It's 10:38 here in my world, and to be quite honest, I don't feel like writing. But, here I am, and yes I marched myself up here to the computer in the chilly dormer room although I would rather be under my favorite blanket reading a book. I'm not sure my writing effort for today will be worth reading, but National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo) will hopefully be a great way to make writing every day a habit, however bad the product may be.
So today's "prompt" is this:
"Friday, January 3, 2014
Do you have a tendency to procrastinate, or do you like checking things off your to-do list?"
Hmmm. Can I answer this tomorrow? Just kidding. I have made many to-do lists in my life. For some reason, they don't work. Possibly because the act of writing it all down feels like enough of an accomplishment and the pressure to actually do those things is no longer there? Or perhaps I am overwhelmed by the list? Actually one thing I have done, which seems to help me be able to actually check things off, is write just three of the most pressing things to do for that day on a post-it note. Preferably a brightly colored post-it. I tried this one day, and I will say that by the end of the day, it felt pretty good to have checked off those three things and thrown that note away. A smaller list, written on a smaller piece of paper...much less daunting perhaps.
However, sometimes it doesn't matter how many to-do lists I write or where/how I write them, because being a stay-at-home parent means that your "plans" for the day - any day - are largely meaningless. IF I am able to accomplish something, anything, I count it as a mark in the "win" column and pat myself on the back. For instance, today I didn't have a plan for the day - other than going out to get dog food, which didn't happen anyway because my older daughter was just diagnosed with "primary generalized epilepsy" and is still getting used to her medication, and I didn't want to leave her home alone. So, Sophie helped me take down the Christmas tree (taking lights out of a Christmas tree = #4 on my list of the most irritating things on earth), and I also vacuumed the first floor and upstairs. Definitely a pat-myself-on-the-back kind of day. Of course, in the process of putting the tree away, I added an item to my to-do-at-some-point-in-the-future list: throw out every freaking thing in the attic...
Later,
Jen
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Friday, January 3, 2014
Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Categories of Cleaning
{I don't know how many times I have typed "cateRgories"...if you ever see it that way here just know that I do know how to spell, my fingers just slip!}
I think I may have worked as a Professional Organizer in another life. If not, and if I believed in reincarnation, I'd want to come back as one. (However, the entire concept of reincarnation just makes me tired. I mean, this life has been challenging enough, do I really want to come back for another go-round?? I think not.)
In the process of trying to 'teach' my older child how to go about cleaning her room (I know, I know - you shouldn't have to 'teach' a child 'how to clean'. But this particular child is VERY LITERAL in the way she thinks and will probably grow up to be a lawyer or something because she like to argue every single point with me. Not sure where she get this tendency, wink wink.), I realized there are actually two categories to cleaning: Nooks 'n' Crannies cleaning, and Soap 'n' Water cleaning.
1) Nooks'n'Crannies cleaning: this means systematically and regularly going through every single storage space, flat surface, drawer, closet in your living space. Any space that is used to store stuff falls into this category - starting with your attic or crawl space, moving through any and all drawers, closets, shelves, down into any kitchen cabinets and pantries (you know you have expired cans of peas in there), bookshelves, DVD and/or CD storage, coffee-table shelves...and on into the basement if you have one. Basically anywhere you can set something down and forget about it, qualifies as a "nook" or "cranny" and can also be described as "a flat surface not used on a daily basis where I can deposit piles of cr*p and forget about it".
Why go through all these little spaces? Because my friend, if you don't, you are basically straightening up, storing, and cleaning around vast amounts of JUNK which, really, you haven't used/touched/thought about in a really long time. If you don't regularly go through this stuff...well, pretty soon you're being featured on an episode of "H.oarders" and you're not even sure how it got to that point! So, instead of ignoring all these spaces (hoping the junk grows legs and walks itself to the junk bin just really doesn't work), take one shelf or one area, and just go through the stuff. Use the three categories we have all learned from watching shows like "H.oarders" - the "keep" pile, the "pitch" pile, and the "donate" pile. Put the "pitch" stuff immediately into a garbage bag, and put it immediately into the trash. Take the donate stuff and put it into its own bag, and put it immediately into your car....and the next time you drive by the Good.will drop-off, drop it off!!
