What happened to Busy Monday?

So as you know every Monday I run through my plans of insanity for the week and of last week well I didn't get a chance to do that yesterday.
The family has been running on insanity mode. Between 2 Orthodontist appointments for Brielle, the Parent/Teacher conference for Katherine (I opted not to go to Brielle's was too busy), the meeting with the school district that went until 8:30 am (yes I had some tired kids), 2 4-H meetings and god knows what else I forget now.

Then this past weekend I'm glad we opted not to go to our friends' wedding which sounds awful but I just don't really like weddings but I wish so much happiness in their life together.
Why am I glad we didn't go? Because Katherine had to make a book report movie poster due Monday and Brielle had to make a shadow box due Monday. We were working on homework continuously.

Sunday I suddenly got the itch to go through the kids stuff probably because I wanted to see what they had for winter clothing and instead I came up with a huge donation pile.

So yeah other than the dehumidifier this all went out there's actually another bag behind one of those bags of just backpacks! But clothes, clothes and more clothes! That whole box there is from infant to 5T that some how has never left my house until now.
So I ran that all around town dropping off stuff to one lady picking up stuff from her taking it all over to another lady. I was very much shuttling clothing.

So Monday... Monday, Monday, Monday....
So I had made appointment with the mechanic for 8 am on Monday so I get down there and since that is my only mode of transportation I sit. Now I normally don't go to my mechanic for my oil changed and my tires rotated because they take a long time but my brakes were squeaking and there was a strange metallic sound when I'd pull forward or back and truthfully because my car felt jumpy I was afraid of the transmission going out because Dodge is horrible about that. So I told them to check my axle due to the sound though I forgot to mention the transmission but I was like eh I'll check the fluids and stuff first when I get home.
So I sit there at about 11 o'clock (3 hrs of sitting later) someone finally offers me a ride on Facebook so I go up to ask how much longer it is going to be because I don't want to leave only to have it get done 30 min later. They call back to the mechanics to find out and the mechanic walks up and says, "I was waiting for the parts to get here so I could give her a price." A price for what? Well it turns out one of my motor mounts was broke not completely broken but enough broken. So then I call my husband to tell him and the price and of course we say "Okay fix it" and then my husband plans to get me for lunch so Facebook friend was abused later. We went out to lunch sat around talking for awhile and then I call up the shop to ask how long it is going to be because if it was going to be much longer I was going to steal Peter's car. Well it turns out that I need an axle! Well I did mention to them to check it but they had fixed the motor mount but kept hearing the sound so they dug further in and found out about the axle. Go me and my Daddy's instruction when I was younger. So we say, "Fix it." This is why we have an O SH** Fund. So I take Peter's car and drive out to the Elementary School which is out in the county to drop off some paperwork off and then I decide to go pick up my friend and socialize a little before picking up my van and doing the car shuffle to get my husband's car back to him so around 2:30 my van was done and I drive my friend back to his side of town and then I go get groceries, pick up Katherine get home start trying to have her study her states as Brie's getting ready for the Fall Orchestra concert.

Star Spangled Banner

Viva La Vida

So we get home, pick up dinner out, start homework and then give everyone a bit of down time before bed. It was an exhausting day of waiting. 

So what's next? Well today Katherine has to hit her states hard! She has a test over 25 States on Wednesday and she still has a lot of work to do on them since we didn't get time to study last week. It's seriously been too crazy!
We will also be trying to fit in carving pumpkins and at some point probably tomorrow the kids HAVE to finish their costumes! No it hasn't been done yet they keep putting it off and I've gotten tired of fighting with them. What does Mom know? She's only going bald trying to keep everyone on task!

Anyways I need to finish getting my last kid out the door she dragged her feet. She fought with me about bedtime and then threw her blankets over her head this morning and I didn't find out until 20 min into the morning!! Seriously anyone want a 13 year old girl? UGH!

