The Fun House Cleaning Workout

We all have to do it - those house cleaning days sneak up on us far faster than the 'I get to sleep in' days and we find ourselves grinding the scum off of the shower yet again.

Isn't there a way to make doing the chores more fun? Haven't we dragged that vacuum through the house of aggravated silence long enough? I got tired of doing the housework in a zombie-like state, always grumbling in my head about all of the things that I had to accomplish that day.

I always got it done - but it was excruciating! I thought to myself that it certainly didn't have to be torturous to accomplish something I'm going to have to do for the rest of my life anyway. I developed a theory;

I seemed to clean the house whenever I was in a bad mood. Something would happen in my day that I would allow to set me off and I became miserable. Years ago I would get mad and go to bed and sleep it off (I was an adult, but this seems to apply to me when I was a child as well and they call them 'naps').

Later, instead of getting angry and needing a nap, I would find myself with ridiculous amounts of energy. I discovered that I could tear through my house and clean the whole damn thing and I felt terrific afterwards! Whenever I was ticked off, I cleaned my house - very well.

Later still, I wasn't angry any more. Things didn't get to me the way they used to. I had held a giant garage sale in my life and discarded all of the broken, negative things in it. I filled up on love, support, positive relationships and found myself growing up and moving forward. We all do - or we all should - and not because it is something 'everyone does' - but because it feels great.

So instead of fuelling my house cleaning with anger (which means I develop a habit of always being in a crappy mood when it comes time to clean the house), I came up with a 'House Cleaning Workout' that any of us scouring that sink can do.

It is so simple!

HOUSE CLEANING WORKOUT FOR ANYONE CLEANING THE HOUSE

Step 1: Find your favorite music. It MUST be upbeat and not depressing. It's time to vamp it up!

Step 2: Start cleaning your house. you decide where, when, how.....and why I guess. The only rule is that ONE PART OF YOU IS ALWAYS MOVING.

Note: This could mean your shoulders are moving while you wipe down the counter tops or your derriere is shakin' while you're scrubbing the porcelain place you put it. SOMETHING is moving. Arms, legs, feet - you might want to throw in a little head and neck combination for additional giggles!

Step 3: When you hear that heart pumping, make-ya-wanna-sing-it-loud chorus - YOU SING IT LOUD!

Step 4: While conducting Step #3, be sure that when that chorus hits you are moving your body too!

Step 5: Forget if anyone can hear you. If you'd prefer not to be on YouTube, ensure they can't see you.

Step 6: Be aware of how great you feel after you clean your house......if you manage to get it done. ;)

Step 7: Repeat often.

A Whole Newer World

Have you ever had that feeling like you wanted to accomplish something - like a big project - but you didn't know how to find the motivation to start? I'm the type of person who likes organization. Clutter is fine with me as long as it is organized chaos (some of you know exactly what I mean) - but even then there will be a time when enough is enough - a major cleaning is in order!

Just like our bodies, our spaces need cleaning too. It's amazing for the mind, body and spirit! If you don't believe me, ask any woman who has had her significant other (or anyone, let's be honest) clean their home. Heck, clean my kitchen and I'm swooning!

I found it very deflating when I would have a list of things to do a million miles long, and I go into that one room that should be fine, but I see a mess and voila - the entire 'Empire' collapses because I can't handle one more thing on my list.

These days, I never let the list get that.....out of control.

So when our daughter voiced her excitement about attending summer camp, the thought processes started spinning and the gears started to turn. Her bedroom had not been renovated since she first moved into it six years ago. It is need of fresh paint and a huge dash of her sprite-like personality. The room just didn't 'fit' her anymore.

It was getting bad. The rug was beyond explanation and the walls.....well.....you might not believe me if I told you. We sort of decided to just close the door.

I'm serious. Here's proof:

We gave her full creative control of the walls for a very long time. There is history here. Our daughter took paint, her hands - and decorated her room in random places......a lot. Her giggles as her eyes lit up at the realization of what she was doing....priceless. She doused the walls in colors, neon ones sometimes and her door was splattered with markers and pen stick people.

She glued (yes, glued) glittery stars all over the place and designed a world she understood and we could really only observe. We bought 'secret pens' that write with invisible ink. The ink only shows up with a special 'magic' light at the end of the pen itself.

We spent hours creating messages and drawing our daydreams on these walls.......

These memories will remain forever - but it was definitely time for a change! She is growing up so fast - and she needs a spiffy new room.

Five days. $160 budget and two amazingly creative minds. We literally made magic!

While we removed all of her things from her room, we were very careful about what we tossed. OK, not really - but she may read this one day and I had to say it.

No, really.....we were careful.

The thing about children and their toys - they can't seem to throw anything away. They become emotionally attached to 'things.' I waded through each little thing she owned and tossed out the broken items and things she no longer uses.

She wants to be an archeologist - so her room is filled with rocks. I half expect the house to fall over onto that side any day now, but we created shelving for her collection of fossils and displayed them for her. Her eyes light up the same way when she discovers a 'new fossil.'

