My HTCI Journey: Areas 1-3

It was over a year ago my sister lent me her book The House That Cleans Itself by Mindy Starns Clark.  I began to read it right away and started to understand things that needed to be done to convert my house to the House That Cleans Itself (HTCI) system.  I began my journey way back in September 2014.  You can read my blog My Journey Begins on my cleaning history and why I believe this book was written for people and by people exactly like me.

So, here we are, in February already and I have finally finished the first part of the conversion.  As the book suggested, I diagrammed my house and divided it up into different areas.  35 in total.  I began working on the first area, my entryway, when I realized that some areas need to be done together.  My entryway, which is basically 4 feet squared, opens right into the living room.  There's a closet on the opposite wall which holds our coats.  Every time we leave or enter the house, the closet is used....or should be used.  And that means walking through the living room to do so.  Everything that comes into the house must go somewhere and that would also include walking through the living room.  I decided that I would convert areas 1-3 together because one cannot function without one or both of the others.

Area 1: Entryway

Believe it or not, this isn't even my entryway at its worse.  I came up with the idea for the shoe bin long before I had heard of the book.  It worked, kind of, but not well enough.  We tried to limit how many pairs each person got to put in the bin, but it was just too tempting for all of us to add shoes.  It was easy to take off shoes the moment we came home and put them away, but it overflowed often.  Shoes would sometimes fall into the walkway and block the door from opening or closing.  The end table right next to the door was often the drop spot for whatever came in from outside.  It also held dishes that were never returned to the kitchen.  So, as little as this space is, it had a lot of problems that would need the help of areas 2 and 3 to be solved.

First, everything needed to be cleaned out so I could see the area clearly.  I'm so glad God gave me a creative brain because I needed it to come up with ways to solve problems!  As much as I loved our end tables, they just don't work with our family.  They collect everything and were the cause of much of the mess.  I had to get rid of them completely, not just store them away.  Everything got sorted into boxes that helped to know where things should go.  I eventually got rid of the box idea as it became too overwhelming for me.  The great thing is, I could adapt what I learned in the book to my own personality.  There's no set way to do things.

I realize this is more into my living room, however, the couch has been moved to cutoff the entryway.  There's no room for any drop spot.  Nothing can come in the door and just get left there.  It forces everyone to put their things away.

And finished!!!  It has been this way for a few weeks, and is still clean!

Area 2: Living Room

Not the most embarrassing state, and not the most embarrassing room.  Rambo's dog crate never seemed to have a home.  He uses it often to hide or get away and he goes in there when we leave the house.  Everything that came into the door just landed somewhere, anywhere.  Much of it is MINE.  The TV area is full of video game cases and discs, other DVDs just laying around and empty cases waiting for the disc to be put back in.  Cords strewn everywhere.

My totes and purses never had a place.  I often camped on the far couch and that's where all of my projects sat, eventually overflowing the couch and onto the floor.  Thirty-One stuff, school stuff, church stuff, whatever I was working on was there.  All.  The.  Time.

This small space is what everyone and everything had to squeeze through in order to get to the bathroom and the kids' bedrooms.  The end table collected everything and all my papers I didn't know what to do with (bills, coupons, school papers, etc.).  The trash was intended to be a helpful thing, but was often tripped over and dumped out.  The crates held more school stuff and old school stuff from last year.  The wooden table used to hold a fish tank.  But since it had a drawer and cupboard, we kept it after we got rid of the fish.  Besides, Seth made it.  Like any surface, it collects everything as well.  No flat surface is safe in our house!

The boxes against the wall were part of this HTCI project.  By Christmas, I had to figure out where to put it because that is where our tree goes.  I realized at that point, the box thing was just adding to the problem and not helping to solve.  I do, however, tend to create a mess before making it all clean.

A work in progress, for sure.  Seth even took the kids and left me to the house for an entire day.  It was very helpful.  I switched the couches so the long couch was next to the front door and the love seat on the wall opposite the TV.  I still had to figure out what to do with things as they came in the door.