Busy Monday, October 21

Today's 'To-Do' List

• Menu
• Shopping
• Laundry
• Lunch with Peter
• Dishes
• Pay Library
• Take Brielle to Orthodontist
• Shop for Brielle's project stuff

Menu

• Tacos
• Spaghetti w/Meatballs
• Banquet Homestyle Bakes Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Biscuits
•  Pulled Pork (or Eating Out?)
• Hamburger Helper
• Pizza
• Chicken & Rice

This Week's 'To-Do' List

Tuesday - Swimming lessons (pretty easy day)

Wednesday - Brielle Orthodontist, 4-H (5 to 7!)

Thursday - Parent Teacher Conference for Brielle, 4-H, Parent Teacher Conference for Katherine, Meeting with district customer service representative for school.

Friday - Take Katherine out Shopping, MtG for Peter & Brie. 

Saturday - Pokemon for Peter & Katherine, Katherine's friend's birthday party

Sunday - Finish Halloween Costumes, Carve Pumpkins

Last Week

So last week went crazy and a lot of things came to a head. Not only was work very frustrating and it looks like it will continue to be that way but we finally had a knock out drag out with Katherine's Homeroom/Lit/Social Studies teacher. Apparently Katherine was chewing on a bracelet just a silly plastic one they got from one of the fundraisers to encourage the kids to go out and fundraiser and the teacher told her to go throw it away. I really have a problem with a teacher telling a student to throw away what is their possession no matter what the monetary value of it is. I see no difference between a free bracelet and a million dollar necklace. For me it is the principle of the matter. After my husband heard this also he got very upset and we ended up sending a pretty nasty letter to the school. We are now going to be dealing with people from the district office and it may come down to us changing which school Katherine goes to. I dislike the idea of uprooting Katherine but she's had far from a positive experience there. She's emotionally young and needs time to adjust which is a family trait but they want her to stop and go automatically. She's already had books taken away from her from school aka she's not allowed to read while at school. She's not allowed to have her journal at school either which we were trying to use to help her express what she was feeling and thinking in a more controlled manner instead of going, "Hey!" I'm also having problems with this teacher because it is a constant string of negative feed back which means Peter and I don't know when changes at home make any difference. And here's the funny thing, I got onto the webpage that lets me see grades inputted and while I'm very new at this I didn't realize I could click them and see notes so I sent the teacher a question asking why Katherine had a 0 on an in class test! Later that night Peter showed me I could click on it and the note said, "Took twice. Never turned in." Now after our nasty letter the teacher won't reply to emails but I went back on the site yesterday to find out the Science Teacher's name so I could send her an email letting her know what Katherine's science fair project is and I realize one of Katherine's C grades (Her Lit) was suddenly a B and I look and that test I asked about suddenly had a grade with it. Now I don't kick up dirt and jump on people so that my daughter can have the 'easy way' but because I need to have positive and negative feed back and someone willing to work with me so that Katherine can succeed so I'm not sure why there was a sudden grade other than Katherine has told me that this teacher has lost work before and perhaps that was the case or perhaps Katherine turned it in last month in the wrong place which makes me question why the teacher doesn't check all her papers.
In any case I'm not saying that either of my daughters is perfect but by golly I expect teachers to want to actively engage the parents in a positive manner. 

We will see how things go. For the most part I've been dealing with the stress of that.

Saturday was the big Kid's Halloween Party that my friend Sarah and I started talking about last year. It seemed to be a blast and I wish I had more time to make things for it. I made spiders with googly eyes though. (no pictures sadly because they were cute)

I started peeling grapes and putting raisins in there to look like eyeballs but peeling grapes is horrifically tedious and I soon gave that up and only did a handful of grapes and put them in with the rest of the grapes. 

I also made cups.

My better picture isn't realistic because I made a second attempt at them because the first time I did it I just swirled the rims in and it tripped on the inside and outside and then I thought about all those sticky fingers! The next attempt I used the Corn Syrup & Food coloring (red and a drop of blue) and put it on a baby spoon I had around and swirled the inside. I had to freeze the glasses though because the corn syrup wanted to completely drip all the way down to the base. They were still need looking though.

