this thread. I have gotten a lot of hours at work (good!) and I've been going to a ton of movies (b/c we got MoviePasses), so decluttering has halted. I am keeping the kitchen tidy and I always stay up on laundry. Still, I need to get back to decluttering the MBR. 

 

We don't use the microwave that often, so I'm jealous of the cleaning you all get in while yours run. When I do use it, I am doing something else for the meal. Doesn't feel as productive. 

[Junie]

I have been avoiding this thread. I have gotten a lot of hours at work (good!) and I've been going to a ton of movies (b/c we got MoviePasses), so decluttering has halted. I am keeping the kitchen tidy and I always stay up on laundry. Still, I need to get back to decluttering the MBR. 

 

We don't use the microwave that often, so I'm jealous of the cleaning you all get in while yours run. When I do use it, I am doing something else for the meal. Doesn't feel as productive. 

 

I've been doing kitchen cleaning every time I boil water, since I don't use the microwave that often, either.

 

BTW, I've really enjoyed this thread, although I hadn't posted on it yet.  Thanks to all of you!

[Laurie4b]

Kitchen is clean. 15 min decluttering done. 

[Epicurean]

Where is everyone getting these movie passes?

https://www.moviepass.com/

 

I would totally do it if our kids were older or we had regular babysitting available.

[Angie in VA]

Where is everyone getting these movie passes?

 

 

https://www.moviepass.com/

 

I would totally do it if our kids were older or we had regular babysitting available.

 

What Epicurean said, but we got ours from Costco. We prefer to pay for the entire year at once and up front, plus we paid less plus Fandor, which I actually started a queue for. I didn't think I'd care about that at all. Oh, and someone mentioned on the Current Movie thread, full refund if the company goes belly up or if we start having problems with it. (No problems at all so far.)

 

Movies will be "free" after we see ~8. I've seen 4 using MP. Been every night this week and will see 2 or 3 this weekend. (Limited to one/day, you know.) That is more than I went all of 2017. I'm seeing things I want to see, and I'm picky. I will slow down to normal, but for now, DH and I are empty nesters and we are having fun. 

 

:)

[Angie in VA]

So, you pay the $9.99/mo for each person, if I'm reading that correctly.

 

We paid $89.99 each for one year of movies, one per day, at participating theaters - all those near me participate and so do all the other towns we go to, you type in your zip code at the MP website to see what theaters you can go to near you - and only 2-D movies. No problem there. I don't like 3-D movies. 

 

Also, before I got my MP, I saw The Greatest Showman and asked the guy at the booth what I could use my MP for. He said all but some special showing some folks in front of me bought tix for. He said if I wanted to see that one, I could use my MP payment method, but would have to pay ~$5 more. Something like that. He could have been wrong, and I might not remember the price increase correctly. 

 

That  $90 price was a hard pill to swallow, but w/ Costco's return policy, we took the plunge. We're having a ball. (We also play the Costco credit card game, so we will get a few bucks back. But still, a lot to plop down at once.)

 

Oh, and w/ the free rewards cards at the theaters, we've earned some free popcorn. All those swipes w/ ticket purchases (yes, even w/ the MP card, since the theaters don't care how they're paid), add up.  :lurk5:  :hurray:

 

I hear that they're working on a family plan. Right now it's only for 18+, b/c the MoviePass is a MasterCard. 

 

Not sure we'll renew next year, but for now we're having a blast. It'll really get good when we've recouped the cost and are in the free zone. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Angie in VA

[EMS83]

I walked into a clean and tidy kitchen this morning!   :hurray:

[MrsRobinson]

Okay, so I've been thinking about this for a while. What are my issues? Why, specifically, does this task of getting the house in order feel overwhelming? What do I need to do to set myself up for success?

 

My main source of stress is that every room in the house feels like a disaster. So to solve it, I'm going to tackle 1 or 2 things in in each room and I'm not going to do it alone. Most of the mess is not mine so the kids will be helping with their toys, shoes, projects, and other things. This weekend is just about addressing the obvious and I'm not going to get sucked into rabbit trails like closets and toy cubbies.

