Cupcakes Kisses 'n' Crumbs: housekeeping

Showing posts with label housekeeping. Show all posts

24 August 2019

Back to School Prep {Laundry}

When I asked on Instagram “What makes you stress about Back To School time?

The top answers were

Laundry/Kids Clothes

Dinner

Housekeeping

Logistics

Breakfast

Lunch Prep

Getting Out The Door

I’ve pretty much shared all I can right now on kids clothes, but I wanted to share how we do laundry when we are on the right track.

I do 1-2 loads a day Monday-Thursday and sometimes a special load, or couch covers on Friday and NONE on the weekend. No one wants to put laundry away Sunday night!

Obviously there is the occasional mishap when a uniform gets missed in the last dark load on Thursday and is needed on Monday, or someone is losing their mind over certain jeans. But typically our family of 6, with pretty small wardrobes ( I think anyway) can make this work and I feel less resentful about laundry if it’s not an issue on the weekend.

I’m always down for hearing about new methods! Send em my way!

17 August 2017

Easy Breakfast Plan

This has been helpful for us in the past, last year was kind of a wash. This year though, this year HAS to go smoother! I've done some prepping already and am printing this for my planner!

This might not be perfect and it might not happen every week, I still want to have it so I have something to fall back on when things feel like they are getting out of control!

I've made these pancake poppers in bulk because they are easy to grab and go! Super easy to make too! Whatever you like for pancake batter, then spray a mini muffin tin well, bake 12-14 minutes at 350! I made a bunch to freeze and we will just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds when it's time to eat them!

We've got bacon and cheese, blackberry, raspberry with protein boost, sausage & maple and apple spice poppers all ready for school in 2 weeks!

I keep yogurt cups and have the dry ingredients in our breakfast bucket! Granola, dried fruit and plastic spoons, just in case!

Summer has it looking slim! Need to restock the spoons and fruit!

Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats! So many variations for flavors! Easy prep the night before, filling and not expensive! I picked Wednesday for this because we rarely use the IP for taco Tuesday'

Eggs, bacon and toast is a little more work for me but I feel like I should have my life together by Thursday of each week lol. I also have a stack of bacon egg and cheese English muffins in the freezer if that is not the case and I am still failing.

Friday is typically chaos for me. The day I play catch up and I don't really want to add extra dishes in the morning or worry about it. We have leftovers, yogurt, cereal sometimes and the kids can choose to make their own stuff too!

*May contain affiliated links* I participate in Amazon Associates Program occasionally. I wont recommend a product I wasn't myself interested in trying or have tried. I may receive monetary compensation for participating. This does not change the price for you.

08 August 2017

Back to School Organization~ Cleaning Cards

I shared our updated Chore Packs last week, over the weekend I put together the cards for each room. These are not jobs that will take hours, just a checklist of a few items that each take a couple minutes max. Having some help do these few chores a couple times a week will sure help me, and help these kids learn how to keep the spaces they frequent tidy.

I don't expect the bigger kids to need these for long, after a few weeks they will have the routine down, until then, they are laminated and have a spot easy to access. I also attached a dry erase marker because a certain 7 year old I know and love will want to check them off! It might add more time to the job than the actual job, but if it encourages him to helpful, I will take it!

I've got a card (just small, 4x6) for Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, and Family Room.

Email me if you would like them too, free :)

FolkHollow@gmail.com

*May contain affiliated links* I participate in Amazon Associates Program occasionally. I won't recommend a product I wasn't myself interested in trying or have tried. I may receive monetary compensation for participating. This does not change the price for you.

01 August 2017

Back to School Organization~Chore Cards

Sorry, sorry, sorry for even bringing it up. But today IS August 1st which means school will be in session before we know it :( I don't love that at all, but I do want to make sure it all goes smooth!

Honestly, the last 2 years or so have kind of had me/us in a funk! Baby, re-doing a home, health issues and overall busyness just have not worked in our favor. To combat that busyness that isn't going away I need routine, and scheduling and structure. No way can I just toss that on the kids the first day of school. I haven't updated our CHORE CARDS in years, those need an overhaul, and our weekly and daily routines need an overhaul too. We don't expect them to be followed 100% every single day, but having a plan in place that we hopefully meet 80% of the time still REALLY makes a difference.

We are starting by adding chore packs again, and hopefully practice morning routines in the next couple weeks.