Finished!!!  I love the new setup.  Seth does, too.  The couches work better.  Since our sound system broke, I had more freedom to move certain things around, like the shelves over there.  The sound system once sat on top and cords were plugged into the TV and speakers hung on walls around the room.  With the sound system gone, I could move the shelves away from the TV, no longer covering a vent.  It also stands next to the closet.  Seth's drop spot is on top of the shelves.  His keys, wallet, and other things go up there and I actually like it next to the closet so everyone who comes in the door puts their things away in the closet and Seth can put his stuff right there, too.  It works great together.

The view from the kitchen towards the front door.  This basically captures the entire living room.  Nothing looks cluttered or out of place!

The entertainment center was a crazy mess of loose discs and cases.  This is one of the those places that we just had to change our habits with.  If you take a disc out of the XBox or Blu-ray, put it in the case and away on the shelves next to the closet.  When you put a disc into one of those places, put the case next to it so the next person can easily find it.  All accessories are nicely wrapped and placed on one of the TV stand.  The boxes hold all of the Skylanders characters and things.

Not totally finished, I guess.  I would like to get a small end table (I know, I know) to hold my projects and things that I tend to spread across the couch and the floor in front of it.  Right now, one of my Thirty-One bags is doing the job.  I'm looking at Craigslist and Goodwill to find just the right one.  One that won't collect things, but will hold my projects in a neat and orderly fashion.

Here, I have 2 bags.  One for school stuff so I can sit down with Alie on the couch to work on school.  It's easily put away and kept out of sight.  The purple bag is my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) bag.  It holds my notes, my binder with my lessons, and my Bible.  I sit on the couch to do my devotions and lessons so I can easily grab it, use it, and put it away.

Ah, the electronic station.  Ipods, cords, XBox controllers, headphones, whatever needs to be plugged in and charged and is used often sits here.  There's no room to collect anything that doesn't belong.  And if something does happen to land here, it can get taken care of easily.

I used to keep my calendar in the kitchen because that's where my mom kept hers.  It turns out, there's no rule that says the calendar has to be in the kitchen!  I spend most of my time in the living room.  I no longer have a land line near the kitchen so when I get a call, it's on my cell phone, and I'm probably on the couch.  I can make appointments and check what's happening in my life right in the room where I spend most of my time.  The hanging pockets, Thirty-One of course, hold the important papers that come in the door but can't be thrown away or filed yet.  Bills, receipts, phone numbers, school papers, etc.  I can see it will get full quickly so I'll probably go through it once a month.  The bottom pocket holds the things for other people.  If it's not for me to deal with, it goes in that pocket.  Right now it has Little A's BSF lesson and not sure what else.  Just below the hanging pockets is a large trash can (got rid of that small one) and the shredder.  If it doesn't belong in the pockets, it probably goes into one of those.  I love this new paper station!

Rambo loves the red box.  He often sits there and watches out the window.  We are looking for a new one, though, since that one is getting kinda filthy.  We originally bought it to hold XBox and Wii games, but it was too difficult for people to put them away, especially after we got Rambo.  Rambo's crate finally has a home!

Area 3: Front Closet

This was just a mess.  It drove me crazy, but I didn't know how to fix it without spending a lot of money.  I wanted hooks to hang coats on, but Seth said it wouldn't work.  So, our coats just got tossed in here and when you wanted your coat,  you had to dig for it.  The Thirty-One bags hold our winter stuff - gloves, hats, scarves, snowpants, etc.  But once they were opened, everything spilled out and nothing was returned.  So, if you wanted a matching pair of gloves, you had to dig through the pile of coats.  And anything random just kinda got thrown in there, too.  I had to decide how to use the closet efficiently.

Hanging coats was never going to happen in our family.  So, I bought a couple bins for coats and shoes.  The shoe bin was too small, as I had expected, which is why I bought a stackable bin.  And the bins for the coats didn't both fit.  One is now the trash in the living room.  The 2 Thirty-One bags on the shelf were a temporary fix.  I knew they weren't going to stay there, but I needed to find something for our small winter things.