 

My list:

Entry- go through the mail basket (kids put away shoes and jackets)

Dining room- go through junk drawer

My bedroom- fold and put away 2 baskets of laundry

Boys bedroom- fold and put away basket of clean laundry (Boys put away toys)

Dd bedroom- help her organize all the craft and art projects :scared:

School room- clean off my desk (kids put away the educational toys and games that are out)

Garage- load the cardboard in the car for recycling and boxes of decluttered items to drop off at donation center. (Kids love to help with this)

 

The living room is in great shape since we moved all the furniture around yesterday to acomodate a new bookcase (homeschool life, amiright? :biggrinjester: ) and the 2 bathrooms are good. The kitchen is good, too, actually. I've been keeping up with the dishes and keeping the fridge cleaned out and organized.

 

So I guess it really is down to building better habits and sticking with them. I'll come back Sunday night to be accountable with what gets done and what doesn't. Have a good weekend everybody!

[Pen]

Have to get back on track as we recover from being sick.  

 

Did manage to keep the sink empty (though maybe only because the chicken soup pot didn't make it off the stovetop). But the mail daily system got behind (mail is a major difficulty for me and for my house). So, I think I'll just be trying to catch up some laundry and mail, and get back on top of my 2 daily items, not add another thing this week.  If I do add anything this week, it will be very small, like the 5 minute pick up.

[Angie in VA]

I worked for a few hours this morning (at my job) but before I left, I took care of the dishes, swept the kitchen floor, took clothes down off the drying racks (talk about clutter!), folded them and put them away. 

 

I listened to 2 or 3 ASCC podcasts since yesterday. It's good to get back to listening. 

[Junie]

I cleaned the kids' bathroom while I supervised dd7's bath.  I have found this is the easiest way to get the job done (well, other than the tub itself) and it helps bathtime not be so mind-numbingly dull.  I will be so glad when she can bathe/shower without assistance.

[cjzimmer1]

We hosted a tournament at our church today and when we got home all the leftover and supplies except the food needing refrigeration got dropped on the landing.  We flew in the house and changed clothes and were out the door for DH's holiday party less than 10 minutes later.  When we got home from the party I was so tempted to let everything sit since I was so tired from standing all day but I was good and took the 10 minutes it took to put everything except the crockpot and Nesco roaster away (their liners are in the dishwasher as I type this).  

[aggieamy]

WINS:

 

Decluttered all the drawers and cabinets in my and DH's bathroom

Decluttered and dusted the nightstands

Clothes washed and folded

Dishwasher running right now

Breakfast for tomorrow on timer in instant pot

 

FAILS:

Clothes in laundry basket still

Mud smeared all over the backseat from messy little boy

[Angie in VA]

WINS:

 

Decluttered all the drawers and cabinets in my and DH's bathroom

Decluttered and dusted the nightstands

Clothes washed and folded

Dishwasher running right now

Breakfast for tomorrow on timer in instant pot

 

FAILS:

Clothes in laundry basket still

Mud smeared all over the backseat from messy little boy

 

Do tell what you made! Please? Good on ya for all your wins!

 

Are you a member of the WTM IP social group? 

[EMS83]

I filed 2 months' worth of seat work papers for 3 kids.   :hurray:   Now visually, this really didn't change anything; I had a file folder on our shelf and there they sat.  But it feels more organized.

Edited January 28, 2018 by CES2005

[Laurie4b]

Kitchen is staying clean Didn't hit my decluttering goal for the week though  I did 3 sessions, but had planned to do 4, I am going to keep that as a goal for this coming week. 

[aggieamy]

Do tell what you made! Please? Good on ya for all your wins!

 

Are you a member of the WTM IP social group? 

 

 

I made IP Steel cut oats. We all loved them. By all I mean DD wasn't up in time for breakfast and DS cried when I suggested he try a bite. Good. More the adults in the house. 

 

I generally followed this recipe:

 

 

And I set the timer to be ready at 7 am. We were lazy and didn't make it downstairs until 8 am but the oats were just fine sitting on warm for that long.

 

Off to check out the WTM IP group. 

[xixstar]

Ugh - the past week has been a struggle - skipping nights of doing chores, letting stuff stay on the table. And motivation and energy is diminishing as the piles are growing. So - today we're getting back on track. 

