Good Nighttime Habits Help Eliminate Morningtime Chaos
Last week we discussed some strategies to handle the after school rush around dinnertime. With all the activities kids are involved in, it’s hard to get home and sit down to a big dinner every night. Depending on the situation, we may be snacking in the car, eating on the road, or trying to fix a quick meal when we get home.
We want to plan for all these scenarios so the results are frugal, nutritious, and easy. You can take a look at the ideas we discussed in last week’s post by clicking right here:
After School Rush – Plan Those Meals On The Road
Now we’re going to talk about how to plan ahead so the mornings aren’t quite as chaotic.
Over the years we’ve developed a system that helps us get going and ready in the morning in an orderly fashion. We’ve tweaked this schedule and come up with new ideas as our household grows and changes. Most of what we’ve found is it’s all about getting into good habits… especially planning ahead and getting things done early!
Read through these simple ideas and see if there is something you can adopt for your school year routine.
The Night Before
I used to be in the habit of leaving the kitchen a mess at night. I thought, like many people, that I’d just clean it up in the morning because it really didn’t matter that much.
Then I realized that a lot of the chaos in the morning was a reflection of the mess in the kitchen. Partly mental chaos just looking at the mess, and partly physical chaos of having to work around dirty dishes, this was one bad habit that had to go.
I have since made it a habit to do all the dishes and straighten up after dinner. It’s still the last thing I want to do after eating, but I am quickly reminded every morning that it was time well spent.
While we’re cleaning up the kitchen, we also focus on food-related items for the next day. We know we need our coffee in the morning, so the coffee pot is filled and ready for us to hit the ‘brew’ button as soon as one of us gets up. Our favorite coffee mugs sit right alongside.
This is the time, also, to get breakfast dishes set out, prepare fruit, and generally get your breakfast-bar set up. You should also be preparing or organizing lunches and snacks for the next day. It helps for us to use one counter in the kitchen for breakfast stuff and one for lunch stuff. Bowls, cups, lunch boxes… whatever you need, get it ready. It helps to have a spot in the refrigerator, too, for items to grab for breakfast or the lunch box. Do this all at night so sleepy heads can easily sit down to their breakfast without thinking too hard.
Lay out clothes for everyone who needs to leave the house. From top to bottom, make sure everything is ready and waiting so there’s no excuse for being late. There won’t be any hectic hollers of “Where are my shoes!?” when the shoes are ready by the door the night before.
Take another look at the school bag or back pack before you turn in for the night. Pull out all the papers and check again for permission slips, homework, or other details you may have missed during homework time.
Put everything you need to take with you by the door. Things like your purse, car keys, glasses, briefcase, and school bags, should be ready and waiting at a ‘command central’ right by the door as you leave.
Of course, everything can’t be at the ‘command central’ overnight. There are things like lunches, for instance, that need to be grabbed out of the refrigerator. It helps to have a little chalk board or white board by the door to jot down reminders. Mine always says; “grab coffee for the road.”
In The Morning
I’m usually the first one up. I wander into the kitchen and push the ‘Brew’ button on the coffee maker. That is the moment I am reminded how happy I am that I got into the habit of cleaning the kitchen and preparing the coffee the night before.
While the coffee brews, I wander into Daughter’s bedroom and turn on the light. This gets her going. I can now head back into the kitchen, pour my coffee, get out the milk and juice, and get breakfast on the table. Again, it’s a lot easier when most everything is out on the counter or ready to grab in the refrigerator. And the fact that I don’t have to work around last night’s dirty dishes is a real nice way to start the day!
Now that Daughter is older, as soon as she strolls into the kitchen and sits down to her breakfast, I can head to the shower. I usually meet my Hubby coming down the hallway, drawn into the kitchen by the smell of the coffee. Hubby sits down with Daughter and they eat and talk about what’s on the agenda for the day.
I’m showered and dressed in time to join Daughter and Hubby at the breakfast table and we enjoy a few minutes together. Now, it’s their turn to get cleaned up and dressed. I’ll quickly pick up a bit in the kitchen while Hubby helps Daughter with her hair.
When everyone seems to be dressed and together, we gather up Daughter’s snack and lunch, pack her lunch bag, and head for the door. We do a double check on our white board at ‘command central’ and grab anything we might have forgotten (things like an art project drying on the work table are typical.)
Everything’s ready to either walk Daughter to the bus or drive her to school, depending on the day. We’re out the door on time.