So this is the new chore cards. They are more work because the kids are a lot older now, I mean it's been 5 years!!! And these are all things that *might* need to be done. I promise we don't expect them to clean the coop everyday :) I left some blank because I laminated mine and wet erase markers work great on them! Sometimes we have chores that are just for a season, or a few weeks and I like to have the option.

Happy to share these printable sheets! Just email me (FolkHollow@gmail.com) and I will send you the file! I just had mine printed on card stock (using the floral as a back side), laminated them and then used these rings and a hole punch to keep them handy and together!

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?

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?

02 June 2015

Wool Dryer Balls~Saving Money, Naturally. Giveaway

I posted a picture of Woolzies a couple weeks ago on Facebook, glad to see I wasn't last to the party!

We have been using them for a little while now, and goodness do they help!

I had been trying to find ways to cut down on laundry expenses.

We already make our own laundry soap and hang drying is a lovely idea, except we have trees and a big empty field and SPIDERS like crazy. I just can't do it! I have tried hanging some in our laundry room but 2-3 loads of wash a day, there just isn't enough room for it all.

We have a h/e machine already, other than making sure I get every stray sock in the load I don't think there is another way I can save on the washing part, we just use soap, sometimes vinegar. I won't pay for or use fabric softener, it's not softening anything, it's coating the fabric with chemicals. ICK!

So I started checking out drying options, lots of DIY fabric sheets but same chemical coating, no thanks.

In my search I read about these wool dryer balls. Claimed to help drying time and soften clothes.

I had seen the plastic ones and was not convinced I would want heated plastic in with our clothes, I envisioned more holes and less help with the drying or making anything softer, and was pretty sure the noise would be crazy.

I read about Woolzies then tried them out, I new the first week I was hooked!

They work by helping separate the clothes in the dryer and allowing the air to circulate more efficiently. I barely notice a difference in noise.

I didn't really have an issue with static before, and still don't. But I don't over dry stuff. As soon as it is dry stuff comes out, I think static is partially over drying.

02 March 2015

Organizing Friday {Week 9}

Happy Monday! And in case this is your first visit, I wanted to explain real quick why Friday's are for Organizing around here. I have a routine down for cleaning all of our home, Monday-Thursday. That leaves weekends and Friday to get projects done. Our weekends are full of family fun, we want to keep it that way. Usually I post these on Fridays. Last Friday I was pretty ill, slept the whole day! So here it is today!

Last week was the laundry area, it was bad. It was more dirty than unorganized. Some of it was from the move, anything and everything kind of got shoved on the dryer.

So much dust and sawdust!

Spiffied it up a little, used what we had and hung a couple things to get them off the dryer and freezer.

Finally put that star up, it's not centered but it's not falling off the dryer every few days either.

Love this vintage pop bottle crate for laundry necessities.

I throw all the pocket stuff in this basket. Change, lego's and gum wrappers for days!
This week I am going to try to work on craft stuff, but I may only get to wrapping stuff. Either way, they are in the same space so it will help.

13 November 2014

20 Minutes to a Clean Bathroom

Wednesday is my least favorite cleaning day! Bathrooms.. ugg

Thankfully, I don't spend much time doing it, 20 minutes for both of them, that's it!

~Spray showers, sink and toilet with magic bathroom cleaner

(dawn and vinegar)

~Dust

~Wipe counters down

~Touch Up Mirror and Windows

No need to clean the whole thing, just the spots

~Change Towels

~Stock q tips and TP

~Change Scentsy

~Spray Shower Out

~Clean Toilet

~Shake Rugs out

~Sweep

What is your least favorite room to clean?!

30 October 2014

20 Minutes To A Clean House Part 2~ The Kitchen

The Kitchen can feel so overwhelming but stick with a plan and each week it will be easier and you will get more done in that 20 minutes. Remember, the first few weeks it might feel like 20 minutes is not nearly enough time, even a little progress on some of the tasks that could take up all of the time is still progress and before you know it cleaning out the fridge will be a 1 minute job instead of 30.

* This is my list for our home. Make a list of what you need done weekly*

Music is a must have for me, I need the background noise

I start any job that needs a few minutes to do it's thing first so I am not wasting any of the 20 minutes.

~Start the Microwave Cleaning

Just a damp sponge to steam it up, easy to wipe down

~Clean the Fridge

I just make sure there are no leftovers or spills

~Dust

I try to get on top of fridge every week and then any spots that are bugging me. I use a Swiffer Duster on a long handle. No time to climb chairs!

