5 Minutes - Week 4

1. Top of Washer/Dryer
2. Microwave
3. Replace burned out light bulbs
4. Computer Desk
5. Pantry

Weekly Challenge - Iron Chef

So, I decided I'd do something slightly different for our challenge this week. Find a brand new recipe (dinner, dessert, breakfast, whatever) and try it out. Take pictures and post the recipe and a review on the Recipe Blog. Let's all be adventurous and maybe we'll get a couple of good recipes out of it!

Week 4 Assignments

Ok, I know it is a plot to get me to lose my perfect score this month, but someone has to post the assignments for this week. I am not good at keeping track but I think this is how it goes.

5 Minute Challenges: Charlotte

Weekly Challenge: Kim

Tuesday Tip: Tami

Let me know if I am wrong, and post the challenges asap!

Closet Challenge After Shots

I spent a VERY long day in my closet and love the end result. It was well worth the time I put in. Here are my before/after shots.

Closet Challenge

This was a huge pride-swallowing challenge for me. When we moved here and Barlow and I got our own closets, I vowed never to clean his. And honestly, if he hadn't just cleaned it out over Christmas break I might have sacrificed the 30 points just so I didn't have to dig through the crap. As it was, it wasn't too bad and my husband now has a nice, organized closet. I even put up some hooks to hang his hats, belts, and ties. Here's a before and after shot.

Tuesday Tips

Does your dishwasher have one of these?

I've had this dishwasher for almost a year and I just started using this amazing feature. And now it seems like I use it everyday!

Some times I use it:

• When I finish the breakfast dishes while the kids are eating lunch
• When the washing machine is running
• When I am about to take a shower
• When we are about to watch a movie or have company over and don't want the extra noise
• When the kids and I eat dinner before Barlow
• And many more!

Using the delay button has helped me make sure the dishes get washed and are out of the sink. I can't tell you how many times I had a sink full of dishes, but the washing machine was on, and I thought, "I'll do the dishes after the laundry is finished..." And there they sat for the rest of the day. Now, I load the dishwasher, set the delay, and walk away. Voila! Clean dishes AND clean clothes.

If you have this function but rarely use it, consider using it more. If you don't have this wonderful button, consider telling your husband your dishwasher is "broken" and buying a new one.

Five minute challenges

Here are the five minute challenges. Hope they work for everyone.

1. Clean kitchen sink, drain stopper etc.

2. Organize socks

3. Wipe dust off shoes

4. Clean wedding rings

5. Clean a hair brush

Week 3 assignments

It looks like we have an answer for our poll questions.  From now on there will be 5 points possible for making goals and keeping at least one of them.  Also, Saturday can be used as a make up day for any ONE category.

The assignments this week are:
5 minutes- Mom
Weekly Challenge- Brenda (thanks for already posting it!)
Tips- Andrea

This week starts out poorly for my housecleaning, as my kids have today off school.  I have been doing great the 1st half of the week, only to fall apart Thursday and Friday.  I need to work of that somehow.  Happy cleaning!

Master the Master Closet

I was thrilled to get my craft room cleaned out and was even able to finish a couple of craft projects which I uncovered in my cleaning. One of these was this super cute clip holder that I made to go in my kids bathroom and hold all of our flower clips.

Unfortunately one of the side effects of this job was several empty shelf units, which I decided would work well in my master closet, and so they got shoved into my master closet (along with TONS of other stuff over the last little while, making my master closet an abomination. Don't believe me? Take a look.

Therefore the challenge this week is to do the master closet(s). I can't wait to be able to access my clothes again!

Happy Cleaning!

Tip - Drying Dishes

I know Brenda has an amazingly fancy dishwasher, so maybe she doesn't have this problem, but maybe some of the rest of you do. It seems that often after I've run my dishwasher, I open it and water is still pooled on top of many of the cups, bowls, and other dishes. Even if it has quit running hours before, I'll still find water in there. I pull them out and have to shake them in the sink and usually they are still somewhat damp. I've found that if you take a little cup or bowl and prop the dishwasher open (see picture below) for 20 or so minutes, that it dries almost everything up. You can unload your dishwasher and not worry about mold growing on your dishes in the cupboard because they were still wet when you put them away!

5 Minute Challenges

1. Make new weekly goals
2. At least try to make all your visiting teaching appoitments for Jan
3. Wash walls in kitchen
4. Wash 4 or 5 windows/mirrors/glass on picture frames
5. Wash the keys to your piano or keyboard. If you don't have one then youre off the hook. Just smile, that is your challenge.