This was not the typical scenario before we started getting our routine planned, especially the nighttime prep work. Getting into the habit of doing everything you can possibly do the night before is a real time saver – I should say sanity saver – in the morning. Starting your day in chaos just sets the tone for the entire day and into the evening. Eliminate much of the before school rush by getting in the habit of preparing the night before and you will find yourself actually enjoying your mornings.
I Highly Recommend Back 2 School Survival Guide
Chock full of tips, ideas, and suggestions that help families get organized and prepared for back to school covering everything (and much more) from establishing routines, packing lunches, completing homework, and purchasing school supplies to dealing with bullies, volunteering in the classroom, maintaining multiple schedules, and teaching responsibility.
Plus you’ll get:
- Student Planner
- Master Family Planner
- Sample/Customizable Routines
- School Information Sheet
- Schedule Adjustment Worksheet
- Countdown Maze
- My Favorites Worksheet
- Grocery Planner
- Family Fun Worksheet
- School Goals Worksheet
- Classmate Contact Sheet
- Important Dates At-A-Glance
It’s a great guide and ebook and I’m in love with the cute and helpful printables. Take a look at http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/back2school
Feng Shui Strategies Can Get You Ready To Clean Your House
Sometimes the simplest little cleaning task can seem overwhelming, especially if you have to wade through mountains of clutter before you can even begin.
I think most people have some idea of the struggle I speak of. For instance, my desk just seems to get covered in an avalanche of papers. Many folks have the same problem in their entryway with a table piled high with mail or other items that get deposited there. Some folks struggle with a bathroom counter top that has bric-a-brac scattered about. You may not be able to easily vacuum because you first must move mountains of magazines, books, toys, remote controls, or whatever seems to gather around the chairs and sofas.
If this sounds familiar, then you know how doing a simple cleaning task becomes more complicated. When you walk into your bathroom armed with your scrubbing and shining tools, if you can’t get at the surfaces that need cleaning, do you get a little frustrated? I know when I’m faced with sorting piles of clutter on surfaces before I can clean, I may just turn around and leave it for another day.
Decluttering using a few feng shui strategies to lift your spirits has become a very popular method. The reasoning is that in the midst of clutter, we can become immobilized, our mind starts to spin. When our mind is cluttered, we often become motionless. Our best laid plans come to a halt. Faced with clutter, we often just retreat.
The idea of using feng shui in cleaning means surrounding yourself with pretty colors, good light, pleasant aromas, and pleasing sounds, as you reduce your clutter. I outlined these strategies in another post. Click on The Feng Shui post to see what you can do to help you get past the confusion of the clutter, which is the first step to getting your house clean!
Won’t it be nice when you can grab your cleaning supplies and head in with determination and not be discouraged and become motionless by the clutter you encounter? The clutter is gone and your “mental motion” is restored.
Clutter is an obstacle that needs to be removed from your path. Take the first step today so your path is clear when you’re ready to move ahead!
P.S. Are you ready to declutter your home? With the use of a few simple feng shui strategies, you have a good start! Now, how would you like to make progress every single day and have the whole house cleaned in 30 days! You can with 30 Days to an Organized Home.
This step-by-step guide walks you through specific tasks each day for 30 days so you can get your whole house clean, finally!
Tracy Roberts of MomsInABlog.com is the author of 30 Days to an Organized Home, and she has a plan!
Work your way through organizing and decluttering every room in your house in 30 days with easy to follow daily tasks that keep you from getting overwhelmed with the task at hand.
You’ll also find helpful printable checklists that will keep you on task and allow you to track your progress.
Get your copy today at http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/organizedhome
What Is Your Cleaning Style?
We all have a cleaning style. That is, we all prefer to clean and organize our house in a certain way. And, when we start to plan a big cleaning job, our cleaning style becomes very important.
So, what method do you prefer when you clean your house? There are two basic cleaning styles to consider:
- Small tasks.
- Big project.
For instance, are you more apt to break cleaning up into small tasks each day to get your house clean, or are you more likely to clean your house in several big projects?
Do you get the whole family involved, or do you prefer to do it yourself while everyone is out of the house?
Are you more likely to vacuum all the floors in the house at one time and wash all the windows at another time, or do you prefer to clean one entire room, floors and windows, at one time?
I know spring cleaning for many people is a big “haul everything out and clean it” production. But, have you given any thought to your own preferred cleaning style?
This may be an important issue because it could make the difference between getting your house cleaned and enjoying it, or getting exhausted and frustrated.
It’s easy to imagine that if you are the type of person who really dislikes turning your house upside-down, living in chaos even for a moment, then perhaps a big spring cleaning day or week is not for you. If you were to haul everything out of its resting place for a good cleaning, the disruption may not sit well with you or your family at all. You may want to consider smaller projects spread over a period of time so as not to wreck havoc on your peaceful domicile.
