Creating a Personal Cleaning Schedule

Being a homemaker is a big job. Between caring for a family, keeping a house, and finding time to for ourselves, face it ladies and gents, we are busy people. Fortunately, being a mother and keeping a house is something that I've always dreamed about. It's something that I love talking about, because I know there are a million and one ways to run a household. I am always open to new ideas about how to be efficient in my job. While talking with a good friend about a year ago, she recommended that I come up with a cleaning schedule. 

I had honestly never heard of a cleaning schedule before. I mean, wasn't it obvious what needed to be done around the house? I had never thought about scheduling my duties. Well, I thought I'd give it a try and let me tell you, it has been some of the best advice I've ever gotten! Since I started using a cleaning schedule, I've noticed some SERIOUS benefits. But first:

What exactly is a cleaning schedule?

A cleaning schedule consists of you, sitting down and deciding what things need to be done on a weekly basis in your home. Here is an example of what mine looks like.

First, I made a few daily rules. These make sure that the house is always guest ready. 
Next, I decided what chores I actually need done on a weekly basis. Of course there are going to be extra things, like vacuuming the crumbs out of the couch, but I can take those things as they come. With this chart, I know that these things that need to be done once a week.

Okay, now to the fun part: the benefits!

#1. It keeps me from cleaning all the time.
I don't know about you, but if there is something that needs to be done in my house, I have a hard time sitting still. Having a schedule gives me permission to let those extra things go. If my scheduled jobs are done, then I can relax. So instead of putting in that single load of laundry sitting in the white's hamper, I can wait till laundry day, and go outside with my boys instead.

#2. It keeps me from doing the same things over and over again.
My first apartment in Texas was big, it was beautiful, it was WHITE! It was nearly impossible to keep clean! The kitchen counters were my worst nightmare. They soaked in every color that they came in contact with, and I found myself bleaching them daily to keep them looking nice. Once I started following a schedule, I realized that I was spending so much time bleaching the crazy counters that I wasn't doing other much more important chores (like making sure my husband had clean socks for school the next day...) It helped me recognize what chores I obsessed over, and helped me find a healthy balance between my obsessions and what actually needed to be done.

#3. It keeps me from getting caught up in obscure projects when the basics haven't been done.
I love to organize--- drawers, closets, bins, every possible nook and cranny. I love when things are folded nicely, lined up and coordinated. Sometimes I'll get an urge to pull everything out of a drawer, place it to perfection, and forget that the dishes aren't done, the laundry hasn't been folded and the carpet REALLY needs to be vacuumed. But hey, that pen drawer sure is pretty dang near perfect. The unfortunate thing about this is that when the husband walks home, he doesn't immediately notice the perfect pen drawer, but he does see the dishes...  I've noticed that my husband compliments me more often on the housework when I stick to my schedule. (I guess that could be considered Benefit #4 in it's own way.)

#4. Nothing ever gets too dirty. 
I suppose one of the main theories behind a cleaning schedule is that, nothing ever goes too long before it gets cleaned again. I find that each week, it takes me less time to complete my scheduled jobs, because things are still put together from the previous week. No more scrubbing off three weeks of hard water buildup. It really does give my home an overall feeling of order and cleanliness. Try it, you'll see what I mean!

#5. It helps my family develop habits of cleanliness.
My little boy, even though he's only 3, knows the ropes. Eat dinner, brush teeth, put on pajamas, pick up his room, read a bedtime story, say prayers, then go to sleep. Quite simply, cleaning has become as important to his bedtime routine as any of the other steps. If we miss out on it, he insists on making it happen. I love to think that he's developing habits of cleanliness that will stick with him his whole life. 
 
I hope you enjoyed this post, and I'd love to hear about any extra benefits you find from keeping to a schedule!

Taming the Television

Television is one of the hardest things to regulate in my home. If I'm not careful, it can completely take over my day. When I was pregnant I'll admit, Pixar, Disney, and PBS were my best friends. But get ready kids! We're breaking the bad habits.

Why Bother?

It's no secret that television can have a dramatic affect on children. A recent study found that kids who watch more than 2 hours of TV a day show a decrease in 

• vocabulary skills
• math skills 
• classroom engagement 
• attention span 
• physical prowess
• and are more likely to be victimized by classmates.

That's pretty drastic! What parent wouldn't want to help prevent that? When I did a personal inventory of our family screen time, I realized that most days I fall above the recommended 72 minute limit. Perhaps I didn't notice because I justified that we were watching mostly educational programming. But pure and simple, television is a passive activity. Observing life is not nearly as productive as living it. In short, TV is no substitution for hands on learning.

How Do I Start?

