A Clean Slate

I love the Holidays, but I also kind of love it when they’re over. Any other parents of young kids just exhausted like I am? We had such a great time visiting our parents and seeing our siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins, but 5 nights in two different places has worn me down. We spent all of November and December working on good sleep habits with Felix (in his own crib for 12ish hours a night) and two nights ago the three of us were awake on the hour sleeping a futon. We’re just tiiiiirrreeeddd.

Luckily, it’s just about time to start the new year and I love kicking it off on the right foot back at our own home. For me that means a tidy and organized house, fresh laundry and a full fridge. And believe it or not, I actually really look forward to cleaning my home during these last December days. 

ORGANIZING & TIDYING

I’m already halfway done with packing up and storing my Christmas decor and I’m going to neatly pack away wrapping stuff and holiday dishes too. I’m ready to get my house cozy for winter and change out some blankets in my living room as well. One of my key resolutions that I’m going to work on in 2016 is LESS CLUTTER! Is it practical? Is it used often? Is it beautiful? Keeping my counters and table tops clear helps reduce the amount of other things piling up in those spots. Clutter is a magnet for more clutter!  This also makes them easier to wipe down, which needs to happen multiple times a day when you live with two cats and a toddler! 

We also need to do a better job regularly dropping off our donation box which sits by the back door. I think making it a part of my weekly routine will really help. If there’s not a place for it, it needs to move on to someone else! Here are a few other spots in my home that will get extra attention in the coming days:

• Medicine cabinet (check expiration dates, toss unused products)
  
• Makeup bag
  
• Shower Caddies
• Living room ottoman (so much random gets shoved in there!)
  
• Living room junk drawer
  
• Glove and Hat baskets
• Toy chests
• Kitchen junk drawer
  
• Under the kitchen sink

LAUNDRY 

I recently wrote about my habit of doing the wash once a day but I’ll admit I’ve been slacking. Other projects have taken priority so sometimes I get really behind. Our first Christmas visit is waiting to be washed and I’ll start the second half right behind it.  This week I’m planning to go beyond just folding and putting things away - I’m going to FINALLY ditch the socks that are missing their pairs, trash tights and undies that aren’t in good shape, and toss bras that don’t fit. I rotate through a pretty small amount of under garments, so I’m clearing out space so that drawer isn’t crammed full anymore. 

I’ll also take stock and repurpose/recycle/store:

• Outgrown baby clothes
  
• Tee shirts with holes
  
• Remaining maternity clothes
  
• Workout stuff I never wear anymore
  
• Stained towels/wash cloths

FULL FRIDGE & CLEAN KITCHEN

Finally - the heart of the home - the kitchen. I’m guessing something like 95% of diets start with the new year. It’s such a good jumping off point to getting your health in check but also an ideal time to check your expiration dates and do a solid clean out of your refrigerator, pantry and kitchen in general. We’ll be doing our annual Whole 30 and I like to toss or hide anything that might tempt me off track.  Once the fridge is empty, it’s the perfect time for a thorough cleaning! I’m treating myself to a new dishwashing brush on my next trip to the grocery too! (Isn’t it weird how you let stuff like that just get trashed before replacing?) Here’s my agenda for my big kitchen clean out:

• Empty fridge and wipe down
  
• Check all expiration dates
  
• Scan ingredients and toss or hide stuff on the naughty list
  
• Clear counters, wipe down, organize clutter
  
• Wash new dishes/glasses/baking gear before putting away (I love washing dishes… it’s so zen for me. I used Lavender Mint Seventh Generation natural dish soap for extra ahhhhh) When I’m in a rush and want to use the dishwasher, I use this natural dishwasher detergent.
  
• Meal plan and make new shopping list

I’m one of those people that actually enjoys cleaning and I can’t fully relax until everything is in it’s place. It’s taken some internal work to be a little more patient and accept that life with a little guy on the move is going to mean more messes but when I stay on top of things (using my 2 minute resolution from last year!) everything seems more manageable. I’m excited to wake up on New Years Day with a clean slate. 

