CLEAN MAMA

Clean + Organized 2012 - February

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

January was a great month to start a cleaning and organizing routine here at the Clean Mama blog. We shared some tips, established a cleaning routine, accomplished 4 deep cleaning projects in our homes, tackled a few organizing projects and hopefully had some fun too!

The overwhelming response has been to continue this cleaning and organizing craziness, so I'll keep it going through February. Here's what you can expect:

a FREEBIE Cleaning Schedule for February (available 2/1/12)
a FREEBIE binder divider or cover page with the Clean + Organized 2012 logo
quick clean suggestions throughout the month (something that will take you 1-5 minutes to complete)
encouragement, reminders, ideas, fun
coupon codes and specials in my shop

So, are you with me? If you are, pass it around!

Clean + Organized - Pinterest Project

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

This week's Pinterest Organizing project was some art supply 'kits' for my kiddos. This keeps the projects contained and more interesting to them because the supplies aren't out all the time, keeping them special.

Here are a couple art supply ideas that I pinned on Pinterest:

Source: bhg.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: housetohome.co.uk via Becky on Pinterest

Cute right?

I found these boxes at Target - $5.99 for 5 of them. The flat boxes on top were a different price - I'm going to use them for coloring books, papers, etc.

The colors are already the accent colors in the craft room, so these were a great find.

The kids and I sorted out some of their special (not every day) art supplies. Put them into bins and then I made labels for them. I used 3x5 Avery Labels then I went to the Avery website and created these labels in minutes.

A simple, but fun little organizing project.
Anyone working on Pinterest projects this week?

New In the Shop : Chore Chart Kit

2012-01-26T04:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to share my latest kit with you - it's a Chore Chart Kit! It's something that I have been working on for months and it's finally complete. I've been trying out different ideas and methods and came up with something that's pretty neat. Check it out:

The Chore Chart Kit is a complete, interactive chore chart system with 22 documents - perfect for different ages and developmental stages. There are 6 DIFFERENT chore charts, each different chart comes with 3 color choices (black + white, pink/grape/lime, and blue/tangerine/lime) for the ever-changing chore chart officianado.

a new design of my 'Just One Thing' chart - perfect for reinforcing that just one thing (potty training, picking up clothes...)

here it is laminated with a potty icon stuck on using double stick velcro - use a dry erase marker and use it over and over with different icons!

standard chore charts with days of the week at the top (see the three colors that you get?)

'Chores for the Door' - I came up with this idea and it works GREAT in the kids' bedrooms! 4 different versions - in three colors (black+white, pink/grape/aqua, blue/lime/tangerine) of the 'Chores for the Door' are included

Here's a closer look at the four versions of the 'Chores for the Door' Charts

laminated and trimmed - ready for the chores

and a completed version - laminated - I used velcro to stick the icons to the circles - my kids LOVE them!

Check out the cute icons I created just for this kit!

I have hand-drawn chore chart icons to coordinate with the chore charts and to make them fun and functional. Each icon comes with a cute dashed circle around it and comes in 5 colors pink, grape, blue, lime, and black. The icons come with and without descriptions underneath - backpack, make bed, potty...)

(Jessica Weible Illustration computer-rendered my chore chart icon drawings.)

There are 6 Chore Charts Included:

4 different 'Chores for the Door' (copyright 2012) - 2 to a page - great for children to track what needs to be done before they leave their room in the morning, go to school, or at the end of the day. The 4 charts are: 6 blanks, 3 blanks, 6 blanks with a column for morning and a column for night, and 3 blank circles with 8 boxes for each circle to check off progress
'Just One Thing Chart' - for "that one thing" that a child needs to work on - potty reinforcement, picking up a room, eating all their fruits and veggies, showing kind behavior.... The top has a cute blank circle so you or your child can fill in a specific task or behavior to be working on.
Weekly Chore Chart - 3 cute blank circles to add your chores - Sunday-Saturday at the top.

The Chore Chart Kit is a DIY item - there are many ways to create the perfect chore chart that functions beautifully for your child/ren. PRINT, CUT, CHART! I recommend printing on cardstock - white or a fun, bright color. Laminating is a great way to make the charts last, use a dry erase marker to chart progress. You can use stick-on velcro or stick-on magnets to make these charts interactive.

The How and Why of Doing Laundry Every Day

2012-01-25T04:03:00.000-08:00

Why Would a Person Want to Do Laundry Every Day?

no mountains of laundry to deal with
clothes are washed more frequently, so stains don't set
it's a routine - you are more likely to continue it once you start
less - "I don't have any clean socks, pants...."
no less baskets of clothes in corners of rooms that need to be folded
clean clothes that are put away gives you a feeling of accomplishment
more frequent laundry = smaller loads = less time folding and putting away

How Does a Person Do Laundry Every Day?

come up with a system - time of day that it works and how you will approach it
5 people in the family/5 days of the work week = everyone gets a day and then sheets and towels are done on Saturdays
I do laundry in the very early morning or evening
the kids have one little laundry basket each and all their clothes get tossed in the laundry unsorted (whites/darks/brights together) and I run the washing machine on COLD water - if they have a new outfit, that gets washed by itself first
my husband and I each have a hamper that's divided into two sections - whites and brights/darks - I wash our clothes separately and on separate days as two loads each (whites and brights/darks)
I love the way my detergent and softener smell, so that helps for some reason
I try to put laundry away right after it comes out of the dryer, otherwise it will sit - making sure laundry is not wrinkly is motivating for me (does that make me weird?)

So how about you? How do you do laundry? What's your system? Does it work?

Week 4 - Clean + Organized 2012

2012-01-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's Week 4 and if you are still with me, you will hopefully be seeing some improvement and definitely a neater and tidier home. Yay, right?

If you're new here, here's a link to the printable schedule for the month, a kitchen deep cleaning printable, a bathroom deep cleaning printable, a main living area(s) deep cleaning printable and a printable cleaning/organizing subway art for inspiration.

Here's my cleaning routine for this week and early next week - it sounds like this is working well for you. If it isn't working, use it as a launch pad for what works (keep that) and what doesn't work (change that).

My Pinterest project of the week is going to be some kids' craft storage organization, so I'll share that with you on Friday.

This week's deep cleaning is going to be bedroom(s). If you only have time for one, I'd suggest the master bedroom. Here's a link to the freebie printable to use while you clean. (The freebie deep cleaning checklists coordinate with The Cleaning Kit (which is ON SALE this week, just for you!)

Initially, I intended January to be a jumpstart for you to get into a cleaning routine, but I wasn't sure if I should continue it past January. I've had so many requests to continue, I'm going to do something similar - I'll have a printable for February's cleaning routine for you, but I'm going to add something a little simpler than the deep cleaning schedules. Come back through the week and then I'll announce the details for February on Monday, January 30th. Sound like fun?

Clean + Organized - Bathroom Cleaning Supply Buckets

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

First off, how are you doing with the routine this month? I've heard great things and hope that my routine has given you back some time and less clutter and mess to deal with during your days and nights.

So this week I set out to create a little cleaning bucket/caddy/supply thing for each bathroom cupboard.

I've been inspired by these ideas via my Pinterest boards:

Source: marthastewart.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: foutchcoutch.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

(I know this is originally from BHG.com, but all I can find on BHG is a picture of the door.)

I ordered these from The Container Store last week and they still haven't made it to my house, so no finished pictures today - I'll update once I have completed my buckets.

via

But what I've been looking into is having some needed tools that I usually tote from bathroom to bathroom (not necessarily cleaning supplies) in the cupboards so I don't have to clean all the bathrooms in one fell swoop if it isn't convenient on my bathroom cleaning day. Maybe the kids are in the bathtub on Monday night and I haven't gotten to cleaning the bathroom yet - no running downstairs to get my one cleaning bucket. I have supplies and tools at the ready for a quick clean up.

What could go in the buckets?

microfiber cleaning cloths

microfiber mirror/window cleaning cloths

a scrubber

all-purpose cleaner

garbage bags

magic erasers

cleaning wipes

So tell me, is this something you do or could do to make bathroom cleaning a little easier?

Clean + Organized - How To Make a Homekeeping Binder

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hopefully it's not a secret that I love my Homekeeping Binder and the documents that I have created to go into my binder. If you are thinking of making a binder, have created a binder or just curious as to whether or not a binder could help you in your home, today's post is for you.

Who needs a Homekeeping Binder?

anyone who wants a central place for family and/or home information

What Information Should Be Kept In a Homekeeping Binder?

any information that would normally be floating around on counters, drawers, or in your brain

Where Should I Start?

start by making a quick list of areas/categories that could use organizing in your home - if you have more than two or three, a binder is a great place to contain your information

Not Sure of Categories? Here Are a Few:

meal planning

cleaning

in case of emergency

while we're away

home maintenance

calendars

school information

budget + bill paying

blogging

gift giving

holidays

shopping

contacts - family, friends, service companies

The Categories In My Homekeeping Binder?

calendars

cleaning

meal planning

budgeting

listmaking

blogging

What Kind of Binder is Best?

any 3-ring binder will work - if it's cute, I'll be more apt to use it. If you're like me, pick out something cute. My binder is from Target and coordinates in my kitchen. You could also come up with a plan, have the pages printed out at a copy shop and have it bound into a book.

What Else Makes a Binder More Functional?

Post-It notes

pens, pencils, highlighters

dividers

pockets

hole punch

plastic sleeves

laminated pages

What Else?

You have to USE your binder and it has to be designed to work for you or else it'll be time and money poorly spent. Think through your categories and what will work in your home.

