Also domestos rubbed around and left for a few seconds really shines the sinks,makes the downlights reflect straight back in my face...sorry jsut had to add...pmsl
Jan xx
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Also domestos rubbed around and left for a few seconds really shines the sinks,makes the downlights reflect straight back in my face...sorry jsut had to add...pmsl
Jan xx
I second the gumption paste! I'm yet to find something it won't remove :)
One thing I have always done to cut costs (and help the environment) is buy cheap and nasty shampoo.
Apparently most shampoos are the same... they're pretty much just soap for your hair. So I get the big-arse pump bottles of shampoo from coles or bi-lo (costs about $4 and lasts me about 4-6 months). I can then justify getting a more expensive brand of conditioner. I get Pantene at the moment because I love what it does for my hair.
This way I have reduced the amount of bottles I use for shampoo AND I get to indulge a little whilst still saving money.
Never use gumption paste on anything with a laquor. It will strip it off. I just thought i would mention it. RIP Beginners trumpet while shaking fist at students mother.
Get yourself one of those ring bound plastic folders with plastic sleaves in it and store all your take away menu's and lenards menu's etc in it. I do this and keep the folder next to my microwave (as I don't have a free drawer in my kitchen) and it keeps things nice and tidy... and you never loose anything either.
*hugs*
Cailin
Thanks for the Gumption tip! We had about a square meter of green texta scribble on the wall (thanks Charlie, artistic little tacker.......)gumption did the trick even when my old faithful Chux Magic Eraser wouldn;t shift it!
BTW, acetone (nail polish remover) also gets rid of permanant texta......but it does soften the paintwork a little........
Share your top tips here which help you feel like a domestic goddess :)
Umm.... a cleaning lady???
Actually, planning what to have for dinner in the morning, so i can start earlier.. i always feel so fantastic when DH walks in the door and there is actually dinner on the table, rather then asking him to start cooking at 7pm
We are trying to make a whole month of meal plans, so that way we can be even more organised about what to eat and what to buy for the next week!
I'll be watching this carefully, i'm sure i'll get some great tips from you all, and then i can fake like i really can run a house and be a mum!
Mmmmm. Well I am a bit anal :redface: So it all has to be just right or I get my ever so frilly knickers in a twist!
What makes me feel like I have made it at the end of the day...
* When I have a yummy meal bubbling away in the slowcooker filling the house with gorgeous aromas.
* When the pillows on the sofa are plumped.
* When the kids are happy and laughing and I have had at least one of those "I am not doing tooo bad as a Mama moments".
* I make a rule at the end of the day there is adult music playing on the stero for dinner and we light candles on the table most nights - it makes me feel grown up and sets a relaxing scene (as relaxing as a meal with four children can be ;))
* An ironing lady is a gift from the Universe that no woman should feel guilty about!
* Some muffins in the freezer to whip out when needed in an emergency!
Oooh I just noticed this new forum! brilliant! Now let me think! (can't wait to read lots of responses too)!
LOL, I love this topic!! I'll take all the ideas I can get. Ok, here are my tips:
- definitely get a cleaning lady LOL
- pick the things that make you feel best when they are done - for me, having the dishes done and bed made is a huge morale booster, so I do these first
- put a load of washing on first thing when you get up, or before going to bed
- lower your expectations - you are NOT going to have a clean floor for more than 5 minutes with two under 3, no matter how often you get down on your hands and knees to sweep up crumbs
- speaking of which, buy knee pads for contstantly being on all fours under and around the table sweeping up crumbs
- get the kids involved in "helping" so you are not neglecting them while cleaning - Jack loves to "help" by holding the vacuum cleaner while I Vaccum.
- cook twice as much as you need and freeze the rest so you get 2 meals for the price of 1
1. A pilable child/children. As a sub-12-month-old Flynn was a dream baby - one of those kids who slept for the first 3 months of his life and was really easy-going and happy to sit and gurgle while I whizzed around the kitchen. This is essential if you are going to be a Domestic Goddess (notice how you never see a whinny 15 month old clinging to Nigella Lawson's legs while she swans around her kitchen, saucily licking her fingers?)
