The Final Check In: Happy House Express Challenge PLUS

(Sorry for the delay in posting this! I forgot I was going to my mom's house Wednesday and cut off my Internet usage for the holiday weekend!)

Stand up. Take a bow. You did it! You made it to the end of the Happy House Express Challenge PLUS! (If you didn't play along, that's OK, I'm sure you deserve to take the bow for something else)

Hopefully, you are enjoying your clean and tidy house, especially since that was our 10th task anyway! Let's do our final check in.

1. Make the Bed: 7/7
2. Empty the Sink: 6/7!
3. Clear the Clutter: 6/7!
4. Sweep the Kitchen Floor: 6/7!
5. Sort the Mail: 5/6!
6. Spray Your Shower: 7/7!
7. Write it Down: 7/7!
8. Organize Your Outerwear: 6/7
9. Clean the Counters: 6/7 (Kitchen was set 7/7, the bathroom got me!)
10. Relax and Enjoy Your Clean House: 7/7!!!

Challenge Plus
Week 5: Living Spaces (Family Room, Living Room, Den, Etc.)

• Dust/Vacuum/Clean the furniture
• Clean the windows/blinds
• Deep clean the floors/Vacuum the rugs
• Dust the lighting

Everything was clean and tidy for the Mock Thanksgiving, but I was a bit busy taking those photos and forgot to snap the challenge photos! The only thing I skipped was the deep clean of the floors. I'm saving that for this week. Now the house is somewhat of a disaster because we need to unpack and we are simultaneously trying to get Christmas decor out! So, no photos of the living spaces for now, but I'll have some festive ones soon!

Now, the challenge is over, but that doesn't mean we stop doing the 10 daily tasks. Hopefully these tasks have become routine for you. If not, press on, they'll become habit soon enough! And I'm hoping your house is holiday event ready now that we've cleaned top to bottom! Or at least you have a good jump start :) Did you miss out on the challenge all together? No worries, I have links to the regular version on the right side of the blog. Start your own 10 week challenge!

So, one last time, give me your results in the comments! Or better yet, share your own blog post in the InLinkz below! And if you could do me a HUGE favor and vote for us on Picket Fence Blogs, I'll love you forever. They did a reset last week, so votes make a big difference right now! Thanks!

Express Happy House Challenge Plus Week 5

Guess what gang? It's the 5th and final week of this Express Challenge! But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Let's talk about last week. I definitely wasn't perfect. Not even close. I feel like I had 3 projects going at any given time and I lost site of my daily goals!

Make the Bed: 6/7
Empty the Sink: 6/7
Sweep the Kitchen Floor: 5/7
Clear the Clutter: 5/7
Sort the Mail: 5/7
Spray the Shower: 6/7
Organize Your Outerwear: 5/7
Write It Down: 7/7

See? Definitely not perfect, but my goal this week is to seriously hit every, single one of my ten tasks, every, single night!

Challenge PLUS
Week 4: Bedrooms (Start from the top and work your way down)

• Clean all light fixtures/fans
• Strip all bedding and clean (I actually didn't do the guest bedding, but will this week)
  
• Dust all furniture
• Organize closets
• Organize drawers
• Clean mirrors and windows
• Vacuum and/or clean floors

I know you want photographic proof. I don't have befores for Cam's room and the guest room, but trust me, our bedroom is before enough for all three of them!




After:






Alright, NOW let's look at our last weeks' tasks! You're going to like this, I know it!

Clean the Counters!

This is my cheater task...I'm pulling a two for one....

Yep, that's the kitchen AND the bathroom. But it's such a quick task, that we can combine them. You use them every day, they see a lot of action. The counters in the kitchen and bathroom take a toll, so give them some love and wipe em down! It can also be a motivator to keep your counters cleared! Less clutter = Happier Counters. I swear! But brace yourself for our second task of the week, it's a doozy.

Relax & Enjoy Your Clean House!

Sounds tough huh? I think you can handle it though. What's the point of working hard to have a clean house if you can't sit back an enjoy it. So make sure to take a minute each day to appreciate all your hard work!