A Question...

What's the best way to wash delicate temple clothes- Specifically the piece that gets makeup on it?

Weekly Challenge- Craft Room/Stuff

It is my turn for the weekly challenge and I am going for something I always need to go through after the Holidays- the craft stuff.  I know mine has been foraged through and destroyed through December and is in desperate need of organization.  Plus, once it is done I can work on those projects I meant to do earlier but didn't have time for.  So organize and maybe even pick up that craft project you've been trying to avoid!

So here are the assignments this week.  I did OK last week, but have definite room for improvement.  Get your score up quick and happy cleaning!  We still don't have a definite answer on makeup days or points for goals.  I will put a poll for everyone to vote- if you have an opinion, let it be known!

5 Minutes: Tami
Weekly: Charlotte
Tips: Kim

Make Up Day?

So, I had an idea and wanted to see what everyone else thought about it. Sometimes you accidentally miss one day on one of the daily challenges and it is kind of frustrating because you lose 6 points in one day, instead of just one point. So what if we allowed Saturday as a make up day. You can make up one missed day of a daily challenge on Saturday. For example, last night I fell asleep at 10:00 on accident: still in my clothes, didn't brush my teeth, nothing. I slept until Tyler woke up at 5:00, so I missed reading my scriptures. Ken said that in my sleep I was like, "Please read scriptures to me because I don't want to lose my points". So, if I get my scripture reading points every other day this week and then read on Saturday, I can still get all 10 points. Does that make sense? What do you guys think?

Don't Break a Nail.....

If you have never tried these then you are missing out. It is a product from pampered chef that I can not live without. They are only about $1/scraper and come in a pack of 3, and I LOVE them. When I am cleaning dried on cereal off the counters these scrape it right off, they get off dough and sticky messes like syrup. I also use them on pots and pans, the floor, chair legs and backs and anything else that gets clumpy messes. Each corner on the scraper is a different rounded angle so that it fits into casserole dishes and pans that have different angled edges. They are really sturdy (I have gone through 3 of them in the last 3 years, but that is mostly due to them going through the garbage disposal every now and then) Give it a try.

New Points Available- Setting Goals

I added the new goal challenge to the list.  I made it a 5 point bonus if you complete at least one goal for the week b/c I like things in nice divisible numbers.  I will add the monthly goal challenge, too, but don't know if I will add it to the list, since that is a weekly thing.  Happy cleaning!

Five Minute Challenges

(1) Wipe down kitchen cupboard doors

(2) Dust computer and TV screens

(3) Straighten or organize DVDs

(4) Vacuum edges in kids room(s)

(5) Do one special thing for your spouse (this can be anything as long as you purposefully do it just for them)

Weekly Challenge

Ok I am in for the next year of cleaning. The weekly challenge is to attack the bathrooms. I don't know about the rest of you but mine have been ignored. The attack should include, under the sinks, mop the floors, wash the walls, even the light fixtures need to be wipe down. I already know that Brenda's and Andrea's aren't in need of too much but mine really need help.

Welcome New Year!

I have spent some time this morning revamping the look of this blog.  If any of you (including me) get pictures of yourself cleaning, it should be easy to add them to the new header.  To everyone else, thanks for the creative pictures!

In other news, I think it is time we restart our cleaning!  We will begin in cycle one on Monday.  I think we need to start posting the new challenges the Saturday BEFORE the week starts!  That would be yesterday, so please post ASAP!!  I am just going with the last posting we had:

5 Minutes: Andrea
Weekly: Mom
Tips: Brenda

Does anyone want to change the scoring (No one is going to go for the 7 day a week schedule, mom)?  I was thinking we could add incentive for making weekly and monthly goals (although no punishment for not keeping them so we can reach high!)

Also, what if we had a base 5 points available Mon-Friday for completing any 5 of several options (like sweeping, dishes, scriptures, bed, vacuuming, cupboards, picking up toys, whatever) with a bonus for:

1. completing at least 5 each day
2. completing each one at least twice during the week and
3. completing all options in one day at least once during the week?

(Does that make sense?  I am trying to make the cleaning more flexible while still giving incentive for cleaning, but it would take more work to keep track)

Let me know soon so I can change the chart around.  I hope you like the new layout and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!