I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so I'll sum up yesterday and today in this one post. I will admit freely that I have had trouble with motivation the past two days; I just plain old haven't wanted to work. I'm plenty interested in playing, though, and what that constitutes for me is reading or being online. I'm always having to step back into reality and make myself realize what needs to be done, then force myself to get up and do it.
Yesterday's mission was to clean the kitchen faucet with all-purpose cleaner and a toothbrush, which didn't take long at all. Since that was a short mission, I filled in my 15 minutes of cleaning time with what I consider piddly things: cleaning the clock (which was coated with dust and grease that I couldn't see till I took the clock off the wall) and cleaning out my potato and onion bin. Now the potato part was fine, but the bottom area, where I keep garlic and onions, was full of the papery garlic skins and lots of dried up garlic bulbs! So I cleaned all those out, sealing them in a ziplock bag so they wouldn't smell up the trash. Speaking of the trash, my daughter washed the trash can for me, so I didn't have to do that. I also cleaned the top of the vent hood over my stove.
Today's mission was to wipe down the cabinet fronts. Guess how long it took. I was shocked. It took a whole FOUR minutes! Just spray and wipe. Done.
Decluttering for the past two days consisted of the two cabinets I use for baking supplies. I got rid of some out-of-date supplies, then rearranged the shelves - done. Today I cleared out my revolving utensil holder. It was crammed full of things that I hardly ever use mixed in with things I use every day. Rarely-used things found new homes, the caddy is in the dishwasher, and the frequently-used utensils are laying on the counter waiting to get their home back. Today's decluttering was done in the extra time from my cleaning.
So that's the past two days. The things I didn't get done in the kitchen will be done during next month's Zone 2. I will start with the yet undone things, then move back into the other monthly things. It's not perfect, but it's much better than it was! I hope your week was a productive one too!
Showing posts with label Kelly's Missions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelly's Missions. Show all posts
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Wednesday's Mission and Zone Work
It's hot here today! Actually, it's only about 68 degrees or so right now, but the sun is shining brightly and we don't have air conditioning, so when I get busy in the house and forget the heat, before I know it, I'm sweaty and hot. Thankfully I'm finished with the greater portion of my housework for the day, so I can do the less physically-active things I have planned later this afternoon.
Kelly's mission for today was to clean all those small countertop appliances. I set my timer for 15 minutes and cleaned my bread maker, electric kettle, coffee maker, stand mixer, and can opener. I also wiped down my tin canisters holding tea and artificial sweetener, and my Tupperware canisters holding brown sugar, flour, and sugar. I spent an extra 15-minute session wiping the outside of my deep freezer and microwave and the top of my fridge (it was nasty up there, but I'm short so I don't see the top of the fridge very often - out of sight, out of mind!) just because I wanted to get them done today and had no reason not to. I want to be efficient in my use of time, not lazy!
I reset my timer for 15 minutes of decluttering and dug into my corner cabinet. This cabinet has a set of those lazy Susan (I cringe!) rotating shelves in it, which are very handy if you remember that you can actually turn the shelves and you don't have to become a contortionist in order to retrieve something from the back of the shelf! It also helps if you don't put a lot of things on the floor of the cabinet, because it's so hard to reach around said shelves to the back. Yep, I had stuff crammed into every possible space in that cabinet! In addition, my older son, who has been away at college for almost a year now, spilled sugar in this cabinet sometime before he left. I have cringed every time I've opened this cabinet, and I open it daily, knowing I needed to get the sugar cleaned up that he missed when he cleaned it up. So I set to work and pulled out all the stuff in there - extra drink pitchers, extra baking pans, the blender, the accessories for the stand mixer and food processor, the revolving cake stand; not to mention the measuring cups that I use every day - they're just handy to have right there where I bake and cook, as this cabinet is just to the left of my stove. I sprayed down the shelves with Formula 409, then took a damp cloth and wiped them clean. Who's the wise guy who designed the grooves into the bottom of those shelves? I'd like to talk to him. After wiping the shelves, I wiped under the bottom one on each side as I could reach. I couldn't figure out how to get the shelves out of the cabinet, or I would have taken them out to get the bottom wiped out really well. Oh, I also vacuumed out the loose sugar, so that's gone, even if the bottom didn't get wiped down completely. Just as I was replacing the last few things my timer beeped, and I was done.
Last item for today: iron the valances and re-hang them. I was hoping they wouldn't need ironing, but they do. I'm off to the ironing board! Have a productive day!
Kelly's mission for today was to clean all those small countertop appliances. I set my timer for 15 minutes and cleaned my bread maker, electric kettle, coffee maker, stand mixer, and can opener. I also wiped down my tin canisters holding tea and artificial sweetener, and my Tupperware canisters holding brown sugar, flour, and sugar. I spent an extra 15-minute session wiping the outside of my deep freezer and microwave and the top of my fridge (it was nasty up there, but I'm short so I don't see the top of the fridge very often - out of sight, out of mind!) just because I wanted to get them done today and had no reason not to. I want to be efficient in my use of time, not lazy!
