Cupcakes Kisses 'n' Crumbs: Real Life for 6

Showing posts with label Real Life for 6. Show all posts

03 October 2016

Speedy Fall Cleaning in the Kitchen

Our kitchen could use some deep cleaning! It gets abused every week and sometimes I just don't get to every little thing I want to!

~Dust the top of the cabinets/fridge

~Wipe down the inside of the cabinets
~Small appliances need some extra love too!

~Deep Clean the Fridge

~Clean the oven, self clean or spot clean

~make a batch of disposal cleaning cubes

~Pantry, wipe shelves down and toss expired stuff

~Check napkins and tablecloths. It's almost the holiday season, do you have what you need?

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28 September 2016

Speedy Fall Cleaning Family Room

I didn't Fall Clean last year, we had just moved in and nothing really needed deep cleaning. It needed organizing and everything else that comes with moving in.

But this year, oh goodness does it ever need it!

I am starting fresh in this smaller house, should take less time!

I put an experimental recipe, or lack of, in the Instant Pot and some good music and it should only take an afternoon!

I have always started in the kitchen, switching it up this year and working on the Family Room.

Anything that gets done with my weekly cleaning won't be on this deep cleaning list.

~Wipe down walls

~Window Tracks, before it turns to mud!

~Vacuum, Wipe and Touch Up Baseboards

~Wipe Down Doors and Touch Up Paint

~Heather Vents.. clean them out and wipe down

~Swap Pictures in frames if I have them

~Wash Curtains

~Fireplace.. put the grate in and take the candles out

~Vacuum behind all of the electronics

~Spot Clean Upholstery and Vacuum out couch

~Quick Clutter Sweep

Then the rewards for getting that all done!

Put throw blankets and extra pillows out

New Candles or Scentsy

Then it's all ready for Halloween Decorations!

19 July 2016

Real Life for 6.. Getting rid of the EXCESS!

July is my month to finish purging, for REALSIES this time. Everything. Not a drawer here and there. Everything! I know once school starts I won't have time to do this job the way it should be done. I want all of August to be fun and open, until it's time to get back into school mode.

My FRESH approach to purging is super simple and short.

1. I remind myself WHY I am purging, sorting, organizing, whatever you want to call it.

Having less stuff to deal with gives me more time to do what we want.

Pretty sure no one wants to go through their belongings, or spend time dealing with too much stuff, or looking for that 1 thing among all the other things.

There are so many other things we would rather be doing!

2. The 6 month rule

You know the one! Haven't used it in 6 months, you probably don't need it. *

Obviously there are exceptions. Christmas tree stands and inflatable pools aren't year round things. You get to decide if you want to pick up and move that quesadilla maker again in 3-6 months. You know those exceptions for your things.

When I am feeling burned out or hesitating about an item.

I remind myself that pretty rooms aren't full of junk, and who doesn't want a pretty room?

And when it's all done, I will be back to my 15 minutes a day rule. Just 10-15 minutes a weekday of organization will keep the clutter problem at bay.

13 July 2016

Real Life For 6~ Kids Clothes Part 1

It's about that time when we are bombarded with ads telling us we need to buy our kids NEW clothes. I don't know about you, but our kids still have a ton of clothes from last year that aren't worn out and some even still fit. As part of our effort to have a fresh perspective on everything, giving kids clothes a new look and doing some reducing, absolutely not buying as much as last year which was already a huge reduction from years past. We obviously didn't need that many if there are 5-6 shirts that were only worn 1 or 2 times. Part of this is due to the struggle with our tween. He is very picky with his clothes all of a sudden, too bad for me because I was still in the habit of buying ahead. T Shirts just won't cut it anymore, he really only likes the athletic style shirts, as much as I don't like them :) choosing my battles on that one.

I am sure there are a few things our kids do actually need for the next school year, socks come to mind, but I can't tell you what that is, or watch for deals on it, if I haven't done a good job of knowing what we have vs. what we NEED (that need vs. want thing is still a work in progress here).

Sooo, first thing first, what do they actually NEED for the next 6 months. This is going to be different for everyone, depending on uniforms, what shoes are or aren't allowed at school, activities, etc. Make your lists for your family. I am trying to be as harsh as possible and keep things limited.

Here is our list

Shoes: Athletic, Casual, Rain boots, Dressy for the girly too.

Socks and Underwear: 7 days worth

Pants: 4 Pair of Jeans (our everyday staple) 1 alternate pair, 1 Dress Pants

Shirts: T-Shirts 7 (long and short sleeve), 2 Dress Shirts

Sweater/Sweatshirts: 3 and at least 1 with a hood

Jacket/Coat: 1 of each, with a hood

Dresses: 3 Casual/1 Dressy

Gym/Sports stuff: 2 full outfits

Now this hasn't changed much since I talked about this 2 years ago here! I haven't really bought a whole lot of anything in the last 2 years, well not for the big kids anyway. I HAVE done a much better job of sticking to necessities. We still have TOO MUCH.

Part 2 coming up. How we keep it all organized and easy to access.

05 July 2016

My Morning Routine & Checklist

I posted about mornings and how important they are for us. I didn't get specific in my routine, but thought I could, so here it is. This is my ideal SUMMER morning, once school starts it will need some tweaking. And no, not every morning is like this but I wish they were!

When you set your alarm and it seems like such a pain, remember WHY you are doing it. Whatever your WHY is. Mine is alone time to mentally prep for the day and then a little prepping for a smoother day.

I have mine laminated and it snaps right into my planner with these snazzy little stickers, just in case I am ever ( and let's be real, that is always) on the tired side and need a little reminder about what a smooth morning would look like.