Before you kick back and do task 10 though, let's get our PLUS addition! It's the last one, and I'm thinking you might know what it is.

Challenge Plus
Week 5: Living Spaces (Family Room, Living Room, Den, Etc.)

• Dust/Vacuum/Clean the furniture
• Clean the windows/blinds
• Deep clean the floors/Vacuum the rugs
• Dust the lighting

Let's recap:
Week 1: Make the Bed & Empty the Sink+ The Kitchen!
Week 2: Sweep the Kitchen Floor & Clear the Clutter +The Dining Spaces!
Week 3: Sort the Mail & Spray Your Shower + The Bathrooms!
Week 4: Write It Down & Organize Your Outerwear!
Week 5: Clean the Counters & Relax & Enjoy Your Clean House!

So don't forget to either link up your own Express Challenge blog post or simply give us your results in the comments! I love seeing how everyone does, perfect scores or not! Really give this week all you've got! Thanksgiving is next Thursday, the day after our last check in! Let's roll into the holiday season with style!

Express Happy House Challenge Plus Week 4

Can you believe we are already at week 4? It might not sound like a lot, but out of only 5 weeks of tasks, we are almost at the end. That being said, take a look around. How are things looking in your house? Are you feeling like you are enjoying a cleaner, tidier home? I hope the answer is yes! As always, let's first take a look at my results.

Make the Bed: 7/7
Empty the Sink: 7/7
Sweep the Kitchen Floor: 6/7
Clear the Clutter: 6/7
Sort the Mail: 7/7 (I'm back to doing 7 instead of 6. I get the newspaper on Sunday so I have to sort the coupons and circulars)
Spray the Shower: 7/7

While our game night party had me too pooped to clear the clutter, it surprisingly didn't knock me down on emptying the sink. That is one habit I just will not allow myself to break. It's better than smoking, right?

Challenge PLUS
Week 3: Bathrooms

• Deep clean shower/bath
• Deep clean floor and baseboards
• Clean all mirrors and glass
• Clean light fixtures I just realized I forgot the guest bathroom fixture, I'll get that this week!
  
• Scrub toilets including the base
• Clean cupboard interiors/exteriors- discard unnecessary items
• Clean counters and all items on counters

Between hosting on Saturday and tackling 3 bathrooms, I'm spent! And I hate to disappoint you all, but there are no before photos. Just know these are bathrooms, and so they were dirty :)







How did you do this week? Link up and/or tell me in the comments! I would love to see a bunch of 7/7s but the effort is what's key! So if you aren't boasting a perfect score, don't worry about it. You'll get there!

Now, time for new tasks this week. I'm a list freak. Love em. I think the reward of crossing off a to do just makes chores that much more fun.

Write It Down!

Tailor this one to suit YOUR needs. And it could change daily. But either in the evening, or first thing in the morning- give yourself a short to do list. What is the top one, two or three things you need to accomplish that day? Put it on paper, I promise you will feel accountable! By the way...have you liked My Happy House on Facebook yet? Now would be a great time to do it :)

Organize Your Outerwear!

It's simple. Have a home for your coat, purse, diaper bag, shoes, etc. Anything you take with you out of the house should have a place inside the house. This is an especially important task if you have little ones. Make sure they have a place for their things and you won't be tripping over them when they are home! So simple as that- put away your outerwear! Most people leave the house on a daily basis, so that's why this is a daily task. If you don't, it's a freebie and you can use that time to work extra hard on another task!

Challenge PLUS
Week 4: Bedrooms (Start from the top and work your way down)

• Clean all light fixtures/fans
• Strip all bedding and clean
• Dust all furniture
• Organize closets (Give yourself a donation goal and get rid of some unused items!)
• Organize drawers
• Clean mirrors and windows
• Vacuum and/or clean floors

So two quick housekeeping items before we're done. First let's recap all our daily tasks and our plus items.

Week 1: Make the Bed & Empty the Sink+ The Kitchen!
Week 2: Sweep the Kitchen Floor & Clear the Clutter +The Dining Spaces!
Week 3: Sort the Mail & Spray Your Shower + The Bathrooms!
Week 4: Write It Down & Organize Your Outerwear!