Tweak your categories and printables as you go until you get a system that you love. I've been using a Homekeeping Binder for at least three years and it has morphed and changed with our lives, but the time that I have taken to organize it has been so worth it in time saved hunting for information.

Where Can I Find Documents to Help Me Create My Binder

Clean Mama Printables (my Etsy shop - shameless plug, of course)

(all printables in this post can be found in my shop)

printables on the web (here's some freebies from me, too)

make them yourself (hand write or on the computer)

some documents will be ones that come to you - like a school calendar, take out menus, contact information

If you want to start (or tweak) a Homekeeping/Home Management Binder, you might want to consider my 2012 Starter Kit - 45 documents designed to take the work out of organizing your life! AND, it's on sale (25% OFF) to help you get started! (sale ends Friday, January 20th at 10am CST)

I have oodles of other organizing goodness in the form of printables and printable kits in my shop to help you organize and streamline your life!

New In the Shop: Shopping Kit

2012-01-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Want to add a little organization to your shopping? I just added a new kit to my shop - The Shopping Kit. It has 5 documents sure to make your shopping a little more fun and much more organized. It has a Needs + Wants list....

an online shopping tracker + website password tracker

an 'All Over Everywhere List' for multiple errands

and a detailed shopping list with 2 checkboxes (you can write quantity in one box and check the other box when you put the item in your cart)

The Shopping Kit is on sale through 1/17/12 if you're interested.

Week 3 - Clean + Organized 2012

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Ready for another week of cleaning and organizing? If you're new here, here's a link to the printable schedule for the month, a kitchen deep cleaning printable, a bathroom deep cleaning printable, and a printable cleaning/organizing subway art for inspiration.

Here's a snapshot of week 3 - it's the same every week, so hopefully you'll start to establish a routine and your home will start to be easier to clean once you get a couple of weeks under your belt.

If you have a little extra time this week, you might want to tackle deep cleaning your main living area(s) - family room, living room, den - any area that your family ends up using a lot.

I'm going to work on our family room today and the living room later in the week. Here's a link to the freebie printable for the main living areas deep cleaning checklist. (If you are interested, the deep cleaning checklists that I'm providing all coordinate with the Cleaning Kit in my shop.)

Wednesday I'll be sharing HOW I use a homekeeping binder to keep me sane and then Friday will be my Pinterest organizing project. My Pinterest organizing project for the week? Finish up the photo wall and make cleaning containers for each bathroom cupboard. Now get to your routine-ing! Happy Cleaning and Organizing!

Clean + Organized - Friday Pinterest Project

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Friday is Menu Planning and Shopping Day, but it's also a day to share the organizing project that I've decided to tackle via Pinterest for the week. My project is an ambitious one. I have been working on family photo wall. Understand that this will be my third round in as many years, so this time I want it to be as close to perfect as I can get. My issues with the previous photo walls that I've arranged was that the spacing was off and the frames would tip and tilt if a door was slammed or when the washing machine was spinning.

I started by taking all the frames down, filling the holes and repainting the hallway a darker color. I used Benjamin Moore's EcoSpec (it's a contractor grade no-VOC paint, so it's a lot cheaper and doesn't smell). The color? Revere Pewter in a flat finish - I love this color because it's a light, warm grey so it can look tan too, depending on your surroundings.

I took all the frames and started to try to figure out a configuration. Here's where Pinterest came in handy. I typed in 'photo wall' and started browsing different photo walls, pinned ones I liked and started trying to decide what look was best.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Source: andreasteed.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: sixtyfifthavenue.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: justagirlblog.com via Becky on Pinterest

So what I realized is that I like a large rectangle as the overall shape of the arrangement, but different sizes of frames within that rectangle or square.

So...I don't have a completed wall to show you, but I have a couple ideas for how I'm going to complete this wall (hopefully over the weekend). I still have to decide on some pictures to get enlarged too. Hopefully there's some takeaway here for you if you are coming up with a photo wall at some point too.

1. Arrange frames on floor - once the arrangement is just right, make a template out of old wrapping paper. Tape the wrapping paper up on the wall and then position in place with painter's tape. Mark where the frames will go.

2. Instead of using nails, I'm going to use these -

Have you seen them? You can reposition and move frames without damaging your walls - no more swiss cheese walls. Nice.

3. I'm going to use black wood gallery frames from Pottery Barn - different sizes, white and taupe mats, for a cohesive look. Here's a video from Pottery Barn on how to create a wall that's helpful.

Tell me, did you conquer an organizing project this week?

I definitely bit off more than I could chew, but I made a lot of progress. Any family photo wall tips you'd like to share?

Clean + Organized - Questions

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today's task is to vacuum - you can head back to last week's post for a little more detail if you'd like, but today I'm going to answer some frequently asked questions.

When do you clean? I use a 'pick up as you go' method, so it seems like I'm cleaning and picking up all day long sometimes, but it works the best for our family. As for the daily and weekly tasks, I get up early and start a load of laundry, pick up a little here and there, and try to do some cleaning at that point while the house is quiet. My kids help when it's appropriate (pretend vacuum, little dusters, cleaning cloths).

I can't do your routine with my job outside of the home. Any suggestions? My clean a little bit every day method may be harder at first, but when you keep it up, it's easier, because everything is cleaner and easier to maintain. You might not like the clean a little bit every day method - a once-a-week method might be better for you. I find that when I clean once a week, the house looks great for one day and then it's 'trashed' the rest of the week. By cleaning a little bit everyday the house isn't perfect, but I could whip it into shape if someone were dropping by. So my suggestion? Do what works for your family. Find a routine that works and stick with it until it isn't working anymore.

How much time do you spend cleaning? 15-20 minutes a day. I also do at least one load of laundry every day and that takes another 15-20 minutes. My kiddos are learning how to fold and put away their clothes, so that increases or decreases that time, depending on the day.

Is your house ever messy? Yep.

Any questions you'd like me to answer in the comments?

How's the routine working for you?

Budgeting + Bill Paying

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I added an updated Budget + Bill Pay Kit to my shop and I've received a lot of questions as to how I use it in my own home, so that's what this post is about. As a little disclaimer, the reason I created the kit was to help me track bills and budget a little better. I am not an accountant, banker or financial guru, I am an former art teacher/artist but I do like my bill paying to be as easy as possible and cute to boot.

(Also, I made up a fake budget to demonstrate how I use the kit - these are not my financial documents.)

I use a small file tote (found at Office Max) - with four hanging folders

Have you seen these (also from Office Max)? I used these to label the folders - they're removable so if I change my mind I can still use the folders.

I label the four folders accordingly for my incoming bills - 1-15 for bills due the 1st - 15th, 16-31 for bills due the 16th - 31st and then I have a folder for the next month's bills and bills that have been filed and need to be paid. (I do the majority of my bill paying online, but still do the paying the old fashioned way.)

Then I put the labels on the files, like this.

On the outside of the tote, I clip my Receipt Tracker and Bill Pay Checklist. The receipt tracker is a place to write down daily dollars spent, add them up and track outgoing cash flow. This is super helpful to do when establishing a budget and how much is being spent on a daily and monthly basis.

My favorite items in The NEW Budget and Bill Pay Kit are the Bill and Payment Checklists (I just added a second one and didn't increase the price - if you previously ordered this NEW kit from me, please contact me and I'll send you this printable for free.)

I need help remembering what bills I paid and when I paid them, this document is great for that - and you only need one sheet for the whole year!

Here's a snapshot of what the kit looks like in use:

The Budget + Bill Pay Kit

Week 2 - Clean + Organized 2012

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Well, we made it through the first week, ready for another? Hopefully you found the checklist rewarding - I find it so helpful to be able to cross things off a list and have that feeling of accomplishment. If you're new here, here's a link to the printable schedule for the month, last week's deep cleaning printable, and a printable cleaning/organizing subway art for inspiration.

Here's week 2 - it's the same as week 1, so hopefully you'll start to establish a routine and your home will start to be easier to clean once you get a couple of weeks under your belt.

If you have a little extra time this week, you might want to tackle deep cleaning your bathrooms. I'm going to just spend extra time today working through the deep cleaning checklist as I clean my bathrooms today. Here's a link to the freebie printable for the bathrooms. (If you are interested, the deep cleaning checklists that I'm providing all coordinate with the Cleaning Kit in my shop.)

My Pinterest organizing project for the week? To redo our family photo wall/hallway. The main thing that I'd love to accomplish would be to just figure out the configuration that I'd like to do. In an ideal world, I'd love to get the nail holes patched and the walls repainted, but we shall see.

Thanks again for joining me - it's so much more fun routine-ing with you! I'll see you back here tomorrow with some tips on how I use my Budget and Bill Pay Kit and then on Wednesday with some cleaning tips - any questions you'd like me to answer?

Organizational Project Day

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's Day 5 of 'Clean and Organized 2012' - I hope you're getting into the groove of my system for cleaning. I also hope that you find as you keep up with it, it's much easier and there's less to do every day. And less housework to do every day means more time for other more important things!

Friday's task for me is to do a quick menu plan for the week and either go grocery shopping or at least get a list ready for the next week's groceries. I find that if I menu plan, we save money, dinner is on the table at a reasonable time and the evening is just easier and more relaxed. Do you menu plan? Maybe you've tried it and fallen off the menu planning wagon. If you want to give it a go again or try it for the first time, I have a Menu Planning Kit in my Etsy shop that's sure to get you off on the right foot.

