They've Got My Back

When my turn came up this time, I realized that I too really needed a whole-house clean-up again. There weren't any big projects in major need of being done, and we had not had a chance to put the house back together after the crazy weekend. So when Rachel & Shannon arrived, we got right to work on the dishes and the floors and the laundry.







There were baskets of stuff to go downstairs,



and week-old dust mop leavings to pick up. (Yuck! I know.)



After Cleaning Club was over and I was walking through the house taking pictures, one thing kept running through my head: how supported I felt. It occurred to me what a wonderful gift it is to my family to have these two other people who know just where everything is and how we operate in regards to the house. If I were to become ill or have to be away for some reason, they would be able to  come in and help whip things into shape if needed. They know where things are kept and where the cleaning supplies are, and since lunch is always a part of our weekly meetings they even know what my kids like to eat! We talk every week about the struggles and victories we've been having with each of the kids, and what our routines are like every day. It is like having two backup moms on hand, briefed and ready to go- just in case.



So as we clean floors, fold towels, and do dishes, we are also supporting each other in so much more than that. We are protecting and nurturing each others' families, by knowing each others' space so well.



And I love that I have finally gotten to the point where I am able to not hover over Shannon & Rachel so much, worrying that I should be doing the hardest parts or that they won't do it right. This week when I said the dishwasher needed to be emptied, Shannon got right to work in there and when I said the floors needed to be swept/vacuumed, Rachel tackled that. I was able to go down and fold several loads of laundry and get things put away that were laying around the house. Rachel folded towels and I made the bed, and was even able to give the bathroom a quick cleaning! I didn't stress over what they were doing- I was just thankful for their help and used the time to get as much as I could get done as well.



When they left, the house felt peaceful and orderly- ready for a new week. I am so thankful for those extra backup Mamas.

Somehow a picture of Michael did not get taken during this visit, so you'll just have to settle for this one that I took last weekend at BreastFest. Squeeeeaaalll!

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We Clean High and Low

I had to come up with a project for CC in a hurry this week, because Shannon's hubby was home from work sick and she thought it would be better not to have the Club descend on their home when he needed to rest. So we looked around and found a few things that were in need of some work.



We settled on this little cabinet to start with. The picture at the top of the page is the view underneath (yuck!) and as you can see, the cabinet was such a mess inside that the door wouldn't even close properly. I wanted to clear it out and put back only the basic drawing and coloring supplies, so that we could easily get to them.

So Rachel fished for lost treasure with a yard stick,



And we sorted through all the papers and old coloring books in the cabinet.



Of course, Michael was close at hand barking out orders and trying to keep us slackers in line.



It wasn't long before the shelves were wiped out and we were putting things back into place. A quick and easy project! But one that will make a HUGE difference in our day to day lives. When we have drawing supplies within easy reach, it provides a quick and easy activity and helps transition us from one thing to the next. All 4 of my kids love to draw so much, and this makes it so much easier.



After we had some lunch, we checked my list and decided to tackle the other job I had written down, which was to clear the tops of my kitchen cabinets. This may not be a problem area for some people, but at nearly 6 feet tall, I tend to stick things up there to get them out of the way or just to deal with them later. I didn't even REALLY notice how much junk was up there until we started taking it all down. In fact, I suffered from an attack of camnesia there for a minute and did not get a photo until all the stuff was actually on the countertop. I almost made Rachel put it all back up there just for the sake of the picture, but that's another good thing about working in a group- they don't let you do ridiculous things like that. (Yes, I probably would have done it if I were working alone. It's the photo-perfectionist in me. And you thought all my photos were candid! HA!)



Rachel did all the dirty work this time. My hero! She got up there with the vacuum and a rag and knocked out the cleaning while Shannon and I put all the stuff where it belonged.




Michael was so proud of us, he was kicking his legs and doing cheers!



After everyone left, I stayed in the groove and got the stove cleaned and took out the compost (both long overdue) and loaded the dishwasher. My kitchen feels so great!

 







Another excellent meeting of the Cleaning Club. We got a lot accomplished and had time to sit and chat too. And my family felt the difference immediately- that clutter up above our heads was weighing us down! Everything feels more balanced and I can close my little corner cabinet again, which was completely messing up the chi in my special room. Yay!

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Pimp My Ride, Mama Style

That's right. We took Cleaning Club outside this week in order to hook up the mini van with some sweet new rims and a custom flame job.



