34 Weeks of Clean 2019! Week 12- The Family Room and DVDs

After Week 10's assignment of bathrooms and last week's Foyer assignment, I do have to wonder how many of you still like me! Or are sticking around.  I promise this week is not quite as hard (mostly) and it may even be a week off for a few of you.  If that is the case, you can use this week to catch back up on any unfinished weeks.  Like books!  Just saying ;)

So for this week's assignment we are headed to the family room.  Or den.  Or whatever you choose to call the place where you spend time as a family.  Ours is currently in our basement and does not get as much traffic because of that.  It is, however, a hang out place for the kids and their friends, and is where we retreat to on hot days to stay cool.  It has even hosted a group of about 15 boys for a youth function!

Here we go!

• First things first, so clear out the clutter.  One of the things that seems to happen when we stay in one place for any length of time is that we collect things in piles.  Somehow those piles just grow in layers and we start to not even notice the piles.  Now is the time to notice the piles!  And get rid of them!  Take everything out of the room that you can for now.  You can put it back (some of it, that is) after we deep clean!  I know it takes a lot of effort, but by starting with a clean slate, you can better see what your needs are.  It is also a pretty stark reminder of how much STUFF you have accumulated without even noticing.

We have an obvious obsession with quilts!

• Start at the top with lights and ceiling fans.  Oh my word, those things can get dusty!

• Now on to the dusting!  Bet you will be surprised at how dusty the tops of things are.  A good waxing of hard furniture will keep it looking like new!  With all of your shelves empty, this is pretty easy to do.

  - Don't forget to dust or wash any artificial plants or flowers.  Helpful hint, if you leave them out to dry, make sure you put them out of reach of DUMB dogs who think they look good enough to eat!  Yep, that has happened!  More than once.

• If you have windows, curtains, and mini- blinds in this room, you know what to do!  Wash curtains or at least shake them out, wash windows, and tackle those silly min-blinds.  Or you could trash them, just saying! ;)

• Don't forget to wipe off or vacuum lampshades and wipe down light switches!

• On to the soft furniture.  One sure fire way to tell you have kids is to check the nooks and crannies of your couches.  YUCK!  You never know what you will find there!  (Nerf darts, anyone?) If you have slipcover type furniture, I would encourage you to wash them.  Just think about how many sweaty bodies have sat on them in the past year.  Leather polish will help restore any leather furniture as well.  Wash any throws and pillows you have, and replace only what you really love and use!

• Floors and baseboards are next. Mop, vacuum, whatever it takes!

• It is time to put things back.  Challenge yourself as you do this!  Ask yourself, do I love this or need it or use it?  Why do I have it?  Is it just taking up space?  You will notice our space is pretty clear of nick knacks.  Most you will find on this one built in.  On purpose!  Less visual clutter equals less stress.  The space is calming and just houses the things we love.  

• And now the fun part.  NOT!  This is the area we house our DVDs, so guess what?  We are clearing out DVDs.   Luckily, Riley is the queen of movies and loves to organize them, so she does this every time she comes home to visit.  Last year I finally got brave, bought these CD binders, and ousted all of the DVD cases.   Let me just tell you, that was HUGE for me.  The kids had been suggesting it for years, but I just didn't want to give up all those pretty cases.  Lame, I know.  So I had them cut off the picture and stick it behind each DVD- one so I could still see them, and two, so they are easier to put back where they belong, which keeps Riley happy!

    
Before you walk away with a smile on your face for a job well done, take one last look around! Do you have stuff just filling a space?  Do you love everything you see?  Does it have a purpose?  Because 34 Weeks of Clean is just not about cleaning,  but also about taking back our homes in the clutter department, I challenge you to get rid of extras.  If you don't love it or use it, lose it!  Time to clear out the clutter!  Everything you have sitting around takes up space- physical and mental.  Surround yourself with only the things you love- move out the rest.

See ya back next week!

Blessings,

Intro Week
Week 1- Holiday Decorations
Week 2-The Pantry
Week 3-Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers   
Week 4- Fridge, Freezer and Floors
Week 5- Recipes 
Week 6- The Stove and Loose Ends 
Week 7- The Dining Room 
Week 8- The Living Room 
Week 9- Books 
Week 10- Bathrooms  
Week 11- The Foyer

34 Weeks of Clean Rinse and Repeat Week 12- The Family Room and DVDs

After Week 10's assignment of bathrooms and last week's entryway assignment, I do have to wonder how many of you still like me! Or are sticking around.  I promise this week is not quite as hard (mostly) and it may even be a week off for a few of you.  If that is the case, you can use this week to catch back up on any unfinished weeks.  Like books!  Just saying ;)

So this week we are headed to the family room.  Or den.  Or whatever you choose to call the place where you spend time as a family.  Ours is currently in our basement and does not get as much traffic because of that.  It is, however, a hang out place for the kids and their friends, and is where we retreat on Fridays for family nights and weekends to hide from the world.

My favorite view in this room!

Here we go!

• First things first, so clear out the clutter.  One of the things that seems to happen when we stay in one place for any length of time is that we collect things in piles.  Somehow those piles just grow in layers and we start to not even notice the piles.  Now is the time to notice the piles!  And get rid of them!  Take everything out of the room that you can for now.  You can put it back (some of it, that is) after we deep clean!  I know it takes a lot of effort, but by starting with a clean slate, you can better see what your needs are.  It is also a pretty stark reminder of how much STUFF you have accumulated without even noticing.

We have an obvious obsession with quilts!

• Now on to the dusting!  Bet you will be surprised at how dusty the tops of things are.  A good waxing of hard furniture will keep it looking like new!  With all of your shelves empty, this is pretty easy to do.

