34 Weeks of Clean: Rinse and Repeat: Week 19- Bedrooms 1&2

We are back!  I hope you had a good half-time week!  I know some of you took a well deserved break while I know others of you used this week to catch up.  Either way, I hope it was a week to do something that made you smile!  I also know for a fact that we have some new friends joining us.  If this is you, or if you just need a reminder of why you jumped on this crazy train with us, I would encourage you to go back and read THIS POST!  I will wait here while you catch up!

And so where do we go from here?  Back to the bedroom.  So here's the deal.  For the next two assignments you are getting an advance notice. We will spend TWO weeks, this one included, on bedrooms. (The Master Bedroom was done in week 15 if you need to catch up!)  Children's, guest, whatever.  Therefore, if you have more than 2 bedrooms left you will need to pair some up.  In our case, you will see the two girls' rooms together and then a week for our boys.  No guest room in this house, but you divide as you see fit.  The basics will be the same!

The Basics- 

• Strip the beds and wash ALL of the linens.  Replace any torn or stained sheets or such. Rotate your mattress if you think it needs it.

• Take everything off all flat surfaces and move it out!  Some children are not naturally neat people!  So thankful that only one of my kiddos is still in this stage and let's just say, it is NOT one of the girls! ;)

• Dust all surfaces, sides and all!

• While stuff is still off, move furniture away from walls so you can wipes down baseboards and vacuum around all edges.

• Replace furniture or rearrange while you have the chance! ;)  See a trend here?  I am the queen of changing furniture around, just ask my friends.  Luckily for the girls, there is only one way to arrange Riley's room and I am not in charge of Ashton's room anymore.

• Put things back, but try to eliminate half.  Remember, we are on a quest to declutter as well as clean.  Does your child need it?  Do they use it?  Could someone else get better use of it? Make a pile and move it out! See notes at the bottom!

• Time to tackle the drawers.  Again, take it ALL out, decide what you need to keep and then put only those things back, neatly.  Now is a good time to get rid of clothes that are too small, not in good shape, or your child hates. Now, teach your children how to keep it clean.  Even a young child can be taught to put things away neatly.

The boys may have a Lego problem, but this girl is all about socks!

       
   -My best tip for you here- fold t-shirts in thirds and then put them in the drawers.  We have found it is much easier for a child to see the shirt they want without making a mess of a stack of them, and you can fit many more in!

• Wipe down light switches, door knobs, and door frames, inside and out.  Look up, again, and clean off ceiling fans and light fixtures. 

• Clean window frames and windows.  Once again, mini blinds and curtains are on the list.  Sorry!

• Vacuum the floor and you are done.  Mostly!

 

Although this does not apply to my older girls, let's just take a moment to talk about toys, since I KNOW this is an ongoing challenge for many of you. (I still have a "little" and I get it!)

   -Stop buying them!  We have a pretty strict rule about no buying toys unless it is birthday or Christmas.  Best thing we ever did.  Of course, when a child has saved up their own money we make exceptions, but we want our children to learn early that just because we WANT something does not mean we NEED it.  Ok, yes, we do break the rules for an occasional special treat, but I mean special and oh, did I say small!?  Happiness is not built on toys alone and it is time kids today were taught that.

   -Stick to a few themes.  Our children do not need one of everything.  Really, they don't.  Pick a few things they like and stick with them.  The themes around here tend to be Legos, nerf guns, Playmobile and audio books.  Find what your child likes and plays with, and don't get carried away. In my experience, it is parents that get caught up in collections, not kids.  Let's not teach them our bad habits!

   -Containerize and rotate toys.  (I made that first word up) Trust me, it helps and it works.  I did another decluttering post a while back that you can check out that shows one way to containerize easily.  We tend to use baskets and when the kids were really little we rotated those baskets in and out every few weeks, a few at a time.  You would be surprised at how excited they get about toys they haven't seen in a few weeks.

Even coloring supplies can be kept together!

- Special items!  Yes, even my kids like to hang on to things, despite my natural tendency to dump stuff in the trash.  You know, important things like rocks, paperclips, old art projects.  There are two ways we have helped with that problem.  One - a small plastic tackle box. The rule is if you can fit it in there, it can stay.  If not, something else has to go.  And two - a simple folder with pockets. If there are papers you just cannot let go of, put them in your folder.  Again, if there is no more room, it is time to weed out what you do not want anymore.

Let's face it, every child's room is going to be a little different.  I would love for my boys' rooms to look like the ones in the Pottery Barn catalog.  I would REALLY like that.  But for now that is not reality for us, OK, that is probably NEVER going to be reality for us.  So we do our best. When we have lived in houses that have playspace areas we tried to make bedrooms just a place to sleep.  I love that!  But that does not always happen.  So sleep and play must co-exist.  And sanity must reign, so I try to make it as easy as I can for them to maintain a reasonably clean room and ignore accept the rest.

Clean up, declutter, and embrace the space you have!