2) Soap'n'Water cleaning: This has to come second in the process because otherwise, you are having to move piles of stuff just to get to the surface you want to clean, right? I mean, it is hard to wipe down the shelves in a closet if you open the closet door, and can't even see the shelves because they are covered with stuff you can't remember ever having bought or used, and really don't want. No, you would open that closet door and look at all the stuff taking up your (perhaps only) spot to store things....and close the door again, right?
I will be honest in saying that I have not been successful in doing this kind of cleaning throughout my entire house! These cleaning suggestions came to mind as I pondered the contrasts between how I "clean" and how my husband cleans. He has a tendency to straighten the clutter, and I don't think something is truly clean unless I've gone through the clutter and gotten rid of stuff, and then cleaned/dusted the surface. His method definitely makes things "look" cleaner more quickly!
Thanks for reading!
Later,
Jen
I think I may have worked as a Professional Organizer in another life. If not, and if I believed in reincarnation, I'd want to come back as one. (However, the entire concept of reincarnation just makes me tired. I mean, this life has been challenging enough, do I really want to come back for another go-round?? I think not.)
In the process of trying to 'teach' my older child how to go about cleaning her room (I know, I know - you shouldn't have to 'teach' a child 'how to clean'. But this particular child is VERY LITERAL in the way she thinks and will probably grow up to be a lawyer or something because she like to argue every single point with me. Not sure where she get this tendency, wink wink.), I realized there are actually two categories to cleaning: Nooks 'n' Crannies cleaning, and Soap 'n' Water cleaning.
1) Nooks'n'Crannies cleaning: this means systematically and regularly going through every single storage space, flat surface, drawer, closet in your living space. Any space that is used to store stuff falls into this category - starting with your attic or crawl space, moving through any and all drawers, closets, shelves, down into any kitchen cabinets and pantries (you know you have expired cans of peas in there), bookshelves, DVD and/or CD storage, coffee-table shelves...and on into the basement if you have one. Basically anywhere you can set something down and forget about it, qualifies as a "nook" or "cranny" and can also be described as "a flat surface not used on a daily basis where I can deposit piles of cr*p and forget about it".
Why go through all these little spaces? Because my friend, if you don't, you are basically straightening up, storing, and cleaning around vast amounts of JUNK which, really, you haven't used/touched/thought about in a really long time. If you don't regularly go through this stuff...well, pretty soon you're being featured on an episode of "H.oarders" and you're not even sure how it got to that point! So, instead of ignoring all these spaces (hoping the junk grows legs and walks itself to the junk bin just really doesn't work), take one shelf or one area, and just go through the stuff. Use the three categories we have all learned from watching shows like "H.oarders" - the "keep" pile, the "pitch" pile, and the "donate" pile. Put the "pitch" stuff immediately into a garbage bag, and put it immediately into the trash. Take the donate stuff and put it into its own bag, and put it immediately into your car....and the next time you drive by the Good.will drop-off, drop it off!!
2) Soap'n'Water cleaning: This has to come second in the process because otherwise, you are having to move piles of stuff just to get to the surface you want to clean, right? I mean, it is hard to wipe down the shelves in a closet if you open the closet door, and can't even see the shelves because they are covered with stuff you can't remember ever having bought or used, and really don't want. No, you would open that closet door and look at all the stuff taking up your (perhaps only) spot to store things....and close the door again, right?
I will be honest in saying that I have not been successful in doing this kind of cleaning throughout my entire house! These cleaning suggestions came to mind as I pondered the contrasts between how I "clean" and how my husband cleans. He has a tendency to straighten the clutter, and I don't think something is truly clean unless I've gone through the clutter and gotten rid of stuff, and then cleaned/dusted the surface. His method definitely makes things "look" cleaner more quickly!
