We have been hitting cleaning and getting organized hard the past couple of weeks so I want to stop and take a moment to tell you  to take a breath and try not to become overwhelmed.

I read this quote and I’m sorry I can’t remember who wrote it or where it came from but it says “Remember you aren’t seeking perfection just organization”.

Your homes don’t need to be magazine perfect. They just need to be as comfortable, functional and as healthy as you are physically able to make it. That means don’t drive yourself and your family insane trying to keep every toy off of the floor but do try to at least keep things comfortably under control which means not having toys knee deep on the floor and have been there so long they have 2 inches of dust and are growing things on them.

And once again, if you are sick, have sick children, are moving, have a newborn( no a 5 year old is not considered a new born) etc. the normal rules don’t apply. Adapt them to your circumstances and do the best you can.

Jill

For a good excuse to give yourself a break; fix a cup of tea or coffee, put up your feet and enjoy one of these yummy muffins. Your family will love the smell when they walk in the door too.

Applesauce Muffins

2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp. baking pwd

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

1 1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup margarine, melted

Stir by hand until mixed. Don’t over mix. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 mins.

Topping

While baking combine 3 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 nutmeg.

Melt 1/4 cup margarine

While hot dip in margarine then in sugar mix.

Place a piece of carpet padding or mat under your rug by the kitchen sink or stove to keep your legs from getting tired.

Keep a toothbrush by your sink to use when cleaning can openers, graters, blenders, food processors etc.

Use your dishwasher to clean things other than dishes, pet bowls, soap dishes, flower vases, metal sink drains, stove burner pans and microwave trays.

Don’t forget to clean your dish rack and drainer. Spray it with cleaner, let it sit then wipe and rinse clean or put in your dishwasher.

To clean an old porcelain sink which is marked with metal scratches, use 400 grit wet/dry sand paper and lightly sand the markings out. Try to prevent the markings in the first place by laying a dish rag under the pan before you start cleaning it.

Use a fresh dishrag everyday and please don’t use the same rag to wash the dishes, clean the baby’s face and wipe up the floor. Use separate rags for these things.

Right before Christmas my mom gave me some sleeve holders. The were like stretchy bracelets you used for when you wanted to keep a suit jacket or sweater sleeves pushed up. I was thinking I would use them just once in awhile when I dressed up and the outfit looked better with it’s sleeves up.

One day before Christmas I was rolling out cookies and my sleeves kept getting in my way then it dawned on me (duhhhh) I didn’t need to use the sleeve holders only for when I dressed up but every day. They work great. I keep them by the sink for when I wash dishes, some sleeves bother me when I spend a lot of time on the computer so I use them then etc. I use them everyday now.

Tawra was wanting a pair and couldn’t figure out where to buy them until on day she picked up one of her daughter’s scrunchies and slipped it on her arm until she could put it away. Guess what it worked perfect for a sleeve holder.

Jill

Many of you are busy deep cleaning right now but there still is all the every day jobs to keep up with. Here is some ideas on how to do your daily jobs (starting with the kitchen) quickly so you can get on to the big stuff. Some people do things differently and in different order so this is just a suggestion to help you get started.

Clean You Kitchen In Seven Easy Steps

1. Put all dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Fill the sink with hot soapy water and put the hand washables in it to soak.

2. Wipe off counter tops and tables with hot soapy water. (This way, if you have unexpected company your table and counters are clean they will think you have been cleaning all morning.)

3. Sweep the floor and shake throw rugs if needed.

4. Wash the dishes that have been soaking.

5. Wipe down the faucets and dry with a towel. (Be sure to wipe any sticky appliances, too.)

6. Put out a clean dishcloth and towel.

7. Take out the trash.

Jill

I have been hitting the newsletter and the blog pretty heavy the past few days on the subject of getting organized, weight loss and getting out of debt but this morning I am taking a quick turn for the moment.

While I was looking up something to answer a readers question a came across some notes I had written years ago in a class I had taken. We get so many questions over and over about meals and meal planning and when I saw this statement I thought this is like Meal Planning 101. It is clear, simple and pretty much covers everything you need to know when fixing a meal.

I know I have now got your curiosity up ( I hope) so here it goes:

Meals should be planned, regular,on time, taste good, be nutritious, fit budget, smell good and be attractive.

It might help to write this statement out and keep it in your kitchen some where or with your coupons and meal planning things because as you plan your meals you can go quickly go over the list and see if your meal fits all or most of these.

If you remember the above statement that is all you  really need to know but I decided to add a little to it to help give your some ideas of what that statement means.

Planned - planning helps to save money at the store and gets rid of the last minute stress of “What am I fixing tonight for dinner!!!!!????”

Regular - we so often know we need nutritious meals but sometimes don’t realize having meals on a regular basis really helps our digestive system to function better. That means picking a time to have dinner close to the same time each day.

