My NEW secret to an immaculate home

Have you seