Cleaning the Bathroom

From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Six

Cleaning the Bathroom

Scripture Memory: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

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Today’s Scripture memory calls us to humble ourselves. If any task in the home calls for us as wives and mothers to humble ourselves, it is cleaning the bathroom. The bathroom is one of the dirtiest rooms in the house and the tasks are not very pleasant.

Your bathroom should be one of the cleanest rooms in your house. It is typically a small space. And remember – the bathroom is the only room where guests go alone with time to sit and just look around… at the corners, around the bathtub, etc. Everyone will know your standard for clean by looking at your bathroom.

Make the bathroom part of your morning routine. Wipe down sinks after making the beds. Rinse the bathtubs after each bath has been taken, and so on. Then on a regular basis, make cleaning the bathroom part of your schedule with the following tasks…

Care for the Bathroom: Monthly:
1. Clean under the sink.
2. Clean out medicine cabinet.
3. Throw out old medications and old make up.
4. Take inventory of toilet paper, paper towels, soaps, shampoos, etc. Add those items that need replenishing to your shopping list. Purchase items when on sale and stock up.

Care for the Bathroom: Weekly:
1. Use a small hand held whisk broom or brush and sweep the floor, dusting the baseboards as you go.
2. Fill a bucket with warm or hot water and add a disinfectant to the water.
3. Add a disinfectant to the toilet bowl. Swish it around with the toilet bowl brush and allow to soak while you clean the rest of the bathroom.
4. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
5. Use separate cloths or sponges for cleaning the toilet and sink and floor.
6. Begin by cleaning the sink and cabinets. Use a mild detergent or abrasive for cleaning inside the sink, around the fixtures, the cabinets, and the walls around the sink.
7. Rinse and clean soap dish. Wipe off the light switch.
8. Dust vanity light bulbs.
9. Clean mirrors.
10. Sprinkle a mild abrasive or spray your preferred bath tub cleaner into the bath/ shower. Use a sponge to scrub away soap scum build up and water marks. Doing this weekly instead of once the tub is gross will reduce the effort! Liquid bleach gets rid of mildew. Rinse tub well.
11. Saturate a sponge in the bucket of water. Squeeze excess moisture out and begin scrubbing the baseboards. Because of the moisture in the bathroom, dust tends to dry and stick to the baseboards causing them to look dingy and unattractive. Move around the room, rinsing your sponge as needed. Dust window sills, cobwebs, top of door molding, and top of shower.
12. Saturate a sponge in the bucket of water. Squeeze excess moisture out and clean around top of toilet, working your way down the sides of the toilet. Rinse sponge as needed.
13. Using a sponge and a product such as Mop and Glo, scrub floor until it sparkles. Begin mopping in the corner of bathroom and work your way out of the room. Leave the room and make sure no one goes in until the floor is dry – about 20 minutes. You can place a fan on the floor to speed this drying time.
14. Pour dirty water outside or down the toilet. Disinfect sponges or cloths in a bucket of fresh water and bleach. 1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water. Soak them for at least five minutes. Rinse well and air dry.

Care for the Bathroom: Daily:
1. Rinse tub after bathing. ** Optional: Spray a Daily Shower Spray formula in the shower to help prevent soap scum build up. **
2. Wipe down sink, faucets, with a fresh cloth.
3. Wipe down toilet seat with another fresh cloth.
4. Clean mirror after everyone has brushed their teeth.
5. Hang fresh hand towels.
6. Spray air freshener and leave the room.

By cleaning the bathroom on a regular basis, you will find that the task only takes minutes each day and hardly more on your weekly cleaning day. If you have not already, add this task to your daily schedule and determine when is the best day to do the scrubbing.

Cleaning the bathroom shouldn’t be drudgery! Smile in your heart while doing these ordinary, seemingly mundane, tasks. Let peace wash over you and feel content knowing that your family is well taken care of.

 

Host a Gingerbread Party for Kids

Looking for ways to make this year’s Christmas celebration memorable for your kids? Why not host a gingerbread party? I bet this would be fun for moms, too! HGTV has some great ideas. Check them out! Not to mention the adorable invitations and recipe cards you can print for free!  Plus! More printables: a red and green banner, gingerbread party circles, fancy food labels, and more!

A Schedule Check-Up

From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Four

A Schedule Check-up

Scripture Memory: “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

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By now you should have your kitchens clean. If you have not had time to finish the kitchen, which was a huge job (I know!) I want to encourage you to set a day this week and complete the project before continuing.

Today, I want you to get out your schedule again and let’s look at it. What is working? What isn’t working? What do you think is hindering you the most?

When I look back at my own struggles with working out a schedule and sticking to it… I realize that for me, it was often hard to keep a schedule for more than one reason.

Reason #1 – A Lack of Self-discipline. For those of you who are not naturally inclined to being organized or who are prone to laziness, this will be your greatest challenge. As you tweak your schedule, don’t overdo the details. You will only frustrate yourself if you try to be detailed in your planning. Begin by setting aside chunks of time for certain tasks, but do not plan in 15 minute intervals. As you make your loose schedule a habit, you can incorporate more details one at a time.

Reason #2 – Too Much to Do. This is a hard one. I recently found myself in this position. Actually, I often find myself in this position. As a homeschooling mom, a pastor’s wife, writer, and Director of A Virtuous Woman, it is easy to get overwhelmed by everything I need to accomplish on any given day. My solution is to schedule only the basics and do what I can to work the rest in. I keep my children on a schedule and work around them. When I follow my schedule, I often find myself with small bits of free time to sit and relax during the day!

