Using Time Wisely

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2012 Third Quick Tip Week: Removing Ink Stains

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Quick Tip Week - Removing ink stains

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Darren Sacks)

Quick Tip Week continues! Hope this week of shorter posts highlighting one tip in each category helps you in using time wisely. For series already in progress, I will continue with the next segment following our Quick Tip Week. Embrace this week, add your tips in the comments, and continue using time wisely!

Quick Tip #2: Removing Ink Stains

As my 2-year-old waved around an uncapped ink pen, my shirt met the blue ink resulting in a stain. Thinking I would just soak the shirt, Paul suggested drawing out the ink using hairspray.

With the hairspray bottle in hand, I sprayed the soiled section, waited a few moments to activate, and then I pressed down paper towels on the spot. With each treatment, the stain became less visible until it disappeared after the fourth round.

Though I’m sure the OxiClean would have worked, I liked the immediate result of using hairspray when removing ink stains. Upon laundering, I found my shirt without ink or any residue from the hairspray. 🙂

In using time wisely, I spent less than 5 minutes removing ink stains from my shirt. If you find a stray ink mark on your clothing from a 2-year-old, test out the hairspray trick to save you money, energy, and time. Happy stain lifting!

Question: How do you remove ink stains? 

Vacation Recovery . . . Almost

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Overwhelmed laundry pileThough we are back from our long and much-needed vacation, I am far from caught up and in my groove. With late nights, late mornings, and naps as needed, I’m not sure I want to fully recover from our vacation routine. 😉

Overcoming the piles of laundry, snagging the last few back-to-school items, and squeezing in those last days of summer fun, I have mixed feelings about this week of vacation recovery. On the one hand, I am ready to get back on a routine as I really. need. my. exercise. time. back. I look forward to keeping the same routine each day and knowing where to fit in exercise, errands, cleaning, homework, and extra activities.

But the flip side of this equation is that our summer fun is coming to a close. Gone are the late nights watching the Olympic athletes strive for gold, the all-day carefree days spent splashing and swimming at the water park, the family outings, summer picnics, and double-header baseball games. In using time wisely, I have maximized the time I have had with my kids this summer. We are not promised today, tomorrow, this school year, or next summer.

Sorting - breaking down into manageable sectionsAs I plan for our new routine (taking effect this week), I choose to enjoy the process. This season of change will have its challenges, but with brand-new school supplies, new teachers, and a fresh start, I’m embracing this up-coming school year.

With no regrets from the summer, I press on. Like the mound of clothes in the laundry pile, the start of this new school year may overwhelm. But by taking the pile and sorting it – breaking it down into manageable chunks – I will find a schedule that works for our family. This is my plan as I emerge from vacation recovery . . . almost.

While you finish your summer or adapt to a new routine, press on without regrets. Make sure the important things get done today while using time wisely.

Question: How is your schedule or routine changing?  

To Do List: Starting the Week with a Manageable Plan

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Whew! What a busy Father’s Day. After a quick morning celebration, worshipping with our church family, and lunch with Paul’s parents, we came home for the afternoon.

Usually, I spend time blogging while the toddler naps and my older kids play. But today, Paul and I enjoyed an afternoon nap.

Making Notes

Awaking feeling rested and thinking clearly, I found myself making a mental list of this week’s activities. Realizing this list kept going, I grabbed my notebook and started writing everything down. At the end of my brain dump, I had a to do list of 48 items to carry out this week.

Assigning Tasks

In organizing the list, I assigned each task to a day of the week. With about 7 items to complete each day, I have a plan for the week.

By breaking down the big picture into manageable sections, the to do list did not overwhelm me. In fact, the list was freeing.

The best part, I felt motivated and knocked off 5 items already. Some of the errands will combine with our activities, so I’m on my way to a smooth-sailing week.

Executing the Plan

Don’t misunderstand. This week is full of activities, errands, appointments, and cleaning. With a plan in place, I can take a break and enjoy my children, rise early to get a start on the day, or move tasks when our plans change.

