Like I sad we are starting with the kid's bedroom today. Plus the classroom. But I'm posting this for the rest of you that are faster then me. We will get to this on Thursday, most of you will be done with the Spring Cleaning by then. And that is OK as long as we get it done! I'm taking extra time because we will be having a garage sale at our church on May 10th and I want to make sure I get as much stuff as I can out of my house that I do not need.
I noticed that sometimes it's hard to part with things, but I have to think hard and long, do I rely need this? Most of the time it's something that I've had for years and I have not used it in years. We all have to learn just to let go. One more thing, it's interesting to see kids part with their things. Especially when you tell them it's for a good cause, they can get carried away and they want to give to much.
This year I would like to take my kids to the garage sale at church and help our as much as we can. Please pray that all of us will be in good health, so we could go.
Blessings for a new week!
Posted by Sylvia
Holiness
This is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; and in him there is not darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
If I were to ask you, “what is the outward appearance of godliness?” How would you answer? How someone dresses? Her hair or makeup? Her modesty or lack thereof? Her shoes or her face whether she is smiling or not?
Actually, the only real outward evidence of godliness is Godlike character. God-likeness is character that is built upon God-centeredness - devotion to God. Therefore, it would be logical to conclude that we are as God-like or godly as we are devoted to Him.
To be God-like is to be holy. God says, “Be holy for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) And Paul tells us that we are called to a holy life, a life for which we have been called and set apart. What is holiness? To be holy means to be set apart and in the context of being God-like, it means to be without sin. That is the goal that we are all to be pursuing. We will never reach that goal in this life. This life is where we pursue and grow, the next life is where we attain.
Every little lie, every slight, every roll of the eyes, each sigh of impatience, the tiny bit of dishonesty…. now matter how small are all an affront to our holy God. Holiness is required of us and we have been given the Holy Spirit to help us learn holiness.
For example: read Ephesians 4:25-5:7. It is clear that God requires honesty, peacefulness and purity. As we grow we understand that these are standards for living. Soon, we become convicted of telling whoppers! Then soon we realize that speaking the truth at all times is required, and that any attempt to deceive is a sin. Finally, we grow to understand that those little white lies that we often tell to save face are sinful.
Three Questions for you:
Are you growing in holiness? Are you spending time in the Word daily? As you study year after year, the Holy Spirit is able to establish godly convictions in your heart to help you live a holy life.
Are you self-centered or God-centered? Most people are naturally self-centered. But if we are diligent to examine ourselves in the light of Scripture, we can find where we fail and where we are motivated incorrectly. We should seek holiness not because it makes us look good but because it honors and glorifies God. What it means to be God-centered.
How much sin are you letting slide by every day? You can’t live a holy lifestyle out of sheer will. But you must put forth the effort to live that life, and aided by the Holy Spirit, you can grow in holiness and God-centeredness.
As you examine yourself today, rejoice in the fact that God loves you just the way you are! And then let that fact motivate you toward honoring Him and giving Him glory with your life through your choices and a holy lifestyle.
Today we will tackle the HALLWAY and the BATHROOM.. The master bath or family bath, children’s bath or guest bath….matters not to me. Which ever one needs your attention the most. We just have one so I guess that’s where I’ll be cleaning today! laugh.gif
If you don’t have a hallway, just forget about it, or if you have strength to keep going after cleaning the bathroom, choose another room to get started in! If you DO have a hallway, use the Living Room Lists to help you remember what to do in there as far as cleaning specifics.
Faithmom6 (Linda Maria) coined the term “Bleach-Wear” for us last year. So don your bleach wear and let’s get busy in the bathroom. wink.gif At least wear some socks so you won’t track up the floor when you’re washing it.
This is one room where you will really use those natural cleaners you’ve been making!
First Things:
Pick up the room. Take out all dirty laundry and towels.
Take down the shower curtain. Put the plastic one in to wash.
Wash the cloth one if you have one. (Remember what I said earlier in the week about taking care to read your labels and only wash things that are supposed to be washed.)
Take down curtains. Prepare them to wash or just air them outside.
Take out the trash, fill the trash can with cleaner and water to soak of needed, if not give it a quick rinse and set it outside to air while you clean.
Second Things:
Get yourself a box or basket. Pick up all the nicnacs, soaps, lotions, etc that are sitting on the counter-top and tub, put them in the basket.
Sweep the floor, shake out rugs and take them to the laundry or air outside.
Use your natural cleaner and spray the tub and sink and commode to let it sit a while.
If you use commode cleaner of some kind, go ahead and put some in the commode to let it soak. A good natural cleaner for the commode is borax.
Pull everything out of the linen closet and under the sink area. Go through it carefully and throw away what is out of date or old or unused. Find yourself some storage containers like baskets or small plastic trays to keep your bathroom items in. Try using a medium sized basket to put blow-dryers, curling irons, etc, in.
Take everything out of the medicine cabinet too and go through it ruthlessly! Throw stuff away that is expired and truly useless.
Put your linens out on the dining room table while you work.
Make yourself a sink of hot soapy water or hot water with your cleaner of choice in it. Get your rags ready.
