Laundry Little Step - purge purge purge!

Yes, that's right... today is the day for chucking out all the 'stuff' that has gathered in your laundry area. Empty boxes, bottles, fluff from the lint filters, crumpled tissues, treasures taken from pockets before washing... I have just removed the following from my laundry area -

1 coathanger
3 mismatched socks
5 safety pins
1 'dead' scourer
A large pile of lint fluff; and
A partridge in a pear tree.

OK, maybe not the last one, but you get the drift.... purge the 'stuff', ladies, and feel better for doing it!

Laundry Little Step - Into the depths...

If your washing basket is anything like mine, you do a load most days, taken from the top of the basket. Do you have clothes that you can't find? Sure you had a pink top but now it is nowhere to be find? It is time to reach into the depths of the laundry basket, and empty it out.

This might seem like a very BIG little step, but believe me, the sense of satisfaction at seeing the bottom of the laundry basket will be worth it. So today's task is empty out the basket, sort it and start doing the loads. My problem usually is that delicates, woollens etc sit in the bottom for ages, because they take extra effort to wash. Well, put your woollies in to soak first, while you do a main load.

This is worth 1 point for each load of washing that you do today, and a bonus 5 points if you do manage to get to the bottom of the basket!

Laundry Little Step - Around the tub...

How does a week slip by me so quickly? After an unscheduled week off, I am right back into Little Stepping my way to some housekeeping harmony ;-).

In the laundry this week, a quick job to start the week... all we are going to do is swish a cloth around the rim of the tub, and on any surfaces that you can easily do... for me, that is the top of the washing machine, and around the dryer. Wipe off the stray fluff, and general gunk that gathers around the laundry tub... and then you are done!

I was very lucky to meet a lovely blog follower on the weekend - so thank you to everyone for reading! I am going to give away one of my pretty little cosmetic bags to one lucky person who turns in their 'points' at the end of May... you don't have to have the most points, just send me an email with your total, and you will be in the draw to win!

Bathroom Step - Down the sink...

Every morning and evening, I brush my teeth, rinse in the sink and shudder at the sight of the plug hole. Ick... how did it get in such a grimy state? Well, today's the day I change all that!

I am going to pull out the little grid thing (most modern plastic-type bathroom sinks have a removable grate over the drain hole). If you get your finger in and give a sharp tug you will soon know if it will come out. Now be very careful not to drop anything down there, while the grid is out! (Take your rings off before doing this job).

Grab an old toothbrush and give it a good scrub. Then just scrub around the pipe hole as well - just the top, let's not go crazy and clean the whole drain! Return the grid (it should just clip back in), then give the whole sink a quick wipe down with a cloth. Done!

This is worth 1 point for each bathroom sink that you do, and an extra point if you shout yourself a new toothbrush after using your current one to do the cleaning!

Bathroom Step - Shelve It

I am too embarrassed to show you a photo of the shelf in our shower. It is cluttered with empty shampoo bottles, dead razors and nearly-dead soap bits. And because it is glass, it is grimy with soap scum too.

But today is the day that it gets a face-lift! Take a look at the shelf, shower caddy, or those handy corners of your bath tub that get cluttered with 'stuff'. Cull the empty bottles, ditch the soap scraps, dispose of dead razors and give the whole lot a wipe down.

Then smile when you next have a shower and enjoy the tidy shelf!

This is worth 1 point for each bathroom that you do - go next door and do your neighbour's if you only have one bathroom yourself! ;-)

Bathroom Step - Out the Window

We are in the bathroom this week - a room that I sadly neglect far too much. And one of the things that I rarely do in here? Dust. So today the challenge is just to wipe the window sill in your bathroom, and the one in the toilet, and dust any little knick knacks or things that are sitting on them.

Quick and easy - and you can admire the view out the window, while you are there!

And on the subject of quick - here is a quick question for you... do you like the 'one week in each room' format for the Little Steps challenges? Do you have a room or area that you would like to focus on?

Little Step - Make a Mother's Day...

Mums are amazing people. I realise each day, just how amazing my Mum is - to have raised 4 children, while working full time, and now gone on to achieve her dream of studying and qualifying as a Registered Nurse.

But it is in the day to day grind that we can totally lose sight of what an amazing job we are all doing. And all it takes is an acknowledgement, or recognition, by someone else of what it is that we are achieving each day, to make that day special.

I was doing the grocery shopping last week (with my list - although Ryan was enjoying chewing on it, at times), when I noticed another mum, with a little girl about the same age as Naomi. They were choosing something from a shelf. Then she walked back to a double stroller - she also had twin boys, who looked to be about 9 months old. The thought struck me that she faced a far greater challenge in doing something as simple as the shopping, than I did. She can't use any of the trolleys, so had to hold everything in a basket, while pushing the stroller and controlling a toddler.

