FOCUS - Porch/ Entry/ Foyer - 3/20/2012 - Second Round

[Indiana]

Please note there is a new format for this thread from last year.

As we continue to maintain our homes, the key is maintaining our homes through out the year instead of a full deep cleaning once or twice a year.

Adjust the rooms to fit your home.

Not all the things listed need to be done this round. Some may be done daily, weekly, monthly, every 3 or 6 months or yearly. I have marked possible times for doing the chore. Look at each area with fresh eyes to see what should be done this round.

As you do each room dust, vacuum, wash, wipe, wax, sweep, mop, detail, straighten, and declutter any surfaces that need to be done.

Porch / Entry/ Foyer

• Ceiling and corners - quarterly
• Ceiling light - quarterly
• Walls - quarterly
• Doors and hardware – weekly (finger prints), quarterly
• Door and floor trim - quarterly
• Light switch - weekly
• Dust pictures - weekly
• Dust decorations – weekly
• Wash decorations – quarterly if needed
• Cold/hot air vents - quarterly
• Window – quarterly if needed
• Window treatments - annual
• Dust furniture - weekly
• Closet -quarterly
• Floor – weekly
• Wipe mirrors - weekly
• Manage clutter - daily
• Repairs – either repair or put on a list for the future
• Buy – replacements or something new if needed
• Declutter – bedrooms (next focus area) and post accomplishments in Harriet’s declutter thread. This is a great opportunity and will make maintaining the bedrooms easier.

Remember not all the things listed need to be done this round. Some may be done daily, weekly, monthly, every 3 or 6 months or yearly. Use the list as a guide.

[blessedw2]

Love it!

[Harriet]

How is everyone doing with those brooms? Mine may soon regret it had but one life to give for its porch. We have a 35x8 foot front porch and the birds didn't nest here in the spring/summer this time. That change in the ecosystem seems to have started a new phenomenon of spiderwebs that don't stay gone!!! I may have to make our porch more birdie-welcoming this spring!

At my parents', I'd changed Focus for this week to their Dining Room since their porches look pretty good and their entry/foyer is great right now but Dining needed it. The cleaning went so well yesterday because I'd scheduled decluttering of the Dining Room last week. Dd actually enjoyed the dusting. She washed several breakables herself, too. Enjoyed knick-knack memory-time and China pattern stories with her grandmother.

[lucylee]

knick-knack memory-time

... makes me miss my dgmothers, Harriet...

How is everyone doing with those brooms?

Well... not. You wouldn't know we HAVE a foyer/entry for all the thought I've given it this week. But y'all know that tv adventure Monday just about did us ALL in around here. I still intend to get something done in this direction on Saturday. I've GOT to get some house cleaning done then, b/c of guests coming Wed. next week. -- Guests of ds, and they won't be staying overnight, but they've never been to our house, so you know... I want to get the dust bunnies corralled a little better, anyway.

Vacuuming is sort of discouraging right now, too, b/c my central vacuum has just about lost all suction, and I don't have a beater brush on my old Electrolux cannister model. There is a vacuum repairman nearby, and I need to call him, but I was waiting till dh's blood pressure came down a little from the tv stress.

I'm trying also to get a better Basic Weekly Plan. I really need to figure out how/when to manage the laundry and weekly stuff like vacuuming, along with just the DAILY routines that I still struggle with. Doesn't Flylady say you have to get the daily/weekly/decluttering done before you can really focus on the Focus areas, anyway? But I'm hanging in here. I'll do SOMETHING in the Focus area for this week, somehow, before next Monday! Just the daily personal routines are still a struggle for me -- that's why I've been getting 5 hours' sleep most nights! * sheesh *

[blessedw2]

front hall is done as best as it can be at this point.
pushed ahead until warm weather the front of house
also pushed ahead to next turn painting trim. boy it needs it.

