Get Me Moving! Motivate Me to Clean!

The motivation to clean comes and goes, like the tide.  The need to clean, however, does not, especially when you have a family!  Cleaning can seem like a non-stop chore, but it does not have to be.   There are ways of getting your home clean and enjoying the day, without hiring a maid. 

As I find things that motivate me or articles that inspire, I will post them as 'Motivational Tip # __ '.  I will also be tagging them by type, so that you can easily brows the ones most likely to motivate you.

If you need something, right now, go pick up all of the trash you can find laying around your home.  It will give you a sense of accomplishment and make a difference in the way your home appears and feels.

When the trash is gone, pick up the dirty laundry and deposit it in a hamper.  If you have a washing machine in your home, start a load!  Set a timer for one hour, so that you don't forget to move it over to the dryer or hang it out when it is done.

Now, plan what you are having for supper and get anything frozen thawing.  Decide when you need to begin cooking and clear the table, so that you have a place to eat.

Make the Necessary Changes

One of the most useful things you can learn to do is to put away what ever it is you are using, when you are done with it.  Learn to do this yourself and teach your children.  It will cut down on the amount of clutter and misplaced items around your home.  It is simple enough, that even a toddler can learn...

But what if your things don't have a place? 

Organized people love to say, "A place for everything and everything in it's place."  And they are right.  As much as I hate to admit it, they are right.  I wish there was an easier way, but there is not!  If you want order, then the things you own need a place.  A place that is accessible and orderly.  As I told my children the other day, "Your closet may be where that belongs, but if you just throw it on the floor, you will not be able to find it when you need it!"  They knew I was right, because the closet floor was three feet deep with stuff, and they were in tears trying to find their things.   After my little lecture, we hauled everything out of the closet, threw all of the trash away, sorted through what was left, putting away the things that readily had a place, and then made decisions on the few things that were left.  The things that they did not value enough to find a place for were given away.

In my opinion, getting rid of clutter is the hardest part of cleaning.  What do you hold onto and what do you get rid of?  The best advice I have found came from the book, Throw Out Fifty Things, by Gail Blanke.  She said to keep things that are loved, beautiful and useful.  She said to get rid of things that weigh you down or are not loved, beautiful or useful.  She also said to get rid of anything that you hesitate on.  Those hesitations were the part that had always kept me from feeling like I had succeeded.  Now I know that if I look at something and hem and ha over what to do with it, it needs to be given away.  Plain and simple!

Don't let the cleaning and organizing overwhelm you.  Do what you can, do what you know.  I realize the mess is fustrating, but you will burn out quickly without regular breaks.

Tackling my Craft Room

This week I have been spending a bit of time each day in my craft room, as it is the most cluttered room in my house, cleaning out the stuff I am done with and throwing away trash.  I have to say, the room looks much better, even though I have not regained nearly as much space as I had hoped to at this time.  There was not very much trash in the  room, just scrap paper from the fax machine, but I did manage to fill two large black garbage bags with stuff to give away.  Most of it was clothing that I had been give -- second hand.  Some of it was acrylic yarn that I have had, since I was a kid, that I am just not going to use.  Then, there was the garlands of artificial flowers that I use to use for decorating.  Part of me wanted to keep them -- sentimental value, but then I realized, they have been moved from place to place for more than five years now, only occasionally in use.  Why not pass them on to someone who will enjoy them? 

Observation on Uncluttering:

This last week I have noticed that it is not possible to clean an overly cluttered room all at once.  After taking out a certain amount of stuff, the room needs a rest.  The energy of the room needs to regroup and calm down.  I think this is why uncluttering an area is difficult.  It is more than the decision making, it is the stirred up energy of the room that creates tension.  Opening the windows wide and playing peaceful music does help, but the room still needs a break. 

Dust and dirt seem to stagnate the energy in a room.  Cleaning out the dust and dirt that is easy to access, before beginning to sort can relive the stuffy feeling.  Continuing to clean as a space is cleared helps the place to feel fresh.