If, however, you are the type of person who likes the challenge of a huge production, then by all means, rip your house apart and start cleaning! Once you get the cooperation of your family (because this method does produce chaos) your spring cleaning should go pretty fast. Yes, you may have to do some tricky maneuvering around dinnertime, but it will be worth it to get the job done in the style you prefer.
Whether you prefer cleaning jobs broken up into small tasks or cleaning jobs tackled in large projects, there are tips for cleaning your house that will make all your jobs go easier.
1) Use multi-purpose cleaners and tools. The fewer bottles and brushes you have to carry around, the better. You’ll basically need something to scrub with and something to shine with. Look at your cleaning products and see if you can narrow down your number of supplies.
2) Gather your products. Use a plastic caddy or similar item to move your cleaning stuff around with you. How you sort your products will depend on your cleaning style, again. If you’re going after a room at a time, then you’ll need everything for that room. If you’re cleaning all the bathtubs first, then you’ll only need your bathtub scrubbing things.
3) Set a timer. Big projects and small projects both need a time limit. Just because you’re tearing apart the refrigerator, for instance, doesn’t mean you should make it a never-ending task. With a timer running, human nature will take over and you’ll try to beat the clock. Dragging a cleaning task out beyond what’s necessary to get the job done is counterproductive; you’ll be less productive and you’ll waste a lot of time. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish in less time when you know the timer’s running.
4) Get help when you need it. This used to be one of my worst time-wasters. Rather than ask for help, I’d struggle moving the sofa, beds, dressers, and other furniture around to vacuum around the baseboards. The time it took me to wiggle those big pieces of furniture around could have been cut in half with just one request for help. The same goes for hauling out a step stool, cleaning something above your reach, then putting the step stool back. If someone else can reach what needs cleaning, ask them to clean it. This is a great time-saver that makes sense to me, now. If the kids are at an age to help, you may want to give them the opportunity with their very own kid-friendly cleaning tools. This may or may not be helpful, but at least it will keep the little ones busy.
They may seem simple, but sometimes when we are in a habit of cleaning a certain way, we never spend any time to re-think our methods.
Give your own “cleaning style” some thought before you tackle any spring cleaning you may have planned. If your plans don’t match your style, consider rearranging those plans so you, and your family, emerge with a clean house and smiling faces!
P.S. You’ve got your house cleaned now, but how about organized? Are you as organized as you want to be? If not (and who is?!) we can help you with that, too!
Work your way through organizing and decluttering every room in your house in 30 days with easy to follow daily tasks that keep you from getting overwhelmed with the task at hand.
You’ll also find helpful printable checklists that will keep you on task and allow you to track your progress.
Get your copy today at http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/organizedhome
Room By Room Cleaning Guide – How To Avoid Total Chaos
We’ve been talking quite a bit about New Year’s Resolutions lately. There seem to be some resolutions that come up frequently; save money, lose weight, eat healthy, and spend more time with family.
Those are pretty popular, but there is one resolution that is right up there at the top of the list:
Get the House Clean and Organized
Like many homemakers, I make that resolution each year. Then around this time, I start plotting. How will I ever attempt this? I can’t tolerate the whole house ripped apart for spring cleaning, yet I want to get the job done quickly.
So, this year I sat down and organized my thoughts and put together a short room-by-room guide to help me (and you!) get through the task without total chaos. This FREE resource is my gift to you in hopes that you will be able to tackle your resolution to get the house clean and ready for summer fun.
Just click on the pdf link below and you will instantly have my step-by-step guide to cleaning your house a room at a time, without total chaos!
Spring Clean Your House A Room At A Time (PDF)
Enjoy!
Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife
P.S. You’ve got your house cleaned now, but how about organized? Are you as organized as you want to be? If not (and who is?!) we can help you with that, too!
Work your way through organizing and decluttering every room in your house in 30 days with easy to follow daily tasks that keep you from getting overwhelmed with the task at hand.
You’ll also find helpful printable checklists that will keep you on task and allow you to track your progress.
Get your copy today at http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/organizedhome
Post Weekend Dish Chaos
by Tracy Roberts
Mom In A Blog.com
This weekend was a busy one at my house. It feels like we were doing something from the time we woke up early Saturday morning until late Sunday evening. We had fun. The kids enjoyed themselves and managed to get to church for both services but you know what was facing me this early Monday morning as I was scrambling to get the littles ready to head out the door to school?
An entire counter full of dirty dishes. 
Yep, seems like we managed to use every dish, pot, pan and utensil in the house over the last 48 hours.
