Day 8 - 30 Day Cleaning challenge - Clean interior windows catch up andclean the floors

Today's assignment was much needed!  I usually do the floors every couple days around here because kids just make so many crumbs and the dog sheds too!

I also caught up on yesterday's assignment of cleaning the interior windows and I also cleaned the sills and part where it slides too!  Pretty yucky!!

Yuck look at all that dirt and dog hair

Much better! 

Tomorrow's assignment is:

• Surface clean bedroom (dust, sweep, pick up and put away stray items)
• One load of laundry

This one should be easy!

Now I had better get my workout in before this babe wakes up!!

10 weeks of Real Food Mini Pledges - Week one: Eat a minimum of two different fruits or Vegetables at each meal

Here we go! Week 1 started today!  The group participants are busy introducing them selves and getting started on the pledge!  

Here is this weeks pledge:
Week 1: April 28 - May 4 -- Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.

Even for our family eating two fruits or vegetables at every meal is a challenge. We usually eat at least one serving per meal but two is more of a stretch. At dinner time I try to get two on the plate, but the other meals are lacking over here! So I'm excited to take part in this challenge along side everyone and see how we all do!

There are many people who don't eat any vegetables at dinner time, never mind the other meals. I get it, easy to have a BBQ burger with fries right. But try adding a salad instead or even a veggie tray to the mix.

The reason I say try for organic produce is because there are more nutrients in organic, because the soil has more nutrients in it, additionally you won't be adding the extra chemical pesticides and fertilizers that used on conventional produce. Plus it just tastes better!

The whole point of this challenge is for you to displace something else that you would normally eat (like chips or fries or even crackers) with some colorful produce. So for those that are worried about the extra expense of organic fruits and vegetables try buying more produce INSTEAD of something else that you would normally buy. And also consider buying frozen organic produce, which is a wonderful alternative to fresh and usually much cheaper (although it is unfortunately not always as tasty). Please be aware though that there are two things that do not count for this particular challenge: dried fruit (like raisins) and fruit juice – sorry about that!

This challenge is great for involving the whole family especially the kids! If you tell them that we are all supposed to eat two fruits or veggies at each meal they will probably remind you and and hold you accountable too!  I know Asher would!

If you want to participate in our Facebook group to pledge that you too will eat a minimum of two fruits or vegetables at every meal this week, request your spot by clicking the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/256038117914079/ 

Each week will be a new pledge, and each week the participants will gain more knowledge about real food and eating locally!  I'm so excited for this challenge and I hope you are too!

Day 7 - 30 Day Cleaning Challenge - Workout or clean....

Ugh.... my littlest man decided that an 8 minute nap was about all he needed this morning and I didn't get my workout in until nearly 10:30am.  And that was with him awake and playing, and me running over to pass him a new toy when he had tossed all of them out of reach!

After my workout, I hopped in the shower quickly (it was a sweaty one), and made Asher a quick sandwich before we had to head out the door for school.

I had hoped to do my Cleaning assignment this morning but that didn't happen and when we got home, Asher's neighbour friends we outside so we visited and they played and before you know it, 5pm had arrived, Gord was home and it was time to cook dinner!  And now here it is 8:20pm and I haven't had a moment to clean those windows!  So I'll be tacking them to tomorrows list!

Gord and I started our 21day fix meal plan today and I wanted to make sure I got my workout in too! Sometimes you just gotta pick and choose your priorities and Working out is one of my "must do's"!


Check out my yummy Salad I had for lunch today!  2 Green, one red (salmon), one blue (walnuts)!  And balsamic vinaigrette!  So So good!  I made this salad in about 3 minutes on a rush out the door for preschool knowing I had errands to run and probably wouldn't make it back home in time to eat lunch!  So I threw this together and out the door we went!  So yummy!

P.S. the colours refer to the colour coded containers you use in the 21 day fix!  It's seriously an awesome way understand portion control and how much your actually supposed to eat! I know for me I don't eat enough meat (red) and even veggies (green) so when I portion them out like this it always surprises me how much I should be eating for a serving!  It's more than you think!  And sometimes less that you think too!

Foods like nuts, tho healthy are often over consumed and you would be surprised how small that container is!

Tonight at dinner the amount of potato in the Yellow container for carbs was actually just right for me!  So I was quite happy!

Tomorrow's Assignment:

• Sweep or Vacuum floors and stairs
• One Load of Laundry
• And my catch up clean all interior windows

Day 6 - 30 Day Cleaning Challenge - Clean a Bathroom

Today's assignment is:

• Clean a Bathroom or other room in your home
• One load of Laundry

For today's assignment I chose to clean our downstairs bathroom because it hadn't been done in a few weeks and I knew the toilet was pretty nasty!

