RIP Google Reader

If you're like me, and follow all of your blogs through Google Reader, you are also very saddened by the news that after July 1, Google Reader will no longer be available.  And you are also like me in that we have to find a new way to organize and follow blogs.  I don't know if you have a plan of action yet, but if not, BlogLovin' is the same idea as Google Reader in that it collects and organizes all of the blogs you follow in one place (it's where I have moved over to).

Should you choose to use this site, here is the obligatory link to my blog should you like to continue following  :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Simple Joys

Lately, the boys have been completely entertained by sliding down our stairway on their stomaches.  It requires no toys, gear or equipment, yet they can do it and have fun over and over and over.  I know it's pretty cliche, but most of the time it's true, kids are oftentimes more interested in the simple elements of something (like the box) more than anything else.  And if it doesn't require my participation and I get another load of laundry done while they're at it, even better!

Making the Best Of It

It's no secret, I am totally over winter.  I am more than ready to put the winter gear away, play in warm weather, and be outside more.  Unfortunately, Michigan is still covered in white and instead of moping about the house, we decided to get out in it.  So my mother-in-law and I took the boys sledding.  We were out for about an hour, which is pretty much the perfect amount of time.  The boys had a blast and there were just a few tears when snow ended up on faces.

A Much Longer Cleaning List

One of the main reasons that blogging has become a lot more difficult lately is because after we moved, my cleaning list got a whole lot longer.  The last house we lived in was a duplex, so we were essentially living in a two bedroom apartment.  The cleaning list was short, but the amount of space we had was very, very limited.  Now, in our new place there is a bunch more space, but with this new space also comes more places to keep clean.  We have gone from two bedrooms to four and from one bathroom to two and a half.  Thankfully my school load is minimal this semester so the transition to more housework hasn't been too difficult.

One thing that I am finding that really helps is having a cleaning schedule.  I have tweaked it over the last couple of months, but I pretty much have it down now.  Each day I do or clean certain things.  For example, Mondays is laundry day, Tuesday is floor washing day, Thursday is bathroom cleaning day and Friday is vacuum/sweep the whole house day.  There are obviously more things on each day's list, but those are the main things I work at getting done.  I try to keep the weekends as housework-free as possible since we are usually pretty busy and it's always nice to have a break.

I feel a little 1950's housewife-esque with my strict schedule but honestly, I think my stress level would be so much higher without it.  It helps me keep up with all of the housework, I spend less time thinking about how dirty my house is (or how dirty I think it is), and I get overwhelmed less often because I don't try to do everything at once.

How do you do it?  Keep your house clean, I mean.  Are you an everything in one day a week person, or do you spread it out?

Not So Happy First Day of Spring

It's the first day of spring, but mother nature decided that Michigan was going to look more like the tundra.  What makes this weather harder to accept is that a week ago most of the snow was melted, there were birds chirping in the morning and sun shining all day.  I guess she just wants us to really appreciate spring when it gets here, eventually.

Hope your first day of spring is a little less winter-y.  We're off to bundle up and make the trek to the car.