Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving In The US

While I love the idea of having a holiday for getting the family and friends together. I really love my freedom and this beautiful country. That said our forefathers really should have come up with a better idea on how to live in harmony with the original inhabitants of this great country.

I'm off the soapbox now and back to my blog.....

We will be celebrating this Thanksgiving/ Friendsgiving with a lovely dinner. I will deck the table with fancy dishes and flatware and make a turkey breast. BUT.... I have already started trimming our tree!  The kids and I set out to do this task this weekend and it turned out so pretty! This year we wanted to enjoy all the decor and magic of the Christmas season in our home.

We are always rushing to each child's school for concerts and to outside activities for the season that the two weeks that we have the decorations up go unnoticed. Not this year! We have planned DIY projects for the house, baking sessions and planning our menu for Christmas and New Years too.
It is so nice to sit and watch the Hallmark channel movies and some homemade eggnog or hot chocolate. To read on the comfy couch and some throw pillows on the floor with snuggly blankets while the Yule Log is playing on Netflix.  (We don't have a fireplace.)

Using our imaginations and creativity to make villages and hang cards on strings above our heads.
Making table settings for the living and dining room tables with sticks and greenery we found on a hike in the forest trails and flameless candles to tie it all together. It really is a magical time and more so when your family really wants to participate in these activities.

My kids are growing so fast. I know you feel the same. I just want to make some great memories together. It truly is my only legacy... to make others happy especially my family. Things break or go out of fashion but true kindness and love are
for forever!

Weekly Cleaning Routine And Things That Need To Be Cleaned Less Frequently

This is the second part of my series on cleaning. I'll start out with the weekly cleaning routine.
I chose to clean the entire house on Thursdays because I really want to spend time with my family on Friday night on into the weekend and not spending it cleaning all weekend long. That said let's get into the series.

I start my day as usual with my morning routine. This way the house is tidy already and I just focus on cleaning the house without stopping to pick up clothes, toys etc off the floor. I can move at a quick pace and be done with this job in no time.

Next, I start by dusting. I begin in my house at the front entrance. I dust from top to bottom the walls, trim on doors and baseboards then any decoration, table or bench I may have in the area. From there I move into the living room and do the same. Dust high into the corners of the walls, the ceiling fan then on any woodwork to the baseboards. I dust the furniture and move onto the dining room. (I use a damp cloth for any of the wood doors and on a monthly basis I use a furniture polish to condition the wood and make them all shiny).Here I follow the same pattern and again throughout the entire house. I move from room to room.

I have a small frame home that technically has 863 sq. feet of living space. I have three bedrooms on the second level but because they are not dormered out they don't count in the living space. Nonetheless, I dust the walls. corners and furniture in those rooms too. Don't forget the bathroom and kitchen areas!!! One thing that I dust weekly are the bathroom cabinets and the kitchen cabinets top to bottom with a damp rag and a solution of half water and half distilled white vinegar so I can keep dust from collecting and having to work really hard when I do my less frequent cleanings.

Now following the same pattern I go on to the front entrance and clean any glass or mirrors. This includes the storm doors, windows and window sills, furniture glass tops or shelves and any pictures hanging on the walls. I do this in every room following the same pattern as I did before.


 This is the time I break out the vacuum and vacuum in the same ole pattern as I have been following. First, the entryway gets vacuumed then onto the living room. I vacuum the couch and pillows then the carpeting and so on through the house.

When I get to the bathroom I vacuum the rugs and set them to wash then I vacuum the floors. Moving onto the kitchen I vacuum the floors even though I have already swept earlier. Sometimes we can miss corners or not pick up all the dust that we would like with a broom. This way we have a nice clean surface. Since I have cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms during my morning routine I'm not spending a lot of time cleaning in any of these areas.

All that is left to do is mop the floors! I have a spray mop with a refill bottle attached and washable mop pad to do this job. I use the same cleaning solution of vinegar and water, that sometimes  I mix with some great smelling essential oils or fabuloso, and mop the kitchen and bathrooms

There you have my weekly cleaning and it takes me about 45 minutes to do it right.  If your home is bigger it may take you longer but this really is a fast way to get these chores done and keeping you free for the rest of the week from having to do it. It's just a smarter way to do it. I admit there are days I don't want to do any routines but I just can't deal with everything piled up! I think it's a waste of time doing chores all day when I could be shopping, working out, gardening, reading or sleeping (LOL)!

So, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's I tackle one area I normally don't clean frequently. Here's a list of things:

Front porch
Oven
Inside cabinets and pantry in the kitchen
Inside cabinet and linen closet in the bathroom
Refrigerator
My closets
My kid's closets
Attic
Basement
Washer and Dryer
Paperwork
Back porch

I do these in order as listed but you could do whatever feels right for you. I clean the fridge just before I go grocery shopping so the inside is clean and any spoiled foods are gone. I also get the top of the fridge and the coils in back including the floor space behind the fridge.