It includes:

Perpetual Menu Planner for the Month - with B, L, D spots

Perpetual Menu Planner for the Month
Menu Planner for the Week with a Grocery Shopping List
Freezer Inventory
Pantry Inventory
Refrigerator Inventory
Recipes to Try
Recipe Page

Interested? It's half price today (Friday 1/6/2012) just for you! Act fast, by Saturday morning I'll change the price back to its original price.

Okay, on to my Pinterest organizing project for the week. I've had these two organizing file holders pinned for a while now and I've been mulling over how to create something like this that will work in my home.

Source: beyondthebaby.com.au via Becky on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Becky on Pinterest

I decided to do a basket/clipboard combination for menu planning (perfect for Friday, right?). I have these hidden shelves in either side of my kitchen island that have been empty for too long.

Here's the basket and clipboard combo that I came up with that coordinates in the kitchen.

I added my weekly menu plan and grocery list to the clipboard

added my cookbooks and recipes for the week

put the basket on my bookshelf and look at that - an instant menu planning station!

So tell me, have you organized something this week?

Cleaning Tools

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday and that means that today's daily cleaning task is to vacuum. I start with a thorough vacuuming on my second floor, I vacuum the steps and then I move downstairs. When I vacuum, I vacuum all the floors - tile, wood, and carpet. I find that by doing this once a week, the floors look fresh and clean all week long (for the most part). Of course, in between I might need to touch up an area, microfiber sweep the floors or sweep with a broom. The other good thing about this technique is that all the floors are prepped for tomorrow - Thursday - floor washing day.

During this month's 'event', I'm going to talk about some cleaning tips and tricks that work for me on Wednesdays. Today, I'll direct you to my Cleaning Faves page. This list isn't complete, as I am adding to it, but it does talk about what products I use and can wholeheartedly endorse. I am asked all the time what products I use and to be honest, I think that the main thing about cleaning products is that they are green and safe to use around people - no hazmat suit required AND they work for you and your budget. I definitely have my favorites, but they are my favorites because I don't need to worry about cleaning around my kids.

SO tell me - what's your can't live without cleaning product or tool?

New here? Make sure you check out this post for freebie printables and details about this month's event!

See you on Friday for an organizing idea from Pinterest put into play in my home.

It's Here - Clean and Organized 2012

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Are you ready to finally get your home clean and organized this year? I'm so excited that you are here and joining in on the fun this month. If you are new here, you can read about this month's challenge here and read about 5 little things you can do every day to help keep your home in order here.

Here's this month's guide to getting Clean + Organized - you can go here to download the freebie.

So, this week, we'll start with what I clean every Monday - bathrooms. You'll notice that every day has a larger, whole house task to complete - if you don't complete it, don't try to make it up, just move on to the next day.

This is how I clean 4 bathrooms in 15-20 minutes:

•get all supplies in order (all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, toilet brush, microfiber window cloth and 4 cotton cleaning rags (one for each bathroom) and a microfiber cleaning cloth for bathtubs and showers. New to the world of microfiber cleaning cloths? Check out the cleaning supply aisle at any big box store. Little known fact: the automotive section also carries microfiber cloths for even cheaper.

•go into first bathroom and spray mirror with window cleaner - wipe clean with microfiber window cloth (this might not seem like a necessary cleaning tool, but seriously it is amazing - streak free windows and mirrors every.single.time.)

•clean toilet with toilet brush and spray down sink, toilet and tub/shower with disinfectant

•I leave one rag in the bathroom - I don't wipe down the bathroom right away - I let the cleaner sit for ten minutes to completely clean and disinfect

•move on to the next bathroom and repeat (mirror, toilet, spray down everything)

•once I've done this in all the bathrooms, I go back to bathroom #1 and quickly wipe down everything - I wipe the toilet last (I use a new cotton rag in each bathroom to avoid any cross-contamination)

•I like to use a microfiber cleaning cloth for my bathtubs and showers - it gets rid of any soap scum and any water marks with a quick wipe

And then you'll notice the four every day tasks that I suggested last week are under every day. Try to spend just 15-30 minutes each day on these tasks. I find that if I just work a little bit every day I stay with the routine rather than if I go crazy cleaning and then 'burn out'.

I also have four deep cleaning ideas for us to complete this month - if you want to and if your schedule allows for it - this week we're going to deep clean our kitchens. Here's a freebie printable for you to follow if you'd like - we'll also deep clean our bathrooms, bedrooms, and main living areas this month.

On the bottom of the month's sheet, is a space to mark off deep cleaning - I left it blank so you can fill in what you want to deep clean. You'll also notice that there's an area for an organizing project - I'm going to share my project on Friday. As I told you last week, I'm going to work on something that I've pinned on Pinterest as my organizing project.

Don't forget to check in on Facebook and Twitter every day this week for reminders. I'll be back here on Wednesday with some cleaning tricks and chit chat and then again on Friday to share my Pinterest-inspired cleaning project. I hope you are inspired to clean and organize and get ready for a new year!

5 Things To Do Every Day

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am so excited to start 'Clean and Organized 2012' on January 2nd. and I can tell that you are too! You can go here to see what it's all about - spread the word and get ready to get your home in tip-top shape.

Today, I'd like to share 5 things that I do everyday that I think make homekeeping easier and more enjoyable. They are five habits that are easy to make, but it takes consistency and a committment to actually keep them. If you've seen my dockets and planners, the first four things are done every day in my home. We'll be doing these things every day for the month of January. It's up to you how you want to implement them in your home, but that's part of what January is about - making a cleaning routine fit into your life and become part of what you do.

Laundry - do at least one load a day. When laundry is done every day, the loads are smaller and more manageable - no more mountains of laundry.
Clutter - I do a quick de-clutter every day. This usually consists of opening mail, filing bills, and a couple quick counter clean ups. The kids do a quick toy clean up (with some help and reminding) a couple times a day.
Counters - wipe down counters. The kitchen counters get wiped down as needed after meals and dishes are put in the dishwasher. No dishes piled up on the counters (most of the time) really helps the overall cleaned up look of the kitchen. I also wipe down bathroom counters as needed during the week.
Sweep Floors - as needed, usually after meals, I do a quick sweep of the kitchen floor. Sometimes the kids do this with a little hand broom for me, other times we get out the big broom and dust pan. This keeps the floors clean during the week and in between weekly vacuuming and floor washing.
Write it down/Keep track of what you need to do and what has been done - Don't underestimate the power of a to do list! Whether you are writing things down in a simple notebook or if you've created a homekeeping binder, keeping track of your household tasks is a great way to see what you've already accomplished and what you need to do next. Looking to create a homekeeping binder? You can check out my Clean Mama Printables shop, The Starter Kit is a great tool to help you with your homekeeping.

How about a little subway art for cleaning and organizing inspiration? Here's a freebie printable for you - put it on your 'fridge, behind glass, use it as your desktop pattern....

See you on Monday, January 2nd for the start of 'Clean and Organized 2012' ! I'll have a freebie printable of the plan for the whole month AND a deep cleaning document for the week for one area of your home.

Happy Clean and Organized New Year!

Clean and Organized 2012

2011-12-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

I want 2012 to be a 'Clean and Organized' year in my home and I'd love to help you make 2012 the year that you finally get into a cleaning routine and get your home organized. I'm so excited to introduce my January event to you all today - it's 'Clean + Organized 2012'! I'm combining my favorite homekeeping activities: cleaning and organizing with a little creativity to keep the art teacher in me happy. I'm inviting you to join me, follow along with what interests you and hopefully at the end of the month, we'll all have accomplished something great. Sound like fun?

Here's the schedule:

Later this week: I'm going to share 5 things to do every day that I think make homekeeping really work.

Kick-Off: Monday, January 2nd - FREE printable schedule for the whole month of January - we will be following my simple, daily cleaning routine.

Everyday: Facebook/ Twitter reminder/check-in for the daily cleaning routine - if you have a Facebook account and check it daily, this will be a great way to keep up with my cleaning routine.

Mondays: Every Monday, I'll also talk about an area to deep clean that week (4 areas total) if you want to and/or your schedule allows for it. I'll have a FREE deep cleaning printable for four areas of your home.

Wednesdays: Cleaning Routine for the week - streamlining ideas for your routines and cleaning tasks.

Fridays: Then, every Friday, I'm going to choose an organizing project that I've pinned on Pinterest to do in my home. (If you need an invite, I have a couple extras - just email me.)

Are you in? Need some motivation and encouragement to get started?

Follow this blog, subscribe to the email updates, follow on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest and I promise, you'll be off to a 'Clean and Organized 2012' in no time!

Here's a button in case you'd like to put it in a blog post or on your sidebar as a little reminder.....

2012 Etsy Shop Updates

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

A big heartfelt thank you goes out to all of my readers and customers over the almost 2 years that my little shop has been in business. In the largest overhaul to date, I've been hard at work updating and improving the Clean Mama Printables Etsy shop for 2012. It's still in progress (I hope to be completely 'updated' by January 1) but I'd love to point out a few of the new printables and kits I have added. If you are interested, click on the link and it'll take you to my shop where I have complete descriptions and more pictures....

First of all, I've updated The Starter Kit and it is now called The 2012 Clean Mama Printables Starter Kit - it now has 45 documents (3 new kits and a new docket have been added) and it is at a new, lower price!

Just in time for the New Year and resolutions, I've added The 2012 Resolution Kit. The Resolution Kit includes two brand new kits:

The Fitness and Healthy Living Kit

The New Budget and Bill Pay Kit

Perpetual Cleaning Schedule
I've added a Perpetual Cleaning Schedule (this is replacing the monthly cleaning schedules that were in the shop) - to be used every month for months and years to come. Cross off, check off, get your cleaning tasks done!

