Ready. Set. Go.

As we went to bed Friday night, I consciously knew that the weekend would be busy, that laundry needed to be done, and of course unpacking...etc. What I subconsciously knew was that I would not really feel like doing any of those activities. With the preparations for Christmas in general & simultaneously getting ready to be gone for week, and now being back and getting back into the rhythm of daily life, I feel like there is always something that needs to be done. We are usually really busy, ministering to 2 different church communities takes up a lot of {unconventional} time. We are working most weekends and many week nights and while that means that we might not get into the office at the traditional start of a work day, that also means that projects or household things other families accomplish on weekends don't always fit in that same spot for us. 

So. My solution, which is in no way profound, has been trying hard to (1) Pick 1 or 2 us/home things to do at a time and (2) to not let time deter my progress. Maybe I don't have a solid block of time to wash, dry, fold, AND put-away laundry, but I just get as far as I can. Last night, I unpacked the rest of our suitcases and got some laundry washed and dried; this morning, laundry went in as I jumped in the shower, which was at least one less thing to do when we get home from work tonight. Same thing applies to errands. In the last couple of days we have gone on several little errands runs as we have had time. Would it be nice to just get everything done at one? Of course. but we are making life work with the time we have.

I'm sure many of you who have been managing your homes for a lot longer than me are reading this and smiling to yourself, remembering the early days of figuring out your own family norms. However, to anyone reading this who is new at this married adventure or even just living on your own for the first time, I wish I had better advice than the reality that you just have to make the most of whatever time you have and get something done, but I really don't. My encouragement though is that doing something does make a difference. You will feel better, something will be accomplished that wasn't before, and to me, that is a win :) 

Our various unpacking/Christmas messes these last few days. Messes look classier in black and white right?! :) 

Download day.

Happy friday world. Today as I woke up and began to start my day, I was hit with the reality that my apartment could go no longer without a bit of cleaning. Personally, keeping up with cleaning is something I have to work at, particularly if I have recently had to pack or unpack for a trip. AKA laundry, dishes, general cleaning of all kinds were all on the list for today. Now, other wiser and more experienced ladies & bloggers seem to have on some level mastered the whole "not letting everything pile up until the last minute before it gets hazardous" type of cleaning routines better that I have. So after doing some rigorous catch-up this morning, my life feels like it's back in order, and I as I wait for laundry to dry (yes, so I can fold it/put away...the whole nine yards) I set out to find some cleaning ideas! 

{Mom & Dad, if you are reading this, yes I voluntarily am cleaning and blogging about it! You're welcome that I have saved this life skill to practice after moving out} 

Two things I found while looking for cleaning lists/ideas I liked. First, it was through living with other people in dorm spaces in college that I learned how much cleaning/not cleaning your area can affect other people. However, while there are lots of cute little printables {see way below} for people who have moved onto apartment/condo/house living - dorm dwellers really get left behind. So after finding this little article: Dorm Cleaning Philosophy...my dear college ladies, I made you all your own cute college dorm/apartment approved cleaning list to download :) Dorm cleaning download - Have funnnn.

For the rest of us, who sometimes may wish for a moment that we only had one half of a room to be responsible for cleaning, here are my favorite home cleaning checklist finds to download and enjoy. Hope this is helpful! If nothing else, it's encouraging to my own cleaning efforts to at least have a cute little list to check off - ha!

 >> Kyla

Download 1 // Download 2 // Download 3 // Download 4