[cjzimmer1]

Not much schooling has happened here yet because I'm still trying to play catch up from the weekend but I got the kids to pick up all their snow gear and put it away properly.  I've cleaned the bathroom (in 2 rounds because I took shortcuts the first time around and then told myself I really just needed to finish it properly so went back in and did that), third load of laundry is in the washer (kids fold though) with a couple more to go, and I've already spent an hour on my taxes.  I'm going to do a review this afternoon and see if I've got everything or if I have to wait for something that hasn't arrived yet. But either way I'm really close to being done with them and then I can go back to more focused decluttering/cleaning. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by cjzimmer1

[Laurie4b]

I have not done any decluttering for about a week. Kitchen has been clean except for one night/day.

 

Tonight was the first time that I've had the car when it needed gas so I took the suggestion from this group to use the pumping time to clean out the car. Painless! And it made a big difference!

[aggieamy]

House is a level two disaster area. Super busy with work and super busy with evening activities. I'm sending DH to a friend's tonight for game night and I'll get the house cleaned then. For some reason I'm more productive when he's gone and the kids are asleep.

 

I tried tidying my car while I got gas but it's REALLY cold out. That didn't last long.

[Angie in VA]

With apologies to Laurieb4, since I realize this is not a thread solely about A Slob Comes Clean, I wanted to remind those of us following her steps, that she recommends adding one habit a week.

 

Week 1:. Run the DW every night and empty it every morning.

Week 2: Sweep the kitchen floor every day.

Week 3: Declutter the bathroom.

Week 4: Do a 5 minute pick up (daily?)

 

Keeping those daily habits in place helps keep the home running smoothly and then free up our energy to declutter.

Just had to mention that. :)

 

Even if I'm late emptying the DW, or when I do get around to sweeping the kitchen floor, it makes a big difference.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Angie in VA

[cjzimmer1]

With apologies to Laurieb4, since I realize this is not a thread solely about A Slob Comes Clean, but I wanted to remind those of us following her steps, that she recommends adding one habit a week. 

 

Week 1:. Run the DW every night and empty it every morning. 

Week 2: Sweep the kitchen floor every day. 

Week 3: Declutter the bathroom.

Week 4: Do a 5 minute pick up (daily?)

 

Keeping those daily habits in place help keep the home running smoothly and then free up our energy to declutter. 

Just had to mention that. :)

 

Even if I'm late emptying the DW, or when I do get around to sweeping the kitchen floor, it makes a big difference. 

 

I've been doing that for years but with the size of my family and the fact that most things I cook are from scratch (and I don't handwash anything because it aggrevates my skin issues).  I was still behind.  So using her thought process, I looked at what I needed to do and figured out if I add at minimum a second load in the dishwasher during the day, things are so much better for us.  Now if I have a baking day I need to do a 3rd load, but at long as I run one load after lunch and one before going to bed,  my kitchen has been staying in really good shape.  But it's funny how I never really thought about making it a routine and once I did, what a difference it makes.

[Laurie4b]

With apologies to Laurieb4, since I realize this is not a thread solely about A Slob Comes Clean, I wanted to remind those of us following her steps, that she recommends adding one habit a week.

 

Week 1:. Run the DW every night and empty it every morning.

Week 2: Sweep the kitchen floor every day.

Week 3: Declutter the bathroom.

Week 4: Do a 5 minute pick up (daily?)

 

Keeping those daily habits in place helps keep the home running smoothly and then free up our energy to declutter.

Just had to mention that. :)

 

Even if I'm late emptying the DW, or when I do get around to sweeping the kitchen floor, it makes a big difference.

 

No worries! Whatever works for you is fine and helps others. There was already a Flylady thread and I am not a good fit for Flylady, but want the support and accountabity. Really, anything goes! 

 

I have belatedly posted a FEBRUARY thread, so if posts after this could go there, that would be great! 

[Junie]

We were running our dishwasher 3 times a day and still rarely catching up.

 

We switched to paper plates for breakfast and lunch and that has made a huge difference!

[Angie in VA]

No worries! Whatever works for you is fine and helps others. There was already a Flylady thread and I am not a good fit for Flylady, but want the support and accountabity. Really, anything goes! 

 

I have belatedly posted a FEBRUARY thread, so if posts after this could go there, that would be great! 

 

 

Linking that new thread here.

 

Thank you, Laurie!