NEW 2012 Weekly Docket (in the new 2012 Starter Kit)

I have also added four new calendar kits:

Everything Perpetual Calendar Kit (in the new 2012 Starter Kit)

Week At A Glance Calendar Kit (in the new 2012 Starter Kit)

New List Style Calendar Kit

Anniversary and Birthday Calendars

Is 2012 the year that you finally get organized? I design my printables to take the work out of organizing your life. Here's a coupon code that's good now, through January 2nd, 2012 on your entire order: 25NEWYEAR

Come on back tomorrow for the big introduction of

Clean and Organized 2012 - I can't wait!

December 21st Ramblings

2011-12-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's December 21st already? Where has this month gone? Need one last quick foodie gift idea? I made this peppermint bark yesterday and it is divine! Not cheap, but oh-so-good.

Source: orangette.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

I'd like to say that I'll finish a couple handmade gifts for the kiddos before Christmas, but I can't guarantee that. I wish I had more time and could make each one of them one of these cute bags.

Source: howaboutorange.blogspot.com via Becky on Pinterest

I think I'll make a huge tub of this for after Christmas/January and February enjoyment. (Anyone else addicted to Mel's Kitchen Cafe? Seriously, her blog has been my cookbook the past few months.)

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Becky on Pinterest

I want to wish you, my dear readers a blessed Christmas. I'll be back on December 26th with a full Clean Mama Printables shop update for 2012. I've been hard at work this month making some changes in the shop (some updates and additions are already in the shop, if you are interested). And then on the 27th - next Tuesday, I'll 'unveil' the cleaning and organizing party that I'm planning here on the blog for January. It'll be FUN - fun if you like to clean and organize, that is.

Holiday Shortcuts - Gifts of Food

2011-12-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Have a holiday party to attend or need a quick host/hostess gift? How about a gift of food? Here are a couple ideas for food gifts to make....

Vanilla Sugar

this is my post for how I made this last year - so yummy in coffee!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Becky on Pinterest

you can freeze these cinnamon rolls baked and frosted and the recipe makes a LOT of rolls!

English Muffin Bread

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Becky on Pinterest

I love this recipe because it is SO easy - it makes 4 loaves - how about a loaf of fresh bread and a jar of homemade or store bought jam for a yummy gift?

Holiday Bark

Source: marthastewart.com via Becky on Pinterest

Always a classic and loved foodie gift - wrap up a little in a canning jar with a ribbon and tag and you've got a delicious little gift.

Christmas Mantle

2011-12-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

This month is all about Holiday Shortcuts, so in staying true to the 'theme', here's my Christmas Mantle. No garland, no lights, just a couple items added to the usual mantle.

all that I added is this simple wood tree

and a couple winter-y sprigs of fake greenery to this antique vase

And you want to know what? I really like the simplicity of the arrangement and I won't be going crazy on December 26th, ready to take everything down. Less is more.

Holiday Shortcuts - Baking Ideas

2011-12-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you're following along this month, I'm talking about some simple Holiday Shortcuts that I'm making to make things a bit simpler this season. Didn't get the printable checklist? Go here to grab one.

Some baking shortcut ideas?

Make a list of all the things that you'd "like" to bake
Decide on your top 3-5 things on that list and bake those things first
Bake one or two cookies a week and freeze them
Host/attend a cookie exchange
Fill in the blanks with easy to make/assemble candy (like 5 minute fudge)
Get the kids involved - this might not be a shortcut, but it's always a fun activity

Here are a couple of my favorite, must-bake December baked goods...

Source: bhg.com via Becky on Pinterest

Do you have any must-bake recipes?

Holiday Shortcuts - Decorating

2011-12-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Have you started? Finished? We're running a bit behind this year, but hopefully we'll get the tree and some decorations up by this weekend. Keeping it simple, I will most likely leave a couple bins in the basement, knowing that what goes up must come down.

Here are a few shortcuts I'm taking this year....

Only put out special decorations - here are a couple pics from last year that I'm re-creating this year

This is a bit of my Spode collection that I display in the kitchen window sill.

I love snow globes, so those will definitely be back out on this ledge.

Decide now what decorations can go to a friend, Goodwill, garage sale stash - don't put them back into storage after this year.

Do a couple special kid projects that are simple - a gingerbread house (the kind you buy), make a couple ornaments - I love these:

Source: littlebitfunky.com via Becky on Pinterest

Make a garland - here are some ideas that I'm loving from Pinterest:

Source: smallbirdblog.wordpress.com via Becky on Pinterest

Source: withtwocats.com via Becky on Pinterest

So how about you? Any decorating shortcuts you'd like to share in the comments?

Holiday Shortcuts - Free Printable Planner

2011-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

December is almost upon us and I'm looking for ways to create simple shortcuts to enjoy the season and real reason for Christmas. I'll be popping in all month long to share some simple ideas for cutting corners for the same or good enough results and ways to cut out extra steps all together. Want to join me? I've made a printable planner with a few common things that we do or try to do during this hectic month (there are two spots to add your own tasks). I've broken the tasks down to simplify them for myself and hopefully for you too.

So grab the printable here and get ready for some fun ideas for quick and easy make-ahead meals, make-it-yourself gifts, ideas for holiday decorating and activities for your family.

So tell us, what's the one tradition that you won't change or eliminate this year?

How to: Organize a Linen Closet for Free, Part 2

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I re-organized our main linen closet and talked about it here in this post. It was such a quick and easy project that I took on the linen closet in a kids' bathroom that same afternoon. Why am I sharing this with you? Hopefully it inspires you to not wait until you have the 'perfect' organizational tools ( baskets, bins, labels, etc.) before tidying up a closet or space. It's not that I don't love the way all that eye candy looks, but right now I'd like to concentrate on just organizing the space so it works for us.

Before

The jumbled towels are the worst of the mess, I emptied out the closet, sorted through the towels and designated specific spots for the stuff - this took no more than 10-15 minutes from start to finish.

After

Now if you notice, all I did was sort and group like items and it totally tidied up the space. I added the diapers and wipes because I made room for them and now didn't have to store them in my little one's closet.

How 'bout it - is there a space that you haven't organized because you didn't have the cute baskets and bins? I think you should try just sorting and grouping - it's surprising how organized a space can look just with those two 'techniques'.

Calendars!

2011-11-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Just a little update from the shop....

Lots of new calendar choices to get you ready for the New Year! Seriously, I can't believe it's that time, but it is, so here goes.....

You can check out the listings for descriptions and ideas on how to use the calendars in your home organizing!

Large Perpetual Printable Calendar 11 X 17 inch

NEW List Style Calendar - 4 pages

Week At A Glance Calendar Kit - 2 documents

EDITABLE Circle Perpetual Calendar

Everything Perpetual Calendar Kit - 5 Documents (my personal favorite)

I've also added Gift Certificates to the shop for the holidays.

There's still time to use the 25BLACKFRIDAY code for 25% off your entire order! (expires Monday night at 11:59CST)

4 day Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

For the few of you that are at home doing some holiday shopping, I want to first of all wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and extend a Black Friday/Cyber Monday coupon code to the Clean Mama Printables shop for all of your organizational printable needs. Tonight (Thursday at midnight CST - Monday at 11:59 pm CST) use the code 25BLACKFRIDAY for 25% off your ENTIRE order! Happy weekending!

Everybody Loves a Freebie

2011-11-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

I have a few shop updates to share with you today - make sure you read the entire post - there's an opportunity for *FREE* products for you in this post!

LOVE Clean Mama Printables? I'd LOVE for you to share your love and I'd like to give you something for it. If you mention Clean Mama Printables on your Facebook page, blog or Twitter,

I'll give you $5 of free printables!

So it's sort of like a referral program - I'll continue the program through November and it's ONE printable per person. Sound good?

Here's how:

1. Share your love for Clean Mama Printables via Facebook, Twitter, or your

blog - you MUST have a link to Clean Mama Printables Etsy shop in your post.

2. Email me at clean.mama@yahoo.com and share your link with me.

3. In your email, let me know what printable (up to $5 value) you'd like for FREE from the shop and yes, that includes all the EDITABLE documents!

4. I'll send your printable your way!

Need a little clarification? Here's an example:

Give yourself the gift of organization this Holiday Season - check out Clean Mama Printables!

Let me know if you have any questions!

And a couple new products in the shop.....

Project Kit

(Sewing Project Planner, Organizing Project Planner, Craft Project Planner, Big Project List)

Cleaning Schedule for DECEMBER

Cross off, check off, keep your home clean!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

How to: Organize a Linen Closet for Free

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you love a linen closet that looks like this?

Source: bhg.com via Becky on Pinterest

Me too, but right now I'll take a free, and organized linen closet.

Here's how I *quickly* organized our hallway linen closet.

(This is our hallway linen closet, not where I keep master bedroom towels and linens.)

before

empty closet

group like items together

(I took the tissue boxes and toilet paper out of its original packaging to give it a neater look and I grouped towels and bedding together as well)

fold towels and sheets the same way for a uniform, organized look - I like to fold our hand towels in thirds so I can hang them up quickly and bath towels are just folded in half and then in thirds

after

the guest bath shelf is just for guest towels so I can just grab everything on this shelf to get the bathroom ready for guests

How about you?

Do you have a linen closet that you'd like to organize for free? Need some free labels to label your closet shelves or baskets? I have a couple different types on my free printable page.

