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5 Ways to be Productive in Your Home

 

5 Ways to be Productive in Your Home

Simply speaking, being organized in your home means for everything to have a place and to be put back there when not in use.

I know, you are saying this is a crazy bunch of nonsense when you have a family.  Having a husband and two young kids, I totally get it.  Trust me when I say my 10 year old will walk over something on the floor 400 times and never see it.  Then, when I bring it to his attention, I have to specifically ask him to pick it up before the thought crosses his mind.

Studies have been done which suggest living in clutter can increase your stress level.  An increased stress level can impact your productivity.

 

Clean Slate

To prepare for being organized each day, an overhaul should be done so that you start with a clean slate.  I know this one sounds daunting.  Give yourself a day or more for each room to clear things out to donate, trash/recycle or keep.  As you go through each room, decide where everything will be placed or stored.  Go through every closet, drawer, clean up the cheerios behind the bookcase and just make it a clean slate.  Once everything has a home, you will be more likely to ensure it gets back to its home at the end of the day.

 

Make Your Bed 

This may sound trite.  “Why make the bed when you will be getting back into it tonight?”  I’ve heard it before and in my own home.  However, the act of making your bed is the first act of accomplishment in your day.  It gives you a sense of things coming together in your home and being tidy.  Bonus, you have a lovely bed to enter at the end of the evening.  Folding down the blankets at the end of the evening prepares your mind for restful sleep.

 

Clean Up as you Mess Up

We likely heard this from our parents growing up.  “If you get it out, put it back.”  Sometimes, in the busyness of the morning routine, we can leave things lying around everywhere.  Coming back into a home that is cluttered will increase your anxiety and stress.  Cleaning up as you go will allow you to walk into a clutter free home at the end of the day when you are tired and want to relax.  So, put away that hair dryer, wipe off the sink, put your dishes in the dishwasher, etc.  As you walk out of the door, you will feel productive and ready to face your day and know you will come home to a tidy house to relax in the evening.

 

Put Things Away as they Enter the House

As something enters the house, it should be put in its place immediately.  If it is junk mail, put it right in the recycle bin.  Bills or other needed paperwork, should have a folder or bin designated for that type of mail.  See my post on paper clutter here. 

Kids’ homework is always a daunting thing.  Empty folders each day and throw away anything that is not needed.  I tend to keep completed homework/tests until the end of the school year in case they need to be referred to at the end of the year.  Please see my post about homework storage here.

Purchases should find a home quickly as well.  Typically, when we buy something, we know what we are using it for in our home.  However, it is good to have a storage area as a temporary home for anything we do not know what to do with yet or that will be leaving the home (i.e. gifts or donations).  If you follow my blog, you know I am a blogger.  I have a ton of craft supplies.  However, everything has a home.  It can be done, I promise.

 

Clean the Kitchen and Main Living Space Every Evening 

My home is certainly not a show home.  I love that our home is “lived in” and filled with things that tell you something about each person living here.  That’s what makes a house a home.  My kids love to drag bins and tubs of toys to the living room every day and scatter them to the four winds.  I typically shuffle in our living room instead of taking steps.  Legos and Barbie shoes are vicious on feet.  But, at the end of the day, everything has to be put back in its designated place.  This is the job of the kiddos.  Bonus, they learn the art of cleaning up after themselves.  Win-Win!!!

Before heading to bed each evening, try to do the following list.  It will make your morning so much less stressful.  It really only takes a few minutes.

  • Put dishes in the dishwasher or hand wash.
  • Wipe down the kitchen sink and put any dish cloths in the laundry.
  • Make sure everything is cleared from the kitchen counter and table that is not supposed to be there.
  • Pick up anything that is out of place in the main living area (blankets, books, etc.)
  • Toys should be put away (can be done by the kids as soon as they are capable of carrying them to the bins)

Going to bed with a tidy house will make tackling the morning routine so much easier. Mornings tend to be chaotic and can get out of hand quickly.  If you wake up to a clean slate, you will feel more relaxed and ready to hit the day head on.

 

Life Skills Your Kids Should Know

Life skills your kids should know

 

Today’s world is driven by technology and innovation.  While that is certainly important, so are clean sheets!

Kids spend so much time at school, doing homework, playing sports, socializing, and the list goes on.  However, do we really take the time daily, weekly, monthly, to share with them the practical things that life entails?  Eventually, they will enter the world and will need to know how to wash their sheets among other things!  

This is a list I made for our family to ensure my kids have some basics down before they leave the nest.  This is a great start to help our kids to become competent and independent adults.  Many of these skills they can begin learning in small ways as young children.    