When I clean the cabinets in both the bathroom and kitchen I just move things within the cabinets to wipe around them. since I get to them on a monthly basis they are not really that dirty. I also take a look at the contents and anything I haven't used in awhile I purge. There is no reason using such prime space for things to just sit. this goes for everything in the house. the more stuff you have the more you have to clean. So as you go purge the unnecessary items, clothes, shoes, decorations and you will be much calmer and have more TIME for yourself or to do other things!!!

I did not do the monthly routine until the last two years. I would always do a "Deep Clean" before Thanksgiving and then a "Spring Cleaning" before Easter. I would spend all day cleaning and be crabby because of it. It was when I started watching cleaning videos on YouTube that I saw mom's like me with the same idea of night and morning routines but it was "How Jen Does It" that got me on the monthly cleanings. She calls them "Cleaning Zones" and she learned it from Flylady.com. This truly
is a blessing to have found. I am calm and my home is clean and presentable.

Let me know if you like this. I will be focusing on minimalism in the next post!

Until next time,
Flora

Nutella Mousse

As promised I have the Nutella Mousse recipe. This was such a hit with my family and this recipe is enough for 8 people.

Ingredients:

3 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Nutella spread or to your taste

In a metal bowl add the cream and sugar. Beat well until the peaks hold without flopping down. Next you gently fold in the Nutella. Keep folding until the streaks of white from the cream and the dark chocolate streaks are combined into a creamy milk chocolate concoction.

Serve them up in a dish or if you want to be fancy pipe them from a pastry bag with you favorite decorating tip. Top with any sprinkles chopped or broken candies or whatever else you like. If you are making this ahead keep them in the refrigerator until you serve.

Enjoy!

Flora

I Wish I Knew About Routines Earlier/SAHM

As I sit in front of the computer thinking what I wanted to blog about I realized how much I have changed in twelve years.  Twelve years ago I had my first child and from that day until my second child... three years later, I was killing myself keeping up with all the housework and family.


*** Disclaimer Alert*** I am not a cleaning, organizing, cooking professional or Guru! I write about what I do. If you do things differently that's great and let me know about it. We can all learn from each other. I just want to motivate or help others make their lives easier and more enjoyable while taking care of the home and family!


I would tell my younger self to take it easy. The house can be clean without cleaning constantly all day. You just need to have routines! Routines are the bomb! I have a nighttime routine, a morning routine, and a weekly routine. These three routines are a life saver as they keep my cleaning to a minimum. The nighttime routine is the most important because it has me waking up to a clean kitchen and tidy home.

Before I head to bed I have cleaned up after dinner, do the dishes ( drying and putting them away), the counters are wiped down and the stove and any appliances are cleaned and ready to use another day. I've swept the floor and mopped the floor. The counters are cleaned off and everything is put back into their space in the kitchen. I then go around the house and tidy any living areas. I fluff the pillows on the couch, fold blankets we used and put them away. I replaced the remotes on the TV 's speaker and pick up anything up off the floor. I push in all the dining room chairs and check to see if all the devises we used are powered down. Then I'm off to bed.

It may seem like a lot of work but as you make this your routine it becomes second nature and it really only takes 20 to 30 minutes to do. The key is to do it every night. Of course, there are times when you can't do these things because you are sick or just back from vacation etc. But, because you were consistent in your routine you will not be overwhelmed with tons of dishes in the sink and the whole house needs to be deep cleaned.

My morning routine is 30 minutes of coffee and me time. I like to wake up and meditate or prep myself for a great day. Then I start on lunches for the kids and my husband. Next is breakfast for my family. I get ready for the day and take the kids to school.  When I get home I put in one load of laundry. I head to the bathroom and tidy that up. Next, I make the beds and tidy the rooms. If the carpets have too many things that can't be picked up by hand I'll vacuum them. Then I spend 30 minutes on one area of my home that I don't have to clean on a regular basis. Those things are the attic or basement, a closet or maybe the oven.  Then I have the rest of the day to myself before the family comes home and it's dinner time.

These are my main routines. These are a great help in keeping everything under control and I'm not embarrassed to have anyone over at any time or any day. You may have a different way you keep up the house with your own routine and that's great! Having routines keep me from doing deep cleaning because I'm constantly keeping up on it for about an hour and a half total every day.

I do have a weekly cleaning routine where I clean the whole house. If you like this post I can continue a series of routines for you. Please comment on what you'd like me to blog about concerning cleaning.

Thanks! Until next time,
Flora

October 22, 2017

Today is a rainy and windy day so we stayed inside all day.  Good thing because I am beat!  Yesterday we took apart the furnace and cleaned everything inside.  I was really scared because the husband is no heating and cooling guy nor is he really mechanically inclined.

But, much to my surprise and delight, we got it back together and it works like a charm! It only took four hours!  Our backs were killing us today so we enjoyed the warmth of the clean furnace. We watched movies, did some reading and sipped on some hot chocolate.  I managed to pick myself up and do a load of laundry and make Nutella Mousse! I'll post the recipe soon.

Take care and see you soon,

Flora

Welcome

Hi there and welcome to my blog! Here I write about the goings on in our house and lives! I blog about cleaning, cooking, organizing, shopping, budgeting and life in general. If you are interested in a lifestyle that is not complicated then sit awhile and enjoy.