Holiday Gift and Advent Labels - Freebie

2011-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

In lieu of an advent calendar this year, I'm wrapping up 24 Christmas and Winter books, adding a number label to each wrapped book and putting all the books in a basket for us to read one every day in December. This isn't a new idea, I'm just putting my own spin on it and turning it into a freebie for you too!

Here's how I made our Advent Calendar, Christmas book style:

collected all of our Christmas books

I printed the numbers out on full sheet label paper (I use this type), but you could print them on cardstock and glue the circles to wrapping paper

cut out the numbers

wrapped up the books in cheap wrapping paper and stuck the numbers on the books

and now we're ready for the advent season - I love an Advent activity!

I also included a sheet of gift labels too that you can print on sticker paper or on cardstock. You can go here to grab the labels.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, enjoy!

Holiday Catalog Idea

2011-11-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

The holiday catalogs are pouring in and I don't know about your kids, but mine love them. In an effort to keep them in one place and to make the endless gift searching sort of educational, I set up a little catalog "station". Simple, but the kids love it and it keeps them occupied in the dinner-making hour.

catalogs

composition book for keeping track of "the list" - this is the educational part for my starting to read and write little one

(I covered this with some Christmas-y cardstock to make it more festive)

I put everything in this apple basket to contain the activity when we're not using the items

How about you? Keep or toss the catalogs?

Freebie - Bathroom Deep Cleaning Checklist

2011-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

If you're needing to do a little extra deep cleaning in your bathrooms before the holidays hit, here's a freebie printable to keep track of your progress. Use this sheet and keep track of all the bathroom cleaning you've accomplished. It coordinates with my New Cleaning Kit - perfect to add to your homekeeping notebook and for tracking what you've cleaned and when you cleaned it.

You can go here to get your own Bathroom Deep Cleaning Checklist - happy cleaning!

If you don't already have the Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist, you can go here to grab your free printable of that too!

Linking up to New Nostalgia, A Bowl Full of Lemons, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Tidy Mom, Tatertots and Jello, and Under the Table and Dreaming.

Getting Ready for the Holidays With Printables

2011-11-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that a good to-do list can keep us on track, focused, and can keep planning ahead in one easy-to-reference place. If you are looking for a way to keep track of holiday planning so you don't go crazy this holiday season, you might want to take a look-see in my shop.

(And you'll definitely want to scroll all the way down to the bottom of this blog post for a little introduction.)

Here are a couple of my favorite planning ahead tools.....

Holidays and Special Occasions Planning Kit - 16 documents

Christmas Planning Kit

Gift Giving Record Printables - 2 documents

Thank You Note Tracker - choose from black, brights, blue, or pink

Personal Contact Sheets - 2 documents

Editable Personal Contact Sheet

and something new.....

NEW in the shop - Homekeeping Notebook Binder Kit - 24 Pages (black and blue/green) Perfect for putting together your Homekeeping Notebook and only $5!

And a little/big reason I'm so glad that I have things written down and accessible in a binder because right now I wouldn't know what end was up without them.....

our littlest, little man - just over a week old and melting our hearts already.

Cleaning Routine Wrap-Up

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

After 31 straight days of getting started on a cleaning routine, today I'd like to share some simple cleaning routine tips with you hopefully inspire you to continue what you started. THANK YOU again for coming here every day this past month and cleaning along with me - I hope it was a helpful starting point for you.

So here are a couple thoughts on a cleaning routine....

Just Start

Start with a whole routine or just one thing - you know your personality and what will work for you. If you would do better by just adding one little thing and changing your routine slowly, start there.

Start Small

Add a little bit at a time - don't try to clean your home from top to bottom in a day or week - you'll get frustrated - start with little things (like a load of laundry every day) that you can do every day to build up consistency.

Don't Try To Play Catch Up

If you are sick or super busy with work, kids, whatever, and you miss a day, don't try to catch up. Just start over on the next day.

Figure Out a System That Works for You

Do you work Monday through Friday? Or maybe you're a stay at home mom, but Mondays and Tuesdays are completely filled with activities and running all over. Maybe those days are better for just the basics (like wiping down counters and loading and unloading the dishwasher and sink daily) and you do the majority of your cleaning on Saturday mornings. Be realistic and don't set unattainable expectations for yourself.

Keep Track of Your Cleaning In a Cute Way

A cute checklist can help keep you on track - laminate your list and use a fine tip marker to track your progress for the week or month.

I have a couple cleaning routine solutions in my shop if you are interested in starting/continuing a cleaning routine. This is where I keep track of monthly and seasonal tasks that I rotate through every month or season. More on this in a couple days...

The New Cleaning Kit - 5 documents

If you want an editable document that you can adjust according to your cleaning routine and busy schedule, I have The Editable Monthly Cleaning Checklist.

The Editable Seasonal Deep Cleaning Checklist - perfect for keeping track of seasonal cleaning tasks and chores.

And for those of you that like a new monthly cleaning chart each month, I have the Monthly Cleaning Checklists - each one follows my system and has the rotating chores at the bottom and a spot for you to write in any special organizing tasks you may have around your house.

Here's the Cleaning Schedule for November - (I usually each month's checklist in the shop by the last week of the previous month):

Giveaway Day - updated with winners

2011-11-01T02:38:00.000-07:00

WOW! Thank you for your lovely comments and for coming here to enter my little giveaway - I am touched! The winners of the 2 Starter Kits as selected by random.org are......

#52

#465

I'll contact you via email (if I can find one, if not, email me at clean.mama@yahoo.com) so you can claim your loot. And because I want everyone to win, use the code 20NESTER for 20% off your entire order (good through November 7th) in my Clean Mama Printables shop. I also have a great Facebook special you can use with the discount if you are interested.

Well hello there! I have a great Clean Mama Printables giveaway for you today. I'll keep this short and sweet so you can just get to the good part of how to enter the giveaway.

The giveaway is for 2 Starter Kits from my Etsy shop, Clean Mama Printables.

The Clean Mama Printables Starter Kit includes the Busy Mama Kit, The New Cleaning Kit + the Horizontal and Vertical Weekly Dockets, The Christmas Planning Kit, and the Meal Planning Kit - below are all the kits detailed.....

The Busy Mama Homekeeping Kit includes (19 documents):
*3 Column Blank To Do List
*Now, Later, Sometime To Do List
*2 Perpetual Calendars
*Card and Gift record
*Deep Cleaning Schedule
*In Case of Emergency Sheet
*Important Dates to Remember (birthday/anniversary reminder)
*Insurance Information - keep track of all those renewals and policies
*Family Medical Information Sheet
*Daily Planner with Check Boxes
*Flexible Weekly Docket
*Before I Forget List
*Family Schedule - week at a glance with time slots
*All Over Everywhere Shopping List
*Food Inventory Sheet
*2 Shopping Lists with 2 checkboxes per item
*Menu Planner for the Month with a menu idea section

The Cleaning Kit includes (5 documents):
*Blank Cleaning Checklist
*The Weekly Cleaning Checklist
*Once-a-Week Cleaning Checklist
*The Monthly Cleaning List
*Seasonal Deep Cleaning Checklist

The NEW Menu Planning Kit includes (8 documents):
*Perpetual Menu Planner for the Month - with B, L, D spots (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
*Perpetual Menu Planner for the Month
*Menu Planner for the Week with a Grocery Shopping List
*Freezer Inventory - space for item and 15 spots for tracking the number of items in your freezer
*Pantry Inventory - space for item and 15 spots for tracking the number of items in your pantry
*Refrigerator Inventory - space for item and 15 spots for tracking the number of items in your refrigerator
*Recipes to Try - printable to keep track of recipes that you want to try, where to find it, special ingredients you may need, and a place to write whether it's a keep or toss recipe
*Recipe Page - a great printable to write down a complete recipe - space for recipe, serves, ingredients, preparation, and from the kitchen of

The Christmas Planning Kit (5 documents): **YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE ANY OTHER KIT WITH 5 OR LESS DOCUMENTS FOR THIS ONE
*December Perpetual Calendar
*Make It/ Bake It Checklist
*Gift Record
*Decorations to Remember sheet
*Traditions to Remember sheet
Horizontal Weekly Docket
Vertical Weekly Docket

If you haven't heard of my little shop, I sell organizational printables designed to take the work out of organizing your life. If you want to create a home management binder, a control journal, or a simple menu plan, I've got you covered. Maybe you just want to get your holiday planning under control - no worries, I can help you out there too! I have over a hundred different, original, cute printables for your organizing pleasure. I sell my printables as kits so they are economical - no shipping and you can print the pdf files as many times as your little heart desires.

Here are a few fan favorites...

The Starter Kit

The New Cleaning Kit

The Menu Planning Kit

The Bill Pay and Budget Kit

The Cute Calendar Kit

I also have a section of editable printables for those of you that enjoy that feature in your printables.

Here's how you can enter - please read carefully:
**CONTEST IS CLOSED**

1. Tell me your favorite printable product from my shop in the comments section

For additional entries:

2. - 5. Follow this blog, become a fan on Facebook, follow on Twitter, subscribe in feedburner - comment for each and every thing that you did

6. Facebook or Tweet about this giveaway - comment that you did

I'm participating in this awesome Giveaway Day through The Nesting Place - The Nester is hosting a crazy giveaway day and you can enter as many giveaways as you'd like - go to her blog and see all the amazing things that you can win!
This contest ends on Thursday, November 3rd at midnight EST. Come back here to the top of this post to see if you won - the two winners will be announced by Saturday November 5th, 9am EST.

