Ok, so call me SILLY!

I was wasting some time today... not a usual thing at all for me... and I was talking to my sister Marilyn. Her first words for me were, "will you come clean my kitchen?" And my response was,

"I'll be right there, after I clean mine."

Cleaning is such a big thing in a mother's life. That is what we live for most days... we wake up, make breakfast (usually around last nights dinner mess), then, maybe I clean up breakfast before I go to aerobic... but not likely. Most days I try to get the house clean before Liam comes home... but if that doesn't happen, I try and get it done before the other kids get home... and if that doesn't happen, we do a quick pick up before dad gets home. The kids are very good at doing that... especially if I bribe them with x-box games... Sooo.... you all get the picture right? Or is it just me? Well, today while talking to Marilyn she said that she could get her kitchen done in 25 minutes if she would just do it, so, I decided to do what she said... "clean my kitchen in 25 minutes" Well, I thought mine would take more like 45... so....

Has you kitchen ever looked like this? You might say... that wouldn't take me 45 minutes!



How about your sink? YUCKY...


I thought I'd play a game today to help me get this kitchen clean. Like really clean.. corners, oven and little details like that. I decided to take some before and after pics to post on my blog. I gave myself 45 minutes to see what I could get done. (you can even check the microwave time and see that it was actually 45 minutes, give or take a few)

Here are the results.

As I was cleaning..... I thought about all the cleaning advice and things I have learned from my mom and sisters...

• MOM: She has taught me many little cleaning tips... I don't always follow them but whenever I do I think of her: 1. Always shut the cupboard doors. 2. When ever you are walking through a room you should always pick something up and put it away. 3. Wipe the counters off before you sweep.
• JEAN: One day when I was visiting her I saw rags thrown in her backyard. I asked WHY? Well, whenever she had a dirty rag she would throw it outside so it wouldn't stink up her house. GOOD IDEA! Well, I don't throw mine outside but I now have a dirty clothes basket dedicated to stinky rags. I now wash my rags separately and in bleach. It took me a while to learn that, but living in California rags get stinky real quick.
• KAREN: Today when I went to clean my kitchen I said, I'm going to make a game out of it... hence this post. Karen always plays games when she cleans. I first thought it was to make it fun for her kids but no... she does games all by herself even when she's the only one cleaning... makes things much more fun.
  
• LYNDA: When I went to the hospital to have Chloe, Lynda came to my Salt Lake City apartment to watch my other kids while I was having a baby. She's such a good sister that even cleaned my house. I was so happy. One of the first things I noticed was the dirty spot covered with crumbs poking out of from my oven was missing! She even cleaned the little corners that were dirty. I mentioned that to her and she said, "I cleaned little corners thinking you would not even notice it was ever done." I did, and now whenever I clean little corners I think of Lynda.
  
• JANET: She told me once that she likes to fridge to be free of papers and magnet junk... I have tried that and have failed but whenever I do decluter my fridge, it looks so much better and I think of Janet.
• MARILYN: She taught me something today... I know there have been other things but this one comes to my mind today, 'I can clean my kitchen in 25 minutes' . If I have that mentality then I might approach it differently.
  
• STEPHANIE: She falls under the "wish list" for my kitchen. She decorates her house so nicely. As you can tell, my kitchen is pretty bland... someday I wish to have cute decorations throughout my house. I'm pretty sure when that day comes and I can go buy cute stuff, I will call Stephanie because she has a knack for that sort of thing.
  
• CATHY: Cathy's advice isn't really a cleaning tip but "a good mom" tip. I was over at her house once before her kids came home from school and she had homemade cookies ready for them. She said she tried to always have something ready for them when they would walk in the door. I haven't faithfully done this but I have tried.
• SARAH: No tips from you yet... I know there is a lot I can learn from you.. but instead I will pass on all these great tips to you.

Okay... now that you have heard from me... let me hear your tips! I need all the help I can get.