Thanks for reading!
Later,
Jen
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wow; cleaning the attic; quesadillas!
Wow, hard to believe it has been over a year since I wrote anything on this blog! How time flies. I think the challenge about maintaining a blog of any kind is that it demands a certain kind of self-confidence that probably most people don't have...obviously I don't, always! It requires the consistent belief that what one has to say is actually of interest to anyone besides oneself. While I am a passable writer, I don't honestly believe that my opinions about life are always of interest to my friends, family, or the general public. But, that's okay. I'll change up that old saying "you can please some of the people some of the time", and say that "I can interest some of the readers, some of the time".
Yesterday I spent a few hours cleaning out one of our attic spaces, partly with the goal of taking out and going through all the boxes of Christmas flotsam and jetsam. I got quite a bit done; however I am paying for it today, as I think I may have pinched a nerve or something in the ol' spine/back area, and I'm having balance problems today. I'm still relieved though to have taken the time to go through that space and rearrange the stuff in there. I guess I don't mind having boxes of holiday 'stuff' but if we are going to keep it all, I think we need to be realistic about how much of it we actually use, and how much of it we really, truly want to bring out AND PUT AWAY every holiday. I know Brad is all about putting it out...packing it away and putting the boxes back in the attic in an orderly fashion, not so much. For myself I can honestly say that I know me on this topic, and I know I really don't want to drag everything out every holiday when it's only going to be out for 3 weeks. And, because our house is small, in order to even put anything out we have to move or put away a bunch of other stuff first anyway, what a chore. Brad doesn't really have the time to deal with it all, or the energy, and I don't have the desire, so I say let's get rid of it!! I even pondered, yesterday since the weather here was decent, setting up a table on the lawn and doing a very impromptu yard sale, and getting rid of holiday stuff. I didn't do that, of course, as it was just me home with the girls and that pretty much squashes any spontaneity like that, but I did think about it. I also thought about setting aside holiday decor with the plan of having a yard sale in the spring - but you know how THAT goes. You set it aside, and six months later when it's actually time to have the sale, you decide you still want those things OR you can't even remember where they are!
On a completely unrelated note, I wonder if I can put carrot shavings in the girls' quesdillas tonight - upping their vegetable consumption - without them noticing?
Later,
Jen
Yesterday I spent a few hours cleaning out one of our attic spaces, partly with the goal of taking out and going through all the boxes of Christmas flotsam and jetsam. I got quite a bit done; however I am paying for it today, as I think I may have pinched a nerve or something in the ol' spine/back area, and I'm having balance problems today. I'm still relieved though to have taken the time to go through that space and rearrange the stuff in there. I guess I don't mind having boxes of holiday 'stuff' but if we are going to keep it all, I think we need to be realistic about how much of it we actually use, and how much of it we really, truly want to bring out AND PUT AWAY every holiday. I know Brad is all about putting it out...packing it away and putting the boxes back in the attic in an orderly fashion, not so much. For myself I can honestly say that I know me on this topic, and I know I really don't want to drag everything out every holiday when it's only going to be out for 3 weeks. And, because our house is small, in order to even put anything out we have to move or put away a bunch of other stuff first anyway, what a chore. Brad doesn't really have the time to deal with it all, or the energy, and I don't have the desire, so I say let's get rid of it!! I even pondered, yesterday since the weather here was decent, setting up a table on the lawn and doing a very impromptu yard sale, and getting rid of holiday stuff. I didn't do that, of course, as it was just me home with the girls and that pretty much squashes any spontaneity like that, but I did think about it. I also thought about setting aside holiday decor with the plan of having a yard sale in the spring - but you know how THAT goes. You set it aside, and six months later when it's actually time to have the sale, you decide you still want those things OR you can't even remember where they are!
On a completely unrelated note, I wonder if I can put carrot shavings in the girls' quesdillas tonight - upping their vegetable consumption - without them noticing?
Later,
Jen
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