The other day I bought some Kale.
I heard it was like some kind of magic super food and it’s certainly trendy right now, so I thought I’d give it a go. I bought it for the exclusive purpose of adding it to the smoothies which I’ve just started drinking again. In fact, I must confess that I had no idea what kale looked like until I bought some and now I am very confused that my kale looks absolutely nothing like the images I found for this post and I’m still left wondering what the vegetable actually looks like before the leaves are yanked off!
But anyway, when I was going through my infertility battle which feels like many moons ago now, I went through a ‘do anything it takes’ phase in my efforts to try and get pregnant by doing literally anything at all that I thought might help. I even had a wooden fertility statue complete with a rather large extremity in the nether region that was completely out of proportion with the size of the statue. It was a gift from a friend (a male friend who had picked it up in Thailand or somewhere exotic) and though the likelihood was low, it still sat on the bedside cabinet in high hopes that maybe it did hold some kind of super power.
However, back to the topic at hand … after months of drinking smoothies every other day in an effort to improve my fertility I went off them completely. In fact, I went off fruit in general. In addition I will never again see an acupuncturist after countless sessions acting as a pin cushion for myriads of mini needles, nor will I endure the horridness of Chinese herbal medicine. And I went off green tea. And pretty much anything considered healthy.
These days with the quick and easy approach to meals at the top of the agenda, I need something that is simple but will give me the benefit without much effort, therefore smoothies have been reintroduced as part of my new Spring agenda.
I’m loving the slightly brighter weather starting to peek through the grey and it always makes me enthusiastic and motivated to make some changes, perhaps re-arrange the furniture, wash the curtains, vacuum under the couches … you know how it is. Walk some. Have a fleeting vision of yourself jogging before going back to walking. Fix the neglected garden. Release the children to the fresh air of the beach and river walks without drowning in the splash of a muddy puddle.
We all know the general things that appear on a Spring Cleaning List – the cleaning of the house from top to toe. Then of course there is the purging of the chocolate and pasta and fast food diet, hopefully followed by a loss of the spare tire caused by said diet packed on over the colder months.
My list is slightly different. Not so much about clean eating and dusting the house extensively, but rather life hacks to make your life easier (because I know we are all so busy!) while refreshing and changing things up a little.
So here’s my Spring Clean Your Life list (available as a free printable checklist at the bottom of this post should you want it!).
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
- Email subscription cleanse: You know how you always skip over certain emails you subscribed to at some point and hit the delete button over and over and over again. Why not just unsubscribe? Use https://unroll.me – check it out to unsubscribe all you want in one go! (Note: Once you unsubscribe your list the first time, you need to hit the ‘Edit Subscription’ button at the top to get the ‘New Items’ list where all your random subscriptions hide. I just went from 124 to 20. So worth doing!
- Facebook pages cleanse: Same deal. Did you like a million FB pages when you entered some random competition after another? Go through and unlike the ones cluttering your newsfeed that you aren’t even interested in so you just see the ones you are.
- Sort out your mail and important papers: If you’re anything like me you probably have a stash of mail that was opened and thrown in a ‘file away or deal with it later’ pile. Sort it.
GET YOUR HOUSE SUMMER READY
- Check your fire alarm batteries: Traditionally this is done on daylight savings but no harm in doing it now!
- Clean out the freezer: Make way for the summer BBQ packs!
- Review your utilities: Utility providers are sneaky buggers and often once you are past the time period that they bargained you into signing up with them (usually with some awesome deal) they then knock you up to some less than desirable rates without advising you. Do some homework and check your phone, internet, power and insurance providers to make sure you are on the best deal you could be on.
- Wash blankets, cushion covers and curtains
- Vacuum the wall edges and under furniture
- Rearrange furniture and furnishings (out with the woollen blankets and in with the cotton throws): Sometimes rearranging a room can give it an all new feel! I park a couch over a window in winter to retain heat, in summer I move it to let the light in.
- Air the house out: First nice day, open every window in your house! Let the air flow through and freshen the place up with a nice air spray (I love using aromatherapy oils in water in a spray bottle – grapefruit and lemon are really refreshing scents).
- Clean the glass of picture frames and mirrors: I have all my mums artwork on the walls and let me tell you, the glass takes a battering with the kids fingerprints and dust collecting on top of the frames and don’t even talk to me about my mirrors! Grubby.