Anything that causes a feeling of guilt is best let go of.  Why hang on to something negative?  One of the things I let go was a little picture frame I was given as a baby shower gift, before our first was born.  It was cute, and I had used it, but I never really liked it.  But it was a gift, so I had kept it, until this week.  I know that it will never be missed, as it has been on the floor of the craft room for months now, and I know the guilty feeling I felt each time I saw it better off gone.  Trying to talk myself into liking something is not worth the hassle.  If something is not going to be enjoyed, it is not worth keeping.

Today is my last day of looking for junk and give away stuff.  Next week I will begin sorting through the things left in there, storing what I decide to keep in an accessible manner.  My hope is to have a working craft room by the end of next week.

Trials

Early in the morning, on July 1st, a water line in my kitchen broke. It dumped gallons and gallons of water all over the kitchen, and down into the basement.  The laundry room was the worst, and I can't imagine how far the water may have gone if the toilet had been in place.  Finishing tiling is currently on hold.  The boys room got more than it's fair share of water in it.  My pantry was damp, so had to be cleared and aired out.  There are holes in several walls, where insulation had to be removed.  The kitchen flooring is missing.

Wednesday, the insurance adjuster will be here to look things over.  I am scared.  I have never dealt with insurance before and rebuilding is going to take some $. I just pray that all goes well and that they treat us fairly.  No matter what happens, I know that God has a plan in all of this and that His plans are for the best.  I feel like we are being tested... my own miniature Job type trials. 

This last week our dog, who never chewed on anything, except a mitten that was greasy, has chewed up several toys and containers.  Today the tent broke.  A pole bent.  I don't know that it is repairable.    I am not complaining.  I know that it could be much worse, but I am grieving.  This is hard to deal with.  I know that it is only stuff... and over it I cry not, but over what it will take to get everything back in order.  Over the loss of what we had already accomplished.

Doing What I Know

This morning, when I put up This Week's Inspiration, I had no idea how it would affect me.  You see, there is more to motto's than just choosing one or two, there is living by them. 

Love me or hate me, I am who I am. 
I will not back down, just because someone does not like me.  It really doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me, as long as I know what I am doing is pleasing to the Lord.  If you don't like God, I am sorry.  Sorry for you, not what I have said.  I make my decisions based on what I know will please God.  If I realize that what I am doing does not please God, then I will be changing. 

Do what you know and the rest will be easy.
Doing what I know to do is not always easy.  Sometimes, doing what I know is the hardest part of all, but that is were the true test of character comes in.  Am I willing to do something, even when it is difficult and I don't want to?  The answer is yes.

This post is about change.  I need to change.  I spend far too much of my time in front of the computer, wasting it on silly things. 

The Bible says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  I Corinthians 10:13 KJV

I have realized that the 'way of escape' is for me to turn off the computer and put it away (I use a lap top).  We really don't need to listen to Pandora, or watch YouTube.  I really don't need to check my emails ten times a day.  But my children need a mommy who will teach them what they need to know.  Who will work with them and who will finish projects.  I need to be an example of good things to them.  And for my sake, to break my addiction, I am going to put the computer away for a few days, maybe a few weeks. 

List of Hopes

I've decided to share my list of extra things I hope to get done this week.

1.  Finish the laundry room.

1. Clean the floor.
2. Finish removing trim.
3. Paint the walls.
4. Figure out tile pattern.
5. Lay tile. 
6. Grout.

2.  Finish planting garden.

1. Plant tomatoes.
2. Plant peas and stake, both kinds
3. Plant lettuce.
4. Flowers.
5. Keep watered.

3.  Transplant saplings. 

Edit:  Done things will become blue!