I sent up a grateful prayer for my 2 little cherubs, and continued on. I spotted her later, in the carpark, quite close to our car. I couldn't help but smile and say "Wow, I thought I had it tough - you are doing a fantastic job!". And do you know what? She smiled back at me. A tired, frustrated, "I just need a few minutes peace" type smile... but nevertheless, she smiled. And said "Thanks".

I hope that she got as much enjoyment out of the simple exchange of sympathies over the frustrations of daily life with kids, as I did. Anyway, the challenge for this weekend is to make a Mother's Day. It doesn't have to be big, or complicated. It doesn't have to be your own mum - any mum will appreciate it! Just a word acknowledging what a great job they are doing.

Happy Mother's Day.

Kitchen Steps - I would rather be here....

Isn't this an awesome house? It is on Lake Huron. I bet that you would have the most amazing views out, even when doing the housework!

Today's Little Step is about making another awful kitchen job much easier. I reckon that cleaning the oven is just about the worst job in the world. Most of all because I usually put it off for a year or 2! Now don't worry, we are not going to clean the whole oven today. BUT we can make the racks and trays positively shine, with hardly any effort at all.

The secret is laundry bleach. Yep, good old Napisan. Tonight, before bed, take out the racks and trays from your oven, put them in the laundry sink and add a good shake of laundry stain removal powder - Napisan is just fine. Fill the tub with warm water, so the racks are completely covered. Then just leave it overnight, and wait for the cleaning fairies to come!

In the morning, you should be able to just wipe down most of the gunge off the racks and trays, and have them shining like new. How hard is that?

Now, if only I could work out a way to soak the entire oven in Napisan overnight.....

Kitchen Steps - Kick up a stink!

If there is one job that I don't like in the kitchen it is cleaning out the bin. I don't mind taking the rubbish bag out, but for some reason I just don't like wiping out the bin ... and yet I HATE when the lid of the bin (ours is a swing-top lid) gets gunk and dirt all over it.

So I have come up with a method that makes me feel a bit better. When I use disposable Chux-style cloths, I wait until the cloth is on its last legs, then the last thing before it goes in the bin is to wipe down the lid and exterior of the kitchen bin. Then chuck it straight away and not have to think about it again!

I also use old face washers for my kitchen cleaning cloths, and wash them every 2second day. So when I am just about to put the cloth in the laundry, again, last thing I do is swish it across the top of the bin.

Alternatively, you could use paper towel and dispose of it immediately. Whichever method you use, you get 1 point for wiping down the lid and exterior of your kitchen bin today!

Kitchen Steps - Kettle overload

As I stood staring vacantly at the calendar that hangs in our kitchen this morning, while waiting for the kettle to boil for my wake-up cup of tea, I happened to glance down into the depths of the kettle, after filling it with water.

Eeek! Bad mistake.... it's not quite scary enough to stop me from drinking my tea. Frankly, there would have to be something swimming in it for that to happen. BUT it is enough to make me think that I cannot remember ever cleaning out our kettle. The poor thing gets used many times a day, and taken for granted.

So today the Little Step challenge is to clean out your kettle. Tip out the water, use a clean cloth and wipe out all the general gunge that is accumulating on the sides, and even the element. Then give it a good clean and polish for the outside - if you are enthusiastic, you can even wipe down the electric base part.

This is worth 1 point for the cleaning, and an extra point if you then sit down and have a celebratory cup of tea or coffee, from your shining clean kettle!

PS - isn't the duck stove-top kettle just the most gorgeous thing you have ever seen? I think it would make a great Mother's Day gift - hint hint!!

Little Step - Shopping List!

OK, this is the last part of the Monthly Menu Planning challenge...

Now that you have your calender chart with a meal for each day of May pencilled in, just look across the row for the first week, and jot down ingredients for each meal in that week. Remember to include side dishes, vegetables etc.

Then, go to your kitchen cupboards and cross off anything on your list that you already have... just be sure to check the quantities on hand, before crossing it off.

Add your "other items" (garbage bags, toiletries, paper towel, drinks, lunch items etc) and there you have it - a comprehensive shopping list, ready to take on your next grocery trip.

If you are feeling totally inspired, you could rough out your shopping list for the next fortnight, or even the whole month.... but only if you are on a roll.

Otherwise, let's Little Step our way to an easy shopping trip this coming week. Don't forget to keep a note of how much you spend, and how that compares to your usual weekly amount... did you make a saving? I'd love to hear how your shopping trip goes!