2. An easy to clean house. Enough storage space, easy-to-clean surfaces, a dog that doesn't shed hairs and no clutter is required. It is simply not possible to attain Goddess-dom if you have an unrenovated house without skirting boards and decent cupboards, carpet of the sort which attracts dirt and a long-haired do. Your furniture must match, too. Ideally it will have featured in House and Garden or some similar glossy.
3. A goldfish's memory. This is essential if you are to be able to handle the fact that you just cleaned your house from top to bottom last week, and actually attained that state of Nirvana when there is "nothing else to clean", only to find that dust comes back, dishes get dirty, children dirty their clothes and meals lovingly prepared in advance get eaten eventually. Anything more than a goldfish's short memory will leave you in a constant state of dismay that things don't stay clean.
4. An appreciative husband. June Cleaver's husband thought she was just wonderful the way she brought him his slippers and looked after Wally and The Beaver. Darren (Samantha's hubby in "Bewitched") appreciated his wife's cleaning skill so much he insisted that she do everything manually and not employ her magical skills to get it done. Mr Brady thought Carol was "just swell" despite the fact that Alice probably did the lion's share of the work. Contrast this with poor Peg Bundy, the most un-Goddess-like creature you could imagine. Look at her husband Al. Enough said.
Enough sarcasm LOL! I am actually very much into this sort of stuff, so seriously, lists and enough energy to stick to them is my top tip :) FlyLady is a good place to start.
I could chat about this topic for HOURS, LOL!
I have nodded at almost every Domestic Goddess thought written so far, so thank you likeminded ladies for cheering me up!
Some additional ones from me (just the tip of my iceberg, LOL) are:
~ Clean sheets flapping in the breeze on my washing line
~ Clean toilets
~ Essential oils burning (lemon or lavendar for me)
~ Happy domestic smells like freshly mown grass; homemade biscuits
~ A full fridge with cut fruit at the ready for the kids
~ A place for everything and everything in its place!
ROFL :cryinglaugh: Rory!!! OMG so true. Especially living in an unrenovated house! (that's us) well it was renovated 20 years abo but since then it's had a steady stream on tennants with children... it is a much loved house but no matter how hard i scrub the surfaces around here they ain't gonna give me that "good as new" satisfaction :(
I could do with a domestic goddess around here, the house is a mess because I've been trying to find my way around BellyBelly.
Ah yes, good point Rose... getting the balance right is very tricky for us BB junkies! Very easy to justify hours spent on here as "research" :)
Lucy's post reminded me:
A full fruit bowl,
A kettle that whistles,
incense burning,
laughing children running through the grass,
cat curled up on the sofa,
chookies bokking through the garden,
Thanks for the "research' excuse, I'll see if it works to night when DH comes home.
Another way I make myself feel better is if the dishwasher, washing machine and oven are all working to the max. while I do my research. LOL THANK GOD FOR TECHNOLOGY!!!
The best way I have found to keep the house from getting trashed in the first place is to shut the doors to rooms that my one year old gets creative in.
Yep, shut doors work here too......once my 3 are awake and dressed for the day, their windows get opened to give the tooms a good airing but the doors stay firmly closed till nap time or bed time.
And both the bathroom doors get closed so Charlie (aged 20m can't trash them.
And IF you do ever achieve some semblance of a tidy clean house......get the kids in the car quick so that all their energies can be directed in the park, rather than to messing your house up again, LOL!
I've got my place (well living areas) to the state that I can have it looking good within about 15 mins, family usually ring before they leave so it gives me enough time to give the place a quick clean (we have polished wood floors - those mops that trap dust are great!), throw one or two of the oil burners on (if they're not already on), put the coffee on to brew & I've always got some of those Betty Crocker just add milk cookie mixes in the cupboard (they take about 10 mins) - so depending on which family member they sometimes even get cookies. I have learnt that if my brother is coming over that I have to clean on top of the fridge or else he will! He's even been known to make our bed for us! We do close the bedroom doors but since we've got a cottage the french doors to the sun-room are open if it is a warm day.
For friends - they get pretty much the same as above but sometimes without the sweeping.
I clean the toilet every night, the shower gets a wipe down when I get out in the mornings.