Tiling the Laundry Room

Last week we tore the carpet out of our laundry room.  I don't know what possessed someone to put carpet in a laundry room/bathroom.  Carpet should never be put in a bathroom.  It is completely unsanitary!  It is gross enough in a living room, where dirt is the biggest problem. 

We tore it out, to lay the tile I bought years ago at a garage sale.  I saw the tile, and knew it was just what I wanted for the room.  I got all the man had, plus the tools to lay it with, for $100.  I brought it home, sure my husband would be equally thrilled.  He was, but had different ideas about where it should go.  "How about the kitchen?  What about the entry way?  Maybe the family room?"  So, it has sat for years. It's fate undecided.  But recently, my husband noticed how gross the carpet was, I think it was when the toilet overflowed again, and decided something should be done about it!

We washed all the laundry up, and took the machines out.  We removed the toilet and the sink. We ripped the carpet out, and removed the baseboard.  I spent two days scraping glue off the floor, and now I am ready to pain the room.  I don't think it has ever had more than the initial coat that was put on when the house was built.

I am a bit nervous; laying tile is a job I have never done before, but the principle is simple.   I don't see any reason I should not do well.  The floor is terribly uneven, so it is going to take a while to get everything just right, but I know that I can do it.  Other women can, so I can too.

Monday, Monday

Monday.  It is one of those days that you either love or hate.  I have never met someone who is neutral about the day, but like it or not, it comes once a week.

I think the reason it is either loved or hated is because it is a day of transition.  A day of change.  A day to get up early and pick up the pace.  I know for me, it is time to clean up from all the weekend adventures, restore order, and pick up the slack of last week.  That's a tall order, for one day!  But the results are so worth it.  By getting things back on track today, I will have the rest of the week to live normally and focus on projects.  It will give a sense of peace to the entire week.  I know from experience that if I put off restoring order, then the whole week will be an unproductive mess.  I will feel presumed upon by any little thing that goes wrong.  The kids will be crabby and behave in a spoiled brat manner.  My husband will feel unloved, and like he is the only one who ever does any work. I hate those moods in this house, especially in me!

So, if you are like me, and really need to use Monday to get back into the swing of thing, what are you going to do today?  What do you know to do?

I know to grab my box of cards, organize them by what is most needed and to make a short list of other things that need to be done today.  I know to keep a good attitude, and not expect the kids to share it.  I know to be realistic about what I can accomplish in a day and to leave room for interruptions.  I also know to take time for some fun.  *Ahem*  Make that schedule some fun into the day.  If it is not on my list, it is unlikely that it will happen today, because I tend to be either project or people focused.  Rarely both.

Remember, do what you know first.  Get it out of the way, and then, the rest will be easy.

* * * * *

If you are one of the many that hate Monday, but you have no clue why, take some time today to write down everything you dislike about the day.  No, I mean Everything!  I don't care if it is a little bother or a big 'I want to scream at it' moment. 

When you have a list, look it over and ask yourself how you could either avoid those situations or make them easier to handle. 

I ran into this type of situation yesterday morning.  We were getting ready for church, and one child comes out of his room wearing his only clean pair of jeans.  They had holes in the knees, big enough for a semi truck to drive through, and holes in the butt too.  Let's just say, I was not happy.  I know that he had had clean, hole free jeans just two days before.  I had washed, dried, folded and put them aways myself!  So where were they? 

In the hamper. 

Why?

Because he had decided to play in the mud with them, and when they got wet, he changed and hid them in the hamper.  Grrrrrrrrr!

So what am I going to do about it?  (Since this is not the first time we have found out the kids clean clothes were not available on Sunday morning?)  I am going to hang a pair of hole free jeans in the closet, just for Sunday!  Friday is the day I am going to make sure each child has a pair of hole free jeans ready and waiting, because that gives two days to correct it, if there are not.  I am also going to use this for anytime we are planning a day trip somewhere. 

Don't get me wrong.  I love kids in play clothes, but they are not needed in airports and sporting goods shops.