Metro Moms

It Only Takes A Spark

My husband and I were finally motivated to clean out our disastrous garage.  After planning 5 weddings in a year and a half, the garage had become "the dumping place", literally, for every kind of clutter you can imagine.  One LARGE box in particular had been moved from side to side since the early '90's.  The reason?  It was full of payroll records from our company that dated back to the 70's, if you can believe it.  It included very sensitive information that we just couldn't throw away.  This job had been put off because we really didn't know what to do with it.  There was too much paper in spiral bound notebooks to consider shredding it all, so I had an idea!  I suggested that we burn it piece by piece in our outdoor fireplace.  Tom agreed, so we moved our pit to the center of the driveway, moved the cars far away, and set a starter log on fire. 

After three hours all that was left of this paper trail was a pile of hot ashes.  I was elated to be rid of it!  Tom took the water hose and sprayed the ashes until there was no more smoke, and then, set the fire pit to the side of our house.  The following evening, we thought it would nice to shovel out all the ashes and place them in the garbage for the next day's pickup. Tom was surprised to find that under all the ash there were still a few hot embers.  He took the hose once again to it, watering down each shovel full that appeared hot.  He took the box of ashes and set it on top of our garbage cans for the next morning.

A couple of hours later...while we were watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover, where ironically a family's home had burned down...a friend came running up to our front door exclaiming that our garbage was on fire!!!  What did we do?  Tom ran to get the water hose, and I ran to get the camera!!!  Yes, given the right circumstances this fire ignited once again, only feet away from our son's car.  It was a miracle that the flames didn't affect it.  But our plastic garbage cans were ruined. After hosing down the fire again, we surveyed the damage.  The plastic of both cans had melted all over the garbage inside.  Our garbage collectors took the whole kit and kaboodle the next day! 

The moral of the story?  A hot spot, no  matter how small, whether in a firepit or in our sinful hearts, given the right circumstances, can ignite into a huge fire once again.  Keep a short record of wrongs suffered and by all means, shred important papers as you get them!

 

Need Some Inspiration?

Okay, ladies...normally at this time of year I am SO ready to get my house cleaned out and organized.  This year has been a little different.  I think it mainly has to do with other responsibilities that I have right now.  For some reason, I am just having a hard time finding a block of time to do a project.  Can anyone relate?!  Anyone??  I really want to get these things done, but at the same time, I am finding mulitple other things calling for my attention.  So...I am hoping to get on board really soon...next week, maybe (after the shower is over that I am throwing on Saturday!) 

But, in the meantime, I read this quote on the girl talk blog yesterday.  I thought it was very applicable to what we are all talking about right now.  I hope it is helpful for you, too!

"No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it." Alexander MacLaren

Isn't that a great perspective?  It makes me want to get to work!  I will post my "before & after" photos as soon as possible!  Happy Organizing! 

Under Debi's Kitchen Sink

I had a difficult time selecting just one area to clean!  After looking at various options, I decided to clean and organize under my kitchen sink.  Here's the before picture:

What did I find that was unusual?  It wasn't just one thing, but that I had so much of the same things.  I found 3 glass cleaners, 2 silver polishes (that I have never used!!), 3 stainless steel cleaners, 2 Christmas tree preservatives, 3 rubber gloves (two right hand, and one left!), 2 Jet Dry, 2 cook top cleaners, 2 packs scrubbing pads, 4 old toothbrushes and 2 oil soaps.  Sounds like a version of the Twelve Days of Christmas doesn't it?  Except I didn't find a partridge in a pear tree! 

It took me only 30 minutes to take everything out, wipe down the cabinet and reorganize it with an extra drawer and dish pan I found in the garage (after my husband and I cleaned and organized it this past weekend).  Hey, I think we're on a "spring roll"!  Why do I suddenly have a craving for Asian food?!  Oh my, enough of that, here's my after picture:

Taraleigh's Closet

Taraleigh is the first to humbly offer us a picture of her front closet before she cleaned it and organized it.  Here it is:

She says that it took her only one hour to organize, she filled two garbage bags full of trash and found over $1.00 in change as a tip for making this closet happy once again!

Here's the after picture:

Good job, Taraleigh!

