Archive for March, 2008
Mar
31
Posted under
House Cleaning,
Spring Cleaning
It’ll be summer before you know it! Now’s the time to tackle the spring-cleaning that needs to be done. I don’t know about you, but once it gets warm - I want to play!
Forget waiting until spring to start spring-cleaning. I mean, who wants to be cleaning when it’s warm outside? Use the impending warm weather as motivation to get you moving during this frustrating time of year. Your house will be clean and you’ll be free.
Here are some tips that will help you make sure you are ready to play once the temperatures get warm.
Pick one of these tasks anytime you have a little extra time.
Wash your figurines. I use dish soap. Just be careful that
the paint on the figurine can stand up to being immersed
in water. I’ve ruined a couple of antique ones where the
paint came off in water. Oops.
Wash your silk plant arrangements. You can either take
them Apart and wash them, or you can use the special
sprays designed to clean silk plant arrangements. I
recently took mine apart and washed them in the new
Dawn dish soap with Bleach Alternative. They turned out
very nice. My big pride and joy arrangement on my desk
is over 10 years old and people still rave about it.
Give your wood furniture a good cleaning. With the right
care and cleaning, your wood furniture can look great for
another 100 years. Here’s my tips for deep cleaning your
wood furniture >>>
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Move the furniture and vacuum
behind. Edge. Vacuum the furniture. Vacuum your blinds.
Vacuum your mattresses.
Keep your animals brushed. That will cut down a lot of
work in the long run. Besides, most of them love it.
You’re keeping your house cleaner, and spending quality
time with your pet. Such a deal!
Wash your window treatments.
Clean the range hood. Even if you just work at it 5 minutes
at a time until it’s clean. Something I call the wear away
principle. I talk about it in Secret Confessions of a Clean
Freak. (leave the oven until you can open the windows.)
Above cabinets-
If you have open space above the kitchen cabinets, get up
there and clean it! If it’s really bad, you can use orange
409 and steel wool. If it’s really, really bad, spray generously
with orange 409 and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use a scraper
to remove the tough layers of gunk. Then clean again with
409 and steel wool.
Wipe down cabinet fronts.
If you’re not in the habit of wiping down your cabinets on a
regular basis, you should get in the habit. It will keep your
cabinets looking great a lot longer. Wipe wood cabinets
down with Murphy Oil Soap. If it’s gotten really bad, you
may have to revert to the wear away principle. Don’t get
overzealous or you may scratch the cabinets!
Wash the walls. Especially in the kitchen, bath and hallway.
Do a little at a time. Don’t kill yourself. Even if it’s one wall
At a time.
Some things just don’t make sense to do now. Cleaning
the carpet when we’re coming into muddy season doesn’t
really make much sense. Won’t hurt either - but you’ll have
to do it again later either way.
Just do a little here and there, and by the time April
comes around- there won’t be much left to do inside.
You’ll be able to get outside and feel that warm sunshine.
Besides, you’ll get some exercise so you can look great
when it’s time to put on those skimpy clothes!
Need more help? Click here to find out how to clean your house fast -and keep it that way >>>
Mar
31
Posted under
Tips
1. Plan your menus and grocery list around the sale paper
2. Use coupons.
3. Shop on coupon doubling days.
4. Only buy things if they’re on sale.
5. Only buy things you truly love.
6. Review your phone service. Are you getting the best deal?
7. Ditto for car insurance.
8. Drop loose change into a jar. It adds up quick!
9. Carry a small memo pad. Write down every cent you spend. A real eye-opener!
10. Sell your used books that are in good condition at Amazon.
11. Clean out closets, storeroom, kids rooms. Plan a garage
sale, or sell items on eBay, or bring to a consignment
shop, or donate to charity for a tax write-off.
12. Get rid of gas guzzling cars and trucks.
Mar
31
Posted under
Motivational Lift Your Spirit Today
OK, it’s cold, still…. Think you can’t find something to do?
Here’s a list of things you can do to lift your spirits today.
Listen to music that makes you want to dance.
Go ahead and dance!
Buy fresh cut flowers.
Watch a funny movie.
Visit friends.
Have an impromptu informal dinner party.
Have a toga party or a luau, or something else silly.
Give yourself a spa treatment -
- Indulge in a skin softening body wash.
- Dry off and apply a good moisturizing lotion.
- Give yourself a facial. Gently wash with scrubbing grains.
- Rinse well. Apply a good moisturizer.
- Wait half an hour and apply self tanning lotion.
Put on your favorite cologne.
Make your favorite dinner. Make the table look special.
Light some great smelling candles.
Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while.
Look at old pictures.
Repot your house plants. It’ll make you think of gardening,
and spring.
