A Mom’s Life Made Simple

It’s amazing how fast the days go by. Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday is over, and now there’s Chirstmas to look forward to. It’s been a busy and wonderful weekend so I can’t really complain too much. There have been times this weekend that threw me for an emotional loop but I got past them with part of my sanity left. Everything is just so overwhelming at times. Cooking, cleaning, decorating for the holidays, thinking about all the presents that need to be bought and the money that isn’t there to buy them, kids screaming, adults fussing, it just really is too much to handle at times. I felt myself feeling all alone in my little house with all these chores to do, everyone to take care of, so much depending on me to make it all run smoothly. I try really hard not to complain and the one time I express how tired I am I get a look from my fiance and kids that tells me they have absolutely no idea what I go through in a days time just to make sure they have everything they need to get through their day! I struggled with those emotions over and over again this weekend, as I know many women have once in their lifetime, and then this morning I recieved an email from a dear friend whom I haven’t spoken to in a long time. This email made me look at things differently and really gave me the pick up I needed. I can’t express to her how perfect the timing was and how glad I am to have read this email. If you are by chance reading this then thank you for sending this email in a time where I needed it the most. For all the moms out there that are feeling ignored or unappreciated as I have been over the past few days then I want to share with you the email from my dear friend that helped me to smile again today.

Invisible Mother……

  It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously, not.

  No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. 

I’m invisible.   The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this?  Can you tie this?  Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being.  I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ 

I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’  I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.   She’s going; she’s going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .  Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.   It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription:

‘To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book.  And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

• No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 

• These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

• They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

• The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam.  He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof?   No one will ever see it.’  And the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’ I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.  No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.’ 

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction.   But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.   It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.  As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.’  That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.  And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, ‘you’re going to love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

I had a really busy week. We have a storage unit full of stuff that we got when we first moved a few years ago. The bill each month has become a real problem so with the help of family we were able to go this weekend and get some things out. It took forever to get absolutely nothing! Now I have a huge mess in my house right before I’m supposed to decorate for Christmas. So this week I’ve had to clean up all of the stuff from storage so that I can pull out my Christmas decorations, decorate the house only to turn around and clean all of that mess up! It seems like a never ending revolving door. Anyway deep cleaning isn’t done for us so today is living room day.

One of the biggest problems in a living room is the curtains. Many people forget all about cleaning them and boy do they get dirty. Take them down and throw them in the washing machine. While they are on wash take your mini blinds down if you have them, place them in a tub of water and clorox. They should only have to soak for a moment.

While the blinds are soaking go around the ceiling with a broom or vacuum and get the cob webs down, yes trust me you do have cob webs. Don’t forget the windows because they have them also.  During this time you will want to dust furniture, pictures, art work, everything especially the ceiling fan if you have one. Also vacuum out couches and chairs.

Wash the windows really well before putting the blinds and curtains back up.

During all of this pick up any items that should not be in the living room and put them in the correct place. All movies, books, and games need to be in the correct location.

Now your living room may not be Martha Stewart living but it’s nice enough for family and friends to come visit without being attacked by a dust bunny.

Now if you’ve been keeping up with the other rooms like I suggested then your house should be spotless right now and ready for Thanksgiving! So take time to enjoy the fact that you have accomplished so much these past few weeks…. ok that’s enough time now you need to go get food ready for Thanksgiving and decorations. Go on now get going you have a lot to do!!! (smile) 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!

I don’t know about the rest of you but I am a huge procrastinator. I didn’t use to be but after having kids and living with my fiance who lives by procrastination I believe it has rubbed off on me. There is a song out right now by Mary j blige and Musiq soul child called “if you leave”in the beginning he says “you think I procrastinate but I think I’m taking my time”  I kid you not this song was the best thing to happen to my fiance he now lives by those words! Thanks Musiq and Mary J I just don’t know what I would do without your help! (smile) Sure procrastination isn’t a huge deal if it isn’t hurting anyone but if you really think about the situation it always ends up hurting someone. Whether it’s waiting until the last minute to do the dishes or putting off fixing that leaky pipe. Eventually a small problem becomes a huge problem which affects everyone. My downfall is cleaning. That’s why I am trying hard to focus on that. I see something that needs to be cleaned but put it off day to day and by the time I am ready to clean it the mess has become huge and overwhelming. Here is a great piece on procrastination. (from cafemom but written by Joel Teo)

