Have you been wondering how to tackle the of getting your outside windows clean?

I was.

We have a second story deck/sitting room with lots of large windows - and the birds seem to especially target them as their 'dumping ground'.

Along with the regular dirt and grime, it kind of ruins the view! 

Carole Pagan, author of Secret Confessions of a Clean Freak (one of our most popular ebooks) has shared with us a really fun and unique way to get those windows clean.

NOTE: I recently was in Home Depot and bought an attachment for the hose that you can add a bottle of fertilizer to spray outside flowers with. I'm still not sure if I'm going to use it because I've always grown 100% organic but I'm thinking I may give them the odd shot here and there.

But this is another way that I am going to use it. Rather than use the bottle of fertilizer, I'm going to attach a bottle with some dish soap, water and vinegar in it (following Carole's instructions below). 

If you've got outside windows that need cleaning, here's the trick… 

WINDOW WASHING SECRET

BY CAROLE PAGAN 

I’ve refined my secret window washing technique a little bit. If you’re like me and don’t have the time right now to ‘properly’ wash the windows - I mean, all that hanging out the window, or dragging the big ladder out, and up and down the ladder – it’s a whole day project!

I have devised a sneaky little system that will allow you to get the windows pretty clean. It won’t be as good as if you actually washed and shined them up, but it will take the majority of the grime off quickly.

If you have someone who can be inside the house and flip the windows up and down for you, this will go even faster!

You want to make a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar and one gallon of warm water. Add a few drops of dish-washing liquid. Just a few drops!

I have a spray bottle that sprays pretty far. Or use your kids Super Soaker. Or you can use on of those bottles that attaches right to the hose. You would have to decrease the water because the hose will automatically add water to the mix as it sprays.

• Start on one side of the house.

• From the inside, you’ll want to move all of the storm windows and screens down so that the outside of the interior window is exposed.

• Do the windows in the same order through every step so the first window has time to dry while you move to the others.

• Spray the window with the cleaning solution.

• Let it sit for about a minute.

• Rinse off with the hose.

• Now, put the storms in the closed position. Spray and rinse, again in the same order as before.

• Now, move the lower storm and screen up so the outside of the interior window is exposed. Spray with cleaning solution and rinse.

Ta-Da! One side is done.

Vacuum off the screens and wipe them down if needed.

Do a quick clean on the inside.

Like I said, its not going to be perfect, but the windows will look a whole lot better and you can go do something else. Sometimes good enough is good enough, don’t ya think? And honestly, you are the only person that will notice that they’re not perfect.

Here’s the fastest way to Put an End to Grime - Even if you have No Time If you Love a really clean home, but Hate cleaning it, you’ll want these time saving secrets. Learn how to Clean Your House Fast - and Keep it That Way! http://HowtoCleanHouseFast.com

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Sometimes it can be hard to motivate kids to do the things that they should - and need - to be doing to maintain an orderly and peaceful home environment. One of those things is of course the dreaded chores list.

As parents, we all know the quickest way to get a child off the couch - just rattle the piece of paper and their gone in 60 seconds! 

For some reason I've found that my kids often have a 'do it later' or even better 'someone else will do it later' switch that's stuck to the on position. 

To be fair, these days there are a lot of distractions… school activities, video games, cell phones, and computers… a lot of them sound frivolous, but many adults are dealing with the same modern dilemmas. And it's not like I've never had that attitude myself, especially in the bad old days before I got responsible and started using my daily BOOST.

For that reason, it's not a bad idea to cut them some slack, but it is also a valuable life lesson to instill in them an interest in keeping their home nice and the desire to want to help out and tackle their chores list.

The hard part?

The solutions are not always cookie cutter.

Not every method of motivation will work with your child. Also, what may be totally awesome for one child may be totally wrong for another. 

One thing to be aware of… while we all want to be a friend on some level to our child, always keep in mind that we also need to be their leader, teacher, and motivator, too. This can be a delicate balance and often leaves us in a predicament when it comes time to enforce rules and expectations - and bring out the chores list!

A FEW THINGS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR ME… 

Here are a few things that have worked for me to motivate my kids to be more active in getting their chores done around the house. The great news is that most of these things are not so much in way of handing out chores as giving them a foundation and willingness to do them rather than doing them because they HAVE to. 

THE REALLY GOOD NEWS ABOUT USING THIS APPROACH…

Your kids will carry the motivation that they have learned from you with them when they leave the nest, which will be sooner than you think. 

Come to think of it, these methods work ON me too!

When push comes to shove, that is an excellent barometer. Ask yourself, what would motivate me if someone else was trying to get my cooperation? 

• 1. Kids love praise. Your kids want your attention and praise. If they know that doing the things they're supposed to do will bring them praise, they're more likely to do those things. You're their parent and they want to make you proud of them. By encouraging them and praising them frequently, you're reinforcing good behavior.

• 2. Offer rewards. Often, children are motivated by rewards. The rewards don't have to be large or involve money. Kids most often will treasure a reward of spending time with you. Do an activity they enjoy… read to them…laying games with them…  curl up and watch a movie together. All of these rewards are positive motivators for your children. They'll be much more eager to tackle the chores list if the reward is something they can look forward to.

