January 8, 2008 - SHINY HOME CHALLENGE

[tempus vernum]

DAILY STUFF
HOT spots - 5 mins 2x's a day (10 pts)
Declutter - 15 mins/day (10 pts)
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes)
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up)
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up - maximum of 45 points)
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family

Challenge 1/8/8 -- CLOSET TIME - spend 10 minutes in each closet straightening and decluttering (50 pts per closet)

Bonus 1/8/8 -- Serve your children. In our home, we call it grace or service. My kids have a chore list and sometimes I surprise them by doing it and giving them a hug. But if your kids don't have chores, do something you don't normally do for them -play a board gave they beg for that you can't stand, bake their favorite treat, take them for hot cocoa, etc (100 points).

********************************
Thanks lumpofclay for helping with points

Updated 11:12pm EST 1/8/8

Rstump: 1075 (points only from 1/3 & 1/4)
KatIsSavedByGrace: 115 (pts only from 1/3)
FROGmomma: 2500 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7)
lumpofclay: 1580 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7)
PlayfulMommy: 1475 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/8)
lksparks: 2745 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7)
WIMama05: 2465 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7, 1/8)
MommaCat: 1720 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7)
jujubnme: 160 (pts from 1/3)
purstrength: 365 (pts from 1/3, 1/4)
naturalia: 1525 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7, 1/8)
joyfulmama: 1320 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7)
ElectricEarth: 1165 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, 1/5&6, 1/7)
KatieMae: 735 (pts from 1/7, 1/8)
SonshineMama 1620 (pts from 1/3, 1/4, and 1/5&6)


happyhousewife needs to total her points from 1/7

[lumpofclay]

:rockon I love the challenge AND bonus!

DH leaves tomorrow for a 3-day trip, so it's very well-timed to have a "serve the children" item! :heart

[WI Mama05]

subbing :cool

[naturallia]

subbing

[joyful mama]

ooh I hate closets! :lol

love the bonus :heart

[KatieMae]

DAILY STUFF
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes) 15pts
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up) 15pts
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up - maximum of 45 points) 45pts
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family - 150pts

Challenge 1/8/8 -- CLOSET TIME - spend 10 minutes in each closet straightening and decluttering (50 pts per closet) - Soooo tired by the end of the day, but I got one done earlier. I will seriously try to do the other two tomorrow... 50pts

Bonus 1/8/8 -- Serve your children. They're sick right now & so we can't go to any playgroups so I took them out to get donuts this morning for a treat and then this afternoon we were outside for a few hours for playing & swinging & drawing with chalk on the driveway (100 points).

TODAY'S TOTAL: 375 :woohoo


CAN I ALSO ASK... What are your hot spots? And what are you decluttering?
I really don't know what to count for those - my 15 minute pick-ups are toy tidying in the living room & kitchen so I don't know what else to do for the others!

[Six Little Feet]

DAILY STUFF
HOT spots - 5 mins 2x's a day (10 pts)
Declutter - 15 mins/day (10 pts)
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes) DONE FOR 15 PTS
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up) DONE FOR 5 Points
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up - maximum of 45 points) Done for 45 points
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family DONE FOR 150 POINTS

Challenge 1/8/8 -- CLOSET TIME - spend 10 minutes in each closet straightening and decluttering (50 pts per closet)

Bonus 1/8/8 -- Serve your children. In our home, we call it grace or service. My kids have a chore list and sometimes I surprise them by doing it and giving them a hug. But if your kids don't have chores, do something you don't normally do for them -play a board gave they beg for that you can't stand, bake their favorite treat, take them for hot cocoa, etc (100 points). DONE!!!! :) :) :) :) :)

320 points....

[naturallia]

I did nothing today, Ryan's sick. So... Zero points for me!

[tempus vernum]

I did nothing today, Ryan's sick. So... Zero points for me!


:hugheart we didn't get anything done here. praying he is well soon :pray4

I was coming on to apologize that I haven't gotten points updated :blush I am not feeling up to sitting on the puter tonight.