So, about that Half Time week, how'd you do?  What area did you catch up on?  I want to see!  Keep those pictures coming- we have some great prizes thank to our lovely friends at Redeemed and 621 Gifts!  Have I mentioned how much I love those friends?  I would love if you would drop by their FB pages and say hi!

Until next week, happy cleaning!

Blessings,

She's Baaaaaaaaaaaack!

I know, can you believe the blog has been quiet since Monday?

I have a really good excuse reason...

 

Yep, this cutie patootie is home from her first year of college!  Thanks to hard work and dual crediting, when she goes back she will be a junior! 

Even the dogs were excited to see her.  And Colby, well, let's just say he was trying to lick her like the dogs! ;)

 Guess whose room will be featured on 34 Weeks of Clean soon?  'Cause I am a nice mom like that!

I am pretty sure she is glad to be home and have a break for a while,  but I know she already misses her friends!

Like her lovely roommate-

And best buddies!

The three amigos!

It was hard to worry about to worry about her too much when I knew how loved she was and what amazing friends she has!

And on top of that she had some amazing opportunities-

Like learning from and singing with professional actors-

 

To acting-

 

To singing-

To just having fun!

Don't worry Belhaven, Riley, and Peter the no drama llama will be back!

But for a while, we are just going to have some family time!

Blessings,

34 Weeks of Clean- Rinse and Repeat: Week 18- Half-Time

Sorry, no half-time show, but we are taking a half-way break!  You can thank me with chocolate and words of affirmation. ;)

As someone else said this week, how are we already half-way done???  It is hard for me to believe, but when I look back at our weeks together so far, I SEE how much we have done.

Or at least how much we have been assigned.

I know life happens. I know we are all busy. I know we all get distracted. And I know some of us are a little behind.

That's ok!

This is YOUR week. Haven't finished a project? Now is your chance! Join us just recently?  Welcome and here 'ya go. Been putting off a harder week off? Now is the time to pull yourself up by your boot straps and Get. It. Done!

I know cleaning is not always fun. I get that. Put on some music, grab a friend if you need to, and get it done. And our biggest stumbling block with de-cluttering? Attachment. To things, Ya'll!!

I want to be attached to my people, not my things!  Clear the things out and I promise you will have more time and energy for your people!

Do not waste your time just re-arranging clutter.  Move it out.  You will not only free your space but free your mind.  It is worth the time and effort.

No excuses.  Make this week count and then come back and BRAG on what you did!!!

To make life easier and as a reminder, here is our list so far...

Week 1- Holiday Decorations

Week 2- The Pantry

Week 3- Kitchen Cabinets and Doors

Week 4- Fridge, Freezers, and Floors

Week 5- Recipes

Week 6- The Stove and Dreaded Loose Ends

Week 7- The Dining Room

Week 8- The Living Room

Week 9- Books

Week 10- The Bathrooms

Week 11- Entryway

Week 12- The Family Room + DVDs

Week 13- Pictures and Scrapbooks

Week 14- Arts, Crafts & Hobbies

Week 15- The Master Bedroom

Week 16- The Master Closet

Week 17- The Master Bath

See 'ya next week as we start our second half and continue to take our homes back- one week at a time.

Blessings,

The Secret Bridge- Homeschool Review Crew Book Review

Books arrive at my door sometimes even weekly, but when a leather tone, beautifully embossed hardback arrives, everyone in the house takes notice.  And then fights over who gets to read it first.  Trust me, it is a real problem in this house.  So yes, when the The Secret Bridge by Lamplighter Publishing arrived, it was quickly whisked off.  My 15 year old got to it first.

I will tell you why.  In addition to the really cool look of the book cover, he recognized the name Lamplighter!  We have more than a few of their audio books and they are some of our favorites, often finding their way to our car on our frequent trips.  Lamplighter's aim is to produce "Christlike character one story at a time."


I love that!  We read a lot of books around here, and let's face it, not all books are created equal.  Although we read quite a variety of books, I do prefer that what we read be wholesome and uplifting.  Have you looked at the teen or even family section of your local bookstore lately?  They are filled with a bunch of sub-standard literature, in my opinion.  It is so hard to find anything suitable for our kids, especially the teens.  To know that a publisher like Lamplighter is actually purposing to infuse their stories with Godly character traits, Biblical references, and wholesome content is a win for me.  Just a quick perusal of their website will win you over.

So on to the book-

Overview-
The original book was written in 1899 by Amy Le Feuvre.  Recommended for ages 12 and up, this  272 page story begins as Bridget Channing sets sail upon a ship to England to join her uncle after losing her parents.  On the ship she meets fellow passenger Godfrey Bullingham.  He is kind, a favorite among the other passengers, and immediately takes an interest in Bridget.  Upon arrival and hearing the news that her uncle has died, Bridget again runs into Godfrey and quickly realizes she has no one else to turn to for help.  Although his offer of marriage takes Bridget by surprise, she recognizes it is the best course of action.  After the quick marriage and departure of her new husband, Bridget soon realizes there is a family feud to be dealt with.  Through many ups and downs, Bridget begins to explore scripture and her faith grows, waiting for her bridegroom as we as believers wait for Christ as our bridegroom.  

