Spring Organizing and Cleaning: My 7 Day Agenda

Starting April 1st, for 7 days straight, I plan to do a spring organizing and/or spring cleaning project each day. Here's what's on my agenda...

DAY 1 Begin outside clean up, including getting rid of any leftover winter brush, snipping dead branches from plants to get them ready for the warmer weather ahead and sweeping the walkway and driveway.

DAY 2 Put away any winter clothing for the season that is still in our closets, and bring out our spring and summer wardrobes. Iron anything that requires it.

DAY 3 Begin sorting through my daughter's spring toys from last year (bubbles, chalk, watering cans, etc.) Determine if she has enough to keep her occupied, while I'm outside taking care of my gardening and other outdoor work. If not, make a list of a few items to make and/or pick up from the store.

DAY 4 Clean areas in our house that get neglected most of the year, such as the tops of our high cabinets, under the fridge and the bookcase shelves (empty, dust, and return all books again).

DAY 5 Revisit our calendars and determine if we're doing just enough or too much. Cancel excessive activities that we're not too excited about so we have time to simply stop and smell the roses.

DAY 6 Empty the fridge and freezer and clean them out before returning our perishables back inside. Also, defrost the little fridge we keep in our basement.

DAY 7 Make arrangements for our summer help, including the lawn mowing service, grass, tree and plant service, someone to re-stain our deck and make an appointment to have the car detailed.

By the end of these 7 days, I know we'll feel great and a lot will be complete and behind us!

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

Today is the first day of spring, 2008, and I was dismayed to just hear our current weather report. Where I live in Wisconsin, it has been predicted we'll get five to nine inches of snow before tomorrow evening. I guess Jack Frost just isn't done with us yet. Trust me, by now I'm done with him. It can't be long now, or so I hope.

Tomorrow, to celebrate the start of spring, we'll color Easter eggs at our house. We invited my friend Kristi, and her daughter (also Amanda's best friend) Grace to share this activity with us. Before they arrive, I'll cover the table, and have all the dyes and stickers ready. This way the girls can dive right in, and us moms can enjoy some quiet conversation while the girls make their masterpieces.

Anyway, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful Easter (and/or a wonderful spring--depending on what you celebrate.) I adore this time of the year, one of new beginnings--and the perfect time to make new commitments.

If you didn't quite keep your new year's resolutions or you've been meaning to start a new project, relax on Easter Sunday (March 23rd) and make some headway on your goal(s) this coming Monday. You'll be glad you did.

Latest Book Recommendations

I just finished reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. In a nutshell, it is the story of two boys, one the son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, the other the son of the other boy's father's servant. It starts in Afghanistan in the early 1970's and comes full circle back to more modern times after the country comes under Taliban rule. It has everything in it that makes for a great story--love, deceit, anger, forgiveness, weakness and bravery. Excellent book and I highly recommend it. The average rating including the other 10 people who attended my book club's recent book chat was a 4.5 out of 5, so pretty much everyone in attendance enjoyed this compelling, page-turner.

I'm currently reading The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents. I've only read about 40 pages, and I'm loving this book too! I'll let you know in early April what the other gals at book chat have to say.

Vacationing in Our Own Town

Our family travels a few times a year--usually one 7-10 day trip to visit family members, another 7-10 day trip for just the three of us to enjoy, and occasionally some short weekend trips.

We're planning to make our family visit in early summer and are going to Disneyworld in December, so our bigger trips are already set.

We wanted to do a short trip around Eastertime this year and were trying to decide where to go. We ended up deciding to stay close to home--downtown Milwaukee, which is only about an hour away from where we live.

Normally, we would just drive to Milwaukee, see a few things and drive back the same day. But, we thought it would be fun this time around to just stay in a hotel (The Pfister) and make a weekend out of it, so we're able to relax, enjoy and not worry about rushing back the same day.

Besides taking leisurely strolls along the lakefront, dining and likely a little shopping, we'll also see the Bodyworlds exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum, catch an IMAX movie, and maybe take in a puppet show or watch some Irish dancers at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum.

No airfare or airports. Light luggage. Plus, how nice it will be when it's time to make our way home that we'll only need to drive one hour to get back!

Warm Weather Clothing Inventory

Since it's still a mere 20 degrees where I live, I'm craving warmer weather. This past weekend, I started going through my spring and summer wardrobe from last season to see what was worthy of keeping, and what would be making a trip to Goodwill.

I scheduled just 15 minutes to begin this process, so I didn't finish. But I'm making good headway. I managed to make up a nice donation bag of spring clothing that I'll be driving over to Goodwill later on today. Next weekend, I'll tackle the summer clothes.

How did I determine what went into the charity bag? If the answer to any of the following questions was NO, this item immediately was designated "Donation".

a) Did I wear it last year?
b) Do I still like it?
c) Is it in good repair?
d) Does it fit? (If I wasn't sure, I tried it on.)
e) Does it make me feel good about myself?

Once I'm done weeding out, I'll then begin analyzing what I have and from that, what I'll need for this year's warmer seasons.

In general, I try to have 14 different outfits (some are mix and match) to get me through a season and give me the variety I like to have.