• 3. Lead by example. If your kids see you doing nothing all day long, they'll feel as if it's okay for them to do the same thing. Remember that your children are like a sponge and they look up to you and model themselves after you - even if they won't admit it. Show your kids that regular tasks can be rewarding. The smile on your face from a job you've done well done will very likely not go unnoticed by little eyes - and even big ones.

• 4. Natural consequences. There's a big difference between consequences and punishment. When your children don't do the things they're supposed to, you can teach them how their actions or inactions can have a negative impact. The best way that I find to do this… and the one that I struggle with the most, even as they get older.. is not to enable. Don't do if for them if they will have to accept a consequence. If it's something that's not so obvious, be sure to point it out in a conversational way. Don't make it a power struggle or a criticism. Talk about your own experience if you have had some in that area, and chances are that you have.

• 5. Show love. Your children need and want your love and devotion. Get involved, truly interested and engaged in their lives. Showing children you appreciate and respect them will build a deeper bond between you. If your child is really interested in something, do it with them or support them in any way that you can. It doesn't sound much like it's related to housework and chores, but don't let them down when they need you and chances are, they won't let you down either. It just wouldn't be cool, would it?

GETTING THAT CHORES LIST DONE ISN'T KID STUFF!

Motivating our kids isn't always easy. As a matter of fact, we need to be motivated to motivate them!

It takes dedication, consistency and yes, sometimes it would even be easier to do it ourselves. Who would have thought!

But when we take the time to provide the example and direction needed to build a child's character we are much more likely to help them to become a productive, responsible adult.

As a parent, it's your job to mold your children into caring, responsible and respectful adults. When you think of it that way, getting the living room vacuumed is a perk!

KIDS ARE PEOPLE TOO 

Remember, kids are people too and are motivated by the same things that motivate you and me.

Things like love, attention, pleasure, rewards and recognition top the list of things children crave in their lives. I'm willing to bet if you think about it, you can recognize this in yourself too. Thinking of it this way makes it quite easy to do the right thing, and hopefully get the dishes done!

Next time your exasperated in your efforts to motivate your kids to help you out with the list of chores, remember to lay the groundwork. In the end, the chores list will get finished - even if it takes awhile - you'll be the super duper mom you always wanted to be and some day, your kids might even thank you.

Who would have ever thought we could get so much from a chores list?

Want to try something fun? Join TAKE 5. It's free. You get a 5 minute chore sent to your email every day. The fun part is that you could make it a game to do with your kids. Get them to help you, or make it a chore for them to do. Let them open the email and see what's inside. It can't hurt to try!

Sign Up For TAKE 5 - it only takes 5 minutes.

Our shower has been in need of repair for some time now but it started getting bad enough last week that it could no longer be put off.

My husband built our original shower but I found soon after that it really was taking up a lot of space in our small bathroom and it never really was what it was supposed to be. (the main reason I had wanted to do that was to create a small bath tub area in the bottom by making the ledge a little higher. That never happened.)

So at this point, I voted to buy a new insert. It would also solve a few other problems that we were having with it.

SHOPPING WE WILL GO

So off we went to go shopping for a new corner shower unit.

As luck would have it, on the way we stopped to pick up the mail and there was a coupon in it for the very store we were going to - deferred interest and payments for a full year.

That really worked for us because the shower was not really first in line of things to pay for.

AND we had to buy siding for our house. Eureka.

Now we could go ahead and bump the payments for it until we had our other debts paid for, or a very good chunk of them anyway.

In a blink of fantastic luck, we saved interest for an entire year on the cost of siding and a new shower. 

I CHOOSE THE CHEAP ONE

Next, we went on to make our own luck.

Choosing the shower  was a process. First I chose, then the other thinking that they were both the same price. Then I found out that my second choice was actually $600 more.

Now I had to not only choose between the showers, but decide whether on not we should spend the extra money.

A shower is something that we look at and use every day. It can make or break a small bathroom decor.

But in the end, I opted for the cheap one.

Why?

I liked the other one better, but I did think that I could work with the cheaper one.

Since we are still in debt with plenty left to do on our house, I decided that we could make do with something that was good instead of something that was remarkable.

Sometimes you have to make those choices.

I also know that once it's in, and the bathroom is painted as I plan to do, I won't even miss the more expensive one.

SAVING 6,000 DOLLARS

Next we went on to siding. Short story - we whittled our choice down (after years of shopping around) to two choices. One was 6,000 more.

There were some good arguments for and against both.

In the end we were happy with the 6,000 less choice so we choose it.

Sometimes it's about simplifying and settling for good enough rather than perfection.

29.00 SAVINGS

On top of it, when my husband went through the checkout for the shower, he noticed that they were charging 29.00 more for the shower than the ticket showed on the shower.

So he told them and they checked it and took the charge off.

If that had been me, I may not have even noticed. If I did, I probably wouldn't have said anything.

Goes to show you, being on the ball and a tad assertive can save you money.

The funny thing is that this happens fairly often.