I'm so glad I discovered a hook on the wall just inside the closet.  A while back, I purchased a trash holder for the car from a neighbor kid's fundraiser.  It didn't work too well in the car, but when I hung it on the hook in the closet: BOOM!  A purse holder!!!  My purses have a home!!!  I take off my coat, my shoes, and hang up my purse.  Love it.

Cleaning supplies on the second shelf and games on top.  So far, so good.

Finished!!!  I bought small bins for our hats, gloves, etc. and each person has his/her own small bin.  When winter ends, I can put them back into the Thirty-One bags and store them and then put pool toys and summer things in the bins!

I bought the second stackable bin to hold the shoes.  Most go in the top bin, but a few can easily be reached from the bottom.  The vacuum cleaner actually fits in the closet and can easily be taken out and put away.  Coats all go in the large bin.  Still need to dig a little, but the mess at least stays contained.

A few things for the car will be stored in here until I get to the car HTCI portion.

Our individual bins!  I also have a Thirty-One bag with cleaning supplies which I hope to be filled with Norwex products someday.

No more beating up game boxes and losing cards and small pieces.  The games are now nicely organized on the top shelf.

And my purses!!!

A lot of work?  Yes.  Time?  Of course.  Effort?  Quite a bit.  Worth it?  Absolutely!!!  Now that we know where things belong and what to do when we enter the house, things are staying cleaner longer.  A few things still get left out and I do have to remind people to put things away (including myself), but it gets done!  The house is actually cleaning itself because it's set up to match our family's habits.  I love it so much!!!

Next, areas 4 and 5.  See you then!

Here we go 2015!

The new year has begun!  Most people have resolutions they want to try to do in the new year.  Many are ways to better themselves.  And, most have failed by March.

I am always trying to do things better, make life easier, and do all things for God's glory.  I often fail, but that's because I'm human and I have a sinful nature.  Isn't it wonderful that God forgives?

The new year isn't really my "new" year.  To me, it's just, getting back into the same routine I had before the Christmas break.  My new year typically starts with the new school year....that's when I tend to resolve to do things better.

However, I do try to grow closer to the Lord throughout the year.  Life is a roller coaster.  Sometimes I do really well and things are going smoothly and my new routine in life is working.  Other times, I struggle to get out of bed, get dressed, or do a single chore.

As I was lying in bed one night, I thought about how people make new year's resolutions.  And I thought to myself, "what is the one thing I would like to improve in my life?"  Immediately, the answer came to me: Make every aspect of my life Christ-centered.

I have to admit, that will be a tough one.  Of course, I've wanted to make Christ more central to my life, but that sinful part of me loves to take the central spot.  So, how would I make more of an effort to do this?

I came up with this....what is it called, anagram?  something???  You'll get the picture.  hahaha

C - creativeness   Any time I'm using my creative talents, I want Christ to not only be a part of them, but to be the center of them.  Skits, songs, even blogs....Christ needs to be central.

H - health    I tend to give in to my snacky cravings.  Nighttime is typically the hardest to resist because then I can eat whatever I want without the kids asking to have some.  I really need to consider what I'm doing with my body.  Am I using my body for the Lord?  Am I considering the fact that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?  Or am I just stuffing whatever junk I want into it and sitting around without much activity causing my body to grow unwanted fat cells and lose the nutrients needed to be active?  Whether I'm sitting, running, eating, snacking, Christ needs to be central.

R - routine   Although I don't mind spontaneity, I do need a routine to keep me on track.  I have multiple alarms to keep the kids and me going.  My kids usually get their things done.  But, I ignore the alarms meant for me.  I can't do that.  I have to push through my laziness, tiredness, excuses, and get the things done that I need to get done.  No matter what I'm doing in a day, I need to glorify God in it.  I can't glorify God if all I'm doing is sitting on the couch.  My daily routine needs Christ in the center.