Surprisingly the bathroom wasn't too bad, the inside of the toilet was pretty yucky but it was clean on the outside.  So this was a pretty easy job today!  I'm pretty sure the inside of the toilet gets gross because when Gord puts Asher to bed at night they seem to forget about flushing and for some reason having pee pee sit in the bowl makes the toilet look pretty dirty pretty fast!  

Anyways here are my before photos:

After photos: 

I also spent quite a bit of time down stairs today putting away kid laundry.... I always seem to procrastinate putting their clothes away!  

The boys played happily together while I cleaned down stairs and folded laundry this morning so that was quite nice!!  

Now i'm off to meal plan for the week since Gord and I will be starting the 21 day fix again this week and doing the combat workouts instead of the fix workouts since i'm already doing combat with my success group!!  Should be a week of good food!!

Tomorrow's Assignment is:

• Clean interior windows
• One load of laundry

Looking forward to using my window cloth!!

In-Law Gardens

The in-law gardens is my garden over at my Husbands parents house.  Last year we tore up their lawn and created four rows for me to garden in and share the produce with the family!

The first year we learned a lot!

1. They have Deer!!!
2. Deer like everything in the garden :(
3. Netting to deter birds from eating the berries may also act as a net in which they get tangled in ;(
4. Potatoes are awesome to grow and harvest!
5. In-law gardens gets A LOT of Sun..... water regularly

Last May my son was also born prematurely, so although we planned for a great garden in the spring, once he was born it became very difficult for me to make time to go over and water, weed etc.  With so many trips to and from the hospital I just didn't get the time I thought I would to tend to the garden.  But this year I plan to take the boys over regularly to work the garden, pick our organic fruit and veggies and just eat them right then and there!

We have our own small garden in our back yard but I have longed for more space to grow and I'm so grateful to my in-laws for allowing me to pursue this garden and for all their help in getting it back up and running this spring!

Yesterday we all spend the afternoon weeding.... and man there are a lot of weeds!

I was so happy to see the chives, parsnips, parsley and purple broccoli were all thriving!  Asher picked a few pieces of Purple Broccoli and we all had a bite or two and boy was it tasty!

My Father-in-law also has designed a huge potato growing device and built me a little green house in which to grow my peppers and get the tomatoes off to a good start!

The seedlings are getting ready under my grow light and I can't wait until we can really get in there and Garden!!!

It's truly so satisfying to grow your own food and know where it came from!  No pesticides or GMO's, nothing to fear!  Just good food!

Day 5 - 30 days of cleaning challenge

As you know yesterday I didn't quite finish off my Assignment of Cleaning and Organizing 3 drawers, closets or cupboards in the home.  So this morning while I was folding Laundry, I was inspired by my messy PJ drawer and over crowded workout gear drawer.  So I decided these would be my make up drawers!

 

Todays assignment is actually:

 

Clean car - inside vacuum, wipe down, upholstery

 

But I kind of did my days backwards and cleaned, vacuumed and even wiped down the upholstery in my car yesterday afternoon! 

 

So here is my catch up:

 

My PJ drawer needed a little cleansing as I've got PJs in there that never get worn and I found a couple PJ bottoms at Super Store last night for $3!!  So out with the old and in with the New!

 

Here it is before:

And after..

And here is my messy and over crowded workout gear drawer!! This photo is actually only of the top layer with a few pants folded on top....

This next photo is after I took the pants off and you can really see the mess!

And here is after.... slightly more organized, but still crowded.  But when you workout 5-6 times per week you need a lot of options.... and you can never have enough sports bras!!

I was so excited this morning because last night my Tropical Strawberry Shakeology came in the mail and I haven't had it in a few months.  I've been drinking chocolate, but I miss having a fruity shake!  So I enjoyed my shake this morning while I did laundry!  It was so yummy! 

Tomorrow's Assignment is:

• Clean Bathrooms - wipe down counters and sink, change towels, sweep, toilet cleaned, change garbage's
• One load of laundry

This assignment is a repeat from earlier in the week because for those of us with boys it's probably needed!  However if your bathroom is clean enough to your standards feel free to pick one thing or room in your home that needs to be cleaned or organized and do that.  Or do another bathroom that you didn't do before.  That's probably what I'll be doing seeing as our down stairs bathroom could use it and rarely gets a regular clean!

Comment below on what assignment you will be doing this week!

Day 4 - 30 Day Cleaning Challenge Organize 3 Closets, Drawers or Cabinets

Today's Assignment is:

• Organize 3 closets, Cabinets or drawers in the home
• One load of Laundry

Well I have to be honest... I didn't get my full assignment done today.  Friday is my husbands day off which means were usually out of the house most of the day. I reorganized and cleaned one drawer this morning before we went out and did 2 loads of laundry but I didn't get to the other two drawers or closets!  I did however clean and vacuum my car as well as wash down the upholstery which really really needed it!  Kids take a toll on the car seats!

