Project Simplify

Spring Cleaning with a Purpose: Organization and Fun

For four Mondays, we’ll all tackle a specific hot spot in our homes. 

Week of March 5: Kids’ stuff—toys, clothes, and the like

Week of March 12: Kitchen and/or pantry 

Week of March 19: Closets, countertops, and drawers (oh my)

Week of March 26: Choose your own adventure—you pick your most-needed hot spot

Then on Friday, we'll all share our progress with before and after photos. 

For more info, go HERE..

In the Meantime...

and you don't even have to water them...

Early Spring Activities

The weather is getting nicer and the days are getting longer ~ it's time to get outdoors again and enjoy all that nature has to offer. Try some of these activities for a day of good, old-fashioned spring time fun:

Go fly a kite!

March winds make this activity perfect. Find a kite that is bowed so that wind can spill evenly over the two sides of the kite; flat kites tend to be unstable. And you may find that cheap kites are the ones that work best.

Enjoy some swings!

Few things make you feel more alive than a gust of wind in the face, and if you teach your kids proper swinging technique (push legs out when going forward, pull them in when going back), they will enjoy hours of fun without you having to push each of them!

Plant some pansies!

Pansies are the signature flower of spring. Find a sunny location with rich soil and good drainage, dig a hole deep enough for the soil and roots (holes should be 6-10 inches apart), and help your children place the pansies in their holes. For other ideas of how to garden with children, visit Kids Gardening.

via by LDS Living

Today

It was one of those March days when

the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:

when it is summer in the light,
and winter in the shade.

-Charles Dickens-

Spring Can Be Very Uplifting!

In honor of the first day of Spring,
I've been doing some Spring "Cleaning"


Natalie Woolfolk is 5'4" and 139 lbs. - she can clean and jerk 260 lbs.

Try a New Cleaning Tactic

Spring Cleaning...

Instead of reaching into the garbage disposal to remove something causing bad odors, run the disposal with lemon peels to clean it and make it smell nice.

Instead of cleaning just the inside of your windows, try using an outdoor window cleaner that attaches to your garden hose.

Instead of spraying, and immediately wiping, let any kind of cleaner sit for at least a minute to allow it time to break down dirt and grease.

instead of vacuuming over areas just once, you need to go over it least four times. It's the back and forth motion that gets the dirt out.

Instead of using a pricey magic eraser for crayon marks, use toothpaste (not gel) on a sponge and then wipe off with a wet cloth.

Instead of air fresheners to eliminate odors, soak a kitchen towel in white vinegar, wring it out, and swing it over your head several times.

Instead of shaking an area rug to get rid of the dirt, hang the rug on the line and beat it with tennis racket.

Instead of cleaning after errands and appointments, clean in the morning when you are not tired and the light is better.

Instead of being frustrated when you can't get to high or deep shelves to clean them, line them with ribbed plastic shelf liners that you can just take out and wipe down.

Instead of ignoring the hard-to-reach dirt in the seals of the refrigerator, know that it might mildew and clean the ridges out with vinegar.

Instead of cleaning bathroom grout with a toothbrush, whiten the grout with a bottle of grout stain.

Happy Cleaning...

What To Do

Now that the weather is warming up, here is a list of

things you can look forward to doing outside
with your family and friends.
I found it here:

Swing in a hammock...

Snuggle close to to a family member and sway the afternoon away.
Look for pictures in the clouds and watch them change,
or read books to each other.

Do yard work together...

Pull weeds and mow the lawn together.
Plant and water the flowers,
then water yourselves.

Play dress-up...

Collect funny hats, gloves, purses, flowing gowns, and superhero
capes at a garage sale or thrift store. Slip into your new finery
and have a make-believe garden party, Spider-man
adventure, or masquerade ball.

Build a secret fort...

Drape old sheets over lower tree limbs and clotheslines.
Eat dinner there. Stay up chasing fireflies and
listening to night sounds.

Hold a car wash...

Line up dirty toy cars and trucks, or any other soiled waterproof
playthings and give them a good scrub in a pot of water, or
with the garden hose. Rinse and let dry in the sun.

Go on a bug safari...

Dig for worms, scout for lizards, and hunt for
frogs and tadpoles. Marvel at an ant
carrying an oversize crumb.

Befriend a firefighter...

Bake cookies or pick up some ice pops and deliver
them to your local fire station. The firefighters
will appreciate the surprise.

chalk it up...

Everyone loves sidewalk chalk. Use the glow-in-the.dark
kind so you can glimpse your artwork from
the window at bedtime.

Make beautiful music...

Spread a blanket in the backyard for a stage.
Invite neighbors to bring their
instruments and perform.

Dance in the rain...

Go outside during a gentle summer shower and dance
around catching raindrops in your mouth
and jumping in all the puddles.

HAVE FUN...

For Mature Audiences Only

Some of the content of this post may not
be suitable for school-age children...

Today is the official first day of Spring...


(photo by cayenne @ www.cayenne.net)

When I think of spring coming, I think of new beginnings, warmer weather, Spring flowers, cherry blossoms, forsythia, kite flying, new fashions, humming birds, baseball, rain, allergies, emergency room visits, and the poem we used to say at school when I was a kid…

Spring has sprung the grass has risen
44 more days 'til we're out of prison...

Little did we know that as we were out on the playground chanting this little ditty, the teachers were in the school doing the same thing....

Happy Spring...

Everything You Need to Know About the Spring Equinix

Translated literally, equinox means equal night. Because the sun is positioned above the equator. day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes.

Today, March 20, at 5:48 a.m. (universal time), we mark the spring or Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere for 2008. The Autumnal Equinox will occur on September 22 at 15:44 (U.T.] this year. Some years the equinoxes happen on March 21 and September 23.

People in the Southern Hemisphere experience the opposite Equinox of the those of us in the northern hemisphere.

We experience the equinoxes because of the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt we receive the sun's rays more directly in the summer while in the winter the rays of the sun pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant making it colder.

If the earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun, we would not have seasons and there would be no variation in the of our days.

People have recognized the Vernal Equinox for thousands of years. Early people celebrated because their food supplies would soon be restored.

The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.

The early Egyptians built the great sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the day of the Vernal Equinox. The first day of spring also marks the beginning the Persian new year.

In Like a Lion

March is coming in like the cowardly lion.

I hope it doesn't go out like a fierce lamb.


I'm ready to love the Spring season!
Even if it's not official for another three weeks...

Going Along With the Crowd

I'll never be a famous Hollywood-type celebrity,
or a culinary pastry chef-type star,
or a lover of eating cupcakes.

But, would you pay $60.00 for only nine of these?
Anyway, they started me thinking of Spring
and Easter being in March this year,

and they are cute...

Fuzzy Buds and Daffodils

Update on Spring..

Yesterday, at school, there were fuzzy buds on the tress,


and the daffodils in our yard
are out of the ground at least 2 to 3 inches...

Buds Light

Yesterday, when I was leaving the gym,

I noticed that all the trees had
little buds on them.



Can Spring be far behind...