I then made witch's hat cookies. These were the gluten free ones for our friends that can't have gluten for medical reasons. I took a package of sandwich cookies and dipped them in chocolate then used frosting and a Hershey's kiss.

These were my shortbread cookie ones which are much simpler you just flip the cookie over. 

Everyone thought they were really cute and they got ate fast. 

Well that is my week at a glance.

I'm hoping this week goes a little better.

Fall Cleaning Challenge: Wrap Up

Hey folks sorry I missed day 4 & 5. Pretty much it was going to be just cleaning more floors in the home. Straight forward but it's something I didn't get to. I didn't even get to my blog as there has been a lot going on.
The weather has turned cold enough for the heater to be turned on so I started my challenge at the right time but I'm still going to be challenging myself to finish up the parts that haven't gotten done yet. I encourage you to do the same and Happy Fall.

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W4/D3

Well it's Wednesday. I know things are cleaner around my house but with how hectic things have been they look dirtier! Oy I need more time to tackle clutter.
Well today is pretty straight forward for floors & I'm in a bit of a rush if I'm going to keep up. Bathrooms & Laundry area if you have one. If you have tile (you lucky folks that do) then scrub the grout and find out what the original color actually was suppose to be. If you have carpeting (believe it or not not unheard of in some much older houses) then shampoo it. If you have linoleum give it a good scrub/mopping. Try to move washers & dryers out of the way to the best of your ability and any other items you might have on the floor go ahead and move them. Oh and I forgot some people put stands behind their toilet to hold stuff (I've considered getting one a few times myself) go ahead and move that out too because around the feet of those stands ick can build up where it is hard to see and our task isn't so much 'appearance' as it is for general health and use. Nothing worse than the changing of the seasons and the high possibility of sick folks and then having yuck built up around your house. It'd be like a road trip with someone that forgot to put on deodorant. At first no one notices but by the end of the trip all the windows are open and you're gagging saying, "Can....'t .... brea...th...."
With any luck should be a pretty easy/quick day.

Happy Wednesday! 

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W4/D2

I was thinking, "Hey this morning is going kind of nice even though I didn't sleep well." Sitting here sipping my coffee. Carpet vacuumed thinking to myself it was nice to have some time before work and then I remembered! Eep! My blog! My challenge!

Today we tackle the living area be this your living room or if there is another main room in the house (other than the kitchen) that your family spends their time in. Shampoo carpets or area rugs. Steam floors if you have hard floors. Also if you are able to then move furniture too. If you need to wait for some help then please do. I know my back is sore for not taking my own advice yesterday.
I swear I vacuumed! This boy and girls is why we shampoo especially if you are like our family and have pets in doors. I know the cat sheds constantly in our home but until I started really scrubbing deep into my floors I hadn't realized how much our dog also sheds in the house. So it's time for another deep cleaning of the carpets.

Have an awesome Tuesday!

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W4/D1

Oh goodness we made it to the 4th week! Though I didn't throw in any bonus material like I said I would! I'll try to do that sometime soon. Sorry folks things got really crazy and I'm hoping to find some sort of normalcy soon!

So I noticed something. I jumped the gun last week on baseboards. That was suppose to be this week! Well if you got it done then good for you and if you didn't well consider this whole week baseboard week while cleaning the floors.
Today's task is the kitchen floor. Mine is exceptionally bad after having a hoard of people over Saturday and then I've been in the process of making costumes so there is cardboard all over my house. Now this isn't just a simple sweep job. If you didn't clean the floor from under the fridge when cleaning the back of it then now is the time to do it. If you have an old bookshelf like I do or some other piece of furniture in your kitchen for storage than now's the time to move it! This isn't your everyday cleaning otherwise it wouldn't be a challenge!


At the end of the day be able to ask yourself, "Would I let my child eat off of this." We have center it around a child and not you otherwise you may find very odd looks from the company when you sit down to the floor to eat.