I'll fit those drawers in tomorrow! 

Here is what I did accomplish:

Messy kitchen cutlery drawer before I hauled everything out of it.

After 20 minutes of tinkering, wiping down and throwing out odds and ends here is the result:

I'm sure it won't take long for it to look a mess but this one big drawer and no junk drawer really challenges my organizational skills! 

Really wish I had two drawers instead!

Tomorrow's assignment is:

Clean car - inside vacuum, wipe down, upholstery

If I have time tomorrow I'll clean Gord's truck and take photos since I didn't take any of my car before I cleaned it!  

Happy Cleaning!  

Day 3 - 30 day cleaning challenge - surface clean kitchen and livingroom

Well... It's been an interesting few days!

Fraser had surgery scheduled yesterday morning so I did my bathroom cleaning the night before. We weren't sure how long we would be at the hospital and we ended up staying overnight in the PICU! That story in another post! 

So I got home this morning.... And boy... The kitchen was a mess!! It looked like my husband had washed a few dishes in the sink but hadn't unloaded the clean dishwasher so the dishes stacked up again! 

It wasn't a huge mess, just a dishwasher unload and reload but it looked worse! 

And not exactly what I wanted to come home to! 

But today's assignment was the perfect task, because my kitchen needed it and I would have done it anyways!

Today's Assignment

• Surface Clean living room and Kitchen: Pick up stray items, dust, sweep, vacuum. 
• One load of Laundry
• Get rid of 3 items (Donate or garbage)

I unloaded the dishwasher and tidied up a few random items which needed to go down stairs. 

I swept the floor and dusted the table, wiped the counter! 

 Put the recycle out and changed the garbage. 

Here are the after photos

Here are my 3 things to get rid of, actually found four items! Mostly stuff from the junk drawer... Syringe that doesn't work, smarties, coupon codes, old batteries. 

Now I'll have to fit in a few loads of laundry today because I finally had a chance go unpack the trailer from our camping trip and have extra laundry to do! Catch up time!!! 

All I can say is I'm glad my hubby brought my Shakeolgy and shaker cup to the hospital so I at least had a healthy breakfast this morning!


Tomorrow's Assignment is:

• Organize 3 closets, Cabinets or drawers in the home
• One load of Laundry

Day 2 - 30 Days of Cleaning Challenge - Clean Bathroom

I completed my cleaning assignment on Tuesday night since we are heading to the hospital bright and early Tomorrow for Fraser's surgery (undecended testie, common in premies). 

I had cleaned our bathroom on Thursday last week before we left for our camping trip so overall our bathroom was fairly clean. However, I am a mom of a 4 1/2 year old boy and I have to admit his aim some days is not so great (holds it too long). 

So I did discover a wet spot under my garbage can and a wet tissue next to it... Ewwww.... Boys are gross!

Here is the before shot from next to the toilet. Garbage filled with runny nosed kid tissues. 

Here is the after shot

Here is the before photo of the bathroom from the door way, toilet roll on the tank, garbage can full...

Here is the after shot, after I wiped down the counter, put the roll on the hanger, wiped the cupboards etc.

Don't you just hate these man shaving hairs! They are so hard to get rid of!  After  Gord shaves/trims he always wipes up the majority of the hairs but there always seems to be a few left behind! And he always seems to shave the day after I've cleaned the bathroom! 

And here was my nasty little suprise... Pee soaked Kleenex! Ewwww.... 

He (Asher) really is getting better about not holding it and going before he can't control the stream, but I still wipe the bottom of the garbage can every time I clean the bathroom and it's usually wet! 

Tomorrow's Assignment:

• Surface clean living room and Kitchen: Pick up stray items, dust, sweep, vacuum.
• One load of Laundry
• Get rid of 3 items (donate or garbage)

Join me! Comment below to share your blog link or tell me how your assignment went today!

Day 1 - 30 day cleaning challenge - Clean bedroom

Today I'm starting the 30 days of cleaning challenge. 

Today's assignment is: 

• Clean bedroom - dust, sweep, vaccume, put away stray items, bedding. 
• One load of Laundry

I'll be doing one load of laundry each day which helps me keep on top of the laundry rather than having a big daunting laundry day.

I spilled formula powder on the bed in the middle of the night so this assignment was needed! It was in the floor and sheets! Gross!!! 

I started pulling the bed apart and forgot to take a before photo so I started with a mid way photo of the bed. 

Asher was having a show when I started! 

Here is the before photo of the dresser. 

After a little tidying and dusting with my dust mit ( love that thing!)

Before shot of Gords dresser

After

Gords side table before

All the dog hair and dirt I swept up...

The mostly made bed with kids and dog making it impossible to make the bed properly hehe

Assignment #1 done! Now off to have my shake and do one load of laundry!