Take a survey. 

A great way to start is to survey your family television time. Fill in hour by hour what your family watches. It's like counting calories, you might be surprised by what you find. It will also help you realize exactly how much TV you are going to have to cut out of your daily schedule.

Set rules.


Involve your kids when setting limits. Ask them about what they think is important. They can help you determine what the rules should be. Before you begin enforcing the rules, prepare some alternative activities to help prevent a power struggle during TV "off" times. Finally, remember that modeling is one of the best ways to justify rules. If you have your own personal television rules, it will them understand that you're not trying to be oppressive, but healthy.

Healthy Viewing Habits

Once you've got the rules down, now you can star to refine your viewing habits. The following suggestions are ones that have proven to decrease the negative affects of television on children.

Watching TV together:
 
Talk about what you watch. The other night, a Victoria's Secret commercial came on. We could have quietly changed the channel and left it at that, but we decided to use it as a teaching opportunity. Even though Little "L" is too small to understand, we covered his eyes.

"Oh no! They are not being modest! Everyone close their eyes!"

At first he resisted, until he saw me and my husband doing it ourselves. After that, he was happy to participate. If we hadn't been there watching with him, we would have missed that opportunity.


TV Talk

Children are exposed to a lot of good and bad through television. Sometimes violence, immoral behavior, stereotypes, and bias can sneak into their programming. As adults, we can easily determine what to think about these exposures, but children have difficulty distinguishing realistic behavior from irrational action. TV time can be an opportunity to discuss values with your children. Look for the following issues and talk about them.

• Expose the values portrayed in programming. For example: do characters value their peers more than their family?
• Point out violence. Talk about how serious this kind of behavior is in real life. 
• Counter stereotypes. Discuss issues such as prejudice and judgement.
• Look for political and social bias. Maybe characters use emotionally loaded words, trying to give positive or negative connotations.

TV and Mealtimes

Mindless eating is a real problem; and lets face it, television doesn't help. Most commercials advertise high sugar snacks, fast food and other low nutrition items. Studies have shown that these kinds of commercials have a huge impact on children's food preferences and actually increase their caloric consumption. The best way to combat this is to not let television disrupt mealtimes. When you eat dinner as a family, you can reinforce ideals of healthy living. 

(Click here for an article on the effects of TV on youth diet.)


 
TV Free Week

Try a family experiment and unplug the TV. You can choose to do it for a couple of days, or even a week, but make a determined commitment to avoid it completely. This used to be easier, before everyone had an I-phone in their pocket and a tablet sitting on their nightstand, but you can do it! With a little bit of planning, you can turn it into a fun family adventure. Here are a few ideas to help you:

• arrange family activities in the evening
• go to the library
• buy new board games
• take walks, get outside
• choose a hobby or craft to work on together

You can find all sorts of productive and fun activities to do as a family. I'll admit, it is going to be hard, but, once your time is through, you'll be amazed at how productive you were, and how much fun you had. You could even challenge yourself to make a better rule about how much television to watch. 

Earring Travel Book

When I first had my ears pierced, I did not have a good place to keep my earrings. They ended up in drawers, on the night stand, underneath the bed... Everywhere! One night, I saw a picture of an earring travel book online and thought "I have to make this!"

I have to say, this project was great. It cost less than three dollars to make, and took about half an hour to put it all together. I originally thought I would just use it when I went on vacation, but now, I use it exclusively for my earrings.

I was able to buy everything I needed for this booklet at Hobby Lobby. For the pages, I bought pre-cut sheets of felt that come in 9x12 squares. You will find them in the crafting portion of the store, not with the fabric. Also, I like to use the stiffened felt for the cover, and the softer felt for the pages. 

I punched miniature holes through the pages of my felt to give the earrings an easy, designated spot to slide through. I used a scrap-booking eyelet kit to do it, and it worked great. I've included some written and illustrated instructions for it's construction. I hope you find them helpful!

Supplies:

2 sheets of colored felt

1 sheet stiffened felt

Matching thread

Adhesive Velcro dot

Hammer and eyelet setting tools

Hot glue gun

Patterns:

Cut the two colored felt squares into quarters.

 Cut the stiffened felt into the following shapes.

Instructions:
 

Simple and Soft Wheat Bread

Hot, homemade whole wheat bread--- is there anything more welcoming? As a young girl, I used to watch my mother make this recipe. The image of her allowing her youngest helpers spoon in the ingredients makes me feel at home. While making it this week, my first instinct was to get my three year old and hand him the measuring cups. We had a great time together, and he was so proud to eat the bread "he" had made.