Want to try out my printables? How about a little coupon code?
Enter the code 20NESTER in the coupon code section for 20% off your ENTIRE order (good through November 7th).

Day 31

2011-10-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that today is the last day of 31 Days to a Cleaning Routine? Hopefully you were able to establish a couple good habits and are well on your way to a great routine. THANK YOU for coming here every day and trying out some new cleaning techniques/routines/habits. Tomorrow I have a fun giveaway here on the blog in conjunction with The Nester's Giveaway Day that you might want to come on back for. Then next week I also have a couple cleaning routine wrap-up posts as well.

This week's free printable cleaning schedule is here if you didn't already grab it.....

Clean Bathrooms
(see this post if you want to know how I clean my bathrooms - another way I save time with the bathrooms is that I wash the bathroom floors on my floor washing day)

Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter (quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.

Laundry (do at least one load every single day)

Day 30

2011-10-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sundays are a day of rest (church and family time) at our home, so I just do the basics - no extra tasks.
Sweep Floors

Wipe Counters

Clutter

Laundry

Day 29

2011-10-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

And the LAST printable cleaning routine checklist can be found here - this checklist is for the whole week so you get a couple bonus days to continue this great habit that you've started.

Today's Task:
Sheets/Towels

and the Daily Tasks:

Sweep Floors

Wipe Counters

Clutter

Laundry

if you want more details on Saturday's chores, go here.

Day 28

2011-10-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

I menu plan and grocery shop on Fridays, but since this is all about establishing a cleaning routine, I left that off of the agenda for Fridays. So, use today as a catch-up day, a day to tackle a deep cleaning task, or try doing a menu plan if you haven't tried one. If you are looking for a menu planning system that really works, I have a Menu Planning Kit in my shop that you might like. And here's a post on how I made my recipe binder if you're interested.

ALMOST done - here's the rundown for today....

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

Day 27

2011-10-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today's task is:

Wash Floors
(you can go here to see more details about my floor washing routine)

Then the daily tasks....
Sweep Floors(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe Counters(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 26

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's cleaning routine...
Vacuum House
(You can go here if you want to read more about my vacuuming routine.)

And the rest of the day's tasks...

Sweep Floors (this doesn't need to necessarily be done if you do a good vacuuming)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry (do at least one load every single day)

Day 25

2011-10-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is Dusting Day....

Dust House
(If you want to see how I dust my house, you can check out this post.)
And the rest of the day's chores....
Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe Counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 24

2011-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week's free printable cleaning schedule is here if you didn't already grab it.....
Clean Bathrooms
(see this post if you want to know how I clean my bathrooms - another way I save time with the bathrooms is that I wash the bathroom floors on my floor washing day)

Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 23

2011-10-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sundays are a day of rest (church and family time) at our home, so I just do the basics - no extra tasks.

Sweep Floors

Wipe counters

Clutter

Laundry

Day 22

2011-10-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, here's the printable for this week's routine - you can go here to grab you own printable checklist.

Today's task:

Sheets/Towels

And the daily tasks:
Sweep Floors

Wipe Counters

Clutter

Laundry
Want more details on Saturday's routine? Go here.

Day 21

2011-10-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Want to continue with this cleaning routine? The November Cleaning Schedules are in the shop if you are interested!

Are you getting used to the routine yet? Here's the rundown for today....

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for next week's cleaning routine freebie printable.

Day 20

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today's task is:
Wash Floors
(you can go here to see more details about my floor washing routine)
Then the daily tasks....

Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 19

2011-10-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's cleaning routine...
Vacuum House
(You can go here if you want to read more about my vacuuming routine.)

And the rest of the day's tasks...
Sweep Floors
(this doesn't need to necessarily be done if you do a good vacuuming)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)
Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 18

2011-10-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is Dusting Day....

Dust House

(If you want to see how I dust my house, you can check out this post.)

And the rest of the day's chores....

Sweep Floors(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe Counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry (do at least one load every single day)

Day 17

2011-10-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Did you see this post? Three readers will win a coupon code for 25 free Shutterfly Holiday Cards!

This week's free printable cleaning schedule is here if you didn't already grab it.....

Clean Bathrooms(see this post if you want to know how I clean my bathrooms - another way I save time with the bathrooms is that I wash the bathroom floors on my floor washing day)

Sweep Floors(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 16

2011-10-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sundays are a day of rest (church and family time) at our home, so I just do the basics - no extra tasks.

Sweep Floors

Wipe counters

Clutter

Laundry

Holiday Cards through Shutterfly - and a Giveaway!

2011-10-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

WINNERS! If I was able to access your email I emailed your code to you - otherwise, please email me at clean.mama@yahoo.com to claim your 25 free cards from Shutterfly!

I ordered my Christmas Cards last year from Shutterfly through a bloggers' promotion - I was so impressed with the quality and finish of the cards that I was planning on ordering our cards through Shutterfly again this year. So when Shutterfly asked me to participate again this year, of course I said, "Yes, please!"

Here are a few of my favorites.....

rustic gallery

prints and patterns christmas card

wall of memories

all the happiness

wishing you merry

A couple things that I love about Shutterfly is that the products are always shipped quickly, I store my pictures on their server, and the quality and customer service is always perfect. I have all my prints printed through Shutterfly, holiday cards, photo books, and the occasional gift - I am always completely satisfied with the service and products.

Shutterfly has beautiful Christmas Cards, Holiday Cards, and Photo Gifts. Who wants to win? I have 3 promo codes for 3 lucky readers to give away for 25 FREE Cards each! Talk about a great way to get a jump start on your holiday cards this year!

Here's how you can win:

Become a follower of this blog, like Clean Mama on Facebook and/or subscribe in feedburner. Then in the comments section tell me your favorite holiday card from Shutterfly. Want more chances to win? Facebook or Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment that you did.

Contest is CLOSED - winners are announced at the top of this post.

This is going to be a quick contest - it will close on Tuesday, October 18th at 9pm CST. The three winners will be announced at the top of this post by Wednesday, October 19th - and must be claimed by Friday, October 21st or new winners will be chosen.

Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: http://goo.gl/DDw7Q

The fine print - I may have received goods in exchange for this post, but I was going to order my Christmas cards from Shutterfly regardless - I love this company!

Day 15

2011-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Ready for another week of a cleaning routine? Here's the link to this week's cleaning checklist.

Today's task:
Sheets/Towels

And the daily tasks:

Sweep Floors

Wipe counters

Clutter

Laundry

Want more details on Saturday's routine? Go here.

Free Printables - Update

2011-10-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

I recently updated my menu bar and added a new section - Free Printables. It's been empty for a bit, but if you check it out, you'll find that it is nicely stocked with freebies linked to Googledocs.

I have created over 40 freebies for my lovely readers in the past and have had them all on Scribd, but once you get to a certain number of downloads, Scribd starts charging. I'll slowly be converting all of them over here on this page for easy and always free access. Enjoy!

Day 14

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Are you getting used to the routine yet? Here's the rundown for today....

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for next week's cleaning routine freebie printable!

Day 13

2011-10-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today's task is:

Wash Floors
(you can go here to see more details about my floor washing routine)

Then the daily tasks....

Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 12

2011-10-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's cleaning routine...

Vacuum House
(You can go here if you want to read more about my vacuuming routine.)
And the rest of the day's tasks...

Sweep Floors
(this doesn't need to necessarily be done if you do a good vacuuming)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

So tell me, how's the routine coming along?

Day 11

2011-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is Dusting Day....

Dust House
(If you want to see how I dust my house, you can check out this post.)

And the rest of the day's chores....

Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe Counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

Day 10

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week's free printable cleaning schedule is here if you didn't already grab it.....
Clean Bathrooms
(see this post if you want to know how I clean my bathrooms - another way I save time with the bathrooms is that I wash the bathroom floors on my floor washing day)
Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)
Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.
Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 9

2011-10-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sundays are a day of rest (church and family time) at our home, so I just do the basics - no extra tasks.

Sweep Floors(quick sweep where necessary - usually just the kitchen)
Wipe counters
(wipe down bathroom counters-if needed, wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)
Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Make sure to grab this week's cleaning schedule if you haven't already - see you back here tomorrow!

Day 8

2011-10-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

First things first, go here to get this week's cleaning schedule.

And now on to today's cleaning routine:
Sheets/Towels

(wash sheets and towels)
Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it)
Wipe counters
(wipe down bathroom counters-if needed, wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)
Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Doing okay? Hanging in there with the 31 Days to a Cleaning Routine? I hope you're ready for another week - it's going to be great!

Day 7

2011-10-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

I menu plan and grocery shop on Fridays, but since this is all about establishing a cleaning routine, I left that off of the agenda for today. So, use today as a catch-up day, a day to tackle a deep cleaning task, or try doing a menu plan if you haven't tried one. If you are looking for a menu planning system that really works, I have a Menu Planning Kit in my shop that you might like. And here's a post on how I made my recipe binder if you're interested.

Are you getting used to the routine yet? Here's the rundown for today....

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)
Wipe counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

Day 6

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Before we get started, I just want to thank you for coming here every day and participating in this challenge! I know it's difficult to clean with or without little ones around and with work and play schedules, but hopefully you are finding a couple minutes every day to tidy up.

Wash Floors

Before I wash floors, I do a quick once over with my Rubbermaid Reveal Mop Dusting pad to get the dog hair and dust. I vacuumed edges yesterday, so this only takes a couple minutes. Then on 'wash floors' day, I wash all the hard floors in my home. I have a combination of hardwood (kitchen, entryway, and powder room), tile (bathrooms), and linoleum in the mud room and laundry room. Most weeks I use my Black and Decker Steam Mop for all of these spaces and then if I need to do a little touch up during the week (rarely happens, just too busy), I use my Rubbermaid Reveal Mop. I really like that with either of these mops, the floor washing pad can be tossed in the washing machine after each use.