I reset my timer for 15 minutes of decluttering and dug into my corner cabinet. This cabinet has a set of those lazy Susan (I cringe!) rotating shelves in it, which are very handy if you remember that you can actually turn the shelves and you don't have to become a contortionist in order to retrieve something from the back of the shelf! It also helps if you don't put a lot of things on the floor of the cabinet, because it's so hard to reach around said shelves to the back. Yep, I had stuff crammed into every possible space in that cabinet! In addition, my older son, who has been away at college for almost a year now, spilled sugar in this cabinet sometime before he left. I have cringed every time I've opened this cabinet, and I open it daily, knowing I needed to get the sugar cleaned up that he missed when he cleaned it up. So I set to work and pulled out all the stuff in there - extra drink pitchers, extra baking pans, the blender, the accessories for the stand mixer and food processor, the revolving cake stand; not to mention the measuring cups that I use every day - they're just handy to have right there where I bake and cook, as this cabinet is just to the left of my stove. I sprayed down the shelves with Formula 409, then took a damp cloth and wiped them clean. Who's the wise guy who designed the grooves into the bottom of those shelves? I'd like to talk to him. After wiping the shelves, I wiped under the bottom one on each side as I could reach. I couldn't figure out how to get the shelves out of the cabinet, or I would have taken them out to get the bottom wiped out really well. Oh, I also vacuumed out the loose sugar, so that's gone, even if the bottom didn't get wiped down completely. Just as I was replacing the last few things my timer beeped, and I was done.
Last item for today: iron the valances and re-hang them. I was hoping they wouldn't need ironing, but they do. I'm off to the ironing board! Have a productive day!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Tuesday's Mission Accomplished
It took me a while today, but I got my planned work in the Zone done. I had an unexpected doctor's appointment this morning, so I had to put off my work till this afternoon. We eat our biggest meal at mid-day, so as soon as that was done, I got to work. I spent 15 minutes washing the windows in the kitchen and taking down the valances from my windows. I will wash those first thing in the morning and put them back up as soon as they're dry. We have a laundry-sharing situation with our downstairs neighbors, so I won't have use of the laundry again till tomorrow morning.
I also cleaned out the bank of drawers to the left of my sink. This is three small drawers and two big pots-and-pans drawers, in which I keep my mixing bowls, colanders, and Tupperware and storage bowls and lids. Kelly's mission for today was to clear out the plastic containers; that's part of the reason I chose these particular drawers.
Each job took 15 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes of cleaning today. Every little bit helps!
I also cleaned out the bank of drawers to the left of my sink. This is three small drawers and two big pots-and-pans drawers, in which I keep my mixing bowls, colanders, and Tupperware and storage bowls and lids. Kelly's mission for today was to clear out the plastic containers; that's part of the reason I chose these particular drawers.
Each job took 15 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes of cleaning today. Every little bit helps!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Home Blessing Hour
I'm reopening this blog after more than a year! I just didn't have the motivation to blog to this one and my everyday blog, ByGrace, so I dropped this one until I felt that urge to write about homemaking again. That urge has hit. My home has gotten into somewhat of a mess again, although not nearly as bad as before FlyLady, and I felt the need to get back into the groove again, using FlyLady's system. It worked for me before, and I have no doubt it will again.
Having said that, today I began with my morning routine and my weekly Home Blessing Hour. I'm a bit rusty at the HBH, not having done it consistently for quite a while, but I did get quite a bit done:
Now I'm ready to do my Zone work for the day: Kelly's mission of cleaning the counters. I also plan to declutter cabinets for 15 minutes. That will be a grand total of about two hours of housework for the day, outside of the normal cooking and cleaning up that is part of everyday life. Then I'll be finished with housework, having done a reasonable amount and made our home neat and ready for the week ahead. I hope your day is productive as well!
Having said that, today I began with my morning routine and my weekly Home Blessing Hour. I'm a bit rusty at the HBH, not having done it consistently for quite a while, but I did get quite a bit done:
- Cleaned our ensuite tub, sink, toilet, and mirror
- Mopped ensuite and main bath floors
- Picked up weekend clutter in our bedroom and put away some clothes
- Dusted all the furniture in the house with my Swiffer Duster
- Straightened my sewing area
- Picked up weekend clutter from the dining room and living room
- Swept and mopped kitchen, front entry, and back hall
- Watered plants on the back porch
- Swept front porch
Now I'm ready to do my Zone work for the day: Kelly's mission of cleaning the counters. I also plan to declutter cabinets for 15 minutes. That will be a grand total of about two hours of housework for the day, outside of the normal cooking and cleaning up that is part of everyday life. Then I'll be finished with housework, having done a reasonable amount and made our home neat and ready for the week ahead. I hope your day is productive as well!
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