Being successful in life is everyone’s goal. But most of us fail to avail the golden chances and opportunities, life presents us. The major reason behind this is we become victims of procrastination. Procrastination is a synonym for laziness. We get so lazy sometimes that we think that we have a long time to accomplish the task, knowing the task can take more time we assumed. Then we tend to do work in last moments and most of people fail to hold their patience and get tensed to that extent that they make situations worse or do the things in a wrong or ineffective manner. After that we mourn over our procrastination but now nothing can be restored. Thus, to emerge successful one needs to get rid of procrastination and this than be done in following manner:

First of all if you feel you are victim of procrastination you need to get organized. Get organized from today. The best way to start is with your room. Organize your room, your time, your life and your things. The sense of organization will bring stability in you and you will tend to stay organized, thus every time you see anything out of order, you will place it in a proper place. Slowly with passage of time you will imbibe a order in you, helping you to overcome your procrastination.

The next thing is to make a routine. Take your monthly planner with you and write down your short term as well as long term goals and also jot down ways to accomplish these tasks. Make a habit of doing the things as mentioned in your routine and make sure to mention even minor things like ironing of clothes in your routine. Though initially, you will find it hard to follow the routine but once if you started sticking to it, you will dwell the habit of doing things at specified period of time. This will help you in accomplishing your goals in a timely manner and thus you get rid of habit of not doing work on time. Drawing your future plans holds another advantage too. Earlier you had no work to do and could sit idle for hours but if you know what you need to do before hand, a pressure will always be there on you to do the things in timely manner, otherwise your other work will hamper.

Along with planning, managing your time in a productive manner always help you get rid of procrastination. You need to finish the tasks in the allotted time period and this organizes your lifestyle. Moreover, if you start managing your time well you will be always left with plenty of time at the end of day allowing you to carry other activities which was not feasible earlier due to your procrastination.

The most important aspect to get rid of your procrastination is to build just do it attitude. Always think it’s now or never whenever you feel like skipping the work or task that needs to be accomplished and you will always get rid of procrastination.

It’s been a busy week so I have gotten way behind on EVERYTHING. I want to continue focusing on cleaning because with Thanksgiving being next week most people with have family coming and going so a clean house is really needed in order to make everyone feel comfortable. Today focus on the bedrooms and closets.

First things first set a time limit cleaning anything in your house shouldn’t take all day, an hour a room is giving too much time but depending on how long it’s been since you did a deep cleaning it may take longer the first time however if you spend at least fifteen minutes a day after the first deep cleaning then you’ll notice how easy it is to keep your rooms clean.

Gather all of your supplies:

• dusting
• laundry baskets
• trash bag
• bedding supplies
• broom or vacuum

Start by picking up all clothes. Put dirty clothes in a hamper, clean clothes need to be folded or hung up. From this point on DO NOT throw clothes on the floor no matter what! It only takes five seconds to put it away in the correct place.

Throw all trash away. If you have magazines or newspapers that haven’t been looked at in weeks then yes these are considered trash!

Put any items that don’t belong in the bedroom into a basket or box to later take to the correct places.

Make the bed! If you haven’t washed the bedding this week then now is a great time to do so! If you’re bed isn’t made then all the hard work you put into cleaning the bedroom goes to waste since the bed is a main focus point it will help to make the room look clean or messy depending on whether or not it’s made up.

Clean up all table tops and dresser tops. I know over time my bedside tables and dresser top becomes the drop off point for everything so take time to clean off the mess.

Depending on what type of floor you have you need to clean it by either sweeping and mopping or running the vacuum. This needs to be done everywhere in the room and especially under the bed.