Busy Monday, October 14

Today's 'To-Do' List

• Menu
• Shopping
• Write 'Fall Cleaning' blog for today
• Accomplish 'Fall Cleaning Challenge'
• Laundry
• Lunch with Peter
• Dishes
• Library
• Drop off paints @ Friend's
• Finish gluing on Minecraft face coverings
• Mow backyard
• Call Orthodontist 

Menu

• ?
• Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
• Spaghetti w/Italian Sausage
• Royal Round Steak
• ?
• Pizza
• Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Corn (Held over again! I will make it!) 

This Week's 'To-Do' List

• Keep up with Fall Cleaning Schedule
• Finish cabinet doors (said I was going to do this yesterday to myself and I never did get to it)
• Drop off donation items (Yup still cluttering my van... yet another week but scheduled for donation to a friend that works with lots of organizations this Wednesday)
• Saturday Night Family Movie Night
• Katherine's Science Fair Project
• Finish kids Halloween Costumes
• Work on Halloween Decorations

Last Week

Last week was Fall Break for the kids and I already miss being able to sleep in until 7 o'clock. We didn't get a lot of time together because of course my husband and I were still working all week. 

(Bright Spot) Katherine was at YMCA Holiday Camp this week and she asked for 2 bananas that day for snack time and I'm not about to deny a child a banana so I packed her two. That day one of the kids at camp didn't have a snack so she offered them one of her bananas and let them choose which one because one was a bit more bruised than the other one. (Proud Momma) 

For movie night (and I meant to get a picture but I was rather ill that day) we had two of our friends and 3 of their children and then 2 of those children's friends over at our house. Our friend bought pizza for everyone and I bought little brown paper bags and popcorn. Peter borrowed a projection screen and we set it up out in the carport along with the projector. We had an outdoor movie night and watched The Croods and the kids didn't have to worry about their soda spills or popcorn or candy that hit the ground because we were outside so I wasn't worried about it. The movie was very cute and the kids seemed to have fun. 

We sort of got started on Katherine's Science Fair project. We pinned down what it was going to be and bought all the supplies for it but since we are dealing with food and it's not a mold project I guess we better get started on that ASAP! Katherine is pretty hyped about it but it is some heavy stuff so we are going to have to sit down and do lots of reading and watching of youtube videos so that she can really understand what is going on. 

I think that was the big thing. I mentioned I had some friends and their children displaced out of their home so a lot of last week was trying to help run them back and forth until they were able to get their car re-insured and tagged which they were able to do last Friday so I'm very happy for them because I know it was a lot of stress trying to figure out how to get the kids to their schools.

Through it all I tried to keep up with my cleaning schedule though I will admit there are areas that got skipped and you noticed I had some pretty flakey days in there. With any luck this week will go a little smoother but I know it will still be hectic because this Saturday is the big (30 kid big!) Halloween party over at my friend Sarah's house and I've got treats to make and decorations to still get together. 

I'll try to pull out my camera more of then this week. 

The Fear of Poverty

The almighty dollar. Some people say we live too attached to it and others will say, "Things will work out," being optimistic. The truth is it is easy to forget about the importance of the dollar when you have a dollar. Poverty statistics are something on the news and just income guidelines and we forget about the people behind it. Even volunteering you can't really understand the pain that the lack of 'green' can have on many people.

I have been homeless, I have slept on the streets, I have picked through garbage and begged and done jobs that later in life I am questionable about what it was I was actually doing but in search of the dollar you don't ask many questions.

I have starved and collapsed while flipping burgers trying to support a young family all because of the almighty dollar.

What brings up this topic? Well I was digging through the laundry room trying to put things away after installing the new cabinet and I came across a barely used finger paint set. It was a very nice set and the girls used it a few times but I didn't let them use it a lot because even after we started doing better in life I was scared. I was scared of never having the chance to purchase something so nice again for them so I wanted to make it last as long as possible. I decided I should give it to a friends daughter whose family was recently displaced out of their home because of the lack of a the almighty dollar.  It is actually tearing me up a little inside and always does when I let things go because a holdover from poverty is to hoard things. I save bread ties, bags, gift paper and several other things. It sounds frugal and hip but the truth is it is not because I'm a master mind at saving but because the fear is so deeply rooted in me of us once again being poor.

