Is the sun peeking through your windows casting light on all the dust balls? Is it time to go through the kid’s clothes and sort through your outgrown winter wardrobe? Ready to dig out the camping gear that’s piled behind boxes in the garage?

There is something about the energy of spring that inspires people to clean and organize. After the dark of winter, huddling in our caves, we are ready to lighten our loads!

But, you are also a busy parent and the thought of a spring clean can be overwhelming, right? I know it is for me. So, I am going to challenge you to a Six-week Spring Clean Plan!

If you follow the rules below, I promise this can work for you! At my house, last week we did the fridge, this week we worked on the yard and next week we are sorting out all the outgrown baby clothes.

The Rules

1. Make a list of all the areas in your home that you would love to clean or organize.


2. Pick your top six areas. If you can get your family enrolled in the challenge, let them help you pick the top areas. That gets more buy-in for help.


3. Break your top choices into tasks that can be done in less than one hour. Keep it reasonable for the amount of time you have. Set yourself up to succeed!


4. Choose at least one task per week for the next six weeks. This will have you complete by the time summer rolls around.


5. Pick a time that you know will work for you and put it on the calendar. When you work on your task, set a timer or watch the clock. Commit to being done in one hour - or less!

Quick cleaning ideas

Here are some suggestions of Spring Clean ideas that can be done in less than one hour:

• Clean out the fridge – for real. You know, with a sponge, cleaner, etc.


• Sort and organize the kid’s clothes. Sell unwanted items on Craigslist!


• Wipe down the baseboards in your home. No fun, but they’ll look great.


• Clean the windows in the main room of your house. Do another area the next time.


• Rake the yard, pull some weeds, organize the kid's outdoor toys.


• Go through and sell books, CDs or DVDs you don't need.


• Move the furniture in the common rooms and mop/sweep/vacuum under it.


• Clean out your email box and computer desktop. Then back up all your files.

Making it work

Answering some basic questions about your needs and habits can make the difference in a challenge like this. Here are some to ask yourself:

Who can help you? Get your family on board to enjoying a cleaner, more organized space. Or invite a friend to trade time with you. You go help organize your friend’s garage and she/he will do the same with you.

How can you make it fun and easy? Pick some great music or listen to a podcast while you work. Bribe yourself (and family members) with a yummy treat when you finish. One client shared with me that she cracked a beer and cleaned out the fridge on a Friday night while her husband played with their toddler. And, she said: “It was satisfying...as satisfying as a bubble bath and a glass of wine, believe it or not!”

When is the very best time to do it? Probably when the kids are more needy or fussy is not ideal. Neither is a time when you are feeling tired or scattered. Perhaps mid-morning on a weekend day before everyone gets their activities started.

How can you involve the kids? For older kids, keep it fun and don’t pressure them to participate. You might be surprised when they volunteer. And with younger kids, find a special way to help them feel a part of the activity. They are at an age where “helping” is fun! We started in our yard yesterday and my toddler had a blast picking up pinecones. Remember, your kids feed off your energy and mood. If you have a positive attitude about what you are doing, they are more likely to participate.

Be SMART about it! Revisit our post about making goals work for you.

So, what can you do this week to help spring clean your home? Leave a comment and share your plans. In a few weeks we can chat again to see what we've all accomplished!

I’m feeling better already!

Do you have a little creative genius in your life who loves to build sculptures out of LEGOS or the household recycling, enjoys painting murals on large sheets of paper, builds clay models or is prolific with drawings? If so, you might wonder how you are going to store all that artwork!

Do you have it piled in drawers, stuffed into closets, or stacking up in the basement?

You want to encourage and support your kids in their self-expression and you also want them to know you value their creations. At the same time, you might have limited space and keeping everything can be challenging.

Here are a few ideas that might help:

1. Create a space in your home to display the art. Perhaps it is a blank wall to hang all the artwork or a special table for their sculptures. After their favorite pieces have been on display for a few weeks,take a photo of the artwork! Better yet, if your kid is old enough, help them take the photo. Together you can make an album that holds photos of their best creations. Then decide together what to do with the artwork. Maybe they would enjoy disassembling that sculpture, recycling that drawing or smashing the clay model.