hi lucy! you are doing great! get those dust bunnies!!! you also have to remember you work full time and after time. a teachers work is never done! then to be a mom and a wife on top of that... okay you need an award for that alone.
I can't tell you how many times I am lucky to get a few dailies done. I figure dinner, dishes, a load of laundry is musts to stay ahead or even just stay even. Also dharriet put a few things away before you get into bed, turn on the dishwasher no matter how tired you are really is a huge blessing. before you go to work empty the dw. it really only takes 2 minutes. *I timed it because I kept saying It took too long. embarrassing but true.
cheering you on lucy!!!

lol I can hear the eulogy for your broom harriet...
YOur cleaning 2 houses now that is work!!! I haven't done that since my dgrandmother and I know how hard that is!
Loved you and dd10 could hear stories of your dgreat grandmother.

hi indiana I know it has been hard with dh not feeling well. sending you lots of hugs.

[lucylee]

Blessed said --

cleaning 2 houses now that is work!!!

AMEN to that! I am in awe of how you are managing this, Harriet.

I may be called upon to do a little more myself later this spring. Just talked to dmom; she is going to a specialist Monday to see about her back pain. She knows she has a bulging disc and some stenosis (sp?) (I'm pretty sure that's the right word.) Narrowing of the spinal column, I think? She has really had a LOT of pain since Christmas. She wants to avoid surgery until after tax season (since she is official bookkeeper for ddad's business) AND after flu season. Once she caught the flu while IN the hospital so she is very skittish about going in voluntarily at this time of year.

Tonight I am just about to fall asleep in my tracks... TGIF tomorrow!

Thanks for the support, blessed. I really hope I will be able to post Saturday and tell y'all about some accomplishments!

[helia]

Oh good, people are posting progress here. I'm new to this so I wasn't sure if that was protocol or not. I worked on the porch/entry way 3 days this week; I forgot yesterday.

Our front "porch" is odd - brick, wraps around the house; it includes an open area/porch? between the side door and the garage, like a dog run I guess? Hoping that is the right term. Everyone goes in that side door so I've designated the area around that door the "entry way" even though we have a more technical "entry way" by the front door - which no one uses.

Monday - spot sweeping of porch, swept out a few lingering old cobwebs, put several items sitting in the dog run? area back in the garage, collected some items sitting in the front yard (leftover from putting up the ice rink) back in the garage.

Tuesday - got out 409 and windex and wiped down door jam, lightswitch plates, inside windows, window sills, outside of breadmaker. Also, dh decluttered top drawer of granite island where we store some miscellany items, like a basket of contact info for people (including an address book), a basket of WW info, a basket of small household tools, a basket of magnetic lists for the fridge, etc.

Wednesday - I didn't do too much here; I decluttered the top of the granite island in the middle of this area, decluttered my canned goods in the pantry closet; there were cans left from when renters were in here last year.

[LurkyLou]

Got the entry area pretty well under control. I've mopped, dusted, de-cobwebbed the chandelier and cleaned the woodwork. I have the inside of the door cleaned and if it's nice tomorrow, I'll do the outside of the door too. I swept the porch and swiped away the cobwebs! We have birds, but they nest under the eaves, not the porch area. I guess I'd rather have to clear cobwebs instead of cleaning up bird poop...or do they not do that on your porch Harriet? (I know, I have weird questions.)

[Gadler]

I had the most amazing thing happen today. My focus was on the entry/front porch. First thing this morning, I was doing my daily cards, when I heard some activity at the front door. On investigation, there was DH cleaning the front porch, the front paths, the front light ... everything! WOW! He normally never does any of this! So here was my task, just about all done for me, without asking or even hinting. Ah .. the mysteries of life

[blessedw2]

gadler that's wonderful! yes the mysteries of life ! how nice that was to have the porch done!

hi lurky the front entry looks beautiful. and look at that front porch! great job

hi helia many of our friends have the same type of house. It seems that everyone uses the family enterance or as one friend says the "formal" enterance no one comes to, not even the mailman. Great work!!!

hi lucy (((dmom)))

I did the front hall but now I have to paint when weather is nice (finally saw under the dirt )
dh will be so happy