My Blog = My Life + homemaking

~"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12~
When your husband comes home from work and inquires about how your last eight hours have gone, do you bite your lip and think, "Hmmmm, what have I accomplished?!"

Do you ever feel like you're sitting and spinning; trying to make progress but getting nowhere? Do you feel like you dawdle aimlessly all day only to crawl into bed at night wishing you had been more focused and able to bless your family, friends, and neighbors? Do you ever breathe a sigh of relief, thankful that no unexpected visitors have dropped in, when you survey the state of your home right before dinner?

I have. Several times, I'm afraid. It's embarrassing, but sometimes my house looks like a war zone and I don't even know how it got that way. The good news is that it only takes - get this - just a few seconds to keep things from piling up!

I've made a list of some very quick jobs that have the ability to transform a room from looking dirty to clean in seconds. I timed myself. Most of these "Quick Fixes" take less than 60 seconds. They can all be done in less than 5 minutes.

If your house is a disaster and you don't know where to start, tackle a few of these and you'll be pleasantly surprised! Charity and I go nuts with this list right before Daddy arrives from work. I want our house to be a welcoming place for him to come home too.

• Straighten pillows on couch
• Make your bed
• Clear the table
• Collect junk mail and toss into recycle bin
• Neatly shelve any books or magazines at are lying around
• Load the dishwasher
• Sweep kitchen and front entry floor
• Tidy the top of your dresser/end tables
• Pick up your clothes. Throw the dirty stuff into a hamper (or, even better, the washing machine) and fold or hang anything that can be worn again.
• Walk around the house with a plastic grocery bag. Fill it with garbage (hair, fuzzies, string, twist ties, Kleenex, candy wrappers, etc.)
• Line up shoes. We have a shoe rack in our front entry closet to keep our footwear out of sight.
• Straighten the tea towel in the kitchen, and the hand towel in the bathroom.
• Collect all the toys and toss them into their appropriate toy boxes.
• Keep water in a Spritz Bottle underneath the bathroom sink. Spray and wipe porcelain bathroom fixtures (sink, toilet, tub) with paper towel.
• Polish up your faucets with a microfiber cloth (cheaper and healthier than paper towel and glass cleaner. Use vinegar if you need to.) until they shine.