~Wipe Down Cabinets

Not all of them, just where I can really see kid prints

~Wipe out Microwave

~Wipe Down Counters

~Clean Stove Top

I don't spend too much time on this, I am horrible at letting things boil over. This alone could be a 45 minute project if I tried to get every spot off. I just get it clean enough to look good.

~Wipe Down Chairs and door knobs

Just where I can see kid prints, this is so much better since we changed to benches and white chairs instead of 8 black chairs! Our pantry door knob is always icky!

~Clean Sink

I keep ours pretty clean during tidying so it's usually just the stainless part around the drain that needs a few seconds of work. Then I clean the disposal (vinegar ice cubes)

~Vacuum

I love our handle on our vacuum, I just take it around the room real quick

~Wipe Fingerprints off the glass doors

~Change Towels

Depending on what needs it more I either steam mop the floor or polish the stove, fridge and dishwasher.

That is it!

23 October 2014

How to keep your home CLEAN in 20 minutes a day! Part 1

I promise it's possible!
I get asked how I do it so often that I thought I would share!

I say 20 minutes because most days that is all the time I can make for cleaning. If you have more bathrooms or bedrooms it might take a little longer.

I still tidy at night and follow the general rules of get it out, put it away. This cleaning is more detailed than tidying and less detailed than seasonal cleaning.

Just my thoughts on this, before you can get, and keep a house clean, you need to do a couple things first! So, here is Part 1. These are the guidelines I guess I would call them, for how I clean.

1. Clear the clutter!

I could spend hours on clutter if I didn't keep it in check. Managing the stuff that is a time thief will help!

2. Don't expect perfection!

Some days I spend 20 minutes on 2 jobs instead of the whole room. It's going to happen, we all have off days or sweet darling kid interruptions that take up all our cleaning time. Saying "good enough for today" once in a while is totally ok, going for a clean comfortable home, not a museum.

3. The old "A place for everything and everything in it's place"

I agree with a place for everything! Although, chances of everything being in it's place all at the same time when you have kids seems far fetched. That PLACE for everything doesn't have to be separate. At our house we mix dolls and dress up in the same container.

4. Keep Supplies Together
I could spend half my time running to get supplies. Instead I keep what I need together in a basket and get it all out the first time.

5. Prioritize

What is bugging you the most? If your shower is sparkling but your bathroom molding is making you crazy you aren't going to notice how nice the shower looks. Skipping a week of shower cleaning to tackle what is catching your eye and your attention will make the room feel cleaner.

6. Set that timer
It is so easy to get caught up in the cleaning in the beginning, and even after it's been routine for weeks. Setting your timer for 20 minutes and stopping when it goes off is both a challenge and rewarding. I think most of us hustle a little more under pressure and if you hate cleaning you can see you only have ___ minutes left and sometimes that is just the thing to encourage sticking with it. Personally, I still do this even after years! I feel like I can sacrifice 20 minutes but I don't want to spend more than that and later on feel like I missed out on a whole day.

7. Don't Multitask
But DO start things that can work by themselves before you move to something else. Stick to your area for the day and have a basket handy for straggler items. Another thing I do is make phone calls while I clean, I can wait on hold on speakerphone while I am folding laundry or dusting.

8. Don't give up!
When you have that day where nothing goes right. Skip that room if it's not a priority and you will catch up next week but don't give up entirely. Every time I give up (it happens once in a while) I regret it the first week! Even if you just aim for 1 month of sticking to a routine of 20 minutes you will notice a difference!

9. Delegate and Work Together
That 20 minutes does not have to be spent alone, kids can help too, even if it's not a huge job, everything they do, you don't have to do! I think it's good for kids, big and little to see what it takes to make a home run smoothly.

You might not be ready to start tomorrow, but working towards a routine that lets you have more time with your family AND a home you are comfortable with is worth it!

If you don't already have a tidying routine I would start there!
Mine is pretty much the same every morning and evening
Morning
~Start a load of laundry as soon as I get up
~Dishes as soon as breakfast is wrapping up
~A quick pick up trip around to grab things I can see are in the wrong room
If it's downstairs and belongs upstairs I make
a pile on the stairs and go up once with it all
Evening
~Dishes once dinner is done
~Finish up leftover laundry from the day
~quick pick up
~Sweep up the big stuff
~Use a baby wipe and take care of food spills I can see. This saves SO much time when mopping!
~quick wipe down of bathroom counters and anything major

None of those I do alone! Our kids are plenty old enough to pitch in!

Part 2 Will be the KITCHEN! 20 minutes to a clean kitchen!

Linking up HERE

15 October 2014

3 steps to get kids to do chores

This is how we do things. Not saying it's perfect or it will work for everyone, but here it works pretty well if we do our part as parents (step 3)

Step 1. Make your expectations clear

We use these chore packs and have recently added a chalk board for jobs.

Also I try to remember kids can't do what they don't know how to do. Telling a kid to clean their room without showing them HOW and then showing them what you expect it to look like when they are done is just setting everyone up for frustration. The first couple times do it with them, talk about where things go. Make sure everything has a place. Even if that "place" is a bucket where 20 other things go too. They don't have to do it your way, they probably won't!

2. Explain WHY

Why are you assigning chores, or family contributions? It's probably similar for all of us and different in some ways too. Our kids handle things better when they know why they are being asked to do something.

For us, we want them to see and experience that families have to work as a team to get things done, it's not all fun and sometimes we have to do jobs we don't like to do.

Building good work ethic, like work before play and doing your best are important too.

Step 3. FOLLOW THROUGH

Goodness knows how hard this can be! But this really makes all the difference! Sometimes as adults we get caught up in the things we NEED to get done. Taking that few minutes out of the necessary jobs to inspect kid jobs can seem like the first thing to cut out of our busy day. If you want them to be successful, they need to know when they are doing what you expect AND that you are going to check on their work. Praise for a job well done and showing appreciation for their work consistently is how they get motivated to consistently do the jobs they are asked to do.

Some tips

~don't expect perfection

~keep jobs age appropriate

~do them for them once in a while! It's a nice surprise for them

How we do chores
We come home from school, snack, chores then play and homework
Keeping the routine helps, kids know what to expect and hopefully they will remember work before play as adults, with the occasional exception :)

30 April 2014

52 Weeks of Organizing~Week 17

Last week I made sure all of our vitamins and medicine were not expired and that we had the items we use often. We were out of some and had some expired. Looks like I checked just in time, there is a whole lot of coughing and sneezing going on! Thanks allergies!

This week is bathrooms.. Yikes!

I know there are some towels that have seen better days and I am scared to see what the kids have hoarded in their bathroom drawers!

I try to keep bathroom stuff to a minimum, clearly I failed!

Empty boxes, stuff I haven't used in months and 3 different dry shampoo's. Time to tidy it up and be real about what I use and ditch the rest.

I am sure the other bathroom's will have similar changes coming up! It's beautiful weather here, I am working on getting up earlier again, now that I am not AS exhausted. This bathroom organizing will have to be a morning thing, we are enjoying the sunshine!

May Chore Challenge!

I've never done this, or anything like this but I want to and I think it will help me, and I hope, some of you!

Similar to the 30 day photo challenges and 30 day squat challenge

Using the term CHORE loosely here.

I can see there are so many little things around here that don't take long but aren't in the regular rotation of things that need done either. I am hoping to come up with 31 little chores or work that take 15 minutes or less. I don't know if I will post here everyday but for sure on Instagram, follow me HERE!

And likely on Facebook at Cupcakes, Kisses 'n' Crumbs

Some examples of things I know I can do in 15 minutes or less and that need to be done are

~Wipe down all the light switches

~Wipe down the doors where grimey kids touch everyday!

~Sweep the front porch

~Weed (can't finish in 15 minutes but I can sure do it for 15 minutes and it all helps)

~Tidy the laundry room

~Change the felt pads on the kitchen chairs

Now not all of these may apply to you and maybe you have other ideas! Happy to hear them and share! I can't wait to get started! See y'all tomorrow with my 1st Chore Challenge!

27 February 2014

52 Weeks of Organizing~ Week 8

Last week was just counters and under the sink.

I did go through that monster basket of dish rags and towels, napkins and aprons and tossed about half in the donate pile.

I did decide I can add another garbage holder under there for recycling! We have just been stacking it up and taking it out in the evening.

Counters are always a rotating mess/clean.

This week is Meal Planning and Recipe organization.

Right now I have don't have a method that is working ok, but not well enough. Things are changing around here so I am going to try to work out a method that will be efficient for our new routines.

How do y'all meal plan? Decide what new recipe's to try? Any tips to make it LESS time consuming?

Or do you just not bother with it at all?

19 February 2014

52 weeks of Organizing~ Week 7

The pantry, sometimes I dread managing it! It's not perfect but we have slowly been finding things that work for us to store stuff.

I start with each shelf, checking expiration dates, making sure stuff is put back with the soonest expiration dated things up front. We don't want to waste anything.