But now it's your turn! Share your blog post link below with your results and your before and after photos! Don't have a blog? Tell us your results in the comments and if you have before and after photos, post them to the My Happy House Facebook Page! Can't wait to see how you all did.

Like this blog? One click is all it takes to vote!

Express Happy House Challenge Plus Week 3

We're trucking right along to week 3 of the challenge. That means we're two weeks down, 3 to go on our way to a Happy House! Is your home feeling cleaner? Tidier? A little more organized? I know mine is. I get started on the right foot every morning by making the bed and I come downstairs to a clean sink, floor and tidy family room. It makes me smile from ear to ear! And speaking of all those tasks, let's see how this past week ended up for me.

We were out of town, so my numbers are out of 5 since we weren't home at all on Wednesday and Thursday.

Make the Bed: 5/5
Empty the Sink: 5/5
Sweep the Kitchen Floor: 4/5
Clear the Clutter: 4/5

I was too lazy to do much of anything when we got home on Friday night, but otherwise, I was in pretty good shape. Are you new to the challenge? No worries if you are, just check out week 1 and week 2 and you'll be all caught up! It's never too late to join!

Challenge PLUS:
Week 2: Dining Spaces

• Clean the furniture
• Clean the windows/blinds
• Deep clean the floors/Vacuum the rugs
• Dust the lighting

Definitely easier than the kitchen, but I was selfish and did that on purpose since we were out of town and I had limited time! :)

And photographic proof, although our formal dining room never really gets cluttered...however when I went to take the photo I had to laugh. Carl didn't put away our liquor after making White Russians the other night, so there is some clutter :)

Before:

and


After:

and



Since we're all pros at those 4 tasks, it's time to add two more. I gotta tell you, I'm loving this two at a time business! Gets me all jazzed up!

Sort the Mail!

We all get it 6 days a week. Too often it just ends up in a pile on the kitchen counter. No more! No more unorganized piles of mail! If you need some tips on how to organize your mail, check out this previous post....although I need to update it, so keep an eye out for the new version coming soon! Just remember that this is about organizing the mail. It doesn't mean all the bills are paid that day or everything is filed, but things are in their place. It should either be in a "to do" area, "to file" area, the recycling bin or garbage. Once you've done that step, you can easily go back to it and do what needs to be done when you have the time that week!

Spray Your Shower!

Choose your favorite daily shower cleaner and get to spraying! I'm currently using the Method Daily Shower Cleaner. It smells heavenly! Just get in the habit of spraying it down after you shower, and this task is a no brainer. You do shower every day, right? Eh, if not, make your significant other do it! :) There are also lots of home solutions you can try as well. Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.

Challenge PLUS
Week 3: Bathrooms

• Deep clean shower/bath
• Deep clean floor and baseboards
• Clean all mirrors and glass
• Clean light fixtures
• Scrub toilets including the base
• Clean cupboard interiors/exteriors- discard unnecessary items
• Clean counters and all items on counters

So there we have it. Our two new tasks to add on to our tasks from last week and our Challenge PLUS. Let's recap, and don't forget, we aren't replacing tasks here, but adding!

Week 1: Make the Bed & Empty the Sink+ The Kitchen!
Week 2: Sweep the Kitchen Floor & Clear the Clutter +The Dining Spaces!
Week 3: Sort the Mail & Spray Your Shower + The Bathrooms!

But now it's your turn! Share your blog post link below with your results and your before and after photos! Don't have a blog? Tell us your results in the comments and if you have before and after photos, post them to the My Happy House Facebook Page! Can't wait to see how you all did.

Express Happy House Challenge Plus Week 2

Week One Done! How did you do? Is your bed made? Is your sink empty? Quick...no one is looking- go do it now. Are you wondering what in the heck I'm talking about? Go here, it's not too late to join us! First off, your fearless leader will report in her results.

Week 1:
Make the Bed: 7/7
Empty the Sink: 7/7

Oh yeah, woo hoo, uh huh! 7/7 on both accounts.