Paint a room.
Read a gardening catalog and start picking out plants you
want to plant this spring.
Plan a vacation.
Clean the storage room. You’ll probably find some good
memories, throw out a bunch of stuff (that’s always
refreshing!), find some stuff to sell at a garage sale
when it gets warm, and be able to find things the
rest of the year!
Buy a car. If you’re getting money back when you file your
taxes, and you need a new car - you can get some really
good deals when the weather is crummy.
Play a game. UNO, Yatzee, Charades, Pictionary, and Gin
Rummy are all fun games.
Go to the library. If you haven’t made use of your public
library in a while, go. You’ll find all kinds of books, movies
and music, all free to use.
Make brunch and have some Mimosa.
Try something new - a new recipe, a new restaurant,
a new cologne…
Go bowling.
Go to a museum.
Learn how to do something new.
See if you can still -
Touch your toes
Hula-hoop
Do yo-yo tricks
Rub your tummy and pat your head
Take a nap.
Get a haircut.
Make an Ultimate Dream List. Here’s how >>>
Go to Church.
Take pictures of your family acting silly.
Teach the dog a new trick.
Listen to your old motivational tapes.
Pop in an old exercise tape and see if you can keep up!
Click here to help provide free mammograms, feed the
hungry, provide books for kids, and more - costs you
nothing but a few clicks.
I think you could find a few things here to do!
I’m off to do a few things on that list myself…
Carole
Other things that make you feel good -
Get the house cleaned up >>>
Get healthy >>>
Mar
31
Posted under
House Cleaning We need to talk about a poor mentality.
Not a poor mentality like being negative, but thinking like a poor person. And just what does that have to do with spring cleaning?
How many bottles of stuff do you have around that you never use, but you’re keeping because you might run out and need it in a pinch – and you might not have the money to buy a new one? Or you haven’t thrown it out just because you feel guilty wasting it?
How many little bits of leftovers are in the fridge that no one will ever eat?
How many pieces of clothing do you have that you will never wear, except maybe to paint the house?
How many ratty towels and sheets are you keeping? You’ve got to let go of this stuff. You can’t expect abundance if you’re still practicing poverty thinking.
Think about this. How much did the item cost you in the first place? That half bottle of shampoo? That really outdated shirt?
Now, how much is it costing you in space, clutter, and lost peace of mind to keep hanging on to it?
As you go about your household chores this week, when you run across this stuff – throw it out! Feel that rich person taking control. You’re not putting up with this poverty thinking anymore!
If the item is useful – really – and it’s in good shape, put it aside to take to charity later this week. But it has to be this week. You have to get it out of there before you can be free of it.
If it’s really garbage, just throw it out! You can save the buttons, OK? Those come in handy sometimes.
Feel the freedom as you let go of these things – not to mention the space you’ll free up!
Once you get past the guilt for throwing it out – it’ll feel great to be free of it.
Now, I’ve got to go throw some things out!
Carole
(Need more help with how to clean your house fast?)
Mar
31
Posted under
Motivational
We’re about to enter a season of rebirth. The flowers and trees come back from the dead. Help your spirit start rising from the dead now. Pretend you’re a little crocus bulb trying to push your flower out to the surface. Claw your way out if you have to. There are little things you can do to help your spirit now -
If your home is chaotic - clean it up. It feels so much better!
If you’re feeling bad about your body - start eating healthier - cut out packaged and fast foods, eat more fruits and vegetables, and get some exercise. You’ll start seeing and feeling results quickly.
If you seem to never have enough time-
Use a daily ‘to-do’ list to keep you organized, and if you have an errand or something that needs to be done, just do it - whether you ‘feel’ like it or not - so it’s not hanging over your head making you feel even worse.
Once you get a handle on the little things, you’ll find more time, energy, and motivation to start working on the big things. It’s not rocket science. It costs you nothing to try these few simple things and see if they don’t produce unexpected results.
Start a little of your own spring fever now. Start getting the house ’spring-cleaned’. Start getting your body back in shape now. Then when the weather finally does break, the house will be clean, you’ll look great, and you’ll have plenty of energy to get outside and enjoy the warm weather!
If you’re a gardener, order some seeds or plants. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get out and start digging and creating!
You can speed up spring a little by painting a room a sunny color, or buying some colorful throw pillows, or putting together a silk flower arrangement.
Start pulling out your spring clothes and getting them ready to wear.
Start getting your feet ready for exposure. Have you looked at your feet lately?
There’s a bunch of things you can do in anticipation of spring!
Did you notice how many times I used the word ‘Start”? That’s half the battle - Start!
You can do anything you put your mind to.
Be great.
Carole
