A fresh and hopefully clean start..........

I was looking back on my 2014 blog posts and there were many things that I posted about and then promptly forgot about.  So, I am revisiting and hoping to follow through this time.  One of the first items I posted about was cleaning and de-cluttering which I did do some but didn't continue to follow though to the end.  This past weekend I read and picked up some really good tips.  One tip became glaringly evident to me.  Clutter and even too many decorative items make your cleaning routine take that much longer!  Well, that explains it!  So this will be the year of the "clean and lean" homestead!
I made a lot of excuses like too big of a house, 2 housefuls of stuff, not being able to get rid of stuff, illness, tired....enough!  The woman that wrote these articles has 4 bathrooms! So no more excuses....I'm off and running  now!
The plan/tips/methods I'm following is from www.cleanmama.net   This woman is a miracle worker and gets right to the heart of the matter.  No fluff just practical, sane advice.  She has all kinds of free printables , recipes for natural cleaning supplies, menus, specific organizing and cleaning processes and an Etsy shop for more downloadable checklists and aides.  She's even written several books.  The above is just a small example of her free printable checklists.  Her graphics and designs for her work sheets are a delight to use....form and function! :)
Her basic Daily Tasks are 1) check floors, 2) wipe counters, 3) take care of clutter  and 4) laundry.  She feels if you keep up with these 4 things it will free you to do the other tasks that are involved with maintaining a home.  Her Weekly Tasks are 1) bathrooms, 2) dust house 3) vacuum floors 4) wash floors, 5) catch-all and 6) sheets/towels.
I have my own routine and some of those will remain the same but I am utilizing her specific methods for certain areas that I've had problems with.  She also has a FAQ section which I haven't looked at yet and and a way to contact her if you have questions.
Today I cleaned 1 of my 2 bathrooms, visited the neighbor and took her her Christmas gift, changed my sheets, did laundry and took down all the Christmas decorations and lights outside.  I didn't get it all done but I am not allowing a lot on my bathroom counter now which will make it much easier and quicker to clean next time.
 There is also a De-Clutter Challenge that she and several other gals have going which you can see here
with another free printable list. I know many of you are probably excellent housekeepers but I,  for one, can never seem to get it all done.  I know I don't have the energy I used to have but I am not using any excuses!  Wish me luck! :)
If you're more like me I hope this helps you in some way.  I've looked at lots of house cleaning and organizing websites and to me this gal has everything well in hand!
 Happy Trails and Happy Housekeeping!