And you didn't forget about our + did you? Or did you hope I would forget? Yeah, no luck there. Our Challenge Plus was to clean our kitchens. And I'll be honest, my kitchen has never been cleaner. And without this challenge, I would have stopped about half way through, or 3/4 of the way through, or even 90% of the way through, but I kept calm and cleaned on! And I also didn't forget that I promised photos, so let's get to that!

Before:

Ew.

The much MUCH better after:



Week 1: Kitchen

• Clean out the cupboards- interiors and exteriors
• Wipe down all appliances
• Clean windows
• Clean blinds/drapery
• Clean out fridge- interior, check for expired items, minimize to make room for holiday cooking/baking products
• Clean out pantry- check for expired items and donate items you won't use to a food closet. Plus it will help take inventory for what you need for holiday cooking/baking
• Deep clean counters and small appliances
• Deep clean floors and garbage/recycling containers

I got everything done except for the pantry because we decided on some new projects in that general area, so I'm waiting until those are done. Of course I'll be sharing those later! But I did want to show you something fun. If you have white cupboards and haven't invested in Magic Erasers, please, do it now. The right side is the before, the left side is the after:

Also, a life saving product for storing my pots and pans are these protectors. Mine are from The Pampered Chef, but I know you can buy them other places too. They are great and allow me to stack my pots and pans without damaging them, love them!


Now, of course, we need to add two more tasks, but you are all determined individuals, so I know you can handle it!

Clear the Clutter!

I'm not talking about your whole house, that would be quite a task. I'm not even talking about half of your house, simply one room. Pick one room a night to clear the clutter. It can even be the same room every night- your choice. But choose one room to get in tip top shape. I like to focus on the family room as it's the one that sees the most action and displacing of items. I usually have to put away my camera, cords, dishes, Cam's toys and whatever other items I was using for the day. Leaving that room in order before going to bed means you get to wake up to a perfectly clean space, ready for a day of action!

My main reasoning for this is that it forces you to give everything a home. This way, when you have guests coming over, it's not a mad dash to hide things under the bed, in the back of closets or who knows where! It's simply putting things back where they belong. If this seems like a daunting task, just spend 5 minutes a night decluttering until the space is in pristine order. Then it's just maintaining!

Sweep the Kitchen Floor!

This task honestly takes 2 minutes, but makes such a difference. I know with a dog, and a crawling baby, this one is important to me. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen throughout the day, which, inevitably, means stuff ends up on the floor. Sweeping the kitchen daily keeps that dust and debris from making it to other areas of the house. Just a quick sweep with a broom or a dry Swiffer type product is all it needs. If I use the Swiffer, I can easily just use the same dusting pad for the whole week. No need to use a new one every day!

Challenge PLUS:
Week 2: Dining Spaces

• Clean the furniture
• Clean the windows/blinds
• Deep clean the floors/Vacuum the rugs
• Dust the lighting

Hopefully the dining spaces is a little less of a task than the kitchen, that way if you have some ground to make up from last week, you are able to fit it in this week!

So there we have it. Our two new tasks to add on to our tasks from last week and our Challenge PLUS. Let's recap, and don't forget, we aren't replacing tasks here, but adding!

Week 1: Make the Bed & Empty the Sink + the Kitchen!
Week 2: Clear the Clutter & Sweep the Kitchen Floor + Dining Spaces!

But now it's your turn! Share your blog post link below with your results and your before and after photos! Don't have a blog? Tell us your results in the comments and if you have before and after photos, post them to the My Happy House Facebook Page! Can't wait to see how you all did.

And as always, if ya'll love me, one click shows it!

It Begins! Express Happy House Challenge Plus!

This challenge will be run like the last Express Happy House Challenge. 2 new tasks added each week, for 5 weeks, totaling 10 daily tasks to keep our homes in good shape. BUT, since we are prepping for the big holiday season, we're going to add one more piece. Each week, I'll give you your two tasks, PLUS one room to deep clean. By the end of the 5 weeks, your family will be wondering if they are at your house of if somehow they've found their way to Martha's estate.

