Friday, May 20, 2016

A Well Kept House: My Weekly Cleaning Schedule

Clean and green.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile my knack for cleaning should come as no surprise to you. I actually really really enjoy it, and even joke about taking up a side job as a house cleaner. I'm also type-a, organized (OCD) list maker so in order to keep up on keeping our house clean with a busy schedule and a messy 2 year old I have implemented a weekly cleaning schedule. Some people prefer to do the one day a week cleaning frenzy to do everything in one fell swoop but that didn't ever jive with me so this is what I've been doing for a couple years now and I love it. It keeps your home clean and tidy without feeling like you're spending 5 hours a day cleaning and it's easier to stay on top of general tidiness.

Here's what my weekly cleaning looks like, obviously its based on my home and you'd need to adjust it to your needs in your house (ie: vacuuming vs sweeping, etc)

Monday: Bathrooms (Everything: Scrub toilets, sinks, bathtub, countertops and floors)
Tuesday: Vacuum hall, bedrooms and furniture. And dust all rooms (including living room)
Wednesday: Mop entry, kitchen, living/dining and wipe all kitchen cabinets.
Thursday: All laundry (usually two loads of clothing, one of linens)
Friday: Deep clean or organize one area (the refrigerator, a closet, clean windows and mirrors in all rooms, etc) + catch up on any missed days.

And here are things I do daily to keep things tidy:
-Sweep living/dining and kitchen
-Dishes, countertops and table
-Wipe down sink and toilet in bathroom
-General tidy in all rooms (sometimes this requires vacuuming hall+rooms at least once more throughout the week)

I generally spend 30 minutes to an hour doing all of the above, which seems like so little time to trade for a clean and tidy house every day. Obviously this isn't rocket science and probably not any new information at all but I always find it helpful to see exactly what other people do to stay on top of it to get an idea for how to implement it myself. I promise this won't feel like you're cleaning 10 hours a day and never staying on top of it, it's SO easy to maintain the tidiness with a schedule like this.

A few other things that help me stay on top of tidying and cleaning:

-Using disposable disinfecting wipes for quick clean-ups. I don't use them for everything but definitely for a quick sweep through the bathroom during the week on the toilet and sink. And they also come in handy for the bajillion toddler messes like pasta that gets thrown on the ground or cleaning his highchair tray. We've been using these ones from Seventh Generation (plant-based and safe for kids!)

-Letting your kiddos join in on the cleaning fun. I always let Beck help with windows or mirrors, or wiping countertops (only if he wants to obviously, and he always does!). It keeps him occupied while I clean and he learns that cleaning can be fun. The only place I usually clean during a nap time is the bathroom since I'd rather him not "help" clean the toilet ;)

-Have less stuff, tidy less. This is just the tip of the iceberg for another post I've been working on but I can't do a cleaning post without talking about it for a second at least. The less things you have, the less you'll have to tidy up. If it takes 30 minutes to pick-up toys in your kids room, maybe they have too many toys. If laundry day requires 10 loads of laundry, maybe you have too many clothes (unless you have like 10 kids).
Green clean

Clean and green.
Clean and green.
Clean and green.

I'm a long time lover of Seventh Generation products and have been using their cleaning products since I started buying my own when we first got married 8 years ago. I'll be working with them for a few posts so they sent me a box of house cleaners and products (hello... my dream package! I was actually giddy) to use and share about. I've been especially loving the natural glass cleaner, tub+tile cleaner (a must in the bathroom!!!), the lavender dish soap (smells SO good), and the free and clear laundry soap.



Monday, May 16, 2016

Pregnancy #2: So different yet the same

Third trimester!
^ at 30 weeks and feeling like I'm going to pop already

One thing that has thrown me for a complete loop is how different this pregnancy has been compared to last time. Some great, some good, some bad. I'm not sure why I assumed it would be similar/easier but it's been quite different. I got bigger faster (and keep getting bigger...and bigger), my hip and pubic bone pain started earlier, boobs...huge, and I'm anemic this time so the fatigue has been crazy in the third trimester. Some things have been better though like no spotting (that was NOT fun last time) and no Irritable Uterus (basically contractions 24/7 that you have to get monitored to make sure it's not pre-term labor). I also just feel more confident and less fearful about everything my body is doing, and just all around more relaxed.

Even with the extra annoyances this time (more uncomfortable, more pain, feeling like a whale) it still blows my mind what my body is doing right now and I can't but help but have so much gratitude and be in constant awe that I get to experience it all again. This baby girl moves practically 24/7 and my hands are always on my stomach trying to figure out what limb I might be feeling and giving some friendly pokes back. Because 2nd baby or 10th, I don't think that mind-blown feeling of having a real, living and growing tiny human inside of you kicking around will ever wear off. I know in 2 years I'll look at her and think my body grew you, and you came out of me and now you're a toddler... what the heck??

I know this last stretch of time will fly by like crazy as we prepare for her so even though right now I'm not feeling so skinny, and I'm mega tired and I'll wind up with a couple more stretch marks I'm soaking in this dream-like time where the only thing this baby girl needs is my body. It's a crazy thing...


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