What do you use to wash your floors? Traditional mop and bucket, hands and knees....any timesaving tips you'd like to share?

Then the daily tasks....

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

Day 5

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

A little 'housekeeping'.....I finally figured out how to change the time that feedburner sends out my blog posts. It's now 7-9am CST, so if you haven't added Clean Mama to your feeds, you might want to do that so you have the day's cleaning routine in your inbox in the morning. Yay!

And now onto Wednesday's cleaning routine...

Vacuum House

I have a Bissell Healthy Home vacuum cleaner - it has great attachments and does a great job. I also just purchased a Hoover MultiCyclonic Canister vacuum cleaner that I love - my preschooler loves using it in the kitchen and family room, too! I do corners and edges each week to keep up with the dog hair, crumbs, and whatever else may lurk. I also vacuum corners in the bathrooms and hardwood floors - this helps out with my floor washing on Thursdays.

So how about you - any "fun" vacuuming tips?

And the rest of the day's tasks...
Sweep Floors

(this doesn't need to necessarily be done if you do a good vacuuming)

Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter

quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

New here? Make sure you grab a printable for the week. (There will be a new printable each week for you to follow along with.)
Want to see what we've been up to so far?
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1

Thank you again for joining in on the fun - I hope you are starting to see some progress in your cleaning routine!

Day 4

2011-10-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Dust House

Tuesday is dusting day. Rule #1 for me with dusting is to keep out things that we love and need. If it just collects dust, it's not worth moving every week to dust under. Especially with little kids, I have a minimal amount of "stuff" on display just so I don't have to worry about anything happening to it. I love antiques and vintage things, but some will just have to stay in storage for the next couple of years.

Here's a picture of my dusting arsenal:

I only use microfiber cloths and a dusting mitt for dusting. I use a large extendable reach duster for cobwebs and hard to reach ceilings and I have a couple little feather duster type things that the kids use as we dust through the house, but no Pledge or any other dusting products. I have a beeswax polish that I love to dust with once a month or so, but that's pretty much it. I work from top-down and quickly go through the house dusting all the hard surfaces, staircase and railings, tvs and furniture.

Then the daily tasks....

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters

(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)

Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

So tell me dear readers, how are you doing with the cleaning a little bit every day routine?

Day 3

2011-10-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday - Happy Cleaning Routine! So if you have been here for the last couple days, you'll see that I do a few things every.single.day. (If you're new here, make sure you grab this week's cleaning schedule - it'll make it a little more fun to check off your accomplishments.)

It's what keeps our home functioning and it definitely keeps the endless clutter and little messes away. Then every day of the week I tackle one area and clean it really well. Monday is Bathrooms Day. I have my bathroom cleaning down to a "science" and move through the bathrooms as quickly as possible.

If you're curious as to how I clean 4 bathrooms in 15-20 minutes, here's how:

•get all supplies in order (all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, toilet brush, microfiber window cloth and 4 cotton cleaning rags (one for each bathroom) and a microfiber cleaning cloth for bathtubs and showers.)
•go into first bathroom and spray mirror with window cleaner - wipe clean with microfiber window cloth (this might not seem like a necessary cleaning tool, but seriously it is amazing - streak free windows and mirrors every.single.time.)

•clean toilet with toilet brush and spray down sink, toilet and tub/shower with disinfectant

•I leave one rag in the bathroom - I don't wipe down the bathroom right away - I let the disinfectant sit for ten minutes to completely clean and disinfect

•move on to the next bathroom and repeat (mirror, toilet, spray down everything)
•once I've done this in all the bathrooms, I go back to bathroom #1 and quickly wipe down everything - I wipe the toilet last (I use a new cotton rag in each bathroom to avoid any cross-contamination)

•I like to use a microfiber cleaning cloth for my bathtubs and showers - it gets rid of any soap scum and any water marks with a quick wipe

Clean Bathrooms
(see above - another way I save time with the bathrooms is that I wash the bathroom floors on my floor washing day)
Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)
Wipe counters

wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.
Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

So that's Mondays - clean what you can, when you can - don't worry if you don't have time to complete the tasks for today - just get started. By the end of the month, you'll have a great routine going.

Day 2

2011-10-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

You're back - yay! If you haven't grabbed a printable for the week, go here for yours.
Sundays are a day of rest (church and family time) at our home, so I just do the basics - no extra tasks.

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep where necessary - usually just the kitchen)

Wipe counters

(wipe down bathroom counters-if needed, wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)

See you back here tomorrow - just so you know, all posts will be on my blog at 6am cst for this event. So if it works for you to check on the day's tasks first thing in the morning, the post will be waiting for you.

Day 1

2011-10-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome - I'm so glad you're here! This month is going to be a simple introduction into the daily cleaning routine that I have been following for years - several of the products in my shop are centered around this routine. It's designed around my 'clean a little bit every day' philosophy.

Forget cleaning the house once a week, just get into the habit or routine of cleaning for a few minutes every day and within the month, your home will be cleaner, you'll be more relaxed about having people drop in, and you'll have time for things that really matter.

Every week (on Saturday) I'll have a free printable (go here to grab this week's schedule) that you can use to follow the daily cleaning schedule in your home.

Come here every day for the schedule, some helpful cleaning tips and a little encouragement.

Here's our Cleaning Routine for today:

Sheets/Towels

(wash sheets and towels)

Sweep Floors

(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it - I concentrate on my kitchen)

Wipe counters
(wipe down bathroom counters-if needed, wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter

(quick declutter of any areas that need it - mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)

Laundry

(do at least one load every single day)

Okay, that's it - go get started - and don't worry about doing everything at once. I find that it's helpful to do a little bit when it works for me throughout the day - or evening.

31 Days.....What to Expect

2011-09-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to 31 Days to a Cleaning Routine at Clean Mama! Thank you for joining me - I hope you stick with me, I promise it'll be simple and change how you clean your home.

How's the month going to work? Every morning, I'll post the simple tasks for the day - and we'll each complete them when we can during the day. Just concentrate on what's 'assigned' - after a week, your house will start to feel better and after the 31 days, you'll really see a difference in how your home feels.

Ready? See you on October 1st - that's tomorrow!

Feel free to link up, Facebook, Tweet, whatever - hopefully the 31 Days of a Cleaning Routine will be a little change every day for you that really makes a difference in your cleaning routine.

And if you need incentive to stick with something, there will be shop discounts and prizes during the month for participation! So play along, comment on how it's going, do what you can each day and have fun!

If you haven't already, subscribe to the blog (on the sidebar) so you don't miss a single post.

Have You Tried This?

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, I was at a furniture store buying a floor model bed. There were a couple scratches in the wood and I asked the clerk if she had anything to cover the scratches up.

She went in the back and came back with this:

Have you tried it? Seen it? I couldn't believe how well it covered up the scratches on the bed. I was so impressed that I went home and picked up a bottle at Target (under $5) to use around my home. I've tried it on a couple spots - and it works amazingly well.

It also comes in a light wood variation as well.

Have you tried this stuff? What do you use to cover scratches in wood around your home?

Holiday Planning

2011-09-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Not to speed fall along, but I know that I feel so much more at ease when I have some holiday plans underway in advance. That's why I created the Christmas Planning Kit and the Holidays and Special Occasions Planner. They've been in my shop for a while now, but with holidays just around the corner, I just want to take a minute today to tell you about them.

The Christmas Planning Kit comes in The Starter Kit, but you can also buy it by itself.

It includes 5 printable documents in coordinating fonts and colors to keep the planning cute and fun! It is designed to be used year after year - a great way to file away all those great ideas for next year. The Christmas Planning Kit includes a December Perpetual Calendar, Make It/ Bake It Checklist, Gift Record, Decorations to Remember sheet and a Traditions to Remember sheet.

If you want to be more intentional about your holiday and special occasions planning, The Holiday and Special Occasions Kit is a perfect solution - you can also change up to 3 Holidays or Special Occasions. For example, if you celebrate Hanukkah and not Christmas, I am happy to customize up to three planning sheets for you at no additional charge! Each planning sheet includes a place for the year, a place to record your menu, guests, decorations, traditions, and a to-do list. Every printable is done in attractive holiday themed fonts and colors to keep your holiday and special occasion planning cute and fun. Make a binder and keep all your holiday planning in one place so you can easily look back on years past to see who came, what you made....

The Holiday + Special Occasions Planning Kit includes (16 documents):

Holiday + Special Occasions Planner cover sheet (if you want to make a binder)

13 Holiday + Special Occasions Planning Sheets:

New Year's Eve

New Year's Day

Valentine's Day

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Memorial Day

4th of July

Labor Day

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Birthday Planning Sheet

Blank Holiday Planning Sheet

2 Perpetual Calendars (print for the busier months to keep track of receipts, your budget, food you can make ahead....)

In other shop "news", the October Cleaning Schedules are in the shop:

and I also added two new EDITABLE Cleaning Documents:

The EDITABLE Seasonal Deep Cleaning Checklist

The EDITABLE Monthly Cleaning Checklist

(Remember that the light blue is where you get to type in your information and it prints white.)

You might want to become a fan on Facebook....check out this week's Facebook Special for some great savings!