I - instruction   As a mother, teacher, Sunday school teacher, and many other authoritative hats, I have many opportunities to give instruction.  How can I teach my children to live with Christ at the center of their lives if I'm not doing it myself?  Ouch.  I want to lead by example and if I'm doing something I wouldn't approve of my children doing or I wouldn't want those under my authority to be doing, I shouldn't be doing it either!  I homeschool my youngest and I have a Sunday School class and I need to be sure that any time I'm giving them instructions, it is Christ-centered.

S - solo time    Everyone needs their me time.  I do my Bible study everyday, I talk to my Creator everyday, I have my me time to do whatever everyday, so I'm not lacking in me time.  But, every type of me time must have Christ at the center.  Sometimes I take up too much time for myself and I use it as an excuse to not do other things.  Sometimes, I do my Bible study just to get it done without really talking to God about it.  Sometimes, I don't really put my heart into my prayers when I need to.  Any time I'm spending time alone whether it is in His Word or just watching a movie, Christ must be in the center.

T - Thirty-One   When I began my career as a Thirty-One consultant, I told God it was all for Him.  He was the One who led me into this decision and has provided for me in the last year and a half, almost 2 years.  I made the decision at the very beginning that I would not sacrifice my family, church, Sundays, Bible studies, or my faith to do this job.  Although I don't feel like I have sacrificed any of that, I've still forgotten to give it to God.  I've become lazy in my business and not let God lead me in it.  I have responsibilities in this part of my life that God wants me to do.  I need to make God more central in my business.

I tried to cover every part of my life here so that whatever I'm doing throughout the day, I can put that activity into one of these categories and ask, "is Christ in the center of this part of my life right now?"  I'm hoping it will convict me every time I answer "no" to that question and rethink why I'm doing whatever it is I'm doing.

I guess this is my new year's resolution....one that I want to continue for the rest of my life....one I know I will fail at times....but one that I can always return to.  I want Christ to be my very center so that everything I do and say reflects Him.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."  Colossians 3:17  NIV

She's 8!!!

Today is Little A's 8th birthday.  She was the baby we had to wait for....the only baby born after the due date....and she was well worth the wait!

Born in the midst of a baby boom, all of the rooms in the hospital were full, so we were wheeled through the tunnels to the birthing center....all while trying to come up with her name.

 It wasn't until after midnight that we finally agreed on a name for our precious baby girl.

The baby boom included 2 of my sisters, so Little A has 2 cousins close to her age.

Since today is going to be busy, I'm writing her birthday blog before it really gets started.  We will have her choice of lunch today: chicken patties.  Not sure what else we will do today, but we must pack.  Yep, we're leaving to head to Iowa today.  It was Little A's choice to leave today because she wants to celebrate her birthday in Iowa with her grandparents and cousins up there.

This morning, we woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" to her and then we sent her on a mission (she wants to be a spy).

We couldn't give her this bike and then leave!  Even though it's pretty cold outside, I hope she has a chance to try it out.

Tomorrow evening, we will be having Little A's favorite meal: enchiladas.  Along with a chocolate birthday cake frosted to look like a Minecraft creeper.  Hopefully it turns out ok.  I'm not much of  a cake decorator!

Here's some Little A facts:

She loves owls.....even before owls were everywhere.  I remember having so much trouble finding stuffed owls one year, I ordered some online and I think 1 or 2 of them arrived late!

Little A has inherited the artist gene from her dad.  She has always loved to draw and create things.  When she's not playing her favorite video games, she's drawing or putting together a project she came up with on her own.

She is such a cuddle bug.  She is the sweetest little cuddler ever.  She hates saying goodbye and loves to just snuggle up on anyone's lap, especially mine or her daddy's.  She is also very good at taking care of us when we're sick, bringing us drinks, checking our temperature, and making sure we're comfortable.

Little A has a bit of a goofy side, too.  She loves getting a hold of an ipod and taking mounds of pictures of herself and tons of videos.  Some are quite funny.  Whenever she gets a camera on her, you never know what kind of look she'll give you.

Not too much of a girly girl, she still enjoys dressing up, but with her own style.  She also isn't afraid to get down and dirty.  She may have inherited that from me.

