The ABCs of Housekeeping

I follow Jenni @ Live Called and about 2 weeks ago she posted this meme.  I've been wanting to join in since reading her answers but hadn't had a chance until now.  After you read my answers copy the questions and post it on your blog with your own answers.  You can link up and join Jenni here.
 
Aprons – Yes or No? 
Yes & No, it depends on what I'm making (i.e. fried foods) and what I am already wearing.  I do love pretty aprons!

Bathrooms – How many do you have? 
1 - and for now I'm happy we only have one so I don't have more to keep clean. : )  Bathrooms are not my favorite area to clean. 

Clothesline – Do you have one? 
Yes!  I love it especially for hanging cloth diapers.  Lately I rarely put clothes on it due to my husband's allergies and asthma.

Dusting – How often?
Depends on the time of year, but normally around once a week

Everyday – One housekeeping task you do everyday?
Whole house tidy.  I like to go to each room each morning and do a quick pick up.  Toys, clutter, clothes, etc all get picked up and put away at this time.

Family – Does your family help with household chores? 
My 2 1/2 year old son loves to wash the bathtub and help when I clean the bathroom.  He also helps unload the dishwasher.  My 1 year old loves to 'try' to help load the dishwasher but that's more of a playtime in the water. : )  My husband helps me keep up with the dishes when he is able to. 

Garbage Disposal – Do you have one?
No, currently we live in a old home, built probably well before garbage disposals were designed. :) 

Home Management Notebook – Do you use one? What’s in it?
Yes & no, I have one but I have gotten out of the routine of using it.  You can read what's in my binder here.

Ironing – Love it or hate it? 
I only iron when sewing so I guess I love it, because I love sewing! :)

Junk Drawer – Where is it?
I lost 2 drawers when I decided I wanted a dishwasher added in the kitchen, and one of those was the junk drawer.  I still don't have a junk drawer but I do get a small pile in the corner of the kitchen counter, thankfully because it is on the counter I don't allow it to stay a pile very long. :)

Kitchen – Design and decor? 
I've never been good with designs and decor so my kitchen is pretty simple.  It's yellow with a few plaques that say Faith, Hope, Love in yellow, red and green.  My old dream kitchen used to be blue and green with white - it just sounds so clean and bright in my head. :) 

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Finding new ways to become more efficient in my calling as homemaker.  

Mopping – How often does it get done?
About once a week or when something gets spilled. :) 

Natural Cleaning Products– Do you use them?
Yes!  That's all I ever use.  I love these products and then homemade cleaners from this book.

Overwhelmed – What part of homemaking stresses you out the most?
Deep cleaning - I am not always able to get the deep cleaning done and that stresses me out. :)  But, at least the regular cleaning gets done. :)

Pets – Do you have any mess-making critters in the house?
Yes, we have one small dog inside (mostly) and then 2 outside kittens.

Quiet – What do you enjoy doing when you get a quiet moment?
Mostly read.  Read my bible, read a current book, read articles.... 

Recipes – How do you organize them? 
Oh, right now they are a mess.  I have my favorite cookbook and then I have a binder full of all the printed off recipes I've collected.  One day I have to find a way to organize them to make it efficient and easy to find what I'm looking for.

Style of House – What kind of home do you live in?  
We have a 3 bedroom 1 bathroom little farm house. :)

Tablecloth – Do you use one on a regular basis? 
No, with a toddler tablecloths get too dirty and add extra laundry. 

Under the Kitchen Sink – What do you have under there? 
It's sort of messy right now but I have some vases, dishwasher detergent, vinegar and some other cleaning things.

Vacuuming – How many times a week does it get done? 
With only 1 room in the house with carpet it only gets done about twice a week.

Washing Clothes – How many loads do you do a week? 
I wash at least one load a day due to cloth diapering.

X’s – Do you keep a to-do list and cross the tasks off? 
Yes!  I must have a to-do list.  The satisfaction of crossing tasks off a list keep me going!!  Recently in an attempt to reduce my waste of papers I am trying an app on my iPhone called Any.Do, so far I love it!

Yard Work – Who does what? 
For the most part my husband keeps up the yard work.  Gardening has become a family event as 2 boys love getting in the dirt! :)

ZZZ’s – What is your last housekeeping task of the day? 
Normally putting a load of diapers in the washer before going to bed. :)

Now, head over to Jenni's blog and read her answers and the other ones linked up.

*Disclaimer - this post contains affiliate links

ListPlanIt.com Review + Giveaway

I'm a huge list person.  On my fridge alone I have 3 different magnetic pads to write notes and lists on.  I am always planning something and making to-do lists.

A while ago I won a ListPlanIt Memories PDF ePlanner.  This PDF you can print out and write into or type into right on your computer.  I printed it out and added it into my Homemaking Binder to write down special moments and memories of the year.  I haven't been as diligent as I'd like to be with writing into it but it still has been helpful in getting things I'd love to remember down. :)



ListPlanIt is a website with hundreds of lists to help you organize your life.  With a membership you can join and get access to them.  Recently I got a Download Membership and have been enjoying all the great lists included.