31 Days.....

2011-09-23T04:32:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in on the fun over at The Nester for her 31 Days Challenge - you can go here to check out the challenge. Basically the challenge is to choose one thing that you are passionate about and write about it every day for the month of October. I chose my cleaning routine (not a big surprise). Every single day in October, I will have a little post about what I am cleaning each day. I'll probably have other posts sprinkled in there too, but if you are itching to get on a schedule and a cleaning routine, I'd love for you to join me! It'll be simple, easy and just the right amount of a routine to start a great habit. If you follow (or want to follow) my Cleaning Kit, it'll be just the reinforcement you need to continue this habit. And....it's just in time for the busy holiday season!

Fall Wreath Tutorial

2011-09-20T03:16:00.000-07:00

I have this wreath is on my Pinterest "fall" page - it's from Williams-Sonoma and is really beautiful, but I thought it would be fun to try to make it.

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Becky on Pinterest

Want to try to make it too? It was really easy and took about 30 minutes to complete. How's that for a fun fall project?

Here's what you need (I purchased everything at JoAnn Fabrics - no coupon, it was about $20):

wreath

(I used a grapevine wreath, even though I'm pretty sure the original one used something different )

moss

(I didn't cover the wreath - just some to add interest and a different texture)

faux pumpkins

(I used two different sizes - the original uses one size)

brown grosgrain ribbon

glue gun and glue sticks

And the steps to make this fun fall wreath:

bring wreath outside because the moss is MESSY - work a little moss into the nooks and crannies of the wreath

Using a glue gun and plenty of glue sticks attach the mini pumpkins

cut brown grosgrain ribbon a little longer than the wreath so you can trim accordingly

I am terrible at making decorative bows the "normal" way, so I use lots of glue and make faux bows

and the completed wreath

Have you put up a fall wreath yet?

Linking up to New Nostalgia, A Bowl Full of Lemons, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, The Idea Room, Tidy Mom, Tatertots and Jello, and Under the Table and Dreaming

Homemade Applesauce

2011-09-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like making homemade applesauce that says fall and since I'm working on making some more this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to repost how we make it. So simple - if you've never made your own, carve out some time this month to try it - you'll be glad that you did.

Ingredients (to taste and to size of batch of applesauce):

apples - I used 2 pecks and got 6+ quarts of applesauce

cinnamon

sugar

vanilla

fresh lemon juice

water

Tools:

stockpot (I had to use 2 pots for 2 pecks of apples)

wooden spoon

potato masher - to break down apples as they are cooking

storage containers for freezing
apple corer/peeler

(If you don't have one of these, you should buy one - huge timesaver and makes anything apple fun in the kitchen for the kids.)

williams-sonoma

Steps:

Wash apples

Peel, core, slice - if you have the above tool, this is one step - you can also just peel, core and chunk the apples to keep it easy peasy.

Sometimes the apple corer/peelers have a hard time with softer apples - which these were - so I cut a little starting point for the apple and they peel easily.

Put apple slices in large pot with a little water - I start with about a half of a cup of water and just add as needed, depending on desired consistency.

Add juice of about half to a whole lemon

After the apples have cooked down, add sugar ( start with about 3/4 cup), about 1 teaspoon of vanilla and cinnamon to taste.

Cook down a little more to desired consistency and mash with a potato masher or large spoon - adjust sugar and flavors.

Even though I am not canning these, I used my canning thingy to add the sauce to the wide mouth jars - no drips or sticky sides.

Did you know that you can put canning jars in the freezer for storage? That's where these jars are going. Just make sure that you are cooling the sauce completely before adding to the jars and add add plenty of headspace on the jars.

What's your best homemade applesauce tip? Have a favorite method?

Fall Pinterest

2011-09-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned Pinterest here before and I'm sure you've heard of it around blog land - isn't it great? I started a little fall board for inspiration - I can't wait to use some of these ideas in the next couple months. Care to take a peek?

pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting via Let's Dish

white chippy chair and white pumpkins via i heart shabby chic

gorgeous fall front steps via Pinterest

pumpkin wreath via Williams-Sonoma

101 Festive Fall Tutorials via Everything Etsy

You can see all the eye candy that I've been pinning here. Are you on Pinterest? Link up any fun fall finds in the comments!

I have a Heartsy special running now (over 50% off) - if you're interested, you can go here to check it out - it ends Thursday!

New In The Shop

2011-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

It's been crazy around here the past few weeks - I'm looking forward to getting into a fall routine and slowing down a bit, maybe. Blogging has definitely taken a back seat, but I've got a couple fun (and hopefully helpful) posts that I've been working out the details on to share with you soon.

I have had time to add a couple new special request items to the shop - so for now, I'll leave you with these links:

Teacher's Planning Kit

(perfect for classroom teachers and homeschool teachers)

As a former teacher, this kit was really fun to make - I hope it finds its way into a couple classrooms and makes some teachers really happy!

EDITABLE Personal Contacts Printable

Great for homekeeping binders and for those of you that want a non-handwritten personal contacts page. Remember - the light blue portion represents where you can type, and it prints white.

THANK YOU

2011-09-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend I hit over 3000 sales in my Clean Mama Printables Etsy shop and I could not have done that without my loyal readers! As a THANK YOU gift, I made a fun little printable for all of you - a This and That printable. It's pretty and it works how my mind works. Hopefully it'll be helpful for you too. Laminate it, put it under glass, print 100 copies, whatever - enjoy it and use it as a homekeeping tool to keep "everything" together. If you love it, share it!

Thank you!

Kitchen Deep Cleaning Printable - Freebie

2011-09-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm planning on doing a little extra deep cleaning in the kitchen over the next week or so, so I made a printable to keep track of my progress. Maybe your kitchen could use a little extra cleaning this fall too. Use this sheet and keep track of all cleaning you've accomplished. It coordinates with my New Cleaning Kit - perfect to add to your homekeeping notebook and for tracking what you've cleaned and when you cleaned it.

You can go here to get your own Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist - happy cleaning!

*update - the checklist has been corrected - sorry for double appliances!*

Linking up to New Nostalgia, A Bowl Full of Lemons, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Tidy Mom, Tatertots and Jello, and Under the Table and Dreaming.

Fall Mantel

2011-08-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what? My fall mantel from last year, made the Better Homes + Gardens blog! They have a great slideshow of fall mantels from homes all over blog-land and my simple fall mantel is featured. You can see my fall mantel and the whole slideshow here.

Great ideas for your fall decorating inspiration! Have you started decorating for fall yet? I am not there yet, but I've been eyeing the mums at the home improvement stores.

New In the Shop

2011-08-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

The September Cleaning Schedule is in the shop for all of you cross off cleaners....

And I have a new kit - the Home Maintenance Kit

The Home Maintenance Kit is a DIY-er's dream! FOUR documents that will keep your home maintenance and repair manageable and on-track. Even if you don't have a homekeeping binder, this kit can help you!

The Home Maintenance Kit includes:
Home Improvements Checklist - lists rooms in your home with a cute little checkbox and line to write down those big and little projects you'd like to tackle

Paint Color Log - a place to keep track of all your paint colors - even with a rectangle for a paint swatch - never forget the brand, color, finish and when you painted a room again!

Home Repair + Maintenance Log - keep track of every single home repair - perfect for warranty info and remembering when you last tuned up your A/C

Renovations + Projects Log - finally, a place to track the little and big projects that you (or a contractor) does around your house

If you aren't already a Facebook fan, you might want to be - I post weekly specials that are pretty fantastic!

ask Clean Mama

2011-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today's 'ask Clean Mama' comes from Jodi from Make Three Blog:

(Jodi has 3 great questions that I'm going to answer today - feel free to chime in in the comments to add your tips!)

What is the best daily cleaner for a glass stovetop? For a thorough cleaning, I wipe down with a baking soda/water paste. But for daily cleaning, I constantly see streaks even though it seems clean.

I don't have a glass stovetop, but I love using a degreaser formulation of my favorite all-purpose cleaner for the everyday cleaning of my stove. For a natural (you probably have the ingredients already solution, I'd mix a little bit of dish soap with a water and vinegar mixture - spray and wipe. Adding the dishsoap will clean your stove and it should eliminate the streaks. My favorite way to clean the stovetop? I just toss the grates and liners in the dishwasher.

What would you recommend for cleaning a microfiber couch thoroughly. Water is great when I catch dribbles but once in awhile, the couch will feel grimy. Vacuuming isn't enough. Doing a complete wipe down with a sponge and water isn't enough.

When I worked at PB, we demonstrated how easy it is to clean a microfiber couch. I clean my microfiber couch and chair this way and have great results. (Please check your manufacturer's instructions before trying this.) Use a large clean (or new) sponge and a bucket of warm, soapy water. Dip sponge in soapy water mixture - THOROUGHLY wring out the sponge and start to drag the sponge over the couch - go in one direction and repeat this process - dip, wring, wipe - until the entire couch has been cleaned. You shouldn't need a rinse if you wrung the sponge out and it barely dampened the furniture. Allow to dry and smooth couch out with hands. I prefer to use a sticky roller to pick up dirt, dog hair, etc. off my microfiber couch and chair - I think it does a better job with the in-between cleaning than a vacuum cleaner.

Any suggestions on how to clean wood paneling? Maybe one day I'll paint it or put drywall up but for now, I'm stuck with it and want to make sure my walls in our finished basement are clean.

I don't have wood paneling, but I think good, old fashioned hot, soapy water in a bucket with a big sponge would do the trick. Work in sections and dry as you go with a microfiber cleaning towel so you don't get drips and it thoroughly dries.

Thanks for the great questions, Jodi! I hope this is helpful!