Our thoughts- 
This really is a lovely book.  While it was a slow start for my son, age 15, once he got into it he was intrigued by the multiple plot twists.  He did say that the older style of writing was occasionally a bit hard to follow and seemed to slow him down a little, but he does feel that it is appropriate reading for middle and high schoolers.  He liked that the content is clearly Christian without having a "preachy" (his words) tone.  I like that, for kids, there are footnotes included for any lesser known words, loquacious, for example, as well as scripture references. Now that I have rescued the book from his room, I am looking forward to being the next in line to read it!

This is our first Lamplighter Publishing book, but it will most definitely not be our last.  We are looking forward to adding more of these beautiful books to our collection!

 

ArtAchieve Fun and Homeschool Review Crew Review

I love reviewing art programs for the sole reason that it forces me to do art with my kids.  Sad, but true.  I am not a natural artist and therefore feel quite under-qualified to teach my kids anything art related.  Thankfully, John Hofland, creator and teacher of ArtAchieve, is an artist and is quite qualified to teach.

If the program sounds familiar to you it may be because we had the opportunity to review ArtAchieve last year, trying out level one.  With the addition of the newest level 4, and because working for the Homeschool Review Crew has its perks, we were able to try out all the levels- including the Entire Level IV!

How does it work?
With a subscription to ArtAchieve you are given access to the level you choose.  You can choose to purchase individual lessons, or save money by purchasing the level bundles which gives you a 1 year subscription.

Level I- Appropriate for ages 5 and up
Level II- Appropriate for ages 7 and up
Level III- Appropriate for ages 9 and up
Level IV- Appropriate for ages 10 and up

Within each level are multiple lessons you can choose from, each using different art mediums, from colored pencils to markers to chalk pastels.  Each lesson lasts about 20-30 minutes, but can take a bit longer depending on how often you pause the video to work on your own creation.  Each project is based off an original piece of art which John Hofland introduces, giving details about its history and composition.  Because John has worked under many master teachers in Eastern Europe,  you will see a strong influence of those teachers in his work and his knowledge of the pieces he talks about.

For each lesson, John includes an Cross Curriculum Connections page that gives great historical information, includes other related art to look at, and links you can follow to related literature, geography, and more.  After an overview of what the project is, you begin with a warm up exercise and a relaxation exercise to get you started.  The step by step instruction follows with plenty of places you can pause to work on a particular section.  It's that easy!

Each lesson ends with a Time For Reflection exercise.  There are questions to ask about what you learned, how you feel about your project, and more.

There are also power points for all the lessons if you work better from reading instruction, as well as print outs of the warm up exercises and art inspirations.

Relaxing before starting

Warm up exercise

Our experiences-
Since this is our second time using ArtAchieve, we decided to jump to Level 2 and Colby, age 9, chose to do the Japanese Goldfish project.  This project uses a permanent pen and washable markers.  We worked on the project for about 45 minutes, but mostly because mom is slow!  Other projects we have done average between 30-45 minutes depending on the level.

The model for the Japanese Goldfish is a cast iron goldfish found in Spokane, Washington.  On the lesson description page you can learn more about Japan and even how to take care of fish as well as access links to numerous related books, making this a great jumping off point for you unit study lovers.  My only complaint is that the information pages are a bit tricky to locate at first on the site and I would love to see them linked at the beginning of each lesson for parent ease.

Level 2 project

For our second project we decided to get brave and take on a level 3 project that used soft pastels- The Eastern European Firebird.   Ummm, fun, but yes, a harder and more detailed project.  Colby did get frustrated a few times with the details, but he is well under the recommended age group so that was expected. We also learned that if you are new to pastels they can be tricky to use with fine details and a little messy!  Colby LOVED them, of course!  Let's just say for now we are sticking to the level 1 and 2s!  That being said, I am in love with a few of the level 4 lessons and hoping to talk my college freshman into trying them out when she comes home next week!

Firebird project - level 3 project

 Our thoughts-
As before, I really like ArtAchieve!  Creator and teacher John Hofland presents projects in a non-threatening way that makes you feel relaxed while working.  The soft music playing in the background and John's gentle voice help as well!  Hey, whatever it takes for we art-fearing students!  I love how he tells students there is no wrong way to do things and encourages individuals to use their own creativity.  He shows you several ways his projects can be done and encourages the student to finish things the way they want.  Just knowing that not all projects have to look identical takes the pressure off certain people.  I love how John says there are NO mistakes and that you can use something you don't like and make it into something you do.


I also love that history, literature, science, and more are incorporated into the lessons.  We have enjoyed following the links to learn more about the history of the art and explore literature of other cultures. That additional educational information is allowing us to count the hours of study as part of our Art Appreciation credit for school.  Bonus!

One of my favorite things is that the supplies needed are pretty basic and are ones many homeschoolers have on hand.  The supplies are easily found on the website so you can see what you will need in advance.

You can try a FREE lesson for ArtAchieve if you are interested in seeing how you do!  It' a fun one!