Now the same goes for all bedrooms in the house but remember in the kids room or rooms that kids love to shove toys and clothes under beds, in closets, and behind anything they can so be sure to check these places.

CLEANING CLOSETS

Okay if your closet is like mine you actually can’t clean it without pulling everything out since there’s so much stuff just thrown in there! So… what are you waiting for? I know it’s a scary thought but really what happens if a Thanksgiving guest happens to open your closet door looking for the bathroom and all of your stuff falls out on them? You are either going to be really embarrassed or they are going to get really hurt!

Pull all items out of the closet and sort into piles. Lets face it most of the stuff in our closets we haven’t seen in years and therefore really don’t need. Decide if it’s worth keeping, selling, or giving to charity.

Now that everything is in piles focus on the “keep” pile. This is what will be going back into the closet. Now let’s face it most normal people don’t have the organized closets we see on tv even though we’ve love to. I know I would love to have the walk in closet full of shelves and areas for my shoes and different sections for my clothes. Well that’s not how my closet looks. It’s just a basic hole in the wall but it certainly does what needs to be done. Now there are these really neat cloth hanging organizers that will actually velcro to the bar holding your clothes. It’s a really neat way hold the clothes you aren’t wearing during the season or even hold shoes.

Place all shoes on the floor, clothes on hangers and stop throwing them on the floor of the closet! Any items like books or photo albums that may be in there place on top of the closet so they don’t get messed up.

For the kids rooms I actually have a tote full of summer clothes that they can’t wear during the winter in the bottom of the closet. Of course once winter is over I’ll switch it out.

Tomorrow is back to work and the stress of the week so make sure you continue your relaxing weekend working on relaxing the body today.

 http://www.spaindex.com

COFFEE BODY SCRUB

2 cups of coarsely ground coffee
1/2 cup raw sugar or sea salt
2-3 T massage oil

Mix all ingredients together. Take a hot shower to moisten your skin and open your pores. Using wide, circular motions, rub the coffee exfoliant onto your skin with strong, even pressure. Shower off, pat skin dry, and apply a thin layer of your favorite body lotion. 

Today is a day to make for yourself. A day for moms, a day for girls, a day for women all over to just relax and know that the week has gone smoothly. We have cleaned until we can’t clean any more, whatever cleaning isn’t done can and will wait until Monday because the weekend is here and this is not only family time but self time. The weekends will be spent from now on enjoying life. Stress isn’t allowed on weekends, cleaning and chores are not allowed on weekends. Nothing is allowed to happen on weekends expect pure enjoyment and relaxation!  Here are a few spa treatment ideas that will help you relax this weekend begining with your face. (http://www.spaindex.com/index.htm)

Apple Cucumber Facial Mask

1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon apple mint leaves
1 drop lime essential oil

Combine all 5 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the essential oil last and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes.

Apply a layer to your clean face and neck area and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water. Apple Cucumber Facial Mask is best when used immediately as the ingredients are perishable. The leftovers can be refrigerated in the coldest section of the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days but should be discarded after that.

CUCUMBER EYE GEL #1

Ingredients:
1/4 large cucumber
1 ounce aloe vera gel

Puree the cucumber in a blender (Ieave a little pulp), strain the mixture into a glass bowl until you have at least 2 ounces. Spoon in just a tad of the pulp from the strainer). Add the aloe vera to the cucumber puree in the bowl and mix lightly. Pour into a clean, sterilized container. After cleansing face, stir mixture gently and apply with a cotton ball to undereye area.  Avoid the eyeball. The shelf life of this product is very limited by the fresh cucumber. It should be used within a few days, and kept refrigerated between uses.

I got these in an email message and thought they were pretty good tips to use.  

A Place for Everything

Create a place for everything in the house by following these suggestions:

Kitchen: Store cookware near the range or cooktop. Store utensils in a drawer next to the range or cooktop, or in an attractive container on the counter; store all wooden spoons in one container and all stainless steel and plastic in another. Keep a spray bottle with a solution of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water, or an all-purpose spray cleaner, in the kitchen for sweeping after meals.