We weren't just 'poor' we were bottom of the barrel poor and I have gone through more than one period of my life in that position.

My husband and I both have good jobs now and we have educations so that does help us but the fear is there.

My husband chides me because I am so tight with the money that I patch the kids clothes. I wear the same few outfits over and over again for at least 5 years (one sweatshirt I've had for 20 years thankfully in the 80's the style was 'baggy').

It means over the years I've learned how to tinker and do many things which folks think is neat but much of it is fear driven. I didn't learn to sew because it was 'hip' I learned because $1 patch kit was better than $12 for jeans.

It has gotten to such an unhealthy point that now letting go of items emotionally tears me to pieces though I still force myself to do it (I've seen enough episodes of Hoarders).

Poverty isn't just numbers and it's not just the lack of money but it is psychologically damaging.

I could write more.. I thought about it and deleted it. It's hard to organize thoughts. I just pray that one day this fear does not plague me as it does because it has held me back in so many ways all these years later. I also pray that those that may have already started to lose hope find it again and can be so blessed as to leave the violent cycle that poverty is.

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W3/D5

Did you wonder what happened to yesterday? Well I've been caught in other projects and trying to help out a recently displaced family which has ate up my time horrifically plus work. People always come before cleaning. You need to take care of you and yours but when it's the difference of helping another family get food or having clean baseboards the baseboards can wait.

That is until today! Yup is baseboards day I left the best for last. I don't think I mentioned baseboards... If I did then I sure didn't do mine! Of course these days  running between cleaning, house & helping folks out  I kind of just give a blank stare any more.

I actually didn't realize how bad my own baseboards are until this picture. Well this is the bathroom one so I should expect those to be bad with all the construction we did in there but it's not just scuffs I can't really make excuses.

I remember when I was a stay-at-home mom I used to go nuts sitting around the house so these got cleaned weekly. Now it's like yearly.

Serious YUCK! 

Have a happy and safe weekend! 

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W3/D3

canceled

I'm at work and was eating lunch and realized I didn't write one of these today nor even thought of something. 

If you are looking for an awkward task you might not have thought of before try cleaning out your clothes washer & dishwasher. 

Run a cycle through your machines with hot water and vinegar. (I prefer vinegar if you feel safe using bleach you are welcome to.) 

For the clothes washer be sure to remove where you put in fabric softener. If you are afraid to remove it or don't know how then add vinegar to that area also.
NOTE: Do not use vinegar and bleach in the same area! This is as dangerous as Bleach and Ammonia and should never be done. 

I can't promise I'll follow along today but this is definitely something on my 'to do' list.  

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W3/D2

Well it's late into the day and guess what didn't happen. My challenge blog! along with a bunch of other things. Ugh. Friend was in an accident and just a WHOLE bunch of stuff. So no pictures right now. This morning was hectic with a late night last night dealing with all that.

Challenge! Pull out the fridge and dust the condenser coils on the back of the fridge and clean under the fridge. This is a good thing to do to extend the life of your fridge and make it run more efficiently while removing extra ick that could have gathered since the last time you did it.

Feeling really froggy? Clean out from under the stove too! Mine is gas so I cant really pull it out so I pull out the bottom drawer and do the best I can from that position.

Good Luck! Happy Tuesday! and Be Safe!

Busy Monday Edition, October 7

Today's 'To-Do' List

• Menu
• Shopping
• Write 'Fall Cleaning' blog for today
• Accomplish 'Fall Cleaning Challenge'
• Laundry
• Lunch with Peter?
• Sweep/vacuum
• Clean my bedding

Today is the first day of Fall break so the kids are home with me today. I figured why pay 30 dollars for them to go to Holiday Camp today when they could stay home with me and we could get some time together. I really don't have enough time with my kids. During the school week I get normally 4 hours total and most of that is getting ready for school, eating, or getting ready for the next day of school. 
I had the kids help me figure out the menu and their lunch menu also because they have to pack lunches for Holiday Camp and pack snacks. It's highway robbery in my opinion but it will allow me to go to work. 

