Quick cleaning challenge update

Feel like I'm chasing my tail this week. Been so busy with kids school things and other various things that I haven't been home a full day once this week so I'm falling behind in my everyday cleaning not to mention the challenge tasks. I still have the big linen closet to do, haven't even started on today's task and I have washing to do and I need to vacuum and wash the floors. Plus Suki is still at the vet (had to stay overnight) and I have come down with a cold. What a shitty week!

Spring Cleaning Days 1-10

I have embarked on an epic cleaning mission. The Organised Housewife has been running a 20 day cleaning challenge on her blog and seeing as its now Spring in the southern hemisphere it's the perfect time to Spring clean. I've been uploading all my pics to Instagram and Flickr throughout the challenge.

Funnily enough I had reorganised my own cleaning schedule just two weeks before this all started and I was pretty up to date on most of my cleaning jobs. For some reason I love making cleaning routines, I don't always stick to them but just having them written out makes me feel more organised and in control of the housework. So I had my morning and evening routines down pat and a fairly easy to follow weekly job list in place. I think without this the 20 day cleaning challenge would be more challenging. Plus I had a mini spring clean back in July when we had a big party and family staying at our house and I was in super cleaning mode for about four weeks prior to that.

So on with the challenge...

Day 1 ~ Under the kitchen sink. It wasn't too bad under there but I had loads of cleaning stuff that belonged in the laundry and for some weird reason about six cans of fly spray! LOL

 

Day 2 ~ Main Bedroom ~ This is one room that I just kept putting off and putting off. It wasn't a huge mess but the dressers needed a good dust and I needed to cull some of the ornaments and nic nacs, so it was good to give it a good going over. Even vacuumed under the bed woohoo! Absolutely dreading doing the walk in robe though!! I'm sure that job will pop up soon in the challenge.

Day 3 ~ Laundry ~ Again wasn't too bad as I tidy, sweep and mop the laundry every few days because of the cats sleeping in there. I did clean the glass sliding door which was something I haven't done in forever! Another task for today was organising a laundry routine which I'm still not sure will work for us. I try and do a load every day as it is and it's usually which ever pile is the biggest one gets done. The last thing I want to end up with is loads of washing to fold and put away and I think if I wait a week to do dark colours I will end up with loads because we all wear so many dark colours with school uniforms and works uniforms etc. Anyway will give it some more thought and if my routine is working the way it is why change it.

Day 4 ~ Lounge room ~ Quick dust and wipe over was all that was needed here.

Day 5 ~ Floors and tidy the pantry ~ Floors all done and pantry tidied. It was tempting to pull everything out but she said just a tidy up so that's all I did. I've come to the conclusion that I buy too much food that we don't end up using and I need to make more use of all those darn plastic containers that are overflowing out of my cupboards!!

Day 6 ~ Bathrooms ~ I hate cleaning bathrooms that is all :p

Day 7 ~ The dreaded fridge! We need a new fridge, our one is old and small. I'm sure I could be more organised with a bigger fridge! Also we have way too many condiments! Why my husband needs fifty types of BBQ sauce I will never know!!

 

Day 8 ~ Kids toy room ~ This was a toughie!! It was pretty tidy anyway because I got stuck into the kids a couple of days before about tidying it up, which they did very well bless their cotton socks! I get very anal about the toy room because I like things to be very ordered, I have spent countless hours organising, printing out labels, buying hundreds of bloody plastic containers and tubs. Only for my kids to mix everything up and mess all my tedious organising up in a matter of hours. So it pains me when I have to chuck Barbie dolls in with Littlest Pet Shops and such. But I have to let my anal ways go when it comes to this room otherwise I will have a nervous breakdown I'm sure. So back to the cleaning day, well I basically picked up was left on the floor, piled up the toy boxes that were out and said I'm done. My plan is that next year when all my girls are in full time school I will devote a day each week to purging and tidying up the toy room. I really would like to get rid of some toys they don't play with anymore but if the kids are home when I try to do it they start playing with them again so I don't chuck anything out. I will get there one day.

Day 9 ~ Kitchen drawers ~ I have too many utensils!!!

 

 

Day 10 ~ Tupperware cupboard ~ OMG! Why do I have so many plastic containers!!?? It doesn't help when hubby decides to buy more because they are on special lol. I mean seriously what man buys plastic containers!??...Mine does *sigh*
Anyway I did purge a few and tried to use as many in the fridge and pantry as I could. I really need to get rid of more or at least stop hubby buying anymore!

 

 

So there you go the first ten days of the challenge. I wonder what the next ten will be? Will I still have the energy to keep going? This week is going to be busy too with things on at school for the kids so I will have to organise my time well. I also have to add how much I love doing this challenge, I mean if I didn't love it I wouldn't do it. I really like the Organised Housewife blog she has some good tips and a lot of her routines are similar to my own so for me it's easy to follow. I see a lot of resemblance to Flylady on her site, I think she must have got a lot of her ideas from there which is cool I like Flylady too but I think her routines are really helpful when you have no clue how to get started. I still use her 15 minute timer trick for doing jobs that I don't want to do or that seem daunting. I also really love how I've met so many interesting people on Instagram that are also doing the challenge. I like making new friends :o)

 

Apart from that I haven't really had time for much else. I don't think I've set foot in the doll room all week! Hoping I'll have some free time soon when my house is all clean and shiny lol. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wish List Wednesday

I wish I could crochet!