I have cleaning stuff in the kitchen AND the bathroom.
My mother used to sweep before bed, I'm almost back into the habit.
I'm usually pretty good with the dishes, I do them most nights before bed - this is supposed to be DH's job but if I want it done I do it myself!
Send the kids and the hubby and the cat on holidays. Clean your house... take photos and remember this is probably the last time you'll see it this way for a while LOL!
For me my house is slightly domestically challenged atm. It has been so since I became pregnant with Seth. I know I'll get my house back to the way I want it... I have a few decluttering challenges ahead as well as some spring cleaning sessions. But it has been there once so it can be there again...
For me like others some of the things that make me feel like a domestic goddess are:
~ Baking
~ Clean Bathrooms & Toilets with fresh flowers or rose scented pot pourri
~ The smell of Wood Polish/Buff it/Mr Sheen, Bleach, Windex.
~ A shiny sink.
~ Incense & Aromatherapy.
~ Fresh, crisp, clean linen.
~ To do lists.
marry a "domestic god"!
ROFL BG - THAT'S a great plan...
I have different things to represent different aspects of the Domestic Goddess...
Domestic Partner Goddess:
Cook - men notice food before mess.
Clean - the kitchen and the bathroom, men only tend to notice what they're looking at so if he's aiming at a dirty pan or washing his hands in a dirty sink he'll notice, but he's not going to see the dust on the windowsill behind the curtains... Also, men notice heaps but not stacks - you don't have to de-clutter today, just stack it up better so it's not an avanlanche in the making and you're good to go.
Top-tips (for my DP anyway) - have good coffee and pre-made pastries (pain au chocolat are our faves) so that making breakfast is a quick sensory joy not a fight with porridge pans, have clean sweet-smelling sheets and towels on the go.
Domestic Mother Goddess:
Clean - only what is a biohazard. Kids are so messy, you're swimming upstream trying to combat it all. Just leave the crumbs, the toys, the books, until later. Clean up the spilt milk (no crying though ;)) and the pasta and the soggy bits of toast and banana.
Cook - fun things that are easy to eat. As much as she likes the flavours, she hasn't the patience for a big roast dinner. Pasta, paella, sandwiches, anything she can come back and forth to and can go on playing during makes for a good dinner to her. When we're at table together chat and songs and ryhmes are more important to her than the food.
Go OUT! - the park is fun and there is no washing to be done there....
Domestic self-worshipping Goddess:
Run the dryer at night when it's cheaper (white meter electricity here). Tumble-dryer sheets are cheaper than fabric softener as they can be used twice and THEN put in drawers instead of scented liners to eep everything smelling good and fresh.
A clean floor looks great to me and i like the smell of the floor-cleaner i use (sort of apple-y). I don't clean more than once or twice a week (though i spot clean every day). Get on hands and knees to do a great job and know that you won't miss bits (i HATE mops!). I like sitting on my sofa looking at the clean bright floor as it dries, with all her bigger toys and the rugs and everything up - makes me appreciate that i have plenty of space here for her to play.
That all turned into a ramble. But that's me :)
Bx
oh wow, i am in such a rut with my house atm this thread is just what i needed to motivate myself to Spring clean! Im heading out on Wednesday to buy an oil burner and some oils. Anyone recommend any smells??
basic chores for me each day to make me feel semi-orgnised and tidy are
-wash dry and put away dishes
-wash and hang out dirty laundry (at least some of it anyway)
-vaccuum lounge dining and kitchen floors
If im really energetic
-clean toilet and bathroom
-mop kitchen and dining floors
Theres nothing like freshly baked bikkies to make a house smell homey.
My top domestic goddess tip is: DONT HAVE KIDS!! lol
Elissa
I did have a huge range of essential oils and we used to burn a whole range of smells and blends.
But since we started a family (when I was pg the first time) I avoided most smells and blends, so have come full circle back to lemon (or grapefruit occasionally) or lavender.
From my experience, find a good stockist of essential oils that has a good turnover of stock, and go back time and time again for a sniff. You may be amazed at how one or two just immediately appeal.
I am not sure if you can get this brand everywhere as it is a SA based company, but my recommendation is Jurlique.