Spring Cleaning Challenge

There are so many visible areas of our homes that require our constant attention that it is easy to ignore those areas that aren't seen.  Take closets, for instance, how many times have you thrown something into the darkness, quickly shut the door, hoping that everything would stay put?  I have done this almost unconsciously thinking that I would take care of the disorganization later.  The sad thing for me is that "later" rarely comes!  So how can we change?  We have a couple of ideas:

First, check out various helps offered by the organizing experts.  The Clutter Diet blog offers great advice on how to change your daily habits. She explains that our habits are most often unconscious choices we make throughout the day.  If we want to change we have to make an effort to think about what we're doing.

Next, we are challenging all who need to clean out that dreaded closet, junk drawer or any area you choose, with a fun competition.  That's right, if you have an area that is in extreme need of attention, why not sign up for the Spring Cleaning Contest?  By clicking here you can learn how to take part.  The winner will receive a $50 gift card to a nice restaurant - how's that for incentive to get going?

Finally, be sure to visit our blog this week, as some of us will be showing BEFORE and AFTER pictures of our cluttered areas.  It is our hope to motivate you to do the same.   

A REST Room?

Today we have a simple, yet time-saving tip from Stephanie that you will enjoy, but first I wanted to encourage you to take time to read the comments that are submitted to these posts.  Especially one that my mom sent to me concerning our dryer vents.  You'll find it posted in the comments under the Laundry post by Elyse. Also, please send us tips that have been helpful to you.  We'll post them so that we can all learn from each other. 

I don't know about you, but in my house there isn't much REST in our "rest rooms."  They should be called WORK rooms, because it is a lot of work to keep them clean!  :-)

Now, I tend to focus more on the hall bathroom and keep it cleaner than our Master Bath (can't write any tips on that, since I am still trying to figure out the best system for that room).  But something that HAS worked in the hall bath is one of my favorite cleaning tools - Clorox Wipes (green is my favorite)!  I keep a container under the sink (also some glass cleaner wipes) for easy access and I am able to quickly clean the room.  These work great in between big cleanings!

My two boys make this job a never ending challenge - any one who has boys knows that the toilet is the ideal target, but... we are still working on "target practice!"  So it is quite necessary to wipe everything down every 2-3 days!  Oh, the joys of having boys! 

So, if you haven't tried this quick clean system, it may just work for you!  Happy cleaning!

Posted by Stephanie

Fear Not the Fridge

Eleven years ago, Todd and I relocated to Atlanta, Georgia from Maryland for him to join the Sovereign Grace Church team located there.  During our first year, we had the privilege of living with a wonderful family until we were able to rent our own home.

I learned some very helpful things that year about homemaking from my dear friend, Lisa.  She did an amazing job of keeping her home.  Her desire to glorify God even in the smallest areas of her home provoked me to grow in my efforts as a homemaker.

The way she kept her "fridge" provided me with an excellent example for keeping this very important part of our everyday life in order.  She grouped like things together and never overstuffed her fridge.  Items were easily accessible and I never had to go "hunting" for an item =).

I added another element for keeping the "fridge" when we moved into our own home.  Each week before I headed to the grocery store, I went through the "fridge" and cleaned out left-overs and out-dated items, and wiped off the shelves.  Doing this on a weekly basis keeps my "fridge" from turning into an overstuffed monster that has taken on a life of its own =).

Training my boys to return items to where they belong in the "fridge" has also helped to keep this area of our home from becoming disorganized. 

A few times a year, I also take everything out and wipe down the entire inside of the fridge as well as the drawers.  This keeps the fridge from developing odors that can be quite offensive =).  Placing an opened box of baking soda in the fridge can help absorb odors in between cleaning times.  Happy "fridge" keeping!

Posted by Michelle

Navigating the Paper Trail

Today I want to pass along some tips to help with the dreaded "paper trail."  We have a separate place in our home to handle all of the office stuff.  Our computer is on a desk, but most of the time you couldn't even see the desk. Why? Because it was completely covered in piles of papers!!! Yuck!  Recently I have been working on trying to not let it get out of hand and I wanted to pass along a few suggestions that I have found helpful.