That's the wonderful thing about this recipe. It's so simple that kids can help. Not only that, but it's amazingly good. Most people have a hard time believing it's whole wheat. It is soft, it doesn't crumble, the crust is thin, and the texture is SO smooth. 

That's because my bread has a secret. It's something my mother discovered after producing a few loaves of "bricks" as she so lovingly called them. Don't worry, I'm not planning on keeping you in suspense. In fact, this secret NEEDS to be shared! This secret ingredient--- is called Vital Wheat Gluten. You can buy it in just about any grocery store. Without it, you'll get a typical loaf of wheat bread. Crumbly, heavy..... Not a family favorite. With it, this bread practically melts in your mouth. 

Recipe:

3 C. Warm Water

1 T. Yeast

1 T. Salt

1/3 C. Vital Wheat Gluten

3 T. Oil

1/3 C. Honey

7-8 C. Whole Wheat Flour 

 

I like to start at the very beginning; grinding the wheat. If you don't have a grinder, you can buy whole wheat flour already milled, and it doesn't make too much of a difference. My favorite wheat to use for bread is hard white wheat.  

Tip: The higher the protein content, the better loaf it is going to make. 

When grinding wheat, it is a 1:1 ratio. So, 1 cup of wheat berries, is going to make 1 cup of flour.

 

 Next, gather your ingredients.

Tip: Water temperature should be hot enough that your finger is uncomfortable.

  

Pour all ingredients (except flour) into a mixing bowl and whisk. Once they have all been combined, add 3 C. of flour and continue to whisk. 

 

From here, you won't want to use the whisk any more. The dough will be getting thicker quick. I don't have a full scale mixer, so I just use a bread hook attachment on my hand mixer. It works pretty well, but I'm definitely pining for something a little more heavy duty. Ahhh... Someday.

 

One cup at a time, begin adding the remaining flour. 

 

Keep adding it until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl and isn't tacky when you touch it with your fingers.

 

Split the dough in half and turn one portion onto a well floured surface. I like to turn it over a few times if it's still a little sticky, to coat the surface with flour.

 

Roll the dough out into a long rectangular shape. Once it is flattened out, roll it up like a cinnamon roll, and pinch off the ends. Most people don't do this, but I've found it's a pretty fail-safe way to get a beautiful loaf of bread. Another reason I like this method is because it rolls out all the little air bubbles that are left over in the dough. That way you don't get any gaping holes in your slices.

 

Place your dough roll in a greased bread pan, and set in a warm oven to raise for one hour.  

Tip: Don't let the oven get over 100 degrees, or else it will give you a really thick crust.

 

See how nice and smooth it has risen up to be!

 

Next, bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from the bread pan to cool or serve warm. Enjoy!

Welcome to Simple and Soft!

I am so glad you came to join me in my adventure! I will be the first to admit, I'm a little nervous about this whole thing. I've been an avid "bloggee"--- but to start my own blog? This is a whole new world of dedication. There is so much that I want to share, I just can't help but get it out there! I'll be posting ideas that hopefully will help you in your own journey towards creating a warm, lovely, welcoming home. There are a million tricks out there to help you do that, but I've decided to narrow it down to the following topics.

Recipes

Dinner is one of my favorite gathering times. I believe in good food. Food that is delicious. Food that you can get excited about. But most of all, food that is good for you. I know, it's easy to be skeptical. Healthy food that tastes good? I'm here to say IT IS POSSIBLE! I can't wait to share my tricks with you!

Craft

While I was growing up, my home was filled with paints, project books and opportunities to explore. I'm grateful to my artist mother who helped me develop the curiosity and ability to create. It's a skill that has stayed with me now that I'm all grown up. I love all sorts of crafting: sewing apparel, quilting, furniture restoration, you name it! I'll be sharing a little bit of everything. 

Home & Family

I studied Home and Family Living while at Brigham Young University. I love anything to do with marriage, children and home life. Now--- I'm no expert, but I do have lots of books filled with the words of real experts that I'd love to share with you. Hopefully I can post a little bit of insight to keep you inspired.

Cleaning & Organizing

I am a clean fanatic. I often joke that I'm selectively OCD. I may not have folded the laundry yet, but my pen drawer is sorted to perfection. I love getting caught up in deep, detailing work. I'm especially excited to share my toolbox of cleaning tips and tricks.

Provident Living

I love the idea of being self reliant. I want to be ready to take care of my family in the event of an emergency. Sometimes the unexpected can only give us a split second to react. If I'm prepared, I won't have to flounder during those times. Not only that, but to be frugal, and efficient in how I run my home.

Well, now it's down in writing. I'm committed. I am glad you are here to share in it with me. Thanks!