Efficiency

I have (slowly-- how appropriate) come to the realization that I am not the most efficient or fastest at accomplishing certain tasks. There are nights when I'll reflect on the day past and wonder "Where did the time go?" and "What did I do with it?" Usually this occurs when my to-do list for the day is still pretty full. (What's most troubling is those days when I only had two or three items on my list anyway and STILL didn't accomplish anything.) For a Type-A such as myself (though I am learning to relax... a little), these are pretty serious and concerning questions. After all, if I'm to conquer the world (ha!), then I first better conquer my to-do list, no matter how mundane and piddly the tasks.

One such task that eats up endless hours of time is cleaning the house. (I'll let you in on a little secret: I now clean the house once every three weeks. Shocker, I know. Thanks to two kids and a much busier schedule, however, I don't have the time to clean more often than that. Note: this does not mean my house is not tidy. That's not going to change, especially since I hate clutter and mess!) Anyway... the task at hand (see what I mean about efficiency?)

Usually, it takes an entire week to clean the house. A week! Ugh! No wonder I don't clean as regularly as some! I try not to clean much in the mornings since that's my time with the kids (running errands, doing school, playing, etc.), though on occasion I will clean a few rooms under child supervision. The bulk of the task then falls to my afternoons, specifically when the kids are resting/ napping. That's two hours. So why couldn't I get the house cleaned in that amount of time? After all, I kept reading about how quickly maids can clean a hotel room or house (though I don't think it counts when there's more than one cleaning a house).

But now, I might have finally caught on to something. I say this confidently since my house, as of Tuesday afternoon, is clean (well, except for the floors. They'll have to wait until tomorrow because, let's be honest, there's really nothing that could make cleaning them quicker.). This after starting just yesterday. This is a big deal for me, especially since it frees up time later this week for fun things (anything not associated with cleaning).

So here's my secret (or two):
1. Dusting cloths. I found this via Pinterest, and have been very pleased with the results. Aside from these being all natural products, they cut dusting time in half. Really! No more "spray, wipe, repeat". It's simply wipe and done!

2. Magic eraser the bathroom. Tried this today, and was pleased with the results though I'm not sure if I'll continue this method or another (see #3), especially since I still had to dry off/ wipe down the sink when I was done.

3. Spray down the bathroom then wipe with a dry cloth (not wet). This also worked really well. Should I switch to a natural/ home-made bathroom cleaning spray, this will probably be what I'll do in the future. The bonus? I didn't have to use paper towels to dry the sink afterward.

Now that I've saved all that time cleaning, maybe I'll figure out how to make the rest of my life just as efficient. I can hope, right?

Defining Myself

A New Year has begun

and so I'll take some time to

DEFINE myself.

Too often we RE-DEFINE ourselves

this time of year,

making ourselves over,

changing what doesn't work

what we don't like.

But how often do those stick?

So instead, I'll take some time

to figure out WHO I am.

I'll be honest: I still DON'T KNOW myself 

fully

(So glad my Maker does!)

I am:

-neat (no apologies here

for a neat house upon your arrival

or for perhaps a slightly cluttered counter. 

It's not about you, it's all about me.)

-organized

-creative (though it ebbs and flows

and needs a bit of polishing at times)

-kind

-loyal, a stickler for tradition, yet 

willing to risk a break with it-- just to try it--- 

and later regret it

-generous (for I've been blessed with so much)

-good listener

-patient (though the kids know how to push its limits!)

-honest and open, yet private 

-indecisive and even unsure 

(of what I want, who I am, what I'm feeling)

-selfish (especially with me time)

-proud (aren't we all?)

Such a list is 

incomplete

a work-in-progress

just like 

me.

And though I cannot change

on my own

I know Someone 

who draws me closer

everyday.

Loving me

Willing me

To allow Him to work from the inside

out 

That I may be defined by Him

Transcending MY definitions, descriptions

Accepting my TRUE self:

Daughter of the KING.

And that's all the definition

I need.

Pinterest

Yes, it's been awhile since my last post. (Early December, I think.) The busyness (in a good way) of the holidays coupled with the post-holiday return to "normalcy" has kept me occupied and away from the blog. But, full disclosure, the lack of topics has also kept me at bay. Don't get me wrong. I love posting and writing on a regular basis, especially since sometimes it feels like the only intellectual outlet available to me, but there are times when there's simply not much to say. (Hmmm, I seem to remember that being a concern when I first started blogging.)

But all of that is neither here nor there, especially since I do have a few comments about something today: Pinterest.

LOVE IT! Yes, I'm sure all of you who discovered Pinterest in the early days might be saying "told you so!" I love the ease of finding and organizing activities/ lessons for PSL. It definitely makes lesson planning go a bit more smoothly (as compared to Googling activities/ topics). The only challenge is limiting what I'm going to do. There are so many great ideas, but I only have so much time (or so many resources). How do people do everything? (Hypothetical. I know people don't do EVERYTHING.)

I do wonder, though, if some people become so obsessed with pinning that they just pin; they don't actually do anything with the information they find. I know that the boards help organize information and ideas, but if you have 100+ pins, do you actually revisit them, or do they just sit there? (Yes, this applies to me, too. I've pinned a few "quiet time activities" but I have yet to make them a reality. I'd like to... when I have time. Guess I just have to make it happen, right?)

See, I don't like clutter... of any kind. So even the boards of completed units bother me. I moved all of that information to a new board (completed PSL units), but I wonder if I even need that. There's a part of me that says I should keep those pins in case I use the units again when little man is older. But there other part of me says to get rid of them; I can find new activities. Now that I've combined all of those units into one folder, though, I have quite a few pins in one place. Pins that I might not revisit. (Makes me wish I could create sub-boards in each board, or at least in some boards.) So, I'm trying to weed/ revise regularly so as not to become overwhelmed (visually) by all the options. It seems to be working (though I do get distracted at times. After all, there's lots of interesting "stuff" there!).

All that to say, thank you to my friends who introduced me to the world of pinning. It appeals to my personality and quirks, and though I lament the lack of time I have for it (or sometimes the amount of time I "waste" on it), it helps me stay organized (and reduces the amount of torn-out magazine pages on the desk).