Evaluate your schedule and make changes as needed. You can sit down and do this any time you feel that your schedule is not working well. It is not set in stone. As your life changes, so you will your schedule!

If you feel like you’ll never get it right, trust that God will pull you through. If you struggle, if you fall off track, if things go wrong one day or many – just keep picking up where you left off and start over. As we continue to clean the house, make it your priority each day to keep the areas we have covered clean before you go to bed. The kitchen should be your priority. If you are only able to keep the kitchen clean for now, don’t sweat it! Feel proud of yourself as you go to bed each night with that clean kitchen. Thank God for His power that is working in you to create the home of peace and calm you have always wanted.

 

Picky Eaters

From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-One

 Picky Eaters

 Scripture Memory: “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.” Ezekiel 4:9

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Oh, the joys of motherhood. Cooking supper in your pretty apron with your hair fixed and a sweet helper washing the dishes as you go…

Oh, wait – this is real life! I don’t know about you, but supper time can be stressful. I enjoy cooking for my family. I really work hard to prepare healthy meals that look and taste good. Unfortunately, there is always at least one child who is less than thrilled with the menu. Whether it is Emily’s dislike of broccoli, James’ dislike of eggs and mayonnaise, or Sarah’s dread for coleslaw, it seems out of five kids the only nights everyone is thrilled is when I make spaghetti.

We have a rule in our house that no one is allowed to be picky. This rule starts at around the age of five. Before that, I encourage, but do not insist that they eat what is served. They must eat something of everything and they must eat what they take. I do not believe in forcing a child who feels full to continue eating. In this case, my children have the option of finishing their dinner at a later time. They know they will not be allowed to waste the food.

Children who are allowed to eat only the foods they really love grow up to be adults who don’t like vegetables. Over the years my children have grown to love greens, salads, spinach, and asparagus. Emily is even beginning to like broccoli! Our taste buds change over time. Not only that, but you can retrain your own taste buds by eating foods you don’t care for on a regular basis.

Some foods that my own mother did not serve – which I grew up disliking – were beets, mushrooms, olives, asparagus, sauerkraut, spinach and more. I am happy to report that thanks to my husbands encouragement, I LOVE all of these foods now and cook them frequently.

Children should not be allowed to waste food. I can’t count the times I have attended a potluck dinner and watched as children piled their plates high with good food only to throw most of it in the trash minutes later. God is not honored by our waste. Children need to learn that food is a blessing from God. Part of being a good steward is eating the food we are provided and avoiding waste as much as possible. My children know when we go to a potluck or eat at someone else’s home that they are to politely eat what they are served.

Teach your children about nutrition. Let them help you choose healthy foods at the grocery store. Tell them why you do not eat certain foods or why some foods should only be eaten in moderation. Teach them how to properly care for their bodies. More importantly show them by your own example.

 

Host a Cookie Swap!

This year, why not host a fun Cookie Swap with your friends? Or how about with the women in your church? This would make a perfect social for Women’s Ministries!

How it Works:

Each person bakes one batch of their favorite cookie for each guest attending the cookie swap. So, if there are 12 guests attending, each guest will bring 12 dozen cookies. Be sure everyone brings the recipe along with their cookies!

You can print out our Cookie Swap Organizer for free!

Note: I suggest printing the recipe cards onto cardstock paper.

Have you ever hosted a cookie swap? What is your favorite cookie recipe?

Embroidery Hoop Turkey Tutorial

This turkey is just adorable.  Head on over to Gwenny Penny for the tutorial!

20 Ideas: Thanksgiving Kids Table

Every year I have a kids table at Thanksgiving Dinner with activities to keep the little ones busy while they wait for dinner. Here are some fun ideas:

1. Thankful Turkey from Artists Helping Children
2. Shindig Thanksgiving Printables from Shindig Parties to Go
3. Celebrate Thanksgiving from Anna and Blue Paperie
4. I am Thankful Chain from Silverbox Creative Studio
5. Activity Placemat from Family Fun
6. Thanksgiving Mad Lib from Family Fun
7. Mayflower Treat Holders from Sheek Shindigs
8. Chalkboard Placemats from La T Da
9. Fabric Napkins and Rings from The Celebration Shoppe
10. Thanksgiving Table Setting Printables from Lily’s Laundry
11. Kids Place Settings from One Charming Party
12. Turkey Chair Covers from Wild Olive
13. Kids Table Setting with Printables and Tutorials from Frog Prince Paperie
14. Decorating the Kids Table at Fiskars
15. Squirrel and Acorn Decorated Table at No Fuss Fabulous
16. Corn on the Cob on a Stick from One Charming Party
17. Placecards, Napkin Rings, Stickers and More from Parenting.com
18. Kids Thanksgiving Table from Skip to My Lou
19. Gobbling Turkey Apples from Make and Take
20. Candy Cups from Make and Take

Thanksgiving Dinner Printables

Paper and Glitter is offering this amazing download for free! It includes 20 pages of darling  crafts, invitations, envelopes, activities, menu, napkin rings, and much more! Best of all the .pdf file is editable so you can personalize it for your own needs!

Rustic Twine Pumpkin

I love the looks of this pumpkin! It will fit perfectly with my fall decor! And you won’t believe how incredibly easy it is! This tutorial can be found at Honey and Maple Syrup. Enjoy!

 

Turkey Veggie Platter

This would be so much fun for the Kids Table at Thanksgiving Dinner. Serve with homemade Ranch Dressing. Yum!

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