Oh all right, you got me. We didn't do any of that, but we DID scrape mystery crud out of the back seat cup holders and clean gum off the seats. Not to mention all the vacuuming, scrubbing, wiping, and Q-Tip detailing that went on (All Hail Shannon, the Queen of the Q-Tip!)


Front seat cup holder. You don't even wanna know what the back seat ones looked like.

I am serious, the inside of my van has never been so clean. At least not since we bought it and proceeded to road-trip from TX to GA during the first week of ownership. Add 2 kids to the 2 we had already, and it's pretty much stayed a mess ever since.


Nasty carpet and 10 year old road atlas we unearthed beneath the basket that sits here.



Get those old ketchup packets OUT of the glove box.

We emptied everything out first- the glove box and all other compartments, throwing trash away as we found it and setting the rest aside. We took the seats and floor mats out, and even tossed the car-seat covers into the wash. Shannon detailed the car-seats themselves, while Rachel and I Armor-Alled the hell out of every surface in there. Now, I am usually a fan of plain old soap and water or maybe a bit of vinegar or perhaps a natural cleaning product or two. But that stuff really makes the car feel all new-ish again. The dash is shiny! And it got the grimy crud out of the faux leather grain on the armrests too.



Which reminds me: take a look at the armrests and steering wheel in your vehicle sometime. Especially if they are beige or some other light color. Yuck! The other thing that really surprised me when I took a closer look was the area between the door interior and the edge of the actual door. Blech! I was able to clean that grime off on all the doors and the back hatch, and it makes such a difference! I've completely overlooked that so many times when washing the car or cleaning the inside. It was so great being able to take the time to clean those off because of all the help I had.



Rachel vacuumed the entire thing out while I finished the doorways and washed the windows.



Luke took an interest in the vacuuming around the edges of the back hatch.



And Andrew was completely enthralled with the vacuum hose and tools.



Michael once again served as our overlord, keeping a watchful eye out for places we missed.


 "I can see those smudges from here! And don't forget the rear view mirror!"

 
"Can I get a little help here?"

We got the floor mats and seats back in, sorted through the rest of the stuff to bring in the house or put back into the van, and called it a day. Just look at the floors in there!

 

I followed through with the car seats and got them out of the wash and hanging to dry before I went to bed that night so I could re-install them in the morning. And of course, I was hit with a massive surge of the Cleaning Club Effect when the sun came out on Wednesday and I realized how grimy the outside of the van was now in comparison. A trip to the $4, all automated, water recycling car wash took care of that though, and made Stella & Lyle happy besides (who doesn't love a ride through the carwash?) I even brought an old towel with me and stopped to wipe the van off afterwards, which enabled me to get a few spots the auto wash missed AND shine my car up all pretty. 


Now it's so shiny I can take cool pictures of the trees reflecting in it.

It feels so great to get into a nice clean vehicle. Especially when it's yours. The kids didn't seem too impressed when they first got in, but then I directed their attention to the cup holders and storage pocket in the sides of the back seat. "WOW! OHMYGOD THIS IS SO AWESOME!!" was the basic theme of the conversation for several minutes thereafter.

It's very cool to now be able to take my Cleaning Club project with me everywhere I go. This is just another example of something I wouldn't have done as well or as quickly had I done it myself. And my entire family will be reaping the benefits for a long time to come- if for no other reason than Mom being a happier chauffeur!

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Crowded with Clutter

I have been especially aware of the crowded and cluttered state of our front hall closet recently, probably because we've had a lot of guests in and out of the house over the holidays. I knew that it would only take our little club a few minutes to get it emptied, swept out, and reorganized though, and I wanted to maximize the amount of work we could get done during our time together (uh, because I'm selfish like that).



So I looked to the recently half-vacated wardrobe, where our movies used to live before we rearranged or house a few weeks ago. The kids' coats and sweaters were still in there and I wanted to reclaim that cabinet for some craft supplies, so it seemed logical to get those moved into the hall closet. 

And then just for fun, I threw the bathroom drawers into the plan, in case we had enough time. Because they have been bugging the crap out of me. And because I wanted to get as much done as possible (again, with that whole selfish thing.)




There was definitely a different vibe at club this week- we had 3 less kids than usual due to other plans, and my husband Jason was home that day as well. So there were just fewer kids in the house AND I was able to use the command, "Go ask Daddy!" several times to my advantage- allowing me to keep right on working instead of having to stop and assist with things like getting bikes down from their ceiling hooks because of the 65 degree weather on a January day. 


