Over organized? I think not!

O.K. So as I was marking out my garden and getting ready for the kids to help me plant, I had the thought that my organization may have gotten a little out of hand. Then I looked at my garden layout and quickly dismissed that thought. Late winter/early spring I took the time to literally graph out my garden. (I know it sounds a little anal, but I had the graph paper on hand.) I laid out where I wanted my rows to go and where I wanted my vining veggies to go. I adjusted for the space they needed and voila - I had a garden planned. After my accomplishments today, I am really glad I took the time to write it down. I don't want to know what kind of mess I would have ended up with if I had just gone there with bags of seeds and three kids!

Household Routines

I've been asked a lot lately about how I "run the house." I guess I like to have an order to my day/week, etc. I'm no drill sergeant by any means (unless maybe you ask my kids), but I find things run smoother if I have an established routine. So, here goes...

I like to have one day a week to do laundry. This was not always possible when I was working. Now that I am home, it's the best way to get it all done in one day rather than doing laundry for 5 or 6 days of the week. There are always exceptions to this rule - potty training, sick people, accidents, etc., but I find that if I stick to one day a week, I also eliminate the "Mom, where's my clothes?" questions. At our house, everyone knows that Wednesday is laundry day. If you don't have your clothes in your dirty clothes basket by the night before, you will have to wait until the next week. I have also quit picking up clothes from the floor, no matter how close to the basket they may be. For the most part, everyone in our house is able to pick up their clothes.

As for cleaning the house, I like to have a room or two per day. That is the time that the room gets a good once over. Dusting, going through old mail, throwing out old magazines, evicting the toys to their owner's room, etc. I have also given the older children chores to do every day during the week. Vacuuming and sweeping are two of the main chores. The only stipulation I give them is that they need to pick up the room before they start - papers, pillows, afghans, etc. This also keeps the mess under control.

Well, that's the basics. I know this is not near enough cleaning for some people and way too much for others. I know this works for us.

A wise person once told me, "A house needs to be clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be lived in."

Spring Cleaning

O.K., so I'm being a little ambitious here. I started with the dining room - the easiest to complete in a day. Pictures, walls, rugs, registers, door, trim, the works, all received a thorough cleaning. I moved to the kitchen two days later and accomplished half of it, including moving the stove (yuk!). It's amazing how much dust and dirt can accumulate in less than two years. So, my theory is to take it one room at a time, or half a room depending on which one it is, and clean the whole house this spring. I know it all sounds crazy, but until I can get into my gardens, which is at least another three to four weeks, I need to do something to keep my mind off (or on?) the dirt!

Washing Windows

Spring cleaning has arrived, aka, I took down the Easter clings from the window and noticed how dirty the windows were. So, here is a little window washing tip. When you wash your windows, use side to side strokes on one side of the window and up and down strokes on the other side. It makes it easier to tell which side has the streaks. (I can't take full credit for this one, but I don't remember where I read it.)

Crooked Pictures?

Ever hang a picture only to find out that it will not hang strait? You can use a metal washer or coin to even it out. Secure the washer to the back of the high side of the picture at the bottom corner. Duct tape works great for this one. If you are worried about ruining the frame, you can also put one of those rubber knobbies that go on the bottom of objects to protect surfaces or on the back of cabinet doors so they don't make so much noise.

Healthier Tuna (and nobody is the wiser...)

Over the years I have learned various ways to add more nutritional value to my families meals. One of the easiest and fastest is to "beef" up your tuna. Instead of draining the tuna before you make your tuna sandwiches or tuna melts, put the juices used for canning right in the bowl with the tuna. Add about a handful of quick cook oatmeal and stir. Let this sit for a few minutes (good time to get the other ingredients or set the table.) The oatmeal will soak up the liquid and you won't even notice it's there. It also makes the one can of tuna go a bit further. Be careful not to use too much oatmeal though. You may get accused of using (gasp!) whole wheat bread!

Storing the saved clings

Now that you have saved those clings, how do you store them? Folders work well, but my favorite is photo albums. Remember the old sticky pages with the thin film over them that you would never dream of putting your pictures in? Put a bunch of these pages in a 3-ring binder and stick the clings right to the tops of the pages (don't open the film!) You have a cling that is larger than the pages? No problem. Just fold it over the edge of a page or two. Next time you go to use it, run both sides of the crease under the hottest water you can stand for a few minutes. The crease will virtually disappear and the cling will be clean. Now you can stick it where you will. You can even get fancy with your binder and put dividers between seasons and holidays. The best way to store this binder is lying flat.