It also helps our families emotionally. We are built to like consistency in our lives especially children. There is something comforting in knowing no matter what frustrating things happened in their day when your family arrives home there is one constant in their life - dinner. If you don’t think this to be true try it for a week or two then stop doing it and see how your family reacts.

On time - this can be a little tricky for new cooks. It takes a little practice but you can learn to do it. Start fixing the food that will take the longest to cook first and then the next longest etc. Also do as much ahead of time as possible. This goes for everyone.

Brand new cooks may want to set the table way before you even begin the meal because it is one less thing to deal with but with practice you can usually set the table while you are waiting for something to cook on the stove. You will with practice also get to the point where you can toss a salad while you are waiting for the potatoes to cook but this all comes with time.

Taste Good - pick foods your family likes, learn to cook. I know this can be a challenge for some of you I mean some do have a harder time learning to cook then others just like some are better gardeners, sewers etc. but you really need to try the best you can to learn some basics.

Also you may have to work a little at finding foods which taste good. For example you may have to try different brands and types of things.

Fresh doesn’t always mean it tastes better either. For example most of the time I can’t tell any difference when I use frozen or fresh broccoli in my cooked foods but I can tell a difference in the brands of frozen broccoli I buy. To save money you may want to use frozen for something like this and use your savings to buy fresh foods where you really can tell a difference.

Be nutritious - I have touched on this a lot in other articles but basically this means you need to learn about nutrients and what your family needs.

Fit budget - you may want to have steak for dinner but your budget only allows chicken so chicken it is.

Smell Good - You truly use all of your senses when you eat. If your family can’t get it past their nose it won’t make it into their mouth.

Plus emotionally food smells have a strong impact on people especially when those are connected with home and family. How often do you hear an adult talk about memories of home and half of the time they will mention some smell they remember.

Be Attractive - Like I mentioned above, we use all of our senses. If it doesn’t look good or looks “grouse” they won’t eat it. Don’t forget to use lots of different colored food. Not only does this help with eye appeal but it also is an easy way to know you are giving your family a balanced meal for nutrients.

Don’t forget too to use different shapes and textures of food.

Meal planning is one of those jobs we tend to let go because we don’t consider them as important or as pressing as other things. Kinda like folding clothes and putting them away. We can get them washed and dried but not folded and put away.

But doing and following through with these things can really make our lives easier, can get rid of a lot of stress and always saves us money. Rethink some things in your life which you are letting slide you might be surprised a what a difference changing a few things will make.

Jill

After watching a bunch of “messy house” type of shows on TV all of New Year’s Day I was ready to get up and tear into my own house, sorting and cleaning. But as often happens to us I really got busy but by the end of the day I was physically dead and burning out. I had way over did.

The first thing in getting organized is to take it slow. Doing a small amount daily is better then speeding out of the starting gate only to find yourself puddering out half way through the race.

One thing I like to do and that helps me to pace myself is to find an area which is driving me crazy because it is piled and work on it first. For example the kitchen table, a fireplace mantle or a bed. I then pick one or two areas a day to work on.

Look at that kitchen table and in your mind think about what you would really like it to look like. Do you see a pretty tablecloth with a vase of flowers and two candlesticks? Or maybe you see it with something simple like a doily and a bowl of colorful fresh fruit.

What about the mantle place. Maybe you see a couple of candles with a pretty vase. In your room do you see your bed made neatly with maybe a decorator pillow or two and a throw either nicely tossed or folded on the end.

Once you get the picture in your mind get busy clear everything off the table, mantle place or bed and then make it look like your “dream” picture.

You will feel more inspired to work on something if you have a clear picture of what it is going to look like when you get it done.

When you are dreaming of your picture try something different. Maybe you have always had flowers so try fruit instead for awhile or you have always had a tablecloth so try a doily for a change. Maybe when it wasn’t piled with stuff that didn’t belong there, you had an elaborate arrangement on your mantle so try something more simple like 5 matching pillar candles.

Here’s a side tip; when decorating  try to group things in odd numbers like 3,5 etc. Instead of setting 1 or 2 knick knacks on an end table do an arrangement of 3.

Start going from room to room and spot to spot picturing and then cleaning and organizing.

Jill

It’s the beginning of a new year. There seems to be only 3 topics everyone thinks about; how to get out of debt, lose weight and get your house clean and organized. Just look at all the magazines or TV shows. It is every where.

I to am not immune to any of these. I was sitting and gazing around my domain and looking at the mess. I had really let things go.  As I was looking I started thinking “I need to get busy and clean things up but where do I start besides I was just too exhausted to start”. I just can’t do do it I told myself I’m too tired.

I then realized what I was saying. I could do it, I just was tired and didn’t want to do it. I made myself get up and start clearing the one pile of things in my kitchen that had been driving me crazy for ages. When I was done it looked so good I was energized and started on another spot. Before I knew it I had the whole kitchen done and it hadn’t even taken me 30 mins.