Bathroom: Stash a spray bottle with all-in-one window and surface cleaner and an extra roll of paper towels under each sink for surface cleanups.

Hall closet: Install storage bins with separate drawers for gloves, hats, and scarves. Stock up on stackable see-through plastic containers to store light bulbs, batteries, and emergency candles.

Laundry room: Hang the iron and ironing board on a wall caddy. Keep all laundry supplies together in a basket. Store sewing supplies in a container with multiple compartments. Find buttons quickly with a sewing-center book: Fill a three-ring binder with blank pages, and staple on the little envelopes of extra buttons and thread that come with clothing purchases. Note where the buttons belong under each envelope.

Cleaning central: Store all cleaning implements and products in one place for easy retrieval. A closet works fine, but if you have a laundry room or laundry corner, the space is ideal, because soiled or used cloths can go directly into the washing machine. Wherever you store cleaning supplies, keep them out of the reach of small children, even if you have only an occasional young visitor. Post daily, weekly, and monthly chores on a small bulletin board in the cleaning center.

To make your cleaning center efficient, buy a wall rack to hang brooms, mops, and dustpans in one place. Use baskets, bins, and caddies to store products and supplies. Make sure all supplies are stored out of children’s reach. Create a customized, computer-generated supply checklist. Make photocopies on colored paper to post in the cleaning center. When a product is running low, note it on the list before the next shopping trip.

Map a Cleaning Route
 

Start with a room at the top corner of your home (two-story house) or a corner room (one-story house or apartment) and work inward and downward. Clean rooms from the top down. Clean each room completely before moving on to the next to save walking back and forth. Think about your own time and energy level, help from family members, and the state of your house before you start a cleaning marathon.

Instead of spending an entire day or weekend cleaning, clean half the house, or one story of a two-story, on one day or afternoon; clean the other half or other story on another afternoon. Reserve a block of time for the attic, basement, or garage.

Some household projects are worth the exchange of money for time because professionals have the expertise and equipment to do the job efficiently. Consider hiring a professional window cleaner once a year, especially if you have a two-story house or storm windows. Hire a gutter- and/or roof-cleaning service in late fall. Choose services that are bonded and insured, and get at least three references. Depending on your time and house size, rent the necessary carpet-cleaning equipment, or hire a service. If you are renting equipment, steam-clean all carpets at the same time to save money. Some companies offer discounts to clean three or more rooms.

Laundry Routine
 

Gear your laundry routine to your lifestyle and family size. If you regularly use a professional laundry for dress shirts and dry cleaning, establish a regular day to drop off and pick up.

Two-person household: Doing the laundry once a week is generally sufficient, unless you wash uniforms, work clothes, or gym clothes. If dress shirts and suits are part of your attire, add a weekly trip to the dry cleaners.

Three or more in household: Keep laundry from piling up by doing one load every morning (or every other morning) and folding clothes before or after dinner.

Train all family members to put dirty clothing in hampers. Place a basket or hamper in each bedroom closet, and in each bath if space allows. Place three additional hampers in the laundry area — for dark clothes, light clothes, and special-care items. In households with teens, delegate a laundry responsibility to each family member. Delegate simple laundry chores, such as folding socks, to younger children.

I guess today is a good day to start with bathroom cleaning. It’s the worse chore on my list because I have two boys that refuse to clean up after brushing their hair, teeth, shaving, and yes for some reason neither one can hit the toilet when they first wake up. Honestly I’m not sure if they hit it at all during the day! The bad thing is the oldest boy is my fiance! Since he’s too old for me to even hope he’ll change I figure I need to set myself up for a constant bathroom battle.

I hate cleaning the bathroom it makes me feel dirty! I think about all of the germs and bacteria and YUCK it makes me want to just give up on the whole cleaning ordeal. Of course I can’t do that, so I found a check list on www.creativehomemaking.com that should help me keep things in order. Remember when I said if you tackle certain areas daily then you will never have it take over your life, well this list is meant to help prevent just that.