[WI Mama05]

We were gone ALL DAY and I *just* got home and got the kids to bed. I'm exhausted. Only 150 pts for my devotions today! :heart

[Garland]

I had a busy day today and wasn't home much. So just some basics for me:

Declutter - 15 mins/day (10 pts)
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes)
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up)

Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family

Today's Total = 180

[joyful mama]

HOT spots - 5 mins 2x's a day (10 pts) DONE 10 pts
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes) some dishes- 5 pts. dishwasher isn't working properly and I just didn't feel like handwashing :shifty
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up) lots of laundry not quite caught up - 5pts
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up - maximum of 45 points) X2- 30 pts.
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family- 150 pts.


Bonus 1/8/8 -- Serve your children. In our home, we call it grace or service. My kids have a chore list and sometimes I surprise them by doing it and giving them a hug. But if your kids don't have chores, do something you don't normally do for them -play a board gave they beg for that you can't stand, bake their favorite treat, take them for hot cocoa, etc (100 points). - done :). i picked up sandy's toys before bed, and took them to a park for 1 1/2 hours :heart 100 pts.

300 pts total

[tempus vernum]

Wednesday's posted :)

http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/mb/index.php?topic=152734.0

[Myrtle]

HOT spots - 5 mins 2x's a day (10 pts) done

Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink) done
Laundry (15 pts for caught up) done
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up) one done
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) yes

Challenge 1/8/8 -- CLOSET TIME - spend 10 minutes in each closet straightening and decluttering (50 pts per closet)
2 closets done


305 today
3050 total

********************************

[Myrtle]

CAN I ALSO ASK... What are your hot spots? And what are you decluttering?
I really don't know what to count for those - my 15 minute pick-ups are toy tidying in the living room & kitchen so I don't know what else to do for the others!


my main hot spot is the counter next to the stove. Everything collects there. Mail, books, toys, messages, whatever. I had it "cooled" for a couple of days and thought it might go away, but nope. Everyday, hot as ever.
I have two other hot spots also. My desk collects all the things I keep meaning to get around to but never do. Stuff the kids made that I want to put away, letters I want to write, projects I want to start. And dh's desk collects all the stuff I need to file. Tax stuff, bills, insurance info, etc. I don't know why I don't just put the stuff away. I tend to just lay it in a pile instead. Getting better though. :yes

[KatieMae]

You mean I have to clean my desk every day?! And file all those papers?! Nooooooooooooooooooo! :giggle

[tempus vernum]

CAN I ALSO ASK... What are your hot spots? And what are you decluttering?
I really don't know what to count for those - my 15 minute pick-ups are toy tidying in the living room & kitchen so I don't know what else to do for the others!


HOT spots Well, I have about a hundred hot spots. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay mor since making almost every "top" of something spartan :rolleyes. WHen we had lots of clutter I had a few . The top of the refrigerator, the top of the freezer, kitchen counter, computer desk. Now I have all those plus the top of the dehydrator, the top of the bookshelves. Basically any empty spot that people sets things down. What happens is I clear them and things congregate. Right now on the top of the bookcases is a flashlight, Luke's bracelet from thehospital, the baby wipes I didn't put away and some papers from girl scouts. Things that have a spot and it's not there. Those are what hot spots are to me.

Declutter. I basically go and pick an area of my house. Make 4 piles, donate, store, garbage, return to spot. SO often times the challenges/bonuses are actually specific declutter spots (the closets one, the attic/basement/storage area). It's shocking to me that I have stuff to declutter because I decluttered MY ENTIRE house in spring of last year. And I declutter about once a week before the challenges. But this is making me realize how much JUNK we collect regularly. If I could figure out how to lower the junk coming in and out that would be a bonus. But most of it is things I can't control - mail, toys, groceries, receipts, girl scouts paperwork, etc

Tidy. I have the kids help me pick up the floors. That's all I do. Usually there is clothes, dishes, shoes and toys scattered.