Have a great weekend - Monday is a public holiday here in Queensland, and we are off camping, so I will see you all for May, next Tuesday. I have lots of ideas for Little Steps - and if you have any ideas, or areas of the house that you want to work on, let me know so that we can all do them together.

And finally, you can email me your 'points' balance for April, if you want to... email to sashasews (@) y7mail.com

Little Step - Monthly Menu Planning (Part 2)

It is a rainy day here, and the kids are at their Daycare mum's house... bliss!

So, taking up from where we left off yesterday, we have a sheet of paper, ruled into a grid that has 7 columns across and 5 rows down. Each column has a 'category' of cooking across the top.

As next month is May, and starts on Saturday, number the last box in your top row with a 1. Then number each box consecutively along, up to 31. So now you have a menu calendar for May.

Today's REAL challenge is to fill in a meal idea for each day, following the category of the relevant column.

So I need to come up with 4 roasts, 4 soups, 4 slow cooker meals, 4 oven meals, 4 cook book recipes, etc...

Don't stress about this - remember it's not a menu plan that is set in stone. It is just something that you can use as a guide - a fall back, so that we know that each day, we have the ingredients to cook SOMETHING for dinner that night. If you change plans, skip a day or whatever, this is no drama.

Have fun with this - make a cuppa and sit down with your favourite cookbooks (I have a crush on Nigella). Just pencil things we - you can move them around, change ideas and even change column categories if you want.

Tomorrow we are going to draft a shopping plan for each week.

Little Step - Menu Plan (Part 1)

It is getting towards the end of the month, and there is a larger challenge that I want to try, but I am going to break it down into bite-sized pieces (ha ha - pun intended!). I want to try a system I have developed for monthly menu planning.

I think we all realise that if you go shopping with a plan, and a list, you are far more likely to stay on budget, and save those impulse buys for truly important things... like chocolate.

One of the things that I struggle with the most is having healthy, easy to prepare meals ready for my family at least 6 nights a week. And yet, when it is all going well, it is one of the best Little Steps you can take, towards bringing some peace into your life.

So here is my monthly menu plan challenge. Today we are going to take a piece of paper, and rule it into 7 columns, and 5 rows - 35 boxes, in all. Then I want you to think about 7 different 'categories' of food that you cook - as an idea, I am thinking of

Sunday - Roast
Monday - Soup / leftovers
Tuesday - Slow Cooker
Wednesday - Cook book
Thursday - Homemade Takeaway
Friday - Oven baked
Saturday - Homemade Pizza

Write each category across a column in your grid.... and voi'la - you have a menu plan template!

And that's it for today!

Friday Little Step - Changing Seasons

No matter which hemisphere you live in, the seasons are changing. (Turn turn turn..). So we are pulling out the winter woollies, and those of you in the North are putting them away.

Do you have a system for switching over your kids clothes to suit their size and the season (or the adults' for that matter!)? I have a very simple system. I keep a spare laundry basket in the area that I fold clean clothes. As clothes come through the wash system, clean and dry, if they are really getting too small, or no longer seasonally appropriate, I just quietly drop them in the 'other' basket. When it has a few things in it, I sort them and either store for next year, or bag them up to go to a local charity.

As Naomi has a bit of a thing about her clothes, I do keep the basket tucked up the back of the laundry room, out of her line of sight - thus avoiding tantrums about clothes she wants to wear, but doesn't fit anymore!

Then about once a month I do a quick trawl through the drawers & cupboards, for clothes that I might have missed, or that haven't come through the wash cycle.

Your challenge for today is to either - think about a system that will work for your family, for sorting out seasonal clothes, OR to just grab a container, put it where you fold clothes and see if my system will work for you.

Caveat - my system works for 2 little kids & 2 adults. If you have older kids, they could join in with the general cupboard clean-out!

This doesn't have to be a perfect system - but having some sort of a plan in place will be better than being totally haphazard... don't you think?

Have a great long weekend!

Little Step - First Impressions

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. We may remember this when we meet people - smile, make eye contact, appropriate small talk etc... but what about the house?

Even if you don't get a lot of visitors, your front door can make your own impression of your house a whole lot nicer. Imagine staggering in with the groceries, and seeing a door that has shiny glass and clean paintwork? OK, so if you are like me, you usually shove your way in bottom-first, when carrying a load of shopping... but you know what I mean!

Today's Little Step is to take a cloth and clean your front door, inside and out. Wash down the grime and dirt, polish any glass... even give your street number a buff, if you are feeling keen! Let's improve the way we feel about the place we live.. starting from the very first impression.