Lesson learned? Always be watching and don't be afraid to say anything. The worst that will happen is that they will say no, right?

The best is that you may walk away with a little more cash in your pocket, or a little less debt to pay interest on.

ALL IN ALL

I was very happy with our choices.

The biggest thing was that I was happy we had decided to save the money.

Had we gone with the more expensive choices, I would have been feeling stressed by knowing that we spent more than we had too, and would be spending so much more time paying it off.

The feeling that we saved money and took the route that was more affordable gave me peace of mind as well as happiness that we were able to finally make these purchases.

Looking forward to a new face on the outside of our house - I will post some pictures as we get it finished - and a nice new shower corner unit that is not going to take up so much space in our bathroom - as well as a new paint job in there that I am hoping is going to give some character to a rather dingy room.

Next time you need to make a major purchase, or even a small one, don't forget - good enough is sometimes good enough - it can be even better. 

The question isn't always do you prefer one over the other, the question is…

do you want freedom? 

If you are struggling or looking for an easier way to manage your money and create a simple budget, try out Making Change, my own home budgeting system. I've used it to create a whole new way of spending - and even saving!

You can get it free here

Making Change - Simple Home Budgeting System 

I have been concentrating quite a bit lately on improving my nutrition through raw foods and eating more greens.

It has been fantastic!

I really can tell a difference right away in my skin, mood, elimination/bloating, and general energy levels when I am on track with at least two green smoothies and/or good servings of greens and veggies.

So I couldn't wait when Tara Warner said she was doing a Raw Mom Summit. I'm listening to the first calls right now.

It's not just about food.

There are calls all over the board about sustainable living, environment, health, nature, and pretty much anything you can imagine about simple and natural living.

I LOVE IT!

So I couldn't wait when Tara Warner said she was doing a Raw Mom Summit.

I'm listening to one the first calls right now…

Walter 'Shantree' Kacera - so much that I had never considered about how we grow our food -

• forest gardens!
• perennial vegetables
• permaculture
• nature attention deficit in kids today
• how trees communicate (it's not as wanky as it sounds!)
• and so much more…

A must listen if you want to hear something a little different, thought provoking, life giving and inspiring.

Also the plight of bees (the cell phone theory, very thought provoking) and how kids can help.

The next call I'm loading up is Andrea Nison on home birthing and a diaper free elimination method for a new raw mom.

My kids are past that (or should I say I am) but I gotta hear that one! I'm sure that it is going to be interesting. 

I am so impressed that I had to let you know right away because the calls are up for free for 24 hours so time is getting short for the first round.

You really should head over and have a listen before they are gone.

There will be new free calls every day for the next 9 days so don't miss out! "The Raw Mom Summit" is an online event starting on June 22nd and ending on June 30th.

For 9 days and 9 nights the wisdom, experience and understanding of over 30 passionate health pioneers and some of the world's leading experts in alternative health, are bringing their voices together in the name of building healthy families and empowered leaders of the next generation.

You can learn more about this FREE online event by clicking the link below.

Free Raw Mom Summit calls

I had a brainwave this morning when I was continuing my quest to clear clutter from every corner of every room of my house. 

I decided to call it…

My Scientific Theory On the Acoustics of Clutter

It started with a bookshelf that had been sitting on our deck/sitting room. I really didn't like it there, it was cluttering up the space and was mostly unused - that in itself is an anomaly, a bookshelf unused!

Still, it took me months to think of the solution.

As I sat pondering at my desk one day in my office, a place that desperately could use a few more unimposing shelves, the idea popped right into my head with a 'DING!'.

There was a perfect place in the perfect spot for it, right in front of my eyes, and to the the left of my desk.

So this morning I got to work clearing it out to get ready for the move. Since I've been doing my BOOST every day, I had already done most of it, so it was an easy job.

I vacuumed the place that would be it's new home and asked the 'boss man' to move it for me.

HERE COMES THE INTERESTING PART

After the shelf was moved I braced myself as I walked onto our deck for the immediate feeling of relief that I knew was coming, now that the piece of furniture was gone.

And I wasn't disappointed. I rearranged a few things and said AHHHH…

And pondered, why is it that every time I clear a space, that feeling of relief comes over me.

And it was at the point that I noticed.

The room really did FEEL different. 

And it occurred to me that there was mere a hint of an echo where the empty space now sits.

It was calming.

And soothing. 

And I wondered…

is there an acoustic of clutter? 

That would be the opposite of the clear and soothing soft hint of an echo.

That would be the stuffy noise that implodes your ears, even though you don't think that you hear it.

That would be the noise in your head that deafens and intrudes. 

That would the sound of mess and noise of piles and the deafening crash of too much stuff. 

So now that I think about it, I realize that yes, there are acoustics of clutter.

As there are acoustics of clear spaces. 

Next time you create a clear space stop to consider the sound of peace.

THAT is a beautiful noise.

Now I'd like to invite you to invite that beautiful sound into your home with TAKE 5, your free daily 5 minute task to beat clutter and create clear spaces… 5 minutes at a time.

Can you hear it? You will…