I have especially loved the Menu Planning lists, Financial lists (perfect time for the new year planning), home & time management lists.  They have lists for just about everything: Cleaning, Shopping, Business, Autos, Gardening, Holidays, Camping, etc. I haven't yet wanted a list that they didn't already have. :)

Almost all the lists can be typed right into on the PDF and then printed (for a clean and neat look) or they can be printed out and then written into.

Their site is quite easy to navigate through and only takes a small about of getting familiar with to feel right at home.  The lists are all categorized well and easy to help you find what you are looking for quickly.  Under each section you find additional sections to get you down to just the right lists for you.

How to join ListPlanIt?
It's really easy.  You can either join with a $5/month membership and have access to every single list on ListPlanIt or if you only want lists for certain areas you can purchase the ePlanners for $7.00.  If you want more then just a few of the ePlanners then it would been more cost efficient to go ahead with a membership to have access to all of the lists.

Want to try them out without a membership?
If you want to just see what ListPlanIt is like but don't want to pay just yet ListPlanIt has several lists you can use for Free along with a Trial ePlanner!  You can check them out and download them here.

Giveaway!
Jennifer (owner of ListPlanIt.com) has graciously offered a 1 year Download Membership to 1 reader!  To enter this giveaway use the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Disclaimer - This post contains referral links

Huge Giveaway at Growing Home!

Jacinda @ Growing Home is having a huge giveaway today!  Go here to see the details and to enter!

Skoy Cloths - Review & Giveaway!

I've been using these cloths for the last month or so and have so enjoyed them. Wiping counters, highchairs, messy baby faces, scrubbing floors, stoves, and so much more. I love that they are biodegradable and work just as easily as a paper towel. These also work great for mirrors or windows as they don't leave any lint. They dry quickly and so far none of mine have started to smell! :) If they do you can throw them in the washer (yay! They are dishwasher & washer/dryer safe!) or microwave to sanitize them.


Skoy Cloths are:

• 100% biodegradable
• one Skoy Cloth is equivalent to 15 rolls of paper towels
• Made of natural ingredients - cotton & cellulose wood pulp
• Compostable
• Washer/Dryer safe
  

To Use:
Wet your SKOY cloth before using. Be sure to squeeze out the excess water for optimal absorption. It can be used with popular household cleaners, but works just as well with water.
Note: Rinse cloth very well when combined with dish soap in order not to leave residue.


SKOY recommends that after your SKOY cloth has passed its prime, it can be used as a rag for heavier cleaning. Chlorine-use is not recommended.

Care:
The SKOY can be cleaned in your dishwasher and is washer and dryer safe up to 90°C (190°F).

Purchase your own Skoy Cloth:
A 4 pack of Skoy cloths can be purchased directly from them on their site or via Amazon.com for $6.99 + they are eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping (on orders over $25 on Amazon only).

Win Your Own! Skoy has offered to give 1 4 pack of their Skoy Cloths to one of my readers!

To Enter:
Leave a comment with your name and an email address so I can contact you if you win. Let me know what you'd like to try the Skoy cloths on if you win too!

Extra Entries:
Follow A Restful Place via GFC (on the left)
Share this giveaway via your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Put my button - A Restful Place on your Blog (leave the link)
Order your own Skoy Cloths.

All these are for 1 extra entry each except if you place an order - then you get 5 extra entries.

Giveaway open to the US only. Giveaway Ends July 22, 2011.

Disclaimer: I received the above product(s) free from the manufacture for review purposes only. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The New eBook - 31 Days to Clean!

I've been seeing this new eBook everywhere online lately! It looks so good and I really would love to read it and Lord willing, get a cleaner home out of it. : ) I love clean homes!

I was raised in a home where cleaning was regularly done and something my family was able to quickly do. Being married, having a little one and all the normal demands on life I have found deep cleaning (or most cleaning should I say?) to not be quite as frequent. Before I was married and became a momma, while a stay-at-home daughter it was much easier. We all had our jobs and we'd switch out for each other if needed to get everything done. At least that's how I felt...

I love hosting people, I grew up with it being a normal part of life. We would have someone staying at our house just to visit at least once a month. Sometimes we'd go a month or two without hosting, other times we'd have guests every weekend for a month or two, we also would have church meetings in our home quite often.

A clean home is so much more inviting and a blessing to others! It feels great for the host while having others in their home and it makes the guest feel more welcome and comfortable.

From the reviews I've read on this book I think it's written for the natural cleaners and for the ones who struggle in this area. :)

A little snip-it from the author:

"I am not a natural when it comes to cleaning. In fact, sometimes I think my DNA is allergic to it! However, I know that if I am to care for my home, and more importantly my family, I need to persevere in creating a clean, peaceful home environment (not a perfect one!).

31 Days to Clean is about the “why” and the vision and the heart for taking care of our domains. Each day I encourage you with some thoughts and ideas, and then we put those ideas to action.

After each days reading, you will be given two challenges:

• The Mary Challenge -Something you do that encourages/engages your heart
• The Martha Challenge – Specific cleaning tasks"

Take a look at the Table of Contents and let me know a chapter you want to read! I think I'd love to just read the whole thing and apply as much as possible. : )

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Spring is here though many days it doesn't yet feel like it - rain and cold days don't make me think of spring, through the green grass and first wildflowers are a joyous reminder. : ) I'm looking forward to the warm weather that's coming, sometime! : )