What Ana Does

I've been looking around trying to pick a new sustainability project in my house. There's so much more I could do everywhere, but, at the same time, there's also only so much we can make fit into our lives. After a bit of pondering I came up with it ... my cleaning products! I've been trying to keep my cleaning products plant-based for the last few years, but through visitors or my own needs, harsh chemicals have tip-toed back in. We have a cleaning service that comes every other week, so our cleaning needs are really just touch-ups between their visits. Counters, bathrooms and glass cleaning really is the most important. And vacuuming. The service maintains the rest. So the cabinet under my sinks should be relatively sparse, but they are not. They are so not. So this weekend, I'm going to clean out each cabinet, moving the really toxic stuff into a garage cubby, for when dire needs present themselves. And all the random stuff (paint cans, for example) can m...

Lately, I've been brainstorming my 5-year goals (that post is forthcoming) and as part of this, I've been digging into topics that I get passionate about, and researching them for potential goals to add to my list. One topic I get super-jazzed about is the idea of living a "sustainable" or "plastic-free" or "waste-free" lifestyle. From early on, I've always felt guilty about what I'm throwing away, knowing that garbage dumps are just rotting piles of trash that grow, produce methane and will eventually take over the planet. It depresses me just thinking about it. And we're SUCH a single-use, throw away, consume more, throw away, world. And I've always tried to take steps to reuse and recycle as much as I can. (Like, in 2014, I talk about it  here  and I did a post about  what I reuse,  or  what I make from scratch .) But, there's so much more I can do. So, for the last few weeks I've been diving into this culture and t...

Right now all I'm thinking about are the baskets of clean and dirty clothes all over my house. Some have been folded. Some have not. Some are filled dirty clothes that are growing taller by the day. Some are sitting next to the washing machine waiting for their turn. And there's one that is brimming with pair-less socks. (I shudder when I think of it.) And I'm far far away at the office just thinking about all those baskets. Tonight's mission, should I choose to accept it, is sort through ALL the baskets. Even the one filled with socks.

We didn't have the summer garage sale we had talked about this winter, but the fact remained: we need to move a bunch of stuff out of our house. Pronto! So, a donation van is heading over this week. We don't get the cash, but will get a nice tax deduction for the work. And free up more space. Usually I feel a little lighter after a purge. But, honestly, all I'm feeling is half-done. Like this is just the tip of the iceberg ... and I didn't commit the time to really dig deep into the darkest corners of the house to dump more stuff. Related posts: More about my quest to clean

I am wired to spring clean . Not sure what in my DNA makes this so, it just is. Did I spring clean with my Mom while growing up? I don't recall exactly, but I'm guessing I did. Also, I believe I was a farm wife in a past life, so cleaning out the house after winter finally departs is embedded deep in my psyche. This year, we've been doing so much travel, that I haven't even thought about Spring Cleaning 2015 and what I want to accomplish. Work is exploding, I'm coaching two youth soccer teams, two big birthdays and all the other general wackiness that accompanies early April is heavy upon us. But, so is the need to shovel out under the mountain of STUFF that accumulates over the winter months. I don't know about you, but I spend the winter burrowing under stuff and crafting, and not throwing anything away. So, what am I planning to do this Spring? Other than the usual clothes sort and cleaning out the piles of mail, papers and toys that are piled all ov...

Once again, like in past years, Spring Cleaning has snuck up on me.  I don't plan to clean out cabinets and drawers -- tossing old pantry items and broken toys. But, one weekend day, I'll find myself pulling out all my baking supplies and organizing them by task, trashing the expired stuff, and neatly putting them away.  It happened today. I woke up with the sudden need to browse the Container Store and Target for ideas and organizing solutions. After I made granola bars, I was shuffling around the bowls, moving the tea to the other cabinet and staring at the pantry -- trying to think of ways to reorganize for optimal use. I need to sort toys and winter/summer clothing next.  It must be somewhere deep in my DNA, to clear out and organize cabinets at this time of year. The Spring Break Chromosome. Is it just me?  The Cabinet is Just Screaming for Some Help Bowls and Travel Mugs - Now Easier to Find

When we first looked at this house I remember standing at the kitchen sink, imagining myself doing dishes and watching the girls play in the backyard. Then, I noticed the windowsill over the sink, at the cracked beige paint that was peeling away, oh no! "The first thing I'll do in this house is fix up that window sill!" I thought. And it went on a list. Two and a half years later ... I finally fixed it! Last weekend, I scrapped the paint off, used some nontoxic stripper and scrapped again. Then I sanded down what remained. Most of this done at night, while watching "Catching Fire." (Which was an awesome movie!) During: The Window Will  The next day I painted it BRIGHT WHITE ... the first white windowsill in the house! That's one down, 16 to go! And it looks fantastic and clean.  After: A Cleaned-up Window Sill Now, I just need to push the girls out to play in the snow.

So the cleaning service came again yesterday. An event I was very much anticipating. When we arrived home, we were, as usual, elated to walk around the house and enjoy that clean, just-washed-my-hair feeling. Then, hold up! On the counter, I found a bunch of cleaning products and a receipt (from evil Walmart, no less). The Walmart was a blow in itself (which is post for another day) but the products were all harsh non-organic products. Lysol, Comet, Pledge (orange-scented!) and the like. Here's where I get all conflicted. I've mentioned in the past about my preference for organic cleaning products. I have kids. They eat stuff off the table and floor. I would like to minimize the family's exposure to bleach and the cancer-causing toxins found in these products. On the other hand, the cleaning service are professionals, right? They know what works. What gets the best results. What they want to work with. If they want to use this toxic stuff, I should just acquiesce,...

We got home late from Leah's ballet class tonight to a very clean house. A sparking, new house. The cleaning service came this afternoon and worked some magic. Floors I've never cleaned are gleaming, bath tubs are sparkling and windows are actually see-through. Since getting home, I've been wandering around and picking up the papers and detritus I can now see in each of the rooms and disposing or putting them away in their proper place -- further organizing and assigning placement to things I never thought needed a home.  During which, I'm elating over the simple joy of dusted shelves and vacuumed carpets. Yes, completely worth it.

Today I had a cleaning service walk through the house to give me an estimate for an every-other week cleaning. This was a luxury we had in New Jersey and one I had been planning to sign up for here, once the expense of the lawn service died out with the warm weather. Maria was a nice lady who answered my questions and offered references, but I should have spent more time tiding up the house for her. See, I hosted me entire family for two weeks around Christmas and have been home with the kids through winter break. This house isn't used to seeing a lot of daytime activity. She was clearly concerned with the amount of work. She told me the charge for the repetitive service but added, "I'll need to charge you a bit more for the initial cleaning ... It's going to take a lot of time ... For that kitchen especially." I think she was aiming at tactful, while being honest. Please, the job is all yours.

Consists of this bucket... Mostly.