2. Have an art show every few months. Invite close friends and relatives to come over and “buy” the artwork, exchange it for something, or let them pick and choose a few favorites. This will solve your storage problem and give the grandparents or your kid’s best friends a chance to enjoy their creativity.


3. Teach your children the value of sharing their artwork with others. Visit a lonely senior in a retirement home and decorate their walls with cheerful sketches, mail a favorite painting to a relative you don’t see often or enter that special sculpture in a kid art contest.


4. Consider buying or making a storage system that will protect the favorites of your child’s collection. Schoolfolio makes storage solutions for kid’s artwork, report cards and other important papers. They are sturdy, archival quality and have a handle so you can transport it to and from school. You can also buy inexpensive storage bins and decorate and label them yourself.

As a parent of a teenager, I wish now I had kept more of his early drawings. Having a way to store and preserve your very favorite creations will bring back so many memories later. And remember, your child might have a very different idea about what they want to keep, so be sure to ask them.

What do you do with your child's artwork? Leave a comment and let us know how you handle it!

Is it difficult for you to ask for help or seek support from other people? If so, you are not alone! From a young age, many of us have learned that asking for help is a sign of weakness. This fear often keeps us isolated from the very people who would love to be there for us!

I'm here to tell you that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of intelligence.

If you are going to be the kind of parent you want to be along with having a satisfying professional/personal life, keeping your household going, nurturing your most important relationships and contributing to your community, you need support.

You probably know what it feels like when you need more help. You are tired and overwhelmed. Maybe you feel resentful or have a short fuse. You can’t seem to find the time or energy to take care of yourself and you constantly feel like you are behind schedule, falling short of your own standards and not being the parent you know you could be. You might complain that the weight of the world is on your shoulders, you feel like you are drowning/sinking or you just can’t get caught up. All you want to do is escape (and often you do by watching TV, eating comfort foods or zoning out in front of the computer). All of these are symptoms of a need for more support.

So, why don't we ask for help?

• We are afraid we will appear weak or needy.


• It is too hard to explain how to do it “ right” to someone else.


• We don’t want to be disappointed by others.


• We don’t want to be rejected.


• We don’t want to owe anyone anything.


• "I can do it better."


• We don’t want to inconvenience anyone.

All of these reasons are great excuses for not seeking support, but are they really valid? Ask yourself: "If my friend asked me to help him with a computer problem, would I judge him as weak? If my sister wanted my support with a challenge in her life, would I then feel she owes me something?" And maybe you can do a job better than someone else, but is doing it better or being right really your ultimate goal? Sometimes, we choose between being in control and being happy!

What are some good reasons to allow others to help?

• People feel valued and respected by you for their contributions when you let them help you. As humans, one of our primary desires is to contribute to each other.


• You empower others. You teach them to trust themselves, to be resourceful and take responsibility. Especially if the person helping is your child!


• It creates authentic connection between you and another person. Being vulnerable and "real" with someone else will only strengthen the relationship. If it doesn't, do you really want them in your life anyway?


• You share your wisdom when you pass on the things “only you can do.” What would your family do if they were not able to do all the things that “only you” can do?


• You are a role model for your children. You can show them to feel safe asking for help.

Take a few minutes to think about what you most need help with in your life right now. If you could pass off anything to another person, what would it be? What would be the most supportive thing another person could do for you?

Here are a few supportive ideas:

• Have your groceries delivered when you are feeling stressed. Most stores charge around $10. It is an added expense in these challenging times, but what is your time worth?
  
• Find a great housecleaning service to come once or twice per month and do a deep clean of your home.


• Hire a "mother's helper" one afternoon per week.


• Start a childcare share or co-op with like-minded families.


• Get together and bake or cook with friends. Start a soup swap.


• Share yardwork/gardening with friends in the spirit of "Barn raisings." Take turns doing each other's chores together!


• Ask family members to help more around the house and make specific requests.


• Find ways to get the kids excited (no nagging) about doing things for themselves like laundry (older kids), cleaning up toys and preparing food.


• Ask your partner to be more involved in something that is challenging for you.


• Share the details that only "you can do" like bill paying, changing the oil in the car or making your family's favorite dinner.