ETA D'oh, just realised you're an Adelaide girl too, so Jurlique will be no probs for you! Lots of chemists stock it!
We have peppermint, geranium (relaxing), lavender (relaxing) and a citrus blend which are all uplifting and energy oils. Jurlique is everywhere Lucy, we buy Jurlique too :)
For essential oils there is a good Australian brand called InEssence. As well as pure single oils they do lovely blends. My favourite one for housework is the Motivation blend, they also have Relaxation, Intuition to name a few. Never never never buy "fragrant oils" which are synthetic concoctions that will probably just give you a headache. essential oils can be expensive (the citrus ones aren't too bad) but well worth it. I'm sure there is a thread about them... a few BB members collect them. I've been collecting them for years. A good book on Aromatherapy is essential (excuse the pun).... there's a few good ones around. If you go to the InEssence website they also list their oils and the properties of each one. My favourite citrus oil is mandarine: it's my "happy" oil :)
Talking of lemons, I just remembered something else that makes me feel like a domestic goddess.........preserving! It makes me feel worthy and like I would be deserving of my Granny's praise!
I made lemon marmalade last week.....with lemons off our tree........made me feel like a 1940's domestic goddess, LOL!
How lame am I ..excited by Fowlers Vaccola!
The "flylady" system has helped be transform into a domestic goddess. In her book "Sink reflections" she has a letter from one of her "Flybabies" about how she wears a toy tiara while cleaning so that when she looks up from cleaning the toilet she sees the mirror and instead of seeing a drudge she sees a woman of great worth. (see also proverbs 31) I read this and have eagerly adopted it also. You should see the looks on people's faces when you answer the door wearing a tiara. It is great fun and it reminds you that your job might not be glamorous but it is richly rewarding and soo important.
I love my job and on Facebook listed my job as "Domestic Goddess"
Jayney, I totally agree re Flylady..........I started taking their babysteps about 4 years ago and have not looked back!
I gotta second FlyLady too. I started up with it when Flynn was about 4 months old and though I have fallen off the wagon now I am pregnant and working (it is just too tiring ATM to keep up with all the cleaning) it worked a treat when I wasn't laden down with child. Though my mum, who was a neat FREAK when I was a kid but is now reformed (she used to say you could tell a good housewife if the tops of her door frames were dusted!!) looked at me like I was mad when I started extolling the virtues of cleaning lists and schedules. She actually said "I think you are taking this housewife thing too seriously" LOL!
Another good book (available on Amazon) is "Confessions of an Organised Homemaker" by Deniece Schofield. (I was actually re-reading it this morning on the train). She is less prescriptive and FlyLady and is better on helping you develop routines that suit you. For example, rather than say you must wash your floors every week, she talks about setting your own standard and not needing to justify your decision. She actually points out that a family with small kids will have a messier house than one with kids at school, and that there is nothing wrong with that - it is all about finding a level you are happy with.
I'm stealing this one as of TODAY. Thanks flowerchild :D:
Yep I'm a flylady addict too... I discovered flylady about 7 yrs ago and haven't looked back. Thanks for starting this thread... its really helping me feel less domestically disabled atm.
I have only one thing to add to all the other lovely suggestions I've read (going out to get candles soon - I LOVE good smells in my house!). I have antibacterial wipes in the bathrooms and kitchen, and so I can quickly and easily wipe up messes, and know that it's clean, and it smells good. (wipes came in a three-pack of orange, lemon, and fresh air scent. Nice. :))
Oh, one other thing I'm just thinking of that I love to have in my house when I can - fresh flowers. Not the growing kind, because at my house they quickly stop being the growing kind and become the dying kind. :redface: But a few fresh cut flowers in a simple vase on a window ledge or table add a whole lot to just about any room.
Will be keeping an eye on this thread for more good ideas! Thanks ladies. :)
Wow, I am getting so motivated! I thought of some more:
- Wear the kids out in the morning so have a midday sleep
- Bake bread in the bread maker - cheaper, healthier and SOOO easy
Uh oh, forgot the rest already LOL.
Bec - unfortunately my DH sees mess before food! He is a neat freak - but on the plus side he is usually a big help too (just not atm with a sore bad).