So - after five long days and five even longer evenings, our vision for her new space came to be.

Her bunk bed will be like sleeping on a cloud!

A kid can think in this room!

We added little personal touches - like three framed photos of her dad and I being silly.
The three photos have us spell out "We Love You." We do things like this to make each other feel special!  It brightens moods, fills us with joy and puts smiles on faces that refuses to be removed.




The colors we chose were ones she has hinted at awhile. We observe things she says, pay attention to her 'daydreaming and wish making" and then surprise her when the time is right. We loved these colors - something that seemed to emerge straight from a Tinkerbell movie.

We added accents, framed her photos and dusted the room with sparkles. Every fairy on each wall has a sparkle trail behind them! I chose so many little details to add that it will be awhile before she actually sees them all. There are surprises all over the room!

Her closet was one open space - so we created shelves for both her huge book collection and her fossils. We managed to keep the bulky furniture out of her room with shelves too - so double bonus!

Lining the inside of her closet with decorative blue lights, she can have them on whenever she likes.

A pink curtain covers the closet perfectly - and all of the other details really bring this room together!

She also collects seashells - she has some beautiful ones friends gave her! They are all displayed on her windowsill - to keep them safe.

Having our space fit who we are is a huge part of how we feel. When our room is messy, it creates a feeling in us. When it is clean, sorted and put together - another feeling is there. We have a wavelength....an energy - and if 'stuff' keeps getting in the way of that flow, things get negative very quickly. We can't think.

Usually, we wouldn't take on a project like this in such a short amount of time - but it really got us moving, thinking and doing. What we accomplished in 5 days was outstanding to us! We worked our tails off, but it is amazing what you can accomplish when you set yourself to task. Mind over matter!

Hubby and I were talking about how great it was that we were so efficient - so 'work together' and dedicated to task. We had exhausted ourselves and had a blast together the entire time.

We planned and executed the greatest surprise on our daughter to date (we will top this, no doubts)........and then it happened.

My parents came over to see the new room. We had tea. We chatted.

They told us that 'back when we (as in my 3 siblings and I) went to camp' - they renovated four rooms and painted all of our furniture before we arrived home only five days later. I was floored......so proud of them.....and learned something new about my life yet again. Perspective is still everything. Hubby and I looked at each other and took it as a challenge for next time.

Our daughter arrives home this afternoon and we'll be unveiling her new room to her later today! My intention is to get her reaction on video. It should be priceless!

Rock your day!

 

 

 

 

Tried & Tested Tips - Volume One

 

I love finding little tip and tricks to make life flow the way I imagine it does. I am always searching for tidbits to save time, money and energy – and I figured passing along the information would be well received. Let’s give it a go.....

Leftover Veggies: Instead of throwing them into the garbage – where they do nothing – blend them into a puree and freeze them in ice cube trays. When making soups or stews just toss one in for added flavor. This works especially great with tomatoes.

When it comes to cleaning, there is no stronger master than vinegar. I use it diluted with water in a spray bottle. When the mood strikes, I add essential oils like lemon, grapefruit and even jasmine. I clean everything from bathroom fixtures to mirrors to countertops. I even add a cup to each load of laundry that I do. It even tackles mold. Nothing cleans better and disinfects like white vinegar.

Gum Removal:  It took me an experience with gum in the hair (not my hair) to learn this tough lesson – but what a great solution to an issue that makes all moms cringe when they think of it. Gum in the hair.

The simplest solution I have tried? Egg white. I know, weird, right? The egg white is placed on whatever the gum is stuck on (usually hair) and left for a few minutes. Afterwards, simply work the gum out. Ta da! Another gum solution is the freezer. I don’t suggest the freezer for hair (brrrrr!) – but a sweater with gum stuck on it can be freed by freezing the garment and later ‘cracking’ it off once it is solid.

When buying fresh green beans, be sure they snap when you bend them instead of just bending.

Garlic Breath:  While we love garlic, the odors left behind can be brutal. I noticed that the cleaner the body (the cleaner we eat), the less odors we emit all all aspects of the ‘odor realm’.  I wouldn’t kid you. Two ways I have discovered to curb the garlic breath are coffee grounds and lemon.

Coffee grounds rubbed over the hands will remove the garlic scent trapped there. For bad garlic breath, or hand cleaner – try fresh lemon (if you can stand it). The term ‘go suck a lemon’ could apply here – but it really is an amazing solution!

Cooking Sweet Peas: Instead of adding sugar to sweeten a batch of fresh sweet peas, just add a few of the pea pods. They are a natural sweetener and save money instead of just tossing them into the composter. The added bonus? No artificial sugars.

Sprinkle area rugs and carpets with a light dusting of baking soda. It helps draw out nasty odors and freshens the room.

That concludes this Tips & Tricks post for today. Stay tuned for more coming soon.
Have a great trick to share? Comment below!