 
  - Don't forget to dust or wash any artificial plants or flowers.  Helpful hint, if you leave them out to dry, make sure you put them out of reach of DUMB dogs who think they look good enough to eat!  Yep, that happened!

• If you have windows, curtains, and mini- blinds in this room, you know what to do!  Wash curtains or at least shake them out, wash windows, and tackle those silly min-blinds.  Or you could trash them, just saying! ;)

• Don't forget to wipe off or vacuum lampshades, light fixtures and switches!

• On to the soft furniture.  One sure fire way to tell you have kids is to check the nooks and crannies of your couches.  YUCK!  You never know what you will find there!  If you have slipcover type furniture, I would encourage you to wash them.  Just think about how many sweaty bodies have sat on them in the past year.  Leather polish will help restore any leather furniture as well.  Wash any throws and pillows you have, and replace only what you really love and use!

• Floors and baseboards are next. Mop, vacuum, whatever it takes!

We had a few technical difficulties, but Ashton got it fixed.  Thank goodness she is the vacuuming queen!

• And now the fun part.  NOT!  This is the room we house our DVDs, so guess what?  We are clearing out DVDs.   Luckily, Riley is the queen of movies and loves to organize them, so she does this every time she comes home to visit.  You can see that even though we just did this last year, there were still videos we decided it was time to let go of.   Some were old VHS tapes and we decided it was time to let them go, or movies that every time I pull them out and say "let's watch this" I get moans and groans.  No need to keep the ones we keep avoiding!  I made a list of a few we would eventually like to replace with DVDs, but we will see if they are really missed first. 

•  This area in our home houses my work area for now.  I did straighten it up a bit (trust me it is an improvement) but I left the bigger task of organizing it until our "office" week.  Let's avoid that for a bit longer, how about? 

• Before you walk away with a smile on your face for a job well done, take one last look around! Do you have stuff just filling a space?  Do you love everything you see?  Does it have a purpose?  Because 34 Weeks of Clean is just not about cleaning,  but also about taking back our homes in the clutter department, I challenge you to get rid of extras.  If you don't love it or use it, lose it!  Time to clear out the clutter!  Everything you have sitting around takes up space- physical and mental.  Surround yourself with only the things you love- move out the rest.

 

I have been sharing the prizes our friends at Redeemed and 621 Gifts are blessing one participant with (who shows us their weekly progress on our Family, Faith and Fridays Facebook page), so this week I thought I would show you what we are adding to the fun!  Yes, it contains some of our favorite cleaning products including a glass cleaning cloth from Norwex, some bath salts to pamper yourself after all of your hard work, and my favorite book on de-cluttering, Clutter Free, by Kathi Lipp!  You will love her, she makes me laugh!

Get to work, my friends, and have a beautiful week!

Blessings,

CREW Review- Growing Up Wild

WOW!  We have found a new favorite for family night!  And yes, we all want to move to the jungles and be missionaries.  Well, OK, some of us more than others, but I won't name names!

Meet the Wild Family from Growing Up Wild!

That's Hudson, Morgan, Asher, mom and Dad and Kian.

Like us they are an ordinary family that loves the Lord.  Unlike us, He called them into ministry for Him to the highlands of Papua, Indonesia, to spread the Gospel to the Wano people.  The 5 videos, each running about 45 minutes each, are a result of 3 years of hard work by the family themselves to help the viewers better understand the life of a missionary, to better understand the life of the Wano, and to challenge children to "impact the world for God's glory".

Recently our family received Volumes 1 and 4 to review.

Volume 1 -

 Home Sweet Hut- Get a glimpse of The Wilds' every day life and where they live

Supply Trip- How do the Wilds get their food?

Sun and Water- How these elements of nature affect the Wild family



Volume 4-

Amazing World Around Us- Meet many jungle animals

Adventures in Culture- Highlights the culture

Tribal Calling- How the Wild family received their ministry calling

What sets these DVDs apart, aside from their amazing videotography and professional editing, is the fact that each set comes with a second CD that includes an Activity Guide for parents and educators to use to further the discussion and learning. Loaded with ideas for hands on projects, written assignments and field trip ideas, these Activity Guides contain web site links, charts to fill out, things to ponder and above all Scripture to inspire you.  My favorite activity was figuring out how many supplies you would need for three months in the jungle and how much it would cost you.  It really makes you start to think about true needs versus wants!   If Unit Studies are your mode of teaching, these Activity Guides will keep you busy, or you can, like us, watch the videos during family movie night as a time of reflection, learning and entertainment.  The possibilities are endless!



Note- If your family is uncomfortable with native people scantily dressed, you may want to view these DVDs first before sharing with your children.  Also, in Vol. 2, Adventures in Culture, you will see the boys get their noses pierced.  It is not for the faint of heart, but my boys were impressed. 

You can buy each of the Growing Up Wild DVDs for $18.99 a piece, or save 15% and buy all five for $80.99.  For a sneak preview of several of the videos go here and enjoy!  That is all it took to get us hooked.

We enjoyed these immensely and have added the three we don't have to our Christmas list.  I think you will find yourselves watching them a lot!

To see what fellow CREW members had to say about Growing Up Wild, click on the banner below!  Several CREWMATES were able to use the Growing Up Wild videos in their church for mission related projects.  You will enjoy reading about the fun snacks they served and how they brought the videos to life with the children they worked with!

  Disclaimer- We received Volumes 1 and 4 of Growing Up Wild in exchange for our honest review of the products.  Opinions expressed are our own and were not influenced by the company in any way.