Little A gets along well with her sister, and really well with her brother.  On any given day, I will see her and her sister dressing up or playing with ponies.  Or I will see her and her brother running through the house with Nerf weapons or just wrestling and pounding on each other.  Even though her brother is 5 years older, she can still hold her own!  She's very friendly and easily makes friends and is like a big sister to her younger cousins.

She's growing up so fast and I look forward to seeing the beautiful young woman God is creating her to be.

Happy 8th birthday, Little A!  I love you!!!

Winter

I am one of those crazy wackos who loves winter.  I get excited at the first sight of a snowflake.  I enjoy breathing in cold air and watching my breath come out in steam.  I love wearing my hat, winter coat, gloves, and my boots.  I simply LOVE winter.

Winter, it seems, gets the most complaints out of every season and it makes me sad.  I understand that people don't like to be cold.  And I get it that driving in snowy/icy weather can be a bit scary or frustrating.  And shoveling and scraping the car are probably the least favorite winter activities.  Every season has its downside....so why does winter have to be the one people hate the most?  That I don't get.

I hate summer.  But, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy it when it's here.  It's part of life, it's part of the whole earth going around the sun.  It's how God created this world to be.  I might complain about the heat, humidity, and the bugs, but I don't whine about it all. summer. long.  I've accepted it as part of God's beauty.  I do find things I like about summer....I love to swim.  My kids play outside more.  Summer brings many fun vacation memories.  Summer is not all that bad.  It's just at the bottom of my list of seasons.

Spring is ok.  I love thunderstorms, I love rain, I love watching the clouds for possible tornadoes.  But then again, mud comes with all of that.  Mud just makes things dirty....well, mud IS wet dirt.  So, spring isn't awful to me.  I rarely complain about spring.  Perhaps the annoying thing is that sometimes I need a jacket and sometimes I don't.....often times within 10 minutes.  That little breeze just makes spring not very enjoyable.  And spring means summer is coming.  I know many people love spring because everything is blossoming again, leaves are returning on the trees....and I couldn't care less about all of that.  Still, spring has its good things that I can enjoy.

Fall is like the opening act (because obviously, winter is the main event).  We get a taste of the cool air.  Fall is prefect for camping out in the back yard, having bonfires, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.  Yes, I realize those could all be done in summer, too, but the cooler weather makes all of those activities way more fun!  The trees turn beautiful colors...yellow, orange, red, purple, pink...and the colors are all scattered.  I wonder what fall would look like from the clouds?  How amazing that would be to see!!!

Why do I love winter so much?  I love the snow...the beautiful white covering everything, falling so gracefully.  Sledding used to be an annual event and I miss the freedom of being able to go sledding all winter long.  Skiing is really fun, too.  Being outside with friends, snowball fights, building snowmen, being pulled behind a tractor on an inner tube....Then inside, we get hot chocolate with marshmallows, a funny family movie, and playing games.  Hot chocolate just isn't as tasty when it's not cold outside.  I was born in winter, so it's just a part of me!  Iowa winters used to bring a lot of snow and would stay for months!!!  I remember going sledding during recess at school (I guess kids don't play outside for recess when it snows anymore.....I was almost heartbroken when I found this out.)

So, when people continuously complain about winter, cold, and snow, it makes me sad.  Sure, one little complaint is understandable.....after it's been around awhile.  But at the first sign of winter, the first snowflake, the first time the thermometer drops below 32*, what are you whining about?  This is God's creation!  God's beauty!  When you whine that we must have winter, I feel like you're whining about the amazing seasons God has created for us to enjoy.

I know many people hate winter.  But, instead of calling snow "gross" or wishing it were a different season, before winter even really starts, just find the good things about winter.  And thank God for it.  Then, if it's still cold and snowy by February, I'll allow some complaining.  I won't be, but each season gets its turn, and I accept that.

I plan to be thankful through each season, no matter what frustrations it brings because God created all seasons and I choose to enjoy each one.

Towels

Every family has their own way of doing things.  So when 2 people get married, they're bringing in 2 different ideas on how to do things.  Especially if their families are very different from each other.