5:00 Rise and Shine/Start Coffee
5:10 Coffee/Bible Reading
5:30 Workout
6:00 Make To Do/To Be Lists

6:15 Shower and dress
6:45 Make Bed & Start Laundry
7:00 Breakfast

7:45 Kid Work
8:00 Power (Half) Hour

Wondering what any of those are? Here is a quick rundown.
Just get up and start my coffee, get dressed
I like to read in the mornings while I have my coffee
I have a few different workouts that are all under 30 minutes, I just pick one.
Check my planner, dinner plans, make my lists. To do, those are obvious. To be, those are sometimes things I need reminders on, be patient, be more present etc. Depending on how things have been going.
Shower and get ready for the day
Once hubby gets up I can make the bed and start a load of laundry
Make breakfast for everyone, eat breakfast
Set the kids up with either some paperwork, chores, a game, art project. Just something for them to do for a dedicated amount of time while I get my Power Half Hour done.
Power Half Hour~ A half hour can feel like NO time or like a long time. I spend that first 30 minutes of the day moving as fast as I can to get the chores of the day done. I can usually get everything (or nearly everything) done in that 30 minutes. Well, besides laundry, because laundry is just never ending! I don't ever want chores to take all day or for it to feel like that is all we do.

How do you do mornings?
Any schedule or routine? Just wing it day by day?

06 May 2016

Mud Room {Real Life for 6}

The mudroom is our between spot, from the garage to the house and it is ABUSED!

Half the time the shoes end up there instead of put away in the garage, all the dirty kitchen towels and table cloths end up on the floor, I haven't organized the cleaning supplies at all. It's just been a hot mess. Used some of my free time to get some things settled this week. AGAIN. It's still not working 100% for us, but for now, this is what we have!

Yeah, so bad before!

First things first. The laundry stuff, we keep things really basic here so they don't take up a lot of space. Just 2 shelves for soap, color catchers and the stain remover. Once I figure out how this other shelf fits in here?!

Then Cleaning supplies.

The easiest way to keep these manageable is to limit the potions and sprays you bring home. The less you have the less you have to deal with. We really don't use much, some Bon Ami for toilets and sinks and then just vinegar/dawn combo. All of our cleaning supplies in this 1 basket!

After is a little better but still not exactly what we need, at least its clean and organized and has no clutter!

We have BIG plans for this room eventually. It's not a pretty room by any means, and it's set up so strange! The hot water heater in the closet? But for now I just need it to work for the 3 kids we have leaving in a rush in the morning, and the 1 kid who loves to play in here! I can't wait to get started (not before baseball season is over) and make this room more usable for us.

17 September 2015

Are you a busy mom?

Of course you are! I think all moms are busy! We all have different things that make us busy, eat our time and attention. I'm sharing how I am making it (barely) through our chaos, the things that help me keep my sanity as a *Busy Mom*.

Being honest and real here, I am exhausted every night and barely have time for home stuff. I don't think we will be choosing to be this busy again anytime soon. My head hits the pillow about 2 seconds before I am out. Now I know I can't be the only one with multiple kids in multiple sports and having to be at 2 places at once every weeknight, so if you have more pointers SHARE!
I'm not going to talk about the obvious Coffee and Wine, I think those are a staple for a lot of moms :)

For me, the days I don't get my Greens in I can feel it by about 10AM! I'm sure we all have a regimen we intend to follow to get our vitamins in.

SLEEP! I am not getting enough, I doubt I ever will. I've just stopped expecting to get any. I try to get 3 hour increments, that seems to work best for me. 6 hours is better than 7. There is a neat app you can get to show you your sleep pattern/cycle. It's called Sleep Cycle.

Cut stuff loose, and don't feel guilty! When I sat down and entered in all our appointments, practices, games and open houses and events for the next 3 months I had a small panic attack. That planner was FULL. I needed to make some more space in there for LIFE. I cut some things that aren't necessary and are a drain. Not appointments or stuff we have committed to, things that I probably put too much effort into for ME and no one else notices. Less electronics (that is a big one!)

Friends, making my mama friends as much a priority as I can helps me stay afloat in this little storm that feels huge while it's happening. Nothing huge, a quick phone call or text chat. Just a few minutes everyday to help keep my sanity.

Keep as much of a whole day as you can for family and quiet! That day to recharge is SO important. I know that day is Sunday for a lot of families. It's crazy to think about it just 1 day a week is only 52 chances every single year to unwind and recharge and keep on chugging. That hardly feels like any!

If you can't have a whole afternoon or morning to do your thing, schedule 1 hour, just 1 hour a day if you can to just focus on you. Mine is usually in the morning before the kids are up. I like to drink my coffee in the quiet and read a little and just be alone ! For me, I like my devotional. I know you mama's can relate!

And even with ALL this knowledge of ways that *should* help me chill and just survive I still am in tears a couple times a week! I know when this is over I will think how silly it was to cry over having to be 2 places at once but while it's happening it is HARD!

10 September 2015

Real Life for 6~Unpacking

We have had floors a couple weeks and most of the drywall done for a week. I can finally really start unpacking! We don't have everything here yet but this disaster should keep me busy!

I tried to move things into the garage in rows, separated by rooms. That was a flop. Having 3 little helpers undo a lot of what I had done while looking for certain things will do that. So now we have this jumble of boxes and bins and who knows what!

I am going to try to get to this garage today. Setting aside just 1 day a week to organize a specific area will help us stay organized. Unloading a box at a time and making sure it's something we actually need before I even bring it in the house!

I have to start with an area for recycling, donating and trash. I just used a broken bin and boxes.

Let's hope nap time is productive!