- Clean the windows: Inside and out. You want to let that sun shine in!
FOCUS ON YOU
- Sort your summer wardrobe: Make room for some funky new clothes, make up and jewellery by throwing away the stuff that doesn’t flatter you, is old or broken.
- Pluck your eyebrows: A super simple way to update your look.
- Buy new sunscreen: Slip, slop, slap!
- Colour your hair a shade lighter: A lighter hair colour is always nice and summery!
- Fix your feet: Months in socks equals not so pretty! Exfoliate, slather in moisturiser and buy some new nail polish!
- Start exfoliating: Your body will thank you.
- Start exercising and getting some vitamin D and fresh air: No excuses in the warmer weather!
- Start Pinteresting salads, super smoothies and summer cocktails! Yum!: I’ll be into the frozen margaritas this summer!
FOR THE KIDS
- Sort your kids clothes: You’ll thank me come next winter! See what you still need to buy this summer BEFORE you go and buy a whole bunch having forgotten the 10 T-shirts you picked up for $3 a pop at the end of summer sales earlier in the year. Then pack away the winter stuff that they will still fit next year and donate the clothes they’ve outgrown.
- Renew the Toy Box: You probably get sick of tripping over toys as much as I do so I find simplifying the toy box to a few handfuls they actually play with and packing away the rest is the best thing you can do (especially since they will likely spend the majority of their time outside shortly – one can hope anyway!). Swap them up every few months as the current lot start to be neglected. While you’re at it, throw away any broken toys, toys that have bits missing, stray puzzle pieces, broken crayons and those cheap knick knacky stupid toys that just end up everywhere but seem to have zero purpose but to be annoying. Toss them all!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ‘SPRING CLEAN YOUR LIFE’ PRINTABLE CHECKLIST
This is a useful spring cleaning list with some things I might actually do!!
Mumma McD recently posted…Ben and Holly – Reimagined
I know right! I always read these great whooping lists on Pinterest and think ‘Nope, too hard!’ so I kept it simple 🙂
Haidee recently posted…The Weekly Sum Up
I’m hoping with spring comes some much needed energy to actually do a proper spring clean. Most years, I don’t really need to because I tend to keep on top of the house but this year, I’ve been struggling to keep up.
Raychael aka Mystery Case recently posted…Blog Exchange | Why bother?
Before kids I didn’t really need to. Two little boys and yeah, out the window! Haha.
Gotta love a list. I’m a big spring cleaner, in fact I spring clean about every three months. I hate clutter and love minimal.
JodiGibson (@JFGibsonWriter) recently posted…What’s up?
I want to be a minimalist but I just can’t seem to pull it off!
Love this list!! Laughing at the feet in socks comment. I so need a pedicure!!! Printing off and sharing this xx
Deb @ inner compass designs recently posted…A to Z of intentional living – S is for …
Thanks Deb! Yay, so glad someone will print it off and make use of it 🙂
Great list! Thanks for the inspiration!
Angie @ The Little Mumma recently posted…Love Thy (booze hound) Neighbour
You’re welcome!
Oh I like your list!
We did a huge spring clean on the kids rooms the other days, and this weekend I want to focus on another area of the house. Washing curtains is also a must!
EssentiallyJess recently posted…A Moment #IBOT
It’s so much easier when you just do one little bit at a time aye. I’m starting with the lounge because it’s where we spend most of our time. My bedroom is the WORST. Somehow it’s ended up a dumping ground!
I’m not an organised person AT ALL so I love this list – useful, practical and achievable (even for unorganised people like me!)
Thanks Kirsty, yeah, gotta keep it achievable or people take one look and go ‘Nope, too hard!’.
Our big thing in spring is to start making sure that the house is ready for the fire season, which officially kicks off for us on October 1. Getting the yard cleared, making sure I have all the important paperwork in the bushfire boxes packed and ready to go, getting safety gear together. It’s glamorous stuff, but vital. It was almost this time two years ago that we had an emergency bushfire evacuation, so shit gets real around here. We go hardcore with our spring cleaning. LOL!
Hugzilla recently posted…The Seven Emotional Stages of Dealing With Fussy Eaters
Yikes, that sounds far more full on than just checking the fire alarm batteries! Hope you don’t have anymore scares! Are you rural?