I try to group like things near each other. Breakfast stuff all together, baking stuff together etc. I think it helps me spend less time looking for stuff when I need it!

I try to make the kids stuff as easy to get to as possible. The kids snacks are all together in a bin where they can reach. Ours are old enough to get themselves snacks and they get to choose parts of their own lunches for school also.

Nothing worth taking pictures of. Same old same, just tidier :)
This post about how I organize kid snacks helped shape how I organize the pantry!
Our snack bin is much bigger now but same concepts!

This week I plan to tackle under the sink and on top of the counters!

We have too many napkins, towels, rags etc. I never even get into those ones! Time to purge most of them!

Our poor counter is still recovering from birthday craziness.

What do you keep under your sink?

Shouldn't be too hard to take care of this stuff though!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

21 November 2013

Preparing for Holiday Guests

Sometimes it feels like the Holiday's just rush to get here! If you are having guests over, it probably adds a bit more to your to do list!

Other than getting the projects around here done that have been put off, I do my regular

scheduled cleaning.

Between my weekly cleaning and Fall Cleaning things are usually in pretty good shape.

Do we have the type of house that is company ready in 10 minutes, well it depends on how long that company wants to stay!

Long enough for lunch and a visit? Sure, Long enough to need a bed, probably not!
1 thing that I think is helpful to have on hand for guests is a welcome basket. I am a fan of baskets, I love our Good Morning Basket , I'd like to find an equally cute basket or container to have ready for guests.

Not a detailed list but some ideas :
~Local history book, or something to read. Magazine etc.
~Snacks and some water bottles, or if y'all wanna get fancy, the cute mini bottles of sparkling cider
~Some nice lotion
~little alarm clock
~notepad and pen
~tissue
~candle and matches/lighter

Think about what your friend or family member might need for their stay, it doesn't have to be fancy, just that you thought about them will be perfect!

And I LOVE this little idea if you need a little something for the guests to do.

http://simplykierste.com/2012/04/welcome-to-town-a-survival-guide.html

Don't forget to leave the bathroom goods in plain site so guests don't have to search or ask for those type of things!

20 November 2013

Bedroom Fall Cleaning

That is what I have been working on this week, just the kids rooms, all 3 of them!

While it won't be as detailed as THIS list, I am trying really hard to just focus on the projects, not a 20 min cleaning but stuff that takes time!

In the kids rooms this week I hope to accomplish

~a big ol' toy purge!

~touching up the paint on the baseboards

~steam clean the mattresses

~Dusting all the high places I don't get every week.

~Fill nail holes and caulking the window trim

~Clean the window tracks

I've already cleaned the baseboards (baby wipes and magic eraser) in prep for paint, and cleaned the windows, goodness I didn't realize how long it had been! EWW

The microfiber was CLEAN when I started the windows!

Next week is the laundry room and Kitchen, just in time for Thanksgiving!

18 November 2013

This week was way more productive! Bedroom Fall Cleaning ~

I don't know how! Even working overtime I managed to get every drawer, basket and cubby in our bedroom organized, emptied and cleaned out. Even under the bed!!!

Before

After

Everything dusted and vacuumed, the baseboards all scrubbed and the paint touched up. Window tracks cleaned out (and these ones are HORRIBLE).

I also moved the dresser I found recently into our room, the size is perfect even if the color isn't, we will make it work. It makes the room feel so much bigger, seems strange to me.

Finally hung some picture frames we have had in a drawer for 5 years!

Picked up a nightstand for the Mr. and took my girly one back, and finally cleaned all 3 of the drawers out! Receipts and boarding pass from 2 years ago, really?! And hubby's old homework list and school books from last year. Someone around here *might* have some hoarding tendencies, but I'm not naming names. ;)

I don't care that the nightstands don't match. I actually prefer that they don't.

Got some extension cords for all these things that have to be plugged in. Phone chargers, lamps, tablet charger and alarm clocks. I REALLY dislike seeing cords!
Before :/

Much better, just need to clip that one back better

I have a couple of shelves that I am not going to attempt to hang myself, I am horrible at that stuff. And I am still looking for a few more cute things, I need something big for on top of our armoire but then I think I will be done in there! Until I decide it needs a re-do hehe.

Overall though this week was pretty alright in the late Fall Cleaning I have going on. We are having family over for a Christmas get together, In only 5 weeks. I am hoping I can get everything done by then! If every week was like this one it would be a snap!

Anyone else have projects to do before family comes for the Holiday's?