The closet and wardrobe got emptied, with a significant amount of stuff going straight out to the van to be dropped off at the Goodwill, which has already been dropped off at the time of this post. Making this a regular stop for us has really helped us get in the habit of getting rid of unwanted items. I always offer to take the giveaway boxes and drop them off after Cleaning Club, as well as the cardboard recycling from our projects. It is so important to just get that stuff OUT and be done with it. 



Where IS the most sensible place to store old MRI scans of your kid's brain...?

We put together a new lower bar for the hall closet and got it hung, which made just the perfect spot for the kids' coats. Now they easily reachable, and not taking up space in my wardrobe. I also dug out an ironing board hook that was not being used, so now my board has it's own home again. I am going to make a huge effort to keep it hung up instead of always leaving it standing near my workspace. 



A few blankets and toys stayed in the wardrobe, while I figure out exactly what I want to live in there. But at least it is cleaned out and ready to go.  

 

And we did make it to the bathroom drawers, which were quick as well. We pulled them out, vacuumed behind them, and used the big table to work at for the sorting and cleaning process. Being in a well lit room and not bending over the drawers in the cramped space of the bathroom made this so quick and easy. We were putting the drawers back in no time!



I even set aside the paint from my bedroom walls (being relocated from the floor of the closet to the basement where it belongs) and got the outlet covers painted that should have been done a long time ago. The Cleaning Club Effect helping me break those old habits of excuse-making and procrastination.


They're already on the walls, too!

Now, these weren't like some of the really big, daunting tasks we have taken on sometimes at CC. But they were examples of those jobs that you know need to be done and you keep procrastinating and making excuses and just somehow never get around to doing yourself. And to walk through my house this evening it doesn't look much different in here. It's when we are going about our day tomorrow and the day after that, when we open these spaces to access the things we need, and we can do so with ease- that's when the benefits really become obvious. When you open a closet that used to make you swear under your breath, and instead a smile spreads across your face? That's when you know that a project doesn't have to be "life-changing" in order to make a big difference in your life.

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Pre-Holiday Scramble

This week when my turn came up, it was clear that what needed doing most was just a basic clean-up and de-clutter in preparation for the impending arrival of a LOT of relatives for the Christmas holiday. And I had a LIST. We cracked open our cans of (Cleaning Club Beverage of Choice) Coca-Cola and got busy.



One thing that I struggle with fairly often with Cleaning Club is letting go of the ownership I feel over my messes and fully allowing Rachel & Shannon to just help me get rid of it. Even though it is my turn, and I know I have (willingly and happily) worked my ass off in their homes, I sometimes still feel guilt over the job I have planned for us to do. I subconsciously try to direct them to the easier parts of the work and rush around in an attempt to do the harder or less desirable parts myself, hoping they won't notice. I feel the need to apologize for the state of things in my house, and instead of instructing them where to put something or what to do with it, I grab it and run off to put it away myself, or try to stash it somewhere to deal with later (like THAT'S gonna happen...)


"YES, all of this DID come from under your sofa."

These guys are gently helping me let go of this ridiculous attachment. We've all learned what each other's weak areas are and when we need to give an extra nudge to get someone to throw something away or try a new way of looking at things in order to find a system that works. Sometimes it's little things, and sometimes it is life changing. This week wasn't any one big thing- but getting the yucky, depressing clutter off of our living room surfaces in order to make things more presentable was so huge to me. And I had to really let go and just trust them both to handle the little clutter items in appropriate ways and not stress over the fact that it IS difficult to find homes for all that little crap. And it's not like we ever go through stuff without asking for instructions on what to do with it- I just have a control issue surrounding my junk and I'm learning to let it go.



In addition to clearing the cluttered surfaces, we were also able to get a general clean-up of the upstairs done, including vacuuming (even under the sofa!) and dusting. The stairway to the basement was in desperate need of a good cleaning, and Rachel was able to whip it into shape quite quickly.



Shannon had lots of help with the vacuuming- it is amazing how exciting a piece of furniture can become when it is moved over a few feet!





I felt so much better about our living space, and then when I got the unexpected opportunity to have the house to myself for 2 whole days (No kids! Overnight! The Christmas gift I didn't even know I wanted but enjoyed the most!), I was able to spend some time doing some more decorating because I had clear surfaces to put things on. I haven't done much decorating in years but I had a blast bringing in holly and pine boughs from the yard and really fixing things up. (no pictures of that, unfortunately)


Shannon's answer to my question, "What the hell do you do with all these empty Clementine boxes?!"



What a difference this day made for me- it helped me so much in feeling prepared to welcome guests into my home. Hooray for a clean house!

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