Make My Home a Sanctuary: Home Blessing Hour

This is a great way that I've found to keep my home from getting CHAOS-Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. I want my home to be in such a state that someone can walk in my door and I don't feel embarrassed. With several young children, this can be trying. If I have a Home Blessing Hour in the morning it is much easier to keep the house tidy throughout the day. Before I begin my Home Blessing Hour I want to have my sink shined! Even if the rest of my house is sparkling, dirty kitchen counter tops completely overrule the cleanliness. If the children aren't helping with HBH then I have them do a quick pick up of the living room and kitchen floors. If they are helping we include that in the hour. Otherwise, this is what my HBH consists of:

1. Sweep Kitchen, Living Room, Bathroom, and Bedroom(you can't sweep if there is anything on the floor, so this takes care of the clutter!)

2. Clean Bathroom(Not a major scrub, just a quick swish and swipe to clean dirty toilets and surfaces.)

3.Empty all the trash

4. Windex Bathroom mirror and kitchen door(The glass in the kitchen door quickly gets smudged and smeared. Just a quick swiping can make the entrance to our home look so much fresher!)

5. Wash sheets and blankets. (This is only for my bed--not everybody's, and only on Wednesday.  Nearly everything in the stack of blankets on my bed are fleece, and they tend to get dirty and sweaty faster than normal bedding. I would never and have never washed normal sheets this much.)

It's a psychological thing, really. All in my head. =) That list is all it ever takes to make my home clean. It's just the thought that I'm only taking an hour to do it that makes it so easy. I often have plenty of time left in my hour. If I'm feeling really hard-working I'll mop or something, but not always. The children often like to help out. They really like the idea of, "We're going to clean only for an hour and then we can do other things!" It's simple, quick, and it sets the mood for a day with a clean, fresh, house! Add some praise music, start dancing with the broom, and it's FUN!