I'm just about to put the ingredients in my bread maker too Mel! Like you said, it's so easy that it bearly rates a mention... but I am trying to "eat out" my pantry ie use up as much as possible... and I've got a lot of flour and yeast to use. I like to do this twice a year.... and doing it before November (when I start all my Christmas baking) is a good time to do it. then i know that all my spices, dried fruit and nuts etc are nice and fresh.
my brother comes home from work every night and sweeps his house (he's now 62 & has been doing it since he was in his 30s), he was the one who made sure that the ducted vacuum system was installed when they were building 13 years ago:
Ok here's some more I thought of:
- Buy a slow cooker.
- Do meal plans before you buy groceries.
- Start making To Do lists & Grocery Lists.
- Utilise technology, use your computers calendar to remind you of things whether its when to buy a birthday present, when to start thinking about what to cook for an event, or when to start cleaning guest high traffic areas before guest arrives... No more procrastinating don't leave things till the last minute... don't do it all at once a little bit at a time!
- Windex is your friend, its the best bathroom cleaning product on the market. And combined with terry flat cloth nappies you can clean ANYTHING. I also use recycled paper towel to do a quick swish and swipe. So under every sink is paper towels and cheapy windex. I use cloth nappies for EVERYTHING. They are great for wood dusting, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning kitchen splash backs, cleaning ovens, cleaning windows, sucking up spills from carpets. In your toilet hide some anti bacterial wipes, that way you've got visitors coming and you realise you haven't cleaned the toilet. Instead of freaking out say you need to go to the loo and give your toilet a good wipe down and a brush. And then you'll realise how easy it is to do next time you go to the toilet, rather than setting aside a specific cleaning toilet time (which then creates the chore mentality).
- Even if you feel like you are living in filth, turn on some essential oils and put some flowers out you will feel better and that mood lift may just motivate you :)
- When you are making yourself some lunch whilst you have everything out make your kids lunches for the next day... that way you aren't lifting everything out twice and its all there in the fridge in the morning. Instead of that early morning routine becoming a frantic race against the clock.
- Teach your kids to lay out their clothes before bed.
- Teach your kids to clean. No they aren't slaves, but neither are you. If they make a mess they clean it. Teach them, don't scream at them ;) And help them if they are tired, but don't get sucked into "I'm tired" as an excuse... In our house we have a either you can help me or I can go get a green plastic bag... (I now don't get past "I can go get a..." Before she's scampering around LOL). Things as simple teaching a child to wash all the toothpaste off their toothbrush, or out of the sink after brushing their teeth sets them up to be clean and tidy and really that helps you doesn't it?
- Don't suffer in silence, if you want something done ask... its not going to do itself and in reality guys just don't have ESP as much as we'd like to wish they did.
- Enjoy your clean house! Once I've cleaned my bath & shower I try and make it my routine to bless myself later that night with a nice milk bath :)
- Appreciate what you have done, don't dwell over what you haven't done!
- Perfectionism and Martyrdom never helped anyone, and it won't help you keep a clean house... well you might have a clean house but you'll hate it or you'll hate those around you. Not fun.
Will think of more as they come to me :)
Cailin, i windexed my sink. OMG, thankyou! It's so shiny. DP was SO impressed. He kept saying "wow, it looks so good in here" and kissing me. ;)
Bx
ETA - i thought of my tip for today - cook too much. I freeze or fridge almost every day, so Smee and i always have something delicious and nutritious for lunch even if she had me up 8 times in the night - there's always SOMETHING good to eat that way. Also some things improve with time. 2nd day soup, stew, curry, chilli, hotpot are SO good, the flavours all have time to grow overnight. Also roast too much meat - it's cheaper than buying 2 small roasts and it can be froxen raw, cooked or cooked and sliced. If you cook for an army once a day you can keep your little unit marching all week long.
Thank you very much for all your tips! I try so hard everyday to get the house organised. I get up in the morning and say to myself right 'today is the day'! However with a 3 month old little one who cries when I put her down its reallly challenging!
I'm going out to buy some lavender essential oils tomorrow, what a fantastic idea!
Jen