I wish I had taken the opportunity to learn how to crochet when my mum was still alive and she would offer to teach me. She was the queen of crochet. We used to have hundreds of crochet blankets in rainbow colours on our beds and on the couch. Back in those days I thought this was terribly uncool, now they are trendy lol.

I wish I could crochet!

The good thing about this wish is that I can do something about it, I can learn, I can watch YouTube videos, read books, whatever it takes. I can become a crochet master lol, well maybe not a master but I can have a go can't I :o)

Mosaic Monday

Thought I would kick off my first Mosaic Monday with a few Flickr faves :o) 

1. Newspaper Hat Lady, 2. The Pixeleye Kool Lifestyle Calendar 2013, 3. Commission: Innocence, 4. Forget the day's troubles....., 5. Playing yoki :), 6. my newest manny, 7. peek at the new studio, 8. new ikea lights, 9. Sheltering from the rain...., 10. CD Ombre, 11. Honeybees bento, 12. It´s radishes picking time, 13. cat's eyes, 14. IMG_5231, 15. I Sea Me, 16. Tantrum, 17. Lolita's restyled wig. Check out new shoes on the blog too., 18. Gervásio <3, 19. Which one is your favorite?, 20. IMG_5182, 21. IMG_4514a, 22. Sweet Song dress - couture for Blythe by KarolinFelix, 23. Valentines Day Hearts - every stitch handmade.., 24. Bearded Lady - part of illustration, 25. disney designer villains releases, 26. Berries and tarts., 27. Pon de Lion, 28. Sluuuuuurp, 29. Zzzz...., 30. Chantal ♥, 31. 10 things about Rhea [volks four sisters], 32. Killer Style, 33. FEILENE "the fairy" by Dream High Studio, 34. Princess Flesh, 35. IMG_7612, 36. In the secret garden


Flickr for me is like a pond, and all the pictures are like lily pads and I'm a frog (ok this is a weird analogy lol) and I jump from lily pad to lily pad and then my favorites are my beautiful lotus flowers <3 

My next mosaic was to give me a bit of inspiration to finish sorting out the doll room (which I'm happy to say is nearly finished). I love seeing pretty, organized rooms. I wish my whole house could look like this, yeah right that's never gonna happen lol. 





1. art room, 2. My craft room, 3. Untitled, 4. Craftroom corner, 5. The Big Shelf, 6. Craft room / study / guest room, 7. Dolly desk, 8. Sewing Room makeover, 9. New studio setup, 10. Spontan Magnetic Boards above the sewing table, 11. my studio in France, 12. Craft room, 13. Untitled, 14. P1090946, 15. Boxwood Cottage Studio July 2012, 16. Grand View of craft room :D, 17. Inspiration board, 18. recent shop photos, 19. My studio, 20. Peek at the new studio, 21. Pretty storage areas..., 22. shelf upcycle, 23. My craft room, 24. craft room, 25. craft room2

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Arty Farty Friday

Ok Arty Farty Friday here we are. I thought I'd share a couple of my new favorite artists seeing as I haven't done anything crafty for a while to be able to share with you.

First up we have fello Aussie Kate Mason from Scrapps Flea Market on Etsy. I just love this girls style so colourful, fun and whimsical. I like mixed media art and she does it so well. I'd really like to get some of these prints to hang on my eldest daughters wall.

The last one reminds me of me and my daughters <3

The next one is an artist I only just discovered the other day through Instagram. Her instagram name is Spooksieboo and she has an etsy shop called Moonlit Art Shop. What I really love is her spooky caricatures and she does family portraits, so as soon as her shop opens again (she is closed for vacation) I am going to get a family portrait done!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iP

Wish List Wednesday

Haven't done a wish list Wednesday in such a long time. Thought it might be good to try and get back into regular posting again on here, so I'm starting with Wish list Wednesday and hopefully on Mondays I'll have Monday Mosaic and on Fridays Arty Farty Friday.

Ok so what am I lusting after this week well first off it has to be this cute Cath Kidston bag (which I did order hehe). I seem to be on a bit of a handbag buying spree at the moment.

Secondly I love this wig! I saw it on someone's doll on Flickr and fell in love with it. So pretty, and who wouldn't want rainbow colored hair!

Fairy lights, yep fairy lights. I need to find a nice strand to hang on the top of my big Expedit. So far around here they are proving hard to find.

This little Dream High Studio doll popped up in my Flickr photostream and I did a double take! Such a cute tiny little fae. If I had a spare $275 I would be ordering her. She is so delicate and other wordly.

Lastly Disney Store Villain collector dolls! OMG! Love them especially Maleficent and the Queen of Hearts.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

August Photo Theme

Thank you to everyone who posted pics for July, it came and went so fast!

Ok this months was chosen by the lovely panda_cupcakes

The theme for August is PLACES - As in forest, garden, somewhere in your home where you relax.