DAILY

( ) Wipe out sinks and faucets
( ) Wipe down counters
( ) Spray shower and liner/door with shower mist

WEEKLY

( ) Scrub tub/shower/tiles
( ) Scrub and disinfect sink
( ) Scrub and disinfect toilet
( ) Clean mirrors and faucets
( ) Wipe down and disinfect counters
( ) Wash toothbrush holders
( ) Wash and refill soap dispenser or dish

SEASONAL (3 to 6 MONTHS)

( ) Take down and launder shower curtains
( ) Wash walls and ceiling
( ) Empty and clean out medicine cabinets
( ) Empty and clean out cabinets and drawers
( ) Launder window curtains
( ) Clean out/vacuum ventilator
( ) Scrub tile grout
( ) Discard expired or unused cosmetics/beauty products

YEARLY (SPRING/FALL CLEANING)

( ) Wash windows inside and out
( ) Replace broken or torn mats and rugs
( ) Replace or mend torn/worn shower curtain
( ) Replace or mend torn/worn window curtain
( ) Re-seal grout lines

All Purpose Cleaner

To Make an an old fashioned apple cider all
purpose cleaner you will need to have a spray bottle on hand.For 32 ounces1 cup Vinegar or Lemon Juice
(or use more if you want it to be stronger)

Directions:
Spray and Wipe.Uses:
Use as a Daily Shower spray to cut down on the soap scum.
Just spray leave on for 20 minutes and wipe
with a towel or spray and leave to dry.
Use as an All Purpose Cleaner
for your kitchen counters, appliances, floors,
windows, mirrors.
Use on your window sills.
Pour about 1/2 cup in a bucket of water to
mop any floor.
Use in your Dishwasher as a dish rinse or
in the laundry as a rinse.Soft Scrub

1 cup of baking soda or borax or Washing
Soda
1 cup of Castile soapMix together and use as a soft scrub for your
tub and tile and in the toiletLiquid Natural Detergent
Dishwasher/Floors/Tub & Tile/Laundry

* This Makes 1 Gallon1 cup of Castile Soap
1 /3 cup of Salt
1 cup of Dissolved Borax
or baking
Soda (Optional)
1 cup of Vinegar (Optional)
40 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract.
( Optional)
Added boost
add some papaya enzymes about 4 crushed
capsules per gallon

Furniture Polish
Leather and Vinyl cleaner and conditionerMakes 1 Gallon ( This Last a Long Time)3 1/3 cups of Olive Oil
1/3 cup Castile soap
40 to 60 drops of Essential Oil (optional)
10 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract

Disinfectant

One GallonFill your gallon jug up with water or take a gallon
jug filled with water from the grocery store add
160 drops of your choice of essential oils and 40
drops grapefruit seed extract. You can mix and match your essential oils to get up to 160 drops.
40 drops is approximately two
droppers full of essential oil or 1/2 teaspoon.
To make 32 ounces divide by 4. Use 10 drops each.For example
40 drops of Thyme
40 drops of Lemon
40 drops of Cinnamon
40 drops of Clove
40 drops of Grapefruit seed extract

Now that all the ispirational messages are done I suggest reading one each day to get your day going in the right direction. There’s nothing like getting your mind in a great place to begin your day. It will definitely help with the next topic which is cleaning!

I hate to clean, I mean really hate it. I remember growing up my mom was such a clean freak she would even spend hours cleaning the house right before we would go on vacation. She said it was so that she wouldn’t have anything to do when we returned but honestly I think she did it in case someone broke it they wouldn’t see the house a mess. (smile) Seriously though, now that I have my own family and home I wish more then anything that at least some of her clean freak mentality rubbed off on me. It’s not that my house is a mess or that I don’t like it to be clean it’s because I can spend up to an hour cleaning the living room then go do the same in the kitchen only to return to the living room and see that my kids have destroyed it worse then what it was before I cleaned!  It just really seems like a waste of time. Who has time during the day to clean a room a thousand times?