First, the mail.   Try and handle a piece of mail once.  Don't even go get the mail until you are ready to handle it once.  When you bring it in immediately go through the stack and toss/shred any junk mail. Do it right in front of the garbage can. Remember, you want to touch this mail once. :) Next file your bills in one area that you can keep up with. Put any invitations in your calendar. Any coupons immediately cut and put with your other coupons.  If there is anything that I have to follow up on or make phone calls on I put in a folder marked "to do" and when I have some more time I will sit down and tackle the folder. Never never never sit your pile of half opened mail on your desk. Trust me ~ you will never see those things again!

The next thing that seems to pile up quite a bit in our house is receipts. There used to be piles of receipts everywhere. Including overflowing from my purse!  What I did to help with this is make a file folder in our filing cabinet for each month ( there are other ways you could make your receipt files, even by the store )  Then I try to empty my purse every few days and file them right away.  This makes it easier if Kyle has a question about a receipt (usually one from Target :) ) I know right where to find it instead of searching through about five piles of receipts throughout the house!

Posted by Taraleigh

Laundry

This week we are going to offer specific help in cleaning the various areas of our homes.  Today we start off with Elyse who has found a system that works wonders for her in the Laundry Room.  The rest of the week we will hear about Decluttering, Refreshing Refrigerators, Sparkling Clean Bathrooms, and Cleaning Floors.  We realize that we certainly aren't experts, so we welcome your tips on how you have handled these various duties in your home.  Just click on the Comment link found at the bottom of the post.

Last year I was confined to bed for many months due to serious pregnancy complications.  During this time I gained a new appreciation for laundry.  Literally everyone and their mother, sister, friend, etc. did our laundry for 4 months.  I must admit there was a part of me that did not mind missing  out on all those loads of laundry.  Thank you all once again.  You were greatly appreciated, especially by my husband!

I can almost remember a time when I didn't have to think about laundry.  When I had no children, laundry was a non issue.  I did all my laundry one day a week and that was the end of it.  Gradually things began to change.  I should have seen it coming, more children = more laundry.  It makes sense, but it took me until after the third one to really notice the difference.  The laundry never seemed to get completely done. 

My old method didn't seem to be working anymore.  It never seemed to get completed in the one day.  Instead, my new "schedule"  would go something like this:  Monday-wash several loads, fold some, put away some; Tuesday-wash several more, fold some, put away some more; Wednesday-fold some more, put away some more....Monday-finish putting away last Monday's laundry before washing any more.  You get the picture.  Obviously something had to change.

I am currently in the middle of the change, so I don't have conclusive evidence yet.  But so far so good.  It really is very simple and I heard it from the Flylady.  She has a great website and lots of info if you want to go there www.flylady.com    This is it.....Establish a habit of doing one load of laundry every day.  I started doing this and it has been great.  I wash a load, fold it and put it away.  Done!

If you are overwhelmed with your laundry or just need a change in your routine, give it a try and let me know how it works.

Posted By Elyse

Who Am I Doing This For?

Colossians3:23-24

'Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ.'

The heading for this portion of Scripture in the book of Colossians is "Rules for Christian Households."  The Lord has planted these verses deep within my heart to help me remember why I do what I do everyday in the home.  I don't know about you, but I can easily forget at times that I truly can bring glory to God by being faithful in the everyday, mundane tasks assigned to me as a "home-maker."

The practical application of these verses looks something like this on a typical day as I go about fulfilling my household duties.  It's Monday morning and I am sorting through mountains of laundry after a very full weekend and the temptation arises in my heart to complain.  I remind myself that I'm not just serving my family, I am serving the Lord Christ by cheerfully doing the laundry, and not giving into complaining.

These verses also help me to remember that my family's appreciation and recognition should not be what motivates me to keep doing the laundry well,  but rather a desire to please my Lord who graciously gave me a home to care for in the first place.  These verses help me to remember that it is a privilege to care well for my home, not a burden.

A book entitled, "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace has also proven to be an excellent way of helping me to daily remember Who I'm really doing all of this for.  My family is being served when I care well for our home and that brings delight to my heart.  There is an even greater joy that I experience, though, when I remember I am ultimately serving the Lord when I joyfully go about fulfilling my duties as a home-maker.

Posted by MIchelle (who is a wonderful homemaker, by the way!)