Yep, Blue Mountains and right on the bush. Hoping for a quiet fire season this year…
Hugzilla recently posted…The Seven Emotional Stages of Dealing With Fussy Eaters
I just googled! That looks so nice! Well, apart from the fires and probable wildlife you get in the bush in Aus! Haha. I’ll stick with our possums and wetas!
Hahhaa yeah, you have to watch out for all the spiders and snakes that want to kill you, but other than that it’s all good!
Hugzilla recently posted…The Seven Emotional Stages of Dealing With Fussy Eaters
Well aren’t you just the little organiser! Good for you. I am already in the process of a few of these things now. Starting to clean the pantry and clean the windows tomorrow too! As for the unsubscribing and facebook likes….I really want to do it, but I feel bad for unsubscribing or unliking. I know they aren’t going to know but I still feel bad!
Kelly recently posted…WHEN PARENTING IS THE SAME AS A BIG WHITE DRAGON. SORT OF.
I’m more talking about fashion stores and the one day type sales via email and the company pages than anything that has an individual person behind them 🙂 I hear ya on that!
Good list Haidee, and totally relating to the infertility ‘do anything to get pregant’ list of things you tried – the Chinese herbs you boiled up with that awful pungent smell and taste that still makes me squirm! The main healthy thing I’ve kept from those days is yoga – and I’m glad of that. To your spring clean list I might have to add ‘shave your legs and other bits’ as mine are looking like a forrest.
Kathy recently posted…Thanks Sir Richard Branson
I’ve never been into Yoga. I tried it once but I’m not good at staying still that long! 🙂
I usually do an email sub cleanse before I go away on holidays; I hadn’t heard of unroll.me before but totally need to bookmark it! I don’t bother cleansing my FB pages anymore; if I haven’t looked at or engaged with any of their stuff, I know they don’t tend to appear in my newsfeed so that’s good enough for me … besides I hate breaking people’s hearts 🙂 .
Visiting from #teamIBOT x
Janet aka Middle Aged Mama recently posted…Do you Kiss your Children on the Lips?
Fair enough Janet!
I started spring cleaning last month in the hope that I would get it done before summer arrives!
stephanie@stephsjoy recently posted…Graham Street Markets Hong Kong
You’re organised! I’m just starting now (obviously!).
Haidee recently posted…I Have A Confession … My Blondest Moments Exposed
I totally need to do this!!! What a gorgeous list!! I know what you mean about smoothies – I go through phases with them too. Happy Spring!! xx
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile recently posted…Bakery Style Vanilla Custard Tarts
Thanks Lucy!
I tried kale in smoothies too – did not taste good. Shame really, as it grew well in the garden! I just went through my email subscription lists and had a huge cut back! Some fantastic suggestions here, thanks!
Emma @ Life, kids and a glass of red recently posted…Here’s to strong coffee
It’s really earthy aye, not a fan. It also made me feel funny!
Haidee recently posted…The Weekly Sum Up (#2)
Now this is my kind of spring clean, love it!
Sarah @theroutinequeen recently posted…Cheap and Easy Play Ideas (August)
Thanks Sarah!
Haidee recently posted…The Weekly Sum Up (#2)
Great list, we e just defrosted our freezer and it felt great! I still need to sort the kids clothes and toys, you’ve just reminded me!!
Mrs Puddleducky recently posted…Back to School Feelings
That unsubscribe thing, where has it been all my life? Thank you!
Amy @ HandbagMafia recently posted…Appeal To Nature
Awesome list Haidee! Just what I needed. Unroll.me is completely life changing and thanks for the reminder to clean out my facebook. Been meaning to do that for ages! I too have just got back on the green smoothie bandwagon too… after seeing Jahda drom simoke green smoothies speak at PB. Think I’m going to do their Oct challenge. Xx
shannon @my2morrows recently posted…The Ultimate Rabbit Hole #34
What a great printable did you paint it yourself? It reminds me of Annabel Burton’s work. #thelist
Midwife and Life recently posted…11 annoying things people say to new mums (and what to say back)
ooh this is very clever – and what a handy idea to do a printable. I normally treat september as my ‘spring clean’ time so I think I’ll have to work through the list! thanks for linking up to #TheList xx
Hannah Mums’ Days recently posted…Halton Castle – visited on 21st June 2015
This is the BEST Spring Clean list I have come across on the web!! Looking forward to ticking most of these off before Summer!
Thanks Charlene! 🙂