So, I know you are up for the challenge. And trust me, it's way more fun to clean when you have a bunch of blogging friends to join you. Really, it won't be the same if you aren't here every week telling me how great...or even how not so great you did. The effort is key!

Now, there is one more piece to this, if you care to join. It will be a Blog Hop Photo Challenge as well. We'll take pictures of our designated rooms showing the before and after. Then create a post to show all our hard work. It'll be a great chance to see new spaces (real ones- my favorite!) and make new blogging friends. And no worries if you don't keep a blog, you can share your photos on the My Happy House Facebook page!

So here is the process broken down:

1. Wednesday is the first day of the week for the challenge. I will assign two daily tasks and one room of the house to deep clean, including all the tasks that go with it.
2. (This part is optional) Take a photo of the designated room for the before. Throughout the week, give it the deep clean it so lovingly deserves! Then take your after photo some time before the next Wednesday.
3. Be sure to do the daily tasks each day of the week.
4. Check back in the next Wednesday and link up your post with your before/after photos or feel free to share them on Facebook if you don't keep a blog!
5. Repeat steps 1-4 until the challenge is over!

So simple! Let's get started shall we?

Make the Bed!!

Not much explaining here. Simply making the bed in the morning will get you started on the right foot and in a clean and organized mode. Forget to do it in the morning? No worries, do it when you get home. Trust me, even if it's only made for a couple hours, diving into a neat looking bed at the end of a long day is SO refreshing!

And...

Empty the Sink!

I'm a huge advocate of not letting dirty dishes pile up. Having a clean sink will instantly make the kitchen look cleaner. It's a great habit to get into. If you have a dishwasher, and more dishes that night than it can hold, just rinse your remaining dirty dishes and put them on one side of the sink. They can go in when you empty the dishwasher, and since they are already rinsed, it will only take a moment to do so rather than trying to scrape off leftover food from the night before!

Challenge PLUS:
Week 1: Kitchen

• Clean out the cupboards- interiors and exteriors
• Wipe down all appliances
• Clean windows
• Clean blinds/drapery
• Clean out fridge- interior, check for expired items, minimize to make room for holiday cooking/baking products
• Clean out pantry- check for expired items and donate items you won't use to a food closet. Plus it will help take inventory for what you need for holiday cooking/baking
• Deep clean counters and small appliances
• Deep clean floors and garbage/recycling containers
  

So there we have it. This week we are making our beds and emptying our sinks, PLUS really cleaning our kitchens. We'll check in next Wednesday to see how you all did. Did you make your bed today? If not, don't forget to do it now or when you get home! And also, remember to take your kitchen before photo!

We'll always end with our recaps.

Week 1: Make the Bed & Empty the Sink!! + The Kitchen!

Are you joining me? You might have committed in the previous post, but show everyone just how committed your are! Let me know in the comments if you are taking the challenge!

Get Your House Prepped for the Holidays!

(This post is text heavy and I apologize for that, but there is good info all the way through, promise!)

I've been talking about them a bit around here lately, and it's no secret that they are coming up fast. The holidays. Yep. We're talking about them now. Let's all just get used to it, k? One way to alleviate the stress of the holidays, especially if you are the host for any gatherings, is to keep up on your home's cleanliness so that when your big events roll around, you aren't frantically trying to clean your house from top to bottom.

Next week, we will be roughly 5 weeks away from Thanksgiving. You know what takes 5 weeks? Uh huh, the EXPRESS HAPPY HOUSE CHALLENGE!!! That's right folks! We're going to get our houses in shape before the holidays so that when the time comes, we can sit back and enjoy them knowing we have clean, happy houses!


This challenge will be run like the last Express Happy House Challenge. 2 new tasks added each week, for 5 weeks, totaling 10 daily tasks to keep our homes in good shape. BUT, since we are prepping for the big season, we're going to add one more piece. Each week, I'll give you your two tasks, PLUS one room to deep clean. By the end of the 5 weeks, your family will be wondering if they are at your house of if somehow they've found their way to Martha's estate.