Tomorrow's Assignment will be: 

• Surface Clean the Bathrooms - Sinks, counters, surfaces wiped down, toilets, sweep floors.  
• One Load of Laundry

30 Days of Cleaning

I've done this 30 day cleaning list in the past and it's been so great!  One task per day to get your house or general life organized and clean!!

I'm going to start it again and try to take before and after photos too!  Yikes!

I may just start it next week, but who else is in with me?  Bloggers, Facebook friends?  Who wants to take on this little challenge with me?

1. Clean bedroom - pick up stray items, dust, sweep, vaccum, change sheets

2. Clean bathrooms

3. Surface clean kitchen and living too

 ( put away items, dust, sweep or vaccume)

4. Organize 3 closets, Cabinets or drawers in the home

5. Clean car - inside vacuum, wipe down, upholstery clean

6. Clean bathrooms

7. Clean interior windows 

8. Sweep or vacuum floors and stairs

9. Surface clean bedrooms

10. Deep clean living room ( baseboards, dust, wipe tables) 

11. Clean bathrooms

12. Clean closets ( hang up clothes, organize mittens, jackets, hats)

13. Surface clean multi room

14. Deep clean bedrooms ( organize drawers, check under bed, tidy closet, dust, blinds, mop)

15. Surface clean living room and kitchen

16. Deep clean bathroom ( inside drawers, inside trash cans, mirror, mop, tub)

17. Clean all door knobs, phones, remotes, switch plates, banisters etc

18. Clean our fridge and organize pantry

19. Surface clean living room and kitchen

21. Surface clean bathrooms

22. Surface clean bedrooms

23. Sweep and vacuum all floors in house 

24. Clean linen closet, straighten towels etc

25. Surface clean living room and kitchen

26. Deep clean kitchen, scrub appliances, wash trash cans, base boards, wipe down and straighten cabinets

27. Surface clean bathroom

28. Surface clean bedroom

29. Clean on item you've been meaning too and haven't ( stove, wipe down light fixtures, car, toys)

30. Sweep and vacuum all floors in house

Easter Colouring Pages

Asher and I searched on pinterest today for some colouring sheets for Easter.

There were so many cute ones but what we found was that many of them when printed turned up blank.  So we took the ones that would come up and saved them to our computer to print.  Since we put in a little work for this project I thought I would share.

I sure hope these work for you to print for your kiddos!  Asher is having a blast colouring each of them!!

Here are a few of the sites which we found these from:

http://delmamoraes.blogspot.ca
http://www.leehansen.com/printables/traceables/holidays/bunny-paper-lines-coloring.html#.U1BD_twtOLk

Minimal Candy Easter Hunt Ideas

I'm not completely opposed to having a few treats hidden for Asher's Easter egg hunt. But I do feel that there are so many options for items you can hide or put in their baskets instead of a huge amount of cheap candy.

Every holiday or special occasion is centred around eating processed "treats". Halloween candy, Easter eggs, valentines day, Christmas time is food food food, the list goes on. 

For Easter last year Asher got a variety of toys like bubbles, race cars, sidewalk chalk, and craft supplies for his Easter egg hunt at our house. I also stuffed plastic eggs with healthy snacks and treats like dark chocolate covered cranberries, Annie's bunnies, raisins etc. he loved it. 

This year we will be camping with a big group of friends and their kids. It sounds like all the moms are on the same page with getting non candy Easter hunt items.

So far I've picked up: 

- Easter themed side walk chalk with holders for each kid

- markers

- bubbles

- plastic eggs to fill with healthy treats 

- playdoh

- jacks

That's just a few items, but here is a list of ideas for your kids Easter hunt or basket.u

Crafts

Colouring books

Sticker books

Crayons, markers 

Colouring kits (target has them for $1)

Stamps, stamp pads

Gardening items

Gardening tools

Kid sized Gloves

Watering can

Windmill

Seed packets

Pots

These Sidewalk chalk holders are awesome!
I found some easter themed ones for $1 at target!

Summer stuff

Bubbles

Sidewalk chalk

Bug catcher

Magnifier 

Sunglasses

Goggles

Ball 

Fishing supplies

Educational

Puzzles

Books

Activity books

Flash cards

Card games

Travel board games
Watch 

Toys

Silly putty or floam

Stuffed animal

Stickers

Cars, trains or other small toys

Coins for the piggy bank

Piggy bank

Glow in the dark stars or bugs

Small dolls or doll clothes

Legos

Playdoh 

New fun cups, plates or silverware

Gift cards for older kids

Jacks
slinky

Other

Hair clips, elastics

Socks with Easter design

Coupons for mommy or daddy date or movie night etc

The options are endless! And you don't have to spend a lot, stores like target and michaels have their $1 bins which contain lots of fun small items perfect for Easter hunts!