What dawned on me that day was how often we aren’t honest with ourselves in making excuses for not doing things. For example when I said I can’t do it that it really wasn’t the truth. I could do it I just didn’t want to do it or feel like doing so to ease my conscience I said I can’t do it.

I wonder what would happen is each time when we say “I can’t do it” we would change it to “I don’t want to do it because it will be a lot of hard work and/or sacrifice”.

Another excuse we use is “I don’t know how to do it.” Then you need to learn how. In this day and age we have access to so much knowledge there is almost no reason for not finding out how to do something.

Years ago before the internet, libraries etc. when someone didn’t know how to do something they did it by trial and error until they got it right. Today more often then not we seem to think when we say we don’t know how to do something it means we don’t have to bother to try or do it.

I always think of Thomas Edison and how it took him over a thousand tries to make the light bulb. Am I glad he didn’t say I can’t or I don’t know how. You see what an impact excuses can make on our life and others.

Last but not least one other excuse we so often use to get out of doing something is ” I don’t know where to begin” In most cases it really doesn’t matter where you begin. The important thing is just to begin.

If you are trying to get out of debt begin by stopping your spending. That step alone will make a big difference.

If you want to lose weight stop eating so much. Interesting in both of these you begin by stopping something.

And last if you are trying to clean your home you can pretty much just start any where. I also love it when people use the excuse of I don’t know how when it comes to cleaning. Do you really not know how to pick up the trash off of your living room floor or put those dirty clothes in the hamper?

Next time you hear yourself saying these things stop, pause and think am I being honest or am I sounding just like my 10 year old when he or she is trying to get out of doing their chores or homework. Hummm? I wonder where they learned their excuses from?I know I had to stop and pause myself several times this past week.

Now if these excuses have become like a comfortable old sweater to you that is ok too. Check out our website and books where you will find so many things to help inspire you to do things when you think you can’t, to help show you “how to” and to show you where to begin.

I will also try to keep coming up with tips and ideas of how to get out of debt and clean in the future.

Can we do it? Yes we can. (well for those of us who can get out of bed today - this is a little side joke for those with CFS or FM : )

Jill

You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

Translated in “Jillese” If you pay for something on credit today you will have still have to  pay for it tomorrow. You aren’t getting it for free. The same goes for all those buy now and you don’t have to pay until the year 2011 ads.  Be careful.

I’m not sure why but when we started using credit cards we lost all responsibility for our money. Holiday shopping is already starting so be very careful and think about things each time you pull all that credit card to pay. You will be responsible for it tomorrow (or next month).

That quote goes for other things besides money. You may decide you aren’t going to do the dinner dishes today but trust me they will be there in the morning for you (I hate to be the one to break it to you but there really aren’t any house fairies who come in the night and do them) :) And one day you will have to break down and clean out that closet.

I think you get my drift. It’s Monday so try to get up, make a plan and then work it. Set your home in order for the week.

Jill

I love collecting quotes, jokes and cartoons. Here are a couple I just recently found.

The first is a cartoon which my grandkids think is a hoot. It shows a little boy walking out of the kitchen carrying a huge plate of cookies and the caption reads, “Grandma doesn’t know the meaning of the word “No”.

Boy if that isn’t the truth. Is there anything harder then saying no to the grandkids???? Except when they are being little stinkers which mine never are of course???? : ) : )

This quote is for those of you who know you need to get up this morning and get busy but can’t figure out why you haven’t yet.

Procrastination was last seen trying to find motivation….. now they’re both lost. This is a good one for us with CFS and FM. : ) : )

Hope you have a week end full of laughter.

Jill

Many years ago, way way back in the last millennium : ) (that sounds impressive doesn’t it?), as a young bride (that sounds depressive - am I really that old?), I read on of the best tips on cleaning and housekeeping. The woman who wrote it was an older woman and said she had been an awful housekeeper until she asked her friend who had a spotless house what her secret was.

Her secret was that she never stopped picking up. No matter where she was walking to and from in her house, she automatically picked things up to take with her and put away. It really works.

Some of you are saying, “My kids and husband just need to pick up their own stuff.” I agree that the family needs to be responsible, but the reality is that kids and husbands have their heads in the clouds when it comes to these things. There could be an elephant in the room and if you ask them, “Why didn’t you pick that up?” they would say, “I didn’t see it there.” Duhhhhh!!!!

God has given us all different gifts and seeing the things that are out of place is not one He gave to kids and husbands so, in the same way I need them to help and do things in the areas where I’m not as gifted, I need to help them in their weaker areas. : )

That doesn’t mean they are off the hook when it comes to picking up. It just means I need to do a little extra. For example, each morning, before anyone gets fed, their rooms must be picked up. Sometimes during the day or evening if things are getting out of control, we have a “pick up ” time where everyone jumps in and helps. I usually try to make a game of this. Then at night before their snack and bedtime story the family room and, once again, their rooms get picked up.