So, I know you are up for the challenge. And trust me, it's way more fun to clean when you have a bunch of blogging friends to join you. Really, it won't be the same if you aren't there. So tell me, are you in? I'm giving you a full week (and a day) to get geared up for the challenge. We'll start next Wednesday.

Now, there is one more piece to this, if you care to join. It will be a Blog Hop Photo Challenge as well. We'll take pictures of our designated rooms showing the before and after. Then create a post to show all our hard work. It'll be a great chance to see new spaces (real ones- my favorite!) and make new blogging friends. And no worries if you don't keep a blog, you can share your photos on the My Happy House Facebook page!

Share the challenge button on your blog and inspire YOUR readers to join in the challenge. It's going to be a good one!

Just copy this link and add it to the HTML section of your blog!
<a href="http://myhappycasa.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img style="width: 231px; height: 230px;" src="http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee238/mjrotole/MHHChallengePreviewButton.jpg" /></a>

The Final Check In: Happy House Express Challenge

Stand up. Take a bow. You did it! You made it to the end of the Happy House Express Challenge! (If you didn't play along, that's OK, I'm sure you deserve to take the bow for something else)

Hopefully, you are enjoying your clean and tidy house, especially since that was our 10th task anyway! Let's do our final check in.

1. Make the Bed: 6/7 (Eek, missed one day and I didn't even realize it until I climbed into bed that night)
2. Empty the Sink: 7/7!
3. Clear the Clutter: 7/7!
4. Sweep the Kitchen Floor: 7/7!
5. Sort the Mail: 6/6!
6. Spray Your Shower: 7/7!
7. Write it Down: 7/7!
8. Organize Your Outerwear: 5/7 (I tend to forget about this one a bit in the warm months)
9. Clean the Counters: 6/7 (Kitchen was set 7/7, the bathroom got me!)
10. Relax and Enjoy Your Clean House: 7/7!!!

Now, the challenge is over, but that doesn't mean we stop doing the 10 daily tasks. Hopefully these tasks have become routine for you. If not, press on, they'll become habit soon enough! I hope you enjoyed the express version, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Did you miss out on the challenge all together? No worries, I have links to the regular version on the right side of the blog. Start your own 10 week challenge!

So, one last time, give me your results in the comments! Or better yet, share your own blog post in the InLinkz below!

Happy House Express Challenge: Week 5

Guess what gang? It's the 5th and final week of this Express Challenge! But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Let's talk about last week. I really rocked it, even amongst our kitchen overhaul. I'm feeling like this might the way to do the challenge. Quick and dirty clean! This girl was 7/7 on everything again!

Alright, NOW let's look at our last weeks' tasks! You're going to like this, I know it!

Clean the Counters!

This is my cheater task...I'm pulling a two for one....

Yep, that's the kitchen AND the bathroom. But it's such a quick task, that we can combine them. You use them every day, they see a lot of action. The counters in the kitchen and bathroom take a toll, so give them some love and wipe em down! It can also be a motivator to keep your counters cleared! Less clutter = Happier Counters. I swear! But brace yourself for our second task of the week, it's a doozy.

Relax & Enjoy Your Clean House!

Sounds tough huh? I think you can handle it though. What's the point of working hard to have a clean house if you can't sit back an enjoy it. So make sure to take a minute each day to appreciate all your hard work!


Let's recap:
Week 1: Make the Bed & Empty the Sink!
Week 2: Sweep the Kitchen Floor & Clear the Clutter!
Week 3: Sort the Mail & Spray Your Shower!
Week 4: Write It Down & Organize Your Outerwear!
Week 5: Clean the Counters & Relax & Enjoy Your Clean House!

So don't forget to either link up your own Express Challenge blog post or simply give us your results in the comments! I love seeing how everyone does, perfect scores or not!

Real quick, let's give a shout out to last week's participants!
Eve @The Nerdy Nest
Etta
Nancy

Way to go rockstars! Next week we'll do one final check in, I can't wait to see how we wrap this challenge up! And if I can just ask for one little favor before you go, just give me one click to vote. I'm now #23 on Picket Fence Blogs and I'd love to keep climbing! It honestly just takes one click- that's it! Thanks for all the votes so far, my readers rock!