1 point for doing your front door... and a bonus point if you clean down your back door / patio door / laundry door as well. Tell me how many external doors there are at your place!

Little Step - In search of pampering...

Please don't think that I stopped after just one week! In fact, I was whisked away for a fun few days with Brad and the kids and actually enjoyed a few days break from my computer. But I have come back home to deal with Mt Washmore and the mouldy loaf of bread that was accidentally left out on the bench when we left...

So I am feeling in need of some pampering today! This is quick and easy pampering. Challenge today is to grab some moisturising cream, of any description. Sit down for 5 minutes and give your hands and feet a soothing massage with moisturiser. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths... enjoy soft skin and soothed muscles... for a couple of minutes, at least!

And now that you are lovely and de-stressed, can I ask you to come over and help with the washing? It is a rainy day today... 4 piles of washing to do... oh, joy!

Friday Little Step - A Trail of Crumbs...

Fridays are for quick and easy things, that make you start the weekend with a smile!

Do you have a trail of crumbs that leads you out of the woods, and into the kitchen? Or at least to your toaster?

Today's quick and easy Little Step challenge is to lift up your toaster... give it some loving! Pull out the crumb tray (if it has something that flash, which mine doesn't!), dust it out, and wipe the bench underneath. If you are really feeling the toaster love, then wipe it all over and say 'thanks for making breakfast easy'!

OK, that last bit might be a bit over the top.... but what the heck - is there a genie in your toaster? :-)

This is worth 1 point for the cleaning, and a bonus point if a genie really does come out of your toaster!

PS - the photo is from www.toasters.com Yes. There really is such a website!

Little Step - Saying 'Yes'!

Yesterday was definitely a tough Little Step. I wasn't entirely successful at it -- I have put off my big commitment, but somehow couldn't quite say 'no' altogether.

But today's is going to be much more fun... if we let it. Today's challenge is to say 'Yes' to something that you may normally not make the effort for. I think that today I am going to say Yes when Naomi asks to go to the park... I know she will ask. She asks most days. And I usually say no - it just seems like too much effort.

But today I am going to see her beautiful face light up, and the excitement bubble over, for a simple outing, and the joy of sliding down the slippery slide... just because I said 'Yes'.

Take a deep breath, let go of the negative thoughts and just say 'yes' when someone suggests something fun, or out of the ordinary today... and enjoy it!

Little Step - Saying 'No' or 'Help'

I have this habit of saying 'yes' and 'no' at all the wrong times. I say 'yes' to commitments that I am not really sure I want to do, and 'no' to doing fun things with the kids.

I have a meeting this morning, of the Mother's Union church group. I love this group - they are supportive, encouraging and committed to charity work that helps mums and families. But, once agan, my habit of agreeing to things too quickly has me stretched thin. I have to tell the meeting this morning that I simply can't do one of the major commitments that I took on. I think I will have to ask for help, or that a committee be formed, to make sure that the job gets done.

Is it something to do with being a Stay at Home Mum? Do I feel that I SHOULD have the time to take on commitments, because I am not working outside the home? I don't know, but I do know that I feel far more at peace when I am able to comfortably fit my commitments into my family life - rather than being overwhelmed by things I have agreed to do.

So today's challenge for me, and all of us, is to consider your commitments.... are you over-stretched? Do you feel obliged to carry out things you have agreed to (or things people just expect you to do), without saying 'no', or asking for help?

Ask for help, with one thing today. It doesn't have to be a big thing - just ask the kids to help set the table, or for someone to help with the washing up, folding clothes, or whatever. Or you can set about really de-cluttering your life, and politely say 'no' to a commitment that is hanging over your head.... like I have to.

You get a point for each time you ask someone for help, or politely decline something that you don't want to do, or don't feel that you can fully commit to.

Little Step - Behind Open Doors

What happens behind closed doors is no-one's business, but what is happening behind my open doors is downright scary!

I sweep the living areas and kitchen every day. But it is a "get the crumbs up before Ryan starts eating them" type sweep, rather than in-depth cleaning. I certainly don't get right into corners... or move doors to sweep behind them. It is astounding what collects behind those open doors! Dust bunnies, old tissues, play blocks, kids' pencils... you name it, it's back there!

So our challenge today is to close the doors that usually stay open, and clean in behind them. You don't have to go crazy - just sweep or vacuum, and perhaps swipe any cobwebs that you might see.

You get 1 point for doing doors that need sweeping and 2 points if you go one step further, get the vacuum cleaner out and clean behind doors with carpet, too!

Have fun and DON'T tell me what is going on behind your closed doors - but I would love to hear how many open doors you have Little Step-ped!