Ok I know it isn’t reality that we can’t clean because the kids mess it up over and over again. I’m spending this week trying to find easier ways to clean so that my cleaning job gets done without driving me crazy. That begins with a set routine and plan of action!

First things first.

I figure the best thing to do is start in rooms the kids don’t play in but are important rooms in the home. For me the first one that pops into my mind is my kitchen. My two youngest are four and two so they don’t spend much time going in and out of the kitchen unless they are going to get a juice. My oldest is 11 and while he’s messy in the kitchen he doesn’t go in there often.

I never clean without having music going. It makes me feel like I’m not cleaning. It’s also a good way to get moving and get a little exercise into the cleaning mix.  Go ahead and figure out what needs to be done and what you’re going to do first. Get all the cleaning supplies ready so you won’t have to stop and search for anything. It’s so easy to take a five minute break to look for that favorite cleaning product only to end up not returning to finish the job. 

Remember you are cleaning the kitchen, this is where your food and drinks are located so you don’t want to use just any type of cleaning products. I find that water mixed with baking soda or vinegar works just as good as the store bought all purpose cleaners. Whatever you choose is fine. It’s also a good idea to go ahead and put on some latex gloves because we are going to get down and dirty!

They say the best thing to do is start at the top and work your way down. However when cleaning walls you should start at the bottom and work up because it will leave streaks if you go from top to bottom. Now that is definitely something I didn’t know!  After wiping down from top to bottom getting the dust and grime off, and I’m talking on top of the refrigerator and all, then start on the stove.

The stove may need a little hard scrubbing but it’ll look great afterwards. Don’t foget to soak the burner covers in an oven cleaner solution. Afterwards move on to the refrigerator, which in my home is worse then the stove! My kids pour more in the refrigerator then in any cup they drink out of. Take everything out of the frige. If you have removable layers and draws then go ahead and soak them in a cleaning solution of your choice. While those are soaking wipe down the inside really well. I usually use just a water and vinegar solution here also because it’s safe to use and works really well, if you have bad odors you may want to use baking soda. Clean the shelves and draws and replace everything. Don’t forget to wipe down the drink containers that may have dripping drink left on them. I’ve learned to put the kids juices and snacks on the bottom and in the draws so that they won’t knock everything else down when the rush to the frige to get what they want.

Something that most people forget is to clean the cabinets. We wipe them down from time to time but never go inside because it’s just too much trouble to move all the dishes or food out to clean. Think about it, many people don’t wash a plate before they use it instead you pull it out of the cabinet and eat off of it. We trust that it’s clean but there is so much dust and grime in your cabinets you might as well be eating off of a dirty plate! So take everything out, wipe down the inside of the cabinets and all the items in it. That’s right rewash the dishes! Your body will thank you later. While you’re at it go ahead and finish up any dishes that are left around the kitchen.

After all this work it’s time to stop right? WRONG! Wipe down your counter tops and the outside of your cabinets really well with a degreaser cleaner or again vinegar water. Wipe down anything on your counters. Empty draws and clean the same way we did the cabinets.

Microwaves are the easiest to clean. Place a bowl of water in there and turn it on for a few minutes. The hot steam will loosen up any food or grime, making it simple to just wipe clean. This is also a job that should be done after using each time so that the food will not build up.

Now we are almost done! WOOHOO! Time to clean the walls. Wipe them down with a cleaning solution of your choice or again vinegar water (yes I live by this) and remember start at the bottom! Then we need to clean the floors. I have to say I use pinesol on my floors because I love the way it shines and smells.

I know this looks like a lot and it was supposed to be simple but really if you do this deep cleaning it isn’t something that has to be done daily yet your kitchen will sparkle for days as if you have. Daily everything needs to be wiped down, not scrubbed just wiped over, which will keep you from having to scrub it later. Always wipe the refrigerator when needed instead of waiting and that job will also become an easy one. Of course dishes are a daily routine but everything else after this deep cleaning can remain an easy job if it’s wiped down daily. This will save time and energy from having to do the whole deep cleaning and scrubbing routine.