 

Money

 

  • Balancing a checking account
  • Maintaining a savings account
  • Creating and abiding by a monthly budget
  • Paying Bills (as teenagers, a credit card or checking account may be useful in money management)

Kitchen

 

  • How to wash, dry and put away dishes by hand
  • Load and unload a dishwasher
  • Open cans with a manual can opener
  • Creating a menu and grocery list (Please see my post on Grocery Budgeting Strategies)
  • Cut up vegetables, fruits and meats
  • Follow a recipe that they have never made
  • How to cook staple meals and family favorites
  • Understanding measurements for cooking and baking

Laundry

 

    • Sorting clothes by color and laundering requirements  (I like this sorter with 4 sections)

  • Treating stains
  • Folding and putting away laundry
  • Iron clothes properly

 

General Household

 

  • Hanging a picture frame
  • Install a curtain rod and shower curtain
  • Change a light bulb 
  • Reading a measuring tape
  • Using basic tools (screwdriver, drill, hammer and level)

Automotive

 

  • Change a tire and check tire pressure
  • Check fluids
  • Clean carpets, dash, clutter and windows as needed
  • Maintenance log for vehicle should be kept for your reference
  • Registration, insurance information and emergency information can be kept in glove compartment
  • Keep an emergency kit in the car (jumper cables, water, blankets, emergency cones or signs, etc.).  This is a good one you can purchase for $35.95 on Amazon.  It includes major necessities.

Outdoor

  • Mow the lawn
  • Trim the yard and flower beds
  • Clean outdoor tools and store properly
  • Sweep porch or patio areas
  • Plant flowers or other plants

Cleaning

 

          Kitchen

    • Counters and stovetop should be wiped off daily
    • Sink-daily
    • Floor-weekly mop at least, daily sweep
    • Refrigerator-clean out expired food weekly and clean the shelves monthly or as needed

          Living room/Family room

    • Vacuum-weekly or more often if pet hair or other allergens pose a problem
    • Pick up blankets, toys, etc. daily
    • Dust furniture weekly or more often if needed
    • Dry/dust mop hardwood floors weekly or more often if needed
    • Wet mop hardwood floors with oil soap monthly

          Bathroom

    • Counters weekly or more often as needed
    • Mirror-weekly
    • Toilet-weekly or more often as needed
    • Shower/Tub-weekly or more often if the need arises

          Closets

    • Seasonally clean to donate or discard clothing that is worn out or no longer fits.  Seasonal clothing can be stored to be used the following season if there is not enough room in the closet for it to remain.
    • Yearly overhaul of closets are recommended.  Things tend to linger that we do not have a use for or are not attached to in some way.

          Laundry room

    • Wipe down washer and dryer-monthly or more often if needed
    • Vacuum or dust floors-weekly
    • Remove clutter if anything tends to pile up in this room

*This post contains affiliate links.  Purchasing from these links provides me with a small commission at no additional cost to you.*

Immune System Support for the Whole Family

Sambucus Elderberry gummies are amazing immune system support for the whole family!!  I highly recommend them.  Of course, be sure to check with your physician before taking any supplement.

I read about these gummies last year before cold and flu season.  I implemented them for everyone in the family in October and we took them daily until April.  It made a huge difference for us in the number and severity of colds and other illnesses throughout the cold and flu season.

For the rest of the year, I always have them on hand.  If anyone feels like they are coming down with something or even when seasonal allergies are flaring up, we take these gummies.  We have noticed a drastic reduction in the amount of time we feel lousy when a cold or other illness hits.

Check them out on Amazon.  I set them up as a subscription to get them cheaper and so that I do not have to remember to order them.  Convenient!!  And, the subscription can be canceled after the cold and flu season.

This post contains affiliate links.  I may receive a small portion of the purchase, at no additional cost to you.  

Sambucus Elderberry Gummies

Kid Created Wind Chimes-Recycle!

Reuse Bottle Caps as Wind Chimes

 

In our house, we recycle as much as possible, especially when it comes to making crafts.  Craft supplies are expensive.  While I do purchase quite a number of craft supplies, when I can use something we have on hand, my wallet thanks me.  As moms, we look at Pinterest or craft books and try to create little masterpieces with our kiddos.  Truth be told, the little ones see the end product much differently than we saw it on Pinterest or in that book.  It has been my experience that the memory of doing the craft is what the kids cherish, not the craft itself.  So, don’t hang on to unrealistic goals of perfection.

This project took 15 minutes which is about the extent of my 4 year old’s attention span.  We explored the yard for a stick and shortened it.  We gathered milk jug lids that we have been collecting for quite some time.  However, we thought about using shells or rocks for this project and may do it again with those.  This was a quick fun project for those days when the kids are climbing the walls and need to do something but you cannot go outside.

What you need: 

  • Stick of desired length
  • Twine
  • Milk jug lids or other similar object
  • Drill or something to make a hole in the cap
  • Glue gun (optional)
I made holes in each of the caps.  These are soft plastic, so I was able to just poke through them.  Then, we fed the twine through the holes.  Since this is jute twine, it grabbed the rough edges of the holes and the lids stayed put where they were placed.  However, if you use a drill or the twine is a bit more slick, you may need a dab of hot glue to hold the pieces in place.

 

pink caps with twine

blue cap with twine

After stringing each cap into place, we tied three strips of caps onto the stick we collected.  We put them about two finger widths apart from each other on the stick to ensure they were close enough to clang together in the wind.  Then, we attached a piece of twine in a loop to hang them with on our front porch.

The end result is so cute!

red blue and silver milk cap wind chimes pink milk cap wind chimes

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