Tidy Brown Wren, bringing order to your nest

A young housewife and new mother recently asked me for a list of things to do each day to help her stay on top of her household chores. Here is what I gave her. Daily: -wipe up kitchen, plan dinner -make beds -wipe up bathrooms -sweep kitchen floor -put away items before bed Monday: -laundry, grocery shopping Tuesday: -iron clothes, water plants Wednesday: -dust whole house Thursday: -vacuum whole house Friday: -mop floors, change linens Saturday: -clean glass surfaces, clean bathrooms Sunday: -attend church, rest, plan menu and grocery list for next week Each week, pick one of these items to accomplish. -wipe down fridge (inside and out) -clean oven -mend clothing -vacuum and dust behind furniture -change filter for heater/air conditioner -wipe walls and door trim Every home will have different chores that need to be done. The point is to break up the work into smaller chunks and do a little every day. Try it!

What do you do with those pictures you've ripped out of magazines? What about the newspaper articles, travel brochures, and "someday, I'll. . . " ideas? It's time to get those papers organized. Let's get started. 1. Collect all of the papers. Check on your desk, bedside table, car, purse, kitchen counter. Gather them together in one pile. 2. Go through them, one by one, and sort by topic. Any papers that are obsolete need to go directly into the trashcan. 3. Decide what to name your topics. Examples are: decorating wish list, weekend get-aways, party ideas, inspiring quotes and stories, organizing ideas, new recipes to try. 4. Label separate files for each topic. Place the papers in the labeled files. 5. Place files in file drawer or file box. 6. Glance through the files every once in a while and weed out outdated papers. If this seems too detailed for you, at least keep all of your papers in a single drawer so you can look for them in one pla...

Now that Christmas is over and the decorations are put away (right?),you're left with the paperwork that came with your Christmas gifts. You know, warranties, directions, receipts, user manuals, etc.. They are probably piled on your desk or kitchen counter. An easy way to deal with them is to make a warranty binder. Just a few items and in less than an hour, you'll have it all organized. 1. Purchase a binder from the store and some clear page protectors or pocket dividers. An easy way to determine how large your binder should be is to pile all of your papers into a stack, measure the stack, and that should give you an idea of how large a binder you should get. My personal binder is a 3" size. 2. Divide all of your papers into catagories. Examples can be: electronics, appliances, toys, office equipment, etc.. There is no right or wrong way to catagorize. It is totally up to you. 3. Label the different page protectors or pocket dividers with your catagories. 4. ...

Do you find that the entrance to your home is always a mess. Do you have a hard time keeping track of keys, purse, shoes, etc.? Here are a few ideas to keep you on the right track. 1. Let's start with your feet. Shoes carry in more germs and dirt than you would want to know about. Keeping shoes at the door helps to keep your floors clean (less housework) and you'll always know where your shoes are. 2. You MUST have a specific place for all of your belongings. Your keys should be returned to the same place every time you walk through the door. The same goes for your purse, sunglasses, phone, gloves, coat, and anything else you have with you. 3. Have a spot (shelf, basket, bench) where you can put things that need to exit the house with you. Dry-cleaning, library books, mail, and so on. This tip alone will save you a lot of frustration and maybe even some money. 4. Develop a system for handling mail as it comes in the house. First, open all mail. Throw away junk m...

To celebrate January as "Get Organized" month, I'm writing about 10 things that you can get rid of right now to make your life a little bit less hectic. It's really simple. 1. Plastic bags from the grocery store (take them to be recycled) 2. Plastic containers/lids with no matching container/lid. (throw away-they are useless) 3. Chipped or stained coffee cups(throw away) 4. The extra twist ties that come with trash can liners.(throw away) 5. Extra newspapers and magazines (recycle them) 6. Socks with missing partners (after 1 month of doing laundry, toss them) 7. Pens that don't write and pencils to short to sharpen (throw away) 8. Books, videos, and CDs you aren't interested in any more (donate to charity) 9. Clothes you don't wear any more (donate to charity) 10. Gift bags, tissue paper, and wrapping paper that is too wrinkled or dated to use (throw away) Just think of the clean space you will have after purging your home of these items. I do...

Don't you just love it when your house sparkles? I think that's why we like the Christmas season so much. All of the white, twinkling lights make our house feel special. To get that effect during the "off" season, I use a magic chemical. Window Cleaner. Yes, plain old window cleaner. Actually, I use a homemade window cleaner made with water, white vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. It works wonders. I use it everywhere. You see, dust and grime have a way of dulling everything in our home. The gentle window cleaner eliminates the grime and makes the house sparkle. I use a good quality rag or paper towel to wipe down everything. Picture frames and their glass, mirrors, table tops, lamps, figurines, appliances etc.. Be careful not to spray the cleaner directly on any surface. Spray the rag you are using and apply the rag to the surface. Don't forget to clean the inside of your windows at the same time. A clear view to the outside is a beautiful t...

When I'm visiting with a client who wants to stage their home before putting in on the market, I'm surprised by the amount of rooms that have no intended purpose. Empty rooms that have a few boxes in them or rooms with everything (including the kitchen sink) in them. What's a buyer to think? Every room needs a purpose; other than storage. If you have one of these rooms, make a decision as to what purpose that room should have. Home office, craft room, guest bedroom, work-out room, library, etc.. It's best to not leave anything to the potential buyers imagination. Do the work for them and get your home sold.