I’m not sure why all the dishes are lined up on the counter. It’s just as easy to put the dishes in the dishwasher as it is to put it in the sink or on the counter, right? The dishwasher is empty. I checked.
I promise they weren’t raised by wolves and I know they hear me say, “Make sure you put the dishes in the dishwasher when you’re finished.” over and over again….
So, what happened?
I wonder if I just make things easy because even though I sometimes rebel by leaving the mess – you know, to show them how messy it is so maybe someone else will do something about it – but then eventually, I cave in and clean it up.
When they come home, things are nice & clean so they don’t need to worry. I’m so tired of cleaning that it doesn’t bear the lectures, screaming or ranting & raving so we just go on as we have been.
Something has got to change. I’ve been really good about decluttering and scaling down but the ongoing stuff like the kitchen & bedrooms need help. I’m sure I need to get rid of more stuff.
To get stuff under control today, I’m going to get this kitchen clean in 30 minutes or less by:
- Emptying the fridge of any old food – throwing it away & washing out the containers.
- Filling up the dishwasher, turning it on and emptying it when the dishes are finished.
- Washing everything that didn’t fit in the dishwasher by hand – drying & putting them away.
- Putting away things that don’t belong on the counter & making the stuff that does belong look pretty.
- Wiping down the counters and cleaning out the sink until it shines.
That’s it! The key to getting it done is getting it started. So that’s what I’m going to do, right now.
For the future, I’ve got to find a way to teach the family to pitch in and help out around the house.
What tips do you have for me? How do you get your husband and kids to help out around the house…and then keep doing so without begging?
This step-by-step guide will help you work your way through organizing and decluttering every room in your house - in just 30 days! With easy to follow daily tasks, you avoid getting overwhelmed with the process.
You’ll also find helpful printable checklists that will keep you on task and allow you to track your progress.
Get your copy today at http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/organizedhome
Home Organization: Conquering the School Morning Rush
School mornings are hectic.
Yes, most kids know how to dress themselves by the time they start school but that doesn’t mean that moms get to sit back and relax. You still need to supervise, button, smooth, adjust, comb, wipe, tighten, tie, wipe again, inspect, peruse.
The mental checklist is downright exhausting and only multiples with each kid. You’ve done what you can. Baths, clothes laid out, lunches prepped – all the night before. It helps but here is another idea for you to try: a “Morning Drawer”. I know, the name is a little hokey; feel free to use your own.
[Read more...]
Steps to a More Organized Home
Is clutter driving you crazy? Would you like to have a more organized home? I’ve put together a few steps you can take to make sure that your home life will be less cluttered and your stress level will be lower! Remember, an organized and tidy home is a happy home. By learning how to organize your home and by keeping it organized, your life will run more smoothly.
Tips To Organize Your Home
There are ways to make sure that once you organize your home it stays organized! There is nothing like spending hours getting everything put away only to look around a month later and notice that all your hard work has been for nothing.
I've put together a few tips that should help you stay on top of the clutter and keep things organized once and for all!
How To Organize Your Home Desk
Sitting down to organize your home desk is a very simple and easy task. While at the moment it may be a disorganized mess, after you get through putting these tips to use, your desk will look more like the workable space it was created for!
The first thing you should do when organizing your home desk is to remove everything from the drawers and the top. You want a complete and bare space to work with. This would be a good time to group all the like things together so that when you are putting your desk back together, you have everything separated into each distinct group.
How To Organize Your Home and Find Everything
Have you ever been in a rush to get somewhere on time only to find that you can't find your keys? In the background, your daughter yells down the stairs that she can't find her other shoe. You look at the clock only to realize that you are going to be late! In this article, I am going to share a few of my tips that have helped me to organize my home so that I can find everything! By using these strategies, not only will your home stay more organized, but you will also notice that your time has become organized as well!
How To Organize Home Files
Have you ever needed a receipt to look up the warranty information for something you purchased that is no longer working? While looking for the receipt, you find stacked underneath some pieces of junk mail your credit card statement that was due to be paid three days ago, causing you a $35 late fee! If this is your style of organizing bills, papers, and other important home files, it might be time to try a different style to help you tame the paper monster!
Here are some tips on how to organize home files:
Cheap Ways To Organize Your Home
I don't know about you but when I look around my home, I feel overwhelmed and frantic when things are not organized. Now, I am not talking about a “lived in” environment. What I am talking about is when the members of my family are just downright lazy and don't put things away or clean up after themselves! Hopefully these cheap ways to organize your home will help maintain the clutter that is threatening to take over!