In using time wisely to schedule your week, try creating your own to do list. You can always add or subtract projects, but getting them off your mental list and on paper (or phone, computer, tablet, etc.) frees your mind to focus on the task at hand. Happy planning!

Question: How do you prepare for the start of the week?   

Scheduling: Keeping It Together (Sort of)

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Cascading Laundry Pile

In between trips to the water park, bounce houses, and day trips boating and tubing, I am back to switching out my children’s clothing.

With the totes piled in the hallway and stacks of clothing in each bedroom, I also have a bathtub filled with stained clothes soaking in OxiClean. Though progress is slow, I am enjoying summer with my children.

I have a l-o-n-g to do list of cleaning projects that will probably take most of the summer. Without stressing, I am just taking the summer one day at time.

In looking back over the last two weeks, I joy in completing my son and older daughter’s closet and dresser while using time wisely with my children.

Besides the piles of laundry (many thanks to those who pass down clothing to my children), we have kept the downstairs picked up, the kitchen cleaned, and a pathway upstairs. 🙂

Does our home need cleaning? Yes! However, I am choosing to schedule summer fun throughout our week while fitting in the cleaning, laundry, and organizing.

Usually very stressed when my home is in disarray, I am learning to accept that I am not supermom. I cannot be everything to everyone, and there are only 24 hours in the day.

By staying organized, knowing what needs to be done, and following through on priorities, I joy in having my children home and enjoying our summer.

If you find summer busier than the school year, then you are not alone. Work from what is most important (your children) down to the nitty-gritty (for me, ironing). Realize that some things are not important now. In using time wisely, do what you can without sweating the small stuff. Happy managing!

Question: What are you letting go this summer? 

Scheduling: Laundry Routine – Part 4 of 4

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (BamaCIT)

I love the smell of clean laundry. In fact, I get asked often how I get our clothes smelling so good. You want to know my secret? You think I will share it with you? Yeah, I will. 🙂

It is a combination of a fragrance-free laundry detergent with Snuggle liquid fabric softener. Because the laundry detergent has no fragrance, the Snuggle permeates our clothing for a fresh, clean smell.

Before we get to clean-smelling clothing in our organized laundry routine, let’s review our first three steps: Preparing throughout the week, Pre-treating soiled clothing, and Preparing on laundry day. Today, I will complete this series with STEP FOUR.

STEP FOUR: Performing laundry tasks

To get the fresh, clean smell throughout our loads of laundry, I follow this routine:

Washing the Clothes

1. Use All Free and Clear detergent since my children have skin sensitivities which perfumed laundry detergent irritates.

2. Wash all loads on warm/cold, and all load sizes are large or super.

3. Add Snuggle liquid fabric softener during the rinse cycle to make the clothes smell great without irritating my children’s skin.

Drying the Clothes

1. Place one Snuggle fabric softener sheet into the dryer with the clothes to keep them static cling-free.

2. Pile the clean, dried clothes into one of two blue laundry baskets.

3. Remove the lent from the dryer vent.

Folding and Putting Away the clothes

1. Fold the clothes and place them back into the clean blue laundry basket.

2. Take the laundry basket upstairs.

3. Put the clothing in the appropriate dressers or closets.

The two blue rectangular baskets are for clean clothes. The oval blue basket and white basket are used for dirty or used clothes. Having different shaped and different colored baskets helps my family differentiate between clean and dirty clothes. Since my family knows which baskets are dirty and which ones are clean, I avoid getting questioned on whether items are clean or dirty. This system of using different baskets makes laundry days simple and organized.

As you work through laundry days at your home, I hope you will find a system that works for you while using time wisely. Whether you choose a weekend or weekdays to tackle your laundry pile, you can stay organized by preparing prior to laundry day, pre-treating soiled clothing, preparing on laundry day, and performing laundry tasks. Happy laundry organizing!

Question: Do you use different baskets for clean and dirty clothes? Please add your answer to the comments.