I am making it sound like we are slobs but we aren't. We have a pretty tidy home usually. But we have a 7.5 year old, a 6 year old and a 2 year old. MUCH of the mess is the 2 year old. Not all but a lot. The kids had gotten better before she hit toddler hood. Now, we are just "leave it where it drops". I can't manage to teach them how to put it away after they've used it. I told my dh, he and I need to learn that first because the hot spots are dh and I's problem If I could my life would be SO SO SO much easier. . The floors are the kids. Maybe that should be my personal challenge when I am released from my current physical restrictions :think

If I stay on top of 5 min per day hot spots and tidy 15minutes 2 times a day, our house is very neat and tidy.

By the way I am giggling about cleaning the desk every day. WHen I really get going and do my hot spots 2 x's a day it's only about 3 things to do on my desk. It makes it much much easier. BUT when the hot spots get bad and haven't been done in a few days (i.e. NOW), it takes a day or two to get back to my desk in 5 minute increments. Then I speed through my hot spots as fast as I can and spend 5 minutes on the desk and leave the rest. It helps having such a short deadline. Then it usually takes about 2 or 3 days to clear it though. Because I don't spend more time than that unless I decide the desk is worthy of decluttering.

THis post makes me realize I need to clarify something in the dailies. If you have put out your hot spots and need less than 5 min 2x's a day to clear them, you get the points still for checking and making sure they are tidy 2 x's a day. Within a week of doing my hot spots, it only took me about 1 minute in the a.m. and one minute in the p.m. to clear it. Believe it or not, people DID stop putting things in them when I consistently cleaned them but around here even ONE item in that spot and it grows like wildfire :giggle

It's been MUCH betteer since I started the last challenge.

1/8/7 HOT spots - 5 mins 2x's a day (10 pts)
Declutter - 15 mins/day (10 pts)
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes) DONE 15 PTS
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up) DONE = 15 PTS
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up - maximum of 45 points) DONE X 2 30 PTS
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family DONE

Challenge 1/8/8 -- CLOSET TIME - spend 10 minutes in each closet straightening and decluttering (50 pts per closet)

point toal 210
Bonus 1/8/8 -- Serve your children. In our home, we call it grace or service. My kids have a chore list and sometimes I surprise them by doing it and giving them a hug. But if your kids don't have chores, do something you don't normally do for them -play a board gave they beg for that you can't stand, bake their favorite treat, take them for hot cocoa, etc (100 points).


tOTAL OF 210

[tempus vernum]

I think I got all the points fixed :) I hope I did it right :O

[tryin-to-FROG]

i was in bed most of the day with mastitis:(
feeling much better today- I will be catching up on the previous challanges as I can today I did do devotions though- 150pts :heart

[ElectricEarth]

Here's my stuff for 1/8:
Hot spots - 10 pts
Declutter - 10 pts
15 minute pick ups - 45 pts
Bonus - 100 pts (We played choo-choo trains for a LONG time)

TOTAL POINTS - 165

[lumpofclay]

DAILY STUFF
HOT spots - 5 mins 2x's a day (10 pts)
Declutter - 15 mins/day (10 pts)
Shiny sink (15 pts for empty shiny sink, 5 points for doing some dishes) -- done (15)
Laundry (15 pts for caught up, 5 points for making progress on laundry but not caught up)
3 -- 15 minute pick ups (15 pts per pick up - maximum of 45 points)
Quiet Time/Devotions (150 points) Spent time with Jesus - pray, focus, ask HIM to bless your ministry to your family

Challenge 1/8/8 -- CLOSET TIME - spend 10 minutes in each closet straightening and decluttering (50 pts per closet)

Bonus 1/8/8 -- Serve your children. (100 points). -- done (100)


DH left today for a full three day trip. Just being pg and doing our activities is enough. So I made up their bed for them and kept the sink empty! :) 115 pts for 1/8