The Challenge

We're back from the beach.
There's unpacking to do.
There are groceries to buy.
There is the memory of a beach house--clean, uncluttered, and utterly peaceful.
I have three candles that smell just like the beach. Yes, the beach has a smell and Yankee Candle has bottled it well. According to the website,  have about 60 hours or up to 70 hours burn time with these three small candles.

The goal: To work here at home to restore order and evoke peace-of-place before the candles burn out and the memory of that beautiful place fades.

Cinco De Mayo

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Photo credit: Mary Beth

I'm Pretty Sure They're On to Something

Erin has posted a homemaking post that takes a link Jen posted and does what Erin does so very well:  applies a mathematician's brain to it. I'm pretty sure she has the bones of the perfect housekeeping system here. But I've been reading Erin long enough to know that I need a cup of coffee and total quiet to really process what she's saying and comprehend it in my very not-math brain. Erin's got a category on her blog named "homemaking for engineers." My homemaking category should be called "homemaking for people who'd rather write than fold laundry." I think I have a lot to learn from the engineers. Now, the burning question is, "Can I apply engineering homemaking theory to my math phobic children?" I'll let you know, because I'm so printing this and calling a family meeting!

The "Plan" Part of Planning for a Peaceful Home

In prior columns, I’ve explored the ideas of a morning offering andof time set aside to listen and hear God. Now, for the “plan” part of the plan for a peaceful home.

We begin by offering the day to the Lord, opening ourselves to the grace He freely offers and ensuring that even our failures are redemptive. Then, during a time of spiritual reading and meditation, we listen to Him, and we resolve to do whatever He tells us to do that day. Usually, I write this resolution in a little notebook, where I can refer to it and remind myself of it throughout the day. The resolution fits within the context of my daily life, my work in the world, my vocation in the home. And it’s that “daily life” component that needs a clear direction.Read the rest here.

And then c'mon back and tell me your best planning tips in the comment box.

Spring Cleaning List

I received several emails asking about Lenten cleaning. Danielle and I briefly toyed with the idea of adding it to our Lenten prompts but quickly recognized that our homes were so different, it wouldn't really work. I bumped into this list today at Charming the Birds from the Trees (an aptly named blog, by the way, since it's always so very charming). It's an ambitious list and, since Emma is an Orthodox Christian, her Easter is a week later than mine, so she's got a bit more time. She also started on Monday. Today is Thursday. I did indeed manage to do a few things this week before seeing her list (note my Small Successes), so I did a little cut and paste. I'm also going to have some time on Saturdays, so I did some more cut and paste. And, not all of my spaces to clean match up with hers, so I tweaked just a little more. It's still a very ambitious list but I figure I have a few children around here who can be pressed into service and, together, we might be able to keep pace with Emma.(Unless the chief mess-maker, pictured above, continues on her current path of destruction.)
What does spring cleaning look like for you? Take the list below or the original at Charming the Birds from the Trees and make it your own, then come back and leave a comment and a link and I can see all the things I missed putting on my list:-). It's not a perfect system, nor is it comprehensive, but I do think that if I stick with it, my house will be far cleaner Easter Sunday than it is now.
March 2nd: Desk
March 3rd: Dressers
March 4th: Family Closet
March 5th: Master Bedroom Closet
March 6th: Mudroom
March 7th: Clean Van
March 8th: Sunday
March 9th: Master Bedroom
March 10th: Nursery Bathroom
March 11th: Learning Room
March 12th: Learning Room
March 13th: Hallway and Steps
March 14th: Entrance and Closet
March 15th: Sunday
March 16th:  Linen Closet
March 17th:  Basement
March 18th: Library Closet
March 19th: Living Room
March 20th: Craft Cupboards
March 21st: Storage shelves
March 22nd: Sunday
March 23rd: Dining Room
March 24th: Baseboards
March 25th: Windows
March 26th: Master Bathroom Drawers and Cabinets
March 27th: Kitchen
March 28th: Family Room
March 29th: Sunday
March 30th: Pantry(both)
March 31st: Freezer
April 1st: Refrigerator
April 2nd: Drawers
April 3rd: Cabinets
April 4th: Paschal Baskets and Clean Garbage Cans
April 5th: Sunday
April 6th: Master Bathroom
April 7th: Children’s Artwork
April 8th: Garage
April 9th: Launder Spring Bedding
April 10th: Clean Car
April 11th: Plant Flowers for Hanging Baskets
April 12th: Easter

Easter clothes:already finished (Ooh, I'm good. Hah! Mike did all the hunting and gathering for me.)