Heads up - this post is brought to you by Seventh Generation, a brand I’ve used for years.  It makes me feel confident to clean my home, do my laundry and dishes with products that are safe for my family. 

Making Laundry More Manageable

WhatIWore: Confession: I have a scary basement. Alright. it’s not downright dungeon-like or anything, but it is 95 years old and unfinished. Our washer and dryer are down there, so actually doing the laundry is not my favorite chore (folding it is not so bad!) But it’s gotta get done and I’ve got to make the best of it, so here are a few things I’ve made part of my routine to make it as easy as possible.

1. Do a load each day. Instead of letting it pile up into 5 loads of laundry on the weekend, I like to try to start a wash in the morning while my son is playing, flip it over sometime during the afternoon and fold that evening (sometimes with an extra fluff to minimize wrinkles. If I get out of this habit, inevitably the wash stays in there too long and gets smelly and I have to re-wash it, which is wasteful (both time, energy and water!). When I do a load every day, I’m not overwhelmed with a mountain of dirty clothes (and towels, and diapers!) OR a mountain of folding the clean stuff. 

2. Add an extra laundry basket to your stash.  We keep laundry baskets in our master bedroom and Felix’s room and another one at the landing on the basement steps for kitchen towels. About 6 months ago, I added another two baskets into the rotation so there’s always an empty one in the basement. For me it is so annoying to try to wrap my arms around a bunch of tiny baby clothes, leaving a trail of clean onesies behind me because it’s all dropping along the way[[. Anything to make life more efficient, people! Now we have stacking baskets both upstairs and in the basement and it seems like less socks are missing and more laundry is washed and put away more quickly.

3. Check pockets! How many times has one of us left a chapstick in a pocket and then had oily spots all over our tee shirts? Answer: A lot of times. I’ve also disinigrated half a dozen of Adam’s pocket notebooks because I didn’t check ‘em ahead of time. While you’re at it, zip your zippers and if you want your jeans to stay darker longer, flip them inside out. 

4. Pick the Right Detergent. We need something both powerful (babies = stains galore) and gentle (baby’s skin = sensitive). We actually never ended up changing detergent brands (we’ve used Seventh Generation for years) after Felix was born. I also like that the free and clear detergents don’t have the glow in the black light whiteners. Seventh Generation 2X Free and Clear is the only detergent on the market that does not include artificial, or optical, brighteners! I actually wash all of my cloth diapers in the same stuff now (with an extra two drops of tea tree oil). 

5. Tennis Balls in the Dryer can keep things fluffy! Especially if you’re washing anything like winter coats that have stuffing.

6. Clean Your Lint Traps Every. Single. Time! Sometimes I’m lazy I don’t clear out the lint before starting a load in the dryer - and it always comes back to get me when my towels still aren’t dry. It takes 5 seconds, so just do it! 

7. Or Skip The Dryer in favor of sunshine. I like doing this with my cloth diapers once and a while to get them really bright and white. Buh bye baby skid marks! I also like to let my white quilts dry in the sun too. Feels old timey and wholesome.

8. Put away the clean laundry when it’s done. I think one of the reasons I don’t like laundry also has to do with the fact that my closet sometimes just becomes one big pile of clean stuff and it feels like I have nothing to wear because I can’t see it. Dumb! Put that laundry away and shop your closet like it’s your favorite store! 

Got anything to add that makes your laundry routine easier? I’d love to hear your tips on my facebook page!

Now a cool offer - Have you heard of ePantry (a convienent and affordable way to shop for your favorite natural and non-toxic home and personal products)? They’re offering new users a free full size Seventh Generation 2X Free and Clear detergent (and a 50% discount to existing users) on your next $20 order, plus free shipping. 

Thanks again to our sponsors Seventh Generation and ePantry! Seventh Generation lives its commitment to “caring today for seven generations of tomorrows,” with plant-based products formulated to provide mindful solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within your home – and for the community and environment outside of it.