Now the Nitty Gritty Cleaning!
Wash the inside of the cabinets and shelves in the linen closet. This is a good time to line them! Don’t forget the floor of the closet. Refold the linens and replace them in the closet. Consider spraying them with some nice lavender water or other light scent.
Wash out the medicine cabinet.
Wash down walls and window frames, door frames and tile if you have it.
Take down blinds if they are dirty and soak them in the tub in warm water and dish soap while you clean.
Wash the ceiling if it needs it.
Wash the walls. Use caution if your walls are papered or painted, be gentle.
Wash the baseboards or the area where the floor and wall meet.
Scrub the tub if you’re not using it to soak the blinds. If you are, just wait on this. A scotch brite is great for cleaning the tub if your tub is not resurfaced porcelain.
Scrub the counter tops, commode tank and outside of the commode.
Scrub the floor.
Scrub the shower. Don’t forget the walls of the shower or tub area.
Change your wash water if needed.
Scrub your blinds with a brush, rinse them and take them outside to dry while you clean the tub, inside and out.
Wash the windows and mirrors using glass cleaner.
Wipe down shelves and inside cabinets, cabinet tops.
Wash the sink.
If you are going to disinfect, this is the time to do it. If you’ve been using a disinfectant cleaner, you can skip this part. If you have been using a cleaner that does not disinfect, you can use rubbing alcohol or one of the antibacterial sprays.
I periodically use bleach all over my floor because I have tile with grout that gets yellowed. I open the window and pour bleach over the grout, spread it with my sponge mop, close the door and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Then I go in and mop it up with water and dry it with a towel.
Here is a tip about getting rid of mold from this web site:
The Good Human
You can use Borax and white vinegar to make a spray that you can aim directly at the mold in the tub or shower. Once you spray it, leave it to sit for 30-60 minutes and then go back in and wipe it off. Presto, the mold will start coming off and you did not have to inhale toxic chemicals to do so. Just mix about 2 ounces of Borax and a cup of white vinegar and you are ready to go.
As a back up and a maintenance tip, you can also periodically spray the moldy “areas” with straight vinegar and just let it sit there and soak in. The vinegar will kill the mold that might be growing and it will halt the growth of new mold.
Please be careful if you use bleach.. Don’t let me hear that you have mixed bleach with other household chemicals and cleaners!
Get your rugs washed and dried and back in the room.
Replace your nicnacs and notions, lotions, potions. Wash the bottles with a cleaning rag before putting them up.
Rehang the shower curtains, rehang window curtains.
Light a candle and just look at that clean bathroom!
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Organizing The Bathroom
By Robin D.
There tend to be two consistent issues when talking about bathrooms; clutter and storage. It probably goes without saying that a problem with the former makes the latter even more difficult! So, take the time to de-clutter first, then deal with your storage issues.
Here are a few ideas to jump-start you in this room.
*Cabinets and drawers.
If you have any are you using them effectively? Why or why not? If you don’t have cabinets do you need to get creative and create some cabinet type storage?
*Now, as to the bathroom as a whole…when you first enter this room what really bugs you? What would you like to change? Why would you like to make this change? Take the time to focus on changes that not only help with storage and visual appeal but also help with cleaning issues. Then figure out if the changes you want are short-term, medium-term, or long-term goals. Write them down if you need to. Many of us are more productive with a check-list!
*Have you considered using pump soaps in place of bar soap? Bars can be messy and difficult to use.
*Can you hang an organizer over the shower head to provide a place to keep shampoo, conditioner, etc.? Suction hooks to hold brushes and sponges?
*Do you need to place racks, hooks, shelves, or containers in the cabinets to expand storage?
*How do you store your towels, wash cloths, etc.? Would you like to change it? Could a decorative basket or box be used to hold your towels? Or perhaps you could use an over-the-door rack?
*Pay attention when re-organizing items so they are user friendly. Place items you use together in the same area (such as your hairdryer and make-up).
*Clean out your medicine cabinet. Discard and old medications and make sure any areas that contain dangerous items are child-proof. And remember, under the bathroom cabinet isn’t really the best place for cleaning products to be stored!!
*What type waste basket are you using? Does it have a lid? Do you need one? Often when pets or small children are in the home it’s best to have a trashcan with a lid.
*Do towel racks/rods/hooks need to be removed? Replaced? Moved to a new area of the bathroom?
*When picking out floor mats consider ones with non-skid backing. You can also check into non-skid appliqués for the tub.
*Keeping extra rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom is very helpful and much appreciated by guests.
*Many bath stores now carry disposable hand towels you can use when entertaining guests.
*The new wipe packs are very useful for cleaning. You can get basic cleaning products in wipe form; they’re great for touching up areas in between cleaning days.
*If you have small children that use toys in the tub, devise a system for dealing with this. Perhaps you allow the toys to drain in the sink after use and when dry have a special container they stay in?
And remember…just because they’re tub toys doesn’t mean they stay cleaner than other toys! Take the time to regularly clean and disinfect them. Some can be run through the dishwasher, others can be cleaned with a diluted bleach solution and allowed to completely air dry before using them again.
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