Menu

• Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Corn (Held over from last week as one day was hectic so we grabbed food out)  
• Cheesy Chicken
• Tyson Chicken Bites & French Fries
• Spaghetti Bake
• Sloppy Joes & Chips
• Pizza
• Breaded Pork & Mashed Potatoes & Gravy & Peas

This Week's 'To-Do' List

• Keep up with Fall Cleaning Schedule
• Try to work on cabinet (yes with all this rain this project has moved no where!)
• Library
• Drop off donation items (Yup still cluttering my van)
• Saturday Night Family Movie Night
• Katherine's Science Fair Project
• Finish kids Halloween Costumes

Last Week

So this past week was busy, hectic and stressful to say the least. We've had to deal with some problems with the kids. I don't like airing out my own dirty laundry but I like people to know we aren't perfect by any means.
Tuesday Katherine and I worked on studying her states and then studied 5x and 6x problems for 4 hours and the turned around and studied again for another 20 min Wednesday morning mainly on math. Katherine got through her Social Studies test just fine it was as to be expected but when it came to her math test it turns out the test itself was over 28 different multiplication facts and they were all suppose to be done in 1 minute. This was not what we studied so hard for. Now Tuesday Katherine got perfect on her behavior chart which has been hard for her to do she is a very active child and forgets to raise her hand or raises her voice but that day she got perfect which normally means video game time but in lieu of that we studied and I promised to get her some M&Ms because I'm sorry she lost her fun time. So come Wednesday with the test she lost it she was so stressed out she tossed her chair over, threw down her books and was crying and yelling so very upset that we had to deal with the principle. As I said, we are not perfect.
Peter and I were at a loss we've never had such extreme behavior at home and it seems like Katherine's behavior is always out of character when she's at school. After a long talk between my husband and myself I came to the conclusion that Katherine really is worrying about pleasing us and it puts a lot of pressure on her since we strive very hard to have good grades in this household. The other thing is the lack of down time. We sometimes forget that kids need to unwind also. Our household is pretty busy most of the time. I get the kids home between 4 and 5 pm we have dinner, do homework and then it's off to bed by 8pm. It doesn't give much time for fun or family. We decided we were going to let there be flex in the bedtime up to but no later than 8:30pm and that no matter her behavior at school she will get some form of 'downtime' be that reading a book or playing a video game. Something other than studying right up to the time of bed which has been pretty standard around here.

Then I get an email Thursday finding out my oldest daughter didn't do her test for her Spanish class and then lied to the teacher saying she was at her grandmother's all weekend and then almost tried to lie to us. Needless to say lying is something we will NOT tolerate in this household so she's been under total supervision with the understanding all trust has been lost and she will have to work very hard to regain any of it.

As I say again, we are not perfect.

Cleaning has slipped past me this week as the house will always be there but focusing on the kids and what we can do to resolve or work towards resolving problems came #1.

This past weekend we took some lazy days as family. Okay we took Saturday as a lazy day as a family and then everyone else took Sunday.
Sunday I started on the halloween costumes. The kids want to be minecraft characters.

Here's the start of Katherine in her boxes. Not looking like much right now. A few things aren't going as planned either but I'm trying and earning my title of 'Burnt Out Mom'.








Also, this past week I tried one of the things from my halloween idea post and that is the Ice hand. It worked better than I thought it would but I need to make sure I have a better spot to put the glove next time so it's not curling around other objects and getting all weird but for a trial run not too bad I think. The kids halloween party is coming up fast!


Well Peter's messaging me about lunch already! This day is zooming by too fast but I guess that is what happens when you don't roll out of bed until 9am!  

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W3/D1

Alrighty! Welcome back to another week of Cleaning *much grumbling and wandering away* ... No, no wait it'll be easy!




Today's lovely task.... Windows! I warned you they were coming.

This is the window our cat loves! She plots her escape from this angle while terrorizing the birds with silly faces.