I also taught everyone to clean up the bathroom after themselves, take care of all their dirty clothes and dishes, so as you can see I am not solely responsible for all of the picking up.

The type of thing I’m talking about is picking up that stray toy in the corner, that piece of paper or throw pillow on the floor and all those small odds and ends which so often get overlooked or that everyone refuses to claim as their own.

Those are the things that aren’t worth the time to wait until the family gets home and demand to know whose it is. It seems everyone in the family is waiting for someone else to do it and then it never gets done. As the mom, you have to just do it and pick it up. It saves so many headaches.

As I walk through a room, let’s say on my way to the bathroom, I will scan the room as I go through to see if anything is out of place. If it is, I pick it up to deposit where it should go on my way to the bathroom. When I come out of the bathroom headed back, I pick up things that need to go to the other end of the house. Most of the time this takes me less then a minute. It has become such a habit that I didn’t realize how much I did it until I was over at Tawra’s the other day and started doing it at her house.

As I was walking along, I spied a marble, then a Lincoln log and grabbed those up… next, a scrap of paper. I put the paper in the trash that I passed on my way to the boys’ room, where I put the other things. I was headed that way anyway and it didn’t take me 5 seconds to scoop, grab and put away.

It is such a habit that, even when I am tired, I do it without thinking. Try doing this with one room. If the room is mostly picked up, go in, scan the room and pick up those little overlooked things and see what a difference it makes in the room. Then get into the habit of always picking up those little “out of place” things. You will be surprised at how many little things there are laying around and out of place in your house.

One word of warning: Be careful of piles. I have the bad habit of piling things at the foot or top of the stairs and planning to take them up later, but that is my weakness - not seeing the pile when I head upstairs - so try to do as I say and not as I do and keep the piles under control.

Jill, lean, mean, picking up machine

Penny, one of our readers asked how do you clean when you are moving and have little time or help.

First don’t wait until the last minute to do things whether it is packing or cleaning. The day I know or even have the slightest idea I will be moving I start packing. Now what does that have to do with cleaning? That means I can clean as I go along.

For example. I start in my upper kitchen cabinets and upper closet shelves. As I pack a shelf it gets vacuumed or wiped. Two or three days before moving every cabinet in the house should be empty and cleaned. It doesn’t hurt to live with the bare essentials and out of a suitcase for even a week before moving.

Once again as soon as I find out I am moving I start taking down all the pictures off of the walls and patching holes if I am in a rental. If I will have to be showing my house I take all down but a small handful for decoration.

A week to 10 days before moving all closets should have everything in them packed and moved out. The closet can be cleaned and the only thing left in them should be a small handful of clothes you will be using until moving day.

A couple of weeks before moving you need to let your grocery supply run low so that again 2-3 days before moving you can pull everything out of the fridge and freezer and give it a good cleaning. You will still have a few things in there but place them on one or two shelves then on moving day you will only have a couple of shelves to quickly wipe clean instead of a whole refrigerator.

Two to three days (a week would be even better) before you move clean the inside of your oven.and burners. You can easily plan menus which don’t call for baking in an oven for a few days or that takes only a small amount of cooking.

Any rooms which are not needed should be empty of everything but large items and boxes to be moved and cleaned. For example a dining room that is only used once in awhile can be packed up and cleaned or if you have 2-3 bathrooms try to get by with only 1-2 for a week or so. That way the extra bathroom can be cleaned and the door shut telling everyone not to go in there. A spare bedroom, sewing room etc. any room you can do with out for a week or so get it packed up and cleaned.

Come moving day as soon as everything is loaded up and moved out it shouldn’t take more then a couple of hours to do a quick vacuum, clean the bathrooms and wipe down the microwave and kitchen counters. Remember you already have the inside of the cabinets clean, the closets etc. so it shouldn’t take long.

Now if you find you can’t do any of this until moving day you will be surprised how quickly you can clean in an empty house. Here’s a routine to follow:

Pick up all trash in a room.

Put an attachment on your vacuum, hit the window sills, base boards and closets then vacuum the floor this should take only 15-20 mins. depending on the size of room.

Pick up trash in bathrooms, spray with cleaner don’t wipe yet, head to kitchen.

Pick up trash, vacuum kitchen cabinets, wipe down counters and stove top, mop floor.

Go back and finish wiping down the bathrooms.

Clean kitchen sink, take out trash and you are done. I leave the kitchen sink until last because it seems we use it up to the last minute.

Between Tawra and I we have moved so many times we have it down to an art. I have even written a very detailed e book Moving on a Dime on it so if you need more info you might want to check it out.

Jill