When my parents got married, one of the things they didn't agree on was how to squeeze a tube of toothpaste.  So, when I was about to marry Seth, I asked about his toothpaste squeezing technique.  It matched mine!  I guess that made him a keeper.  ;)

Of course, there were many other things we discovered that needed some adjustments, explanations, and compromises.

Food:  He grew up with real food, while many of the foods I grew up with came from a box.
Milk:  He grew up with whole milk, I grew up with 2%.
Butter:  He grew up with real butter, I grew up with margarine.
Bed:  He was used to sleeping alone.  He always had the bed made perfectly and would wiggle down into his covers from the top.  His head would always be way at the top of the bed because he doesn't like his feet hanging off the end.  I guess that would be an issue for a 6 foot tall man.  I, on the other hand, almost always shared a bed with one of my sisters.  I could sleep with the covers in any sort of mess.  I liked to sleep about half down the bed curled up in a ball.  That one threw us in for a loop when we first got married.  I had to make sure there was not a single wrinkle in the bed...not even on my side!  The covers had to be evenly spread.  And, I had to learn to sleep up higher on the bed so my head would still be out of the covers.

Then, there was this one thing that neither one of us understood of each other until recently.  And I mean more than 16 years after being married!

Towels.

Growing up, we took clean towels from the cupboard where they were nicely folded and stacked.  Afterward, we hung the towels so they would dry.  We would also reuse a towel before washing it so we knew which towel was the one we used before.  My mom beat it in our heads not to throw the towels down the laundry shoot while they were wet because then they would get mildewy.  Yes, that was a word in my house.

In Seth's family, however, clean towels were hung.  If you needed a towel, you would take a towel that was hanging.  And when you were finished, it went to the laundry.  No reusing of towels, no worries about mildew.  And no grabbing towels from the cupboard unless there were no towels hanging up ready for use.

As you can see, this provided much confusion.  When we visited my parents' house, Seth would always grab a towel that was hanging...assuming it to be clean.  Most of the time it was my mom's towel and in our early years of marriage, she would freak out that someone took her towel.  This led to my husband being so scared of grabbing the wrong towel, he would always ask me to find one for him.  And if he forgot to ask for a towel ahead of time....oops.  Grabbed the wrong towel again!

When we visited Seth's parents' house, I would always try to find one in the cupboard and then hang it when I was finished.  I'm not sure if someone used my towel by mistake ever because it was hanging, but I don't ever remember getting in trouble for using towels wrong.  Maybe my in-laws were upset and never said anything or they never knew that I hung my used towel in the bathroom.  I was always under the impression that Seth and his family used whatever towel was hung (and in my mind used), no matter who had used it last.  At first, I found it to be gross, but eventually started using whatever towel was hung if there wasn't a clean one in the cupboard...even at home.  Since at home, Seth would use whatever towel was hanging in the bathroom, no matter who used it last, I didn't think a used towel bothered him.

It wasn't until our most recent visit to my parents' house in September of this year, that the whole towel thing was cleared up.  My mom, now having learned that her towel is not safe from being used by Seth, set our clean, folded towels on the dresser in the room we were staying in.  Seth, still fearing he would grab the wrong towel, asked what towel to use.  I told him there were towels folded in our room specifically for us to use.  He just wanted to make sure.  When I finally explained to him how towels in my parents' house worked, he was beyond disgusted that he had always been using someone else's used towel!!!  I was confused because I thought he always used someone else's used towel.

"Ew gross!!!  If I had known that was how you did towels, I would never use the one that's hanging in the bathroom!!!  That's so gross!!!"

Well, then.  I had become accustomed to using whatever towel was there so to realize that he was grossed out by what he'd been doing for 16 years, I had to find out what his family's system was.  He then explained the towel rules in his family.

You would think that we would have realized this dilemma years ago...but who knew people would have different towel systems and routines?  So, for those of you getting married soon...or maybe those who have been married for years and have towel issues you don't understand....perhaps explaining where to get a clean towel and where to put the dirty one is a conversation you should have.

Just don't let little issues like this cause you to throw in the towel on your marriage.