Pretty yucky hu?

So the task today is windows and sills and if you are able to go ahead and do the outside of your windows too. Again don't hurt yourself and if need be put it off until you have some help.

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

Rogers Hornsby

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W2/D5

So last day of the second week! Wooo it's been well a bad week in the household. You know it's a bad week when come Friday your mother is passing around one cup to be rinsed to eat cereal out of. Needless to say a load of dishes went in this morning.
There's a few things I didn't get to complete this week so that will be the business order for this weekend.
I gave myself an extra week for the horizontal places though and I think it will be needed for myself but I'm not sure if I can 'structure' it like I have the other weeks. I do have some idea for little tasks though they are important tasks.
This is my first time trying to challenge myself or anyone else so I ask for forgiveness. I'll try to keep people up to date on what I try to tackle and what tackles me.
Today how about Russian rullet pick a place, pull the trigger and see if you can overcome it?  My suggestion pick a clutter pile! Here it is the end of the 9 weeks today so that means there are a great deal of papers that can be filed or tossed as we go into Fall Break. Clutter (and disorganization) is the bane of my existence! It piles up so fast and then I never want to touch it again! I think once it reaches a particular point it stops accumulating in that area so if I let it go around the house eventually it'll stop completely right? Yeah.... I don't want to know what that point is.
If you have junk drawers that might be a good place to start too. This is our junk dresser. Every drawer is a junk drawer and it's all just started overflowing. It was bad before but after this past week it has gotten worse than ever!

Good Luck! Ready, Set..... De-Clutter!

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W2/D4

The truth is I am at work again today and yesterdays challenge was never met due to a family emergency. I'll set a goal but truthfully family comes first so we will see. Making it an easy one for lampshades. I find a lint brush works best. I do suppose this should have been done before cleaning end tables oops.

I wish everyone a happy, productive and blessed Thursday!

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W2/D3

Welcome to Day 3! Well I'll have to go back over some cabinets my little hand vac decided to be out of juice and I've got this annoying lip in my cabinet so I'll need to sweep that up tonight.
We're getting over the hump of the middle of the week hooray!
I stayed up a bit late and worked instead of rested and wiped down the fronts of my cabinets. I decided I make lots of excuses and that if I just did things I'd have a lot more done. Mind you I'm not going to promise to do that very often because if I don't get some down time after a busy day of running around with kids and work then I am likely to get this twitch and have violent thoughts of hanging people by toes! I did look at my kitchen this morning and was amazed how much of a face lift getting all the little drips, drops and dark spots from opening things actually did.

I was going to say, "Let's do some windows!" And then I looked at my schedule and about kicked myself. Plus it's raining! Hooray Mother Nature agrees with me that no windows today!

That said onto the living room. No promises on if this will get done or not. But I'm going to shoot for the moon here and try and get a coffee table and end tables and 'insert flat surface here' dusted, wiped, cleaned off. This sadly will depend a lot on my husband's willingness because a good amount of it is his stuff.
Yes even the Oreo cookies are his! I sent him out for ink for the printer he came back with ink and oreos.

Have fun! Remember always easier to dance on a clean table.

Fall Cleaning Challenge: W2/D2

Well yesterday was 'Busy Monday' and lots of things got tacked on to my Busy Monday so the top of the fridge was a bust for me but there is always today. Yup still working in the kitchen.
Today is what you call the most annoying day ever. Taking all the pots and pans out of the cabinet and cleaning the cabinets out. I love the fact I have a little hand vac for these awkward jobs. Also, it allows me to reorganize though I never get rid of any pots and pans. How I hoard them is something of a modern marvel but I swear they all have their purpose and get used at least once a year.
This would also be an excellent time to scrub down the fronts of the cabinets from drips and drops. We will see.
I may be only challenging myself and I've seen lots of little failures but I have to remember that if I get anything done at all that's



(By the way this is just my odds and ends cabinet I have 4 more stuffed! I told you I'm hoarder level with my kitchen stuff but I'd be very sad without it!)