Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Cleaning Catch up - Number 1

Ok, so like I said, I am going to start posting about how I clean my house, when what and why etc.

This first post is very simple.

Start small!

My house was a sty yesterday. Im not kidding, a full on pig sty.  Picture a bomb going off, then times it by 1000.

So, first thing is first. Attempting to get your mojo back so you can actually begin to be bothered, and find a reason why we should bother cleaning in the first place. As parents know, kids are little tornados. Sometimes it feels like we spend all day cleaning, only to have it look like it did before the mass clean, at 6pm that night. Frustrating right? Right!

So, start small. I started on the least messy room, but one of the most used. The lounge room. There was bits of rubbish on the floor from doing some craft and drawing while they were waiting for me to make dinner. The floor needed a good vacuum, and some general tidying of the bits and pieces around the room. I knew this would take all of maybe 5 minutes. So I started there. After I had finished, I could see the result, and it kick started my mojo for doing it.

Because it looks good!

Then I made my way to the kitchen. I am lucky enough to have my dad staying with us at the moment, and he likes to help out, so he does the dishes for me while I am taking the kids to school. So I came back, put them away, and wiped over the benches, oven, dishwasher and fridge.

After seeing how clean and tidy these rooms were. It got me spurred on enough to keep going.

The way I see it is, get the lived in areas done first, as you don't want to be trying to relax at night when the kids are in bed, with toys under you and things circling your mind. We all do it.

Don't worry about the kids rooms, as they are often the most untidy, and there is a door there for a reason. You close it, and voila, it's out of sight until you are happy with other things, and you feel ready to tackle it.

In saying that, I make sure my kids get up every morning about 15 minutes earlier then we have to, they make their beds, and take out any dirty clothes they have laying around, and do a general tidy. If I make sure they do this every morning, then they generally don't get too badly messy. I have been slack of late however, and they are a bit untidy. But little by little, they are cleaning them up themselves, without me having to nag them, without it taking up their time, and with a little praise, they feel the sense of achievement, and pride of their belongings, and their 'living space'.

Today, I am tackling the tiled floors, toilets, and bathrooms. If I make sure I just get these things done today, I will be happy.

Remember to keep it small. You don't have to do everything in one day.

However, in saying that, I add these 'extra chores' to my daily routine. My biggest tip, is once you have gotten a room nice, tidy and clean, keep it that way. By spending a few minutes each day on little things, they don't turn into big things.

Well, those toilets aren't going to clean themselves, so I am off. Happy cleaning.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Getting my Mum-mojo back

So, recently, I have lost my 'mum-mojo'. I have kind of given up a bit on my house, and being all I can be. I don't know why. Call it frustration from the monotony of it all.