Happy holidays and happy cleaning!

        During this extremely busy season, I am going to take a moment to teach you how to have your house company-ready at all times. Let's paint a mental picture. Its been a busy week, the house is starting to build up clutter and you are ready to clean it. Suddenly, your phone is ringing off the hook and now you don’t have much time. People will be showing up in 45 minutes and you haven't even had your coffee! Here is what your going to do.

         Start that coffee pot. Give each room 5 minutes of attention. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you time yourself, your thought process will automatically put things in order to get the right things done. Start with the most important room and work your way through your house in the order of importance. I do this regularly anyways just to keep things nice even when time doesn’t agree.

         I start in the kitchen. Wash those few dishes that didn’t get done before bed. Pick up any leftover clutter, and wipe down the counters. Next is the dining room. The big thing here is the dinner table. There are always random papers scattered, mail, bills, newspapers, lighters, pens, etc. Pick up that clutter. Put it away, and resist the urge to put it on the next flat surface you see. Wipe down that table, and make sure there is no other clutter in the room. Next in my house is the living room. Make sure those coffee cups are in the sink, laptops are in their places, books aren't scattered… You get the picture. Being a very compulsive cleaner, I have a very difficult time in not getting side tracked with that one little area that doesn’t seem perfect. I tend to give a small stain on the coffee table more attention then all the clutter, and whatever else may be hanging around. This is why I stress the point: Do not spend more then 5 to 7 minutes in each room. Pick up the big things. If furniture is moved around from last nights movie rampage, slide it back into place and just get things looking decent. Now one of the most important and sometimes overlooked rooms is the bathroom. Anyone can look at your bathroom and decide that you are a slob from just a glance. Just as you take care of yourself, take care of your bathroom. Keep it sanitary.  Spray down some scrubby cleaners. Wipe it down, pick up the clutter, and take out the garbage. In the process, take that kitchen garbage out. Now the most important rooms are clean. If you want to, do the same in your home's bedrooms. By now, your coffee should be ready.

         Remember to never leave one room as a catch all. That will come back and haunt you later. Do this routine a few times a week, aside from your regular cleaning habits. You will feel so relieved from that build up, come time to deep clean.

 

Basics:

• Coffee Pot
• Kitchen
• Dining Room
• Living Room
• Bathroom

• Garbage

• No more then 5 minutes a piece.

• Coffee
• Enjoy :)

 

Thanks for tuning in. :)

-Your local House Bitch.

Ladies! Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday is coming to an end, and my goodness it has been one hell of a week. Upcoming is the Christmas season and you haven't even had the chance to recover! Well here is your chance to pamper yourself without breaking the bank.

First off, I will say that you will need a couple of items you probably already have in your house. The things I had prior to my trip to the grocery store were:

• Baking Soda

• Honey

• Lavender (the essential oil)

Note that the lavender is not a must but it is nice.

From the store you will need:

• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Avocado
• A bar of Yardleys London soap (oatmeal and almond)
• A bottle of creamy baby oil (the lotion not the oil)

What I paid for all of this was under $5. Look for both the soap and the lotion at the nearest dollar store. I know that family Dollar has them.

And Here we are with all this random stuff! What you are going to do is this:

Mash up the avocado, (while whole heartedly attempting not to eat it all) and add a small amount of honey. This is your face mask.

Avocados are very nourishing and moisturizing to the skin, without all of the added chemicals.

Honey is great for cleaning out your pores, and is also packed with antioxidants. It is very renewing, as we all have environmental skin damage. Our faces experience trauma every day from chemicals, and all sorts of things in the air, as well as our makeup, cleansers, moisturizers, etc. Therefore, this is a perfect mixture to get your skin glowing and healthy in no time.

Start to run a bath, and sprinkle a few tablespoons of baking soda into it.

The baking soda will help to exfoliate, take out rough spots on the skin, cleanse, reduce acne, and prevent bacteria.

Add just a few drops of lavender oil for a relaxing scent.

Now add some bubbles, using your favorite body wash or bubble bath.

Place the cucumber slices amongst the bubbles. You could also put them on your eyes.. Something I cant try, due to lack of patience, and Claustrophobic anxiety. But hey, give it a whirl! :)

If you feel like it, Light a candle.

Now kick back, relax, and let it soak in.

When your ready, treat your skin with that Yardley London Oatmeal and Almond Bar. Trust me, you will not be disappointed in it's natural, good smelling, exfoliating, relaxing quality. The best part is, it is under $2. You cant beat that.

After your relaxing spa experience, soak up some of that creamy baby oil. By the end of all of this, your skin will feel nurtured, healthy, and you will smell like you just walked out of a bed bath and beyond commercial.

I suggest doing this pamper 'sesh' before bed, as you will be so relaxed and ready for a good nights sleep. I also enjoy having a glass of wine in the mix. If you do so, please remember to bring a glass of cold water as well. No need to dehydrate. This will tense up those muscles and make you groggy rather than relaxed.

 

Thanks for reading and happy snow season :)

Your local House Bitch.