Laine's Letters. Practice, Practice, Practice.

Look how this little nest is made and cared for !  💗

 Dear Sisters,

It all started with the living room so many years ago. One of Abbie's friends had spent the night when Abbie was a teenager. They had watched a movie and had popcorn in the living room. Some of the boys' friends had shown up, so the living room was pretty disheveled by the next day. As I did every morning, I whipped through the room putting everything back to its tidy appearance. Later on, Abbie told me that her friend was amazed how fast I got the living room back in order. She said, "I like the way your mom cleans the living room so fast!" What she didn't know was that I had been practicing! I was determined to get my living room all clean and tidied in under five minutes. I kept reconfiguring it so that it was easier and faster to do that.

My definition of reconfiguring: putting something somewhere where it makes sense or removing it entirely.

I  practiced my method by setting a timer and flying through as fast as I could day after day. (I learned the timer method from the Flylady and got my heart rate up in the process as well.) After many months of practice, cleaning the living room became one of my easier jobs. I always did it first thing early in the morning, and I still do, because I am so quickly gratified. I have soft covers on my two couches and slouchy, comfy chair, so I quickly smooth out all the covers. Then I open the drapes and gather up any cups, yarn that Lucy may have used  for crocheting, socks, slippers, books, toys from the grandkids, and just about anything else that doesn't belong in there. I wipe down the small table and chairs, the desk, and the coffee table. Then I put the throw pillows back on the couch and the remote for the tv back in its spot. Fold any blankets. Do a quick dusting. And if needed, a quick vacuum with my mini vac. 

Once I got the living room in good practice, I decided the bathroom would be my next goal. Under five minutes. I kept practicing and practicing. It takes me approximately four minutes now to clean our one bathroom each day. First, I put toothbrushes, combs, razor, brushes, and facial soap back in the drawers or cabinets where they go. I hang all the towels neatly on their hooks. I spray the counter, sink, toilet, and mirror with a cleansing spray. I grab up any dirty clothes to the laundry basket. Then I do a quick wipe down on everything I just sprayed. Lastly, I scrub the toilet. Then I swing the shower curtain shut after a quick swipe in there. Mini vac small carpet if needed. 

The next room I worked on was my bedroom. I had to reconfigure things in there as well to get it clean in under five minutes. I kept practicing and practicing until I got it right. The first thing I do in there is to put everything away on top of our night stands. Next, I pick up any dirty clothes and put away any pyjamas. I take any cups or water bottles to the kitchen. Then I make our bed ~ European hotel style. Our bed has two feather comforters with soft covers and lots of feather pillows. I make everything as pretty as I can with five decorative pillows in front of the feather ones while turning down the feather comforters so the soft sheet shows. (Which also makes it more inviting to get into in the evening.) Then I do a quick dusting of our dressers and night stands. 

Lucy's room was a challenge. But I finally figured out a system. She didn't like it at first, because it involved a lot of reconfiguring. Lucy didn't want to reconfigure. But I had a living room, a bathroom, and a master bedroom under my hat in under fifteen minutes flat! I was sure we could win her room over as well. First, I did a massive clean up of this room with Lucy - every drawer, nook, and cranny. We went through it all. All the things she kept had to have a place, and everything had to be in its place. Legos, shells, yarn, dolls, jewelry, books, shoes, crafts, drawings, photos, and clothes all in logical, easy-to-access places. The system starts when I wake her up at 6:15 am every morning, after I  open her curtains and tell her it's going to be a beautiful day in the neighborhood 😊; I do a quick tidy putting things back quickly where they go and grabbing up any dirty clothes. I direct her as to what she needs to put away, too. She gets up and lets the dogs out, then she goes back and makes her bed all pretty with her favorite stuffed animals and finishes tidying the room. 

I have another bedroom that used to be our boys' room. We have converted that room to our antique/guest room. Since I only use it when the grandkids spend the night, it is tidy. So no need for a timer in this room!

My husband turned our front porch into a lovely room. It is one of my favorite rooms in the house. It is flanked by two bookshelves on each side of the room which holds all our wonderful books. We love to read in there on the comfy couch or overstuffed chair, especially in the winter as it's so sunny and warm. It is also a favorite place for Lucy and the grandkids to play with the Legos. Since I reconfigured this room, especially the Lego and toy area, I can tidy it in five minutes or less just by putting toys and books back where they go.

Now here is the big one. The one I saved last to conquer.  It is the most difficult room for me to clean fast in the whole house. And it requires cleaning and tidying two or three times a day. So it's a very important room to win over.

The kitchen.

I needed a lot of practice in here. A lot of practice! And so much reconfiguring. So much reconfiguring! But I kept at it. In the sweat of the summer, I kept at it. The most important reconfiguring I had to do in the kitchen was clearing my kitchen counters and other flat spaces. Nothing is kept on my kitchen counters. Rather everything I need is kept in the cupboards or drawers. Nothing is kept on my kitchen table. Nothing is kept on my chopping block. Nothing is kept on my butler table except two lamps on each end. Nothing is kept on the small chest of drawers between our two recliners except a small lamp. 

 Now this is the fun part which happens after dinner.

Since nothing is kept on all those flat spaces, I have only to put everything back in its place as I now have a place for everything. I set the timer. At first I set the timer for fifteen or twenty minutes. It took awhile to hone my skills, but now I can set the timer for ten minutes. This includes washing the dishes. The goal is to beat the timer. I don't have a dishwasher, so I wash my dishes by hand. While they are drip drying I quickly tidy up the table, the counters, the chopping block, and the butler table by putting everything away that is on top of them. I wipe down the table, the stove, the counters, inside the fridge a bit, and the chopping block. If I need to sweep or mini vacuum, I quickly do that. I put away any toys on the floor back into the toy basket. I return shoes or books to their rooms. Then I put away the dishes. 

The kitchen is the gold medal room. I never thought I could be fast at tidying this room daily because it is the most used room in the house. We homeschool in here. We congregate and chat in here. We cook three times a day and eat in here. The grandkids next door daily play in here.  It is a much loved and lived in room. But after practicing and practicing, this room is now easy for me to clean as well. And I love cleared counters for my cooking and baking. My daughter and my mom have adopted my kitchen cleaning strategy. They both have very small kitchens, and they are amazed how well it works even in their kitchens.

I don't use the timer daily anymore, except sometimes in the kitchen. Like this morning. The timer is so motivating. I am practiced in all my rooms, but I still need to strengthen my kitchen muscle. 😊

So why would I want to practice this method of cleaning and tidying? There are so many reasons. First, it frees me up to do a myriad of other things in my day including homeschooling. Also if I am feeling under the weather or have a busy day planned, I know I can clean almost every room in about 5 minutes, so it motivates me to get it done first thing in the morning. It is also my early morning workout. I get my blood pumping really fast as I whip around each room getting it all clean and tidy. If someone is dropping by, and we've been relaxing, I can jump up and tidy a room in under five minutes from all the practice I've had. Sometimes before they've even knocked on the door! (This happened last week when my husband's coworker stopped by.)  It also helps me to keep my house more streamlined.  I love going food shopping and coming home to a clean and tidy house. I also love having more time with my family because I am quickly done cleaning. And, lastly, it gives me peace knowing I have a five minute cleaning plan for pretty much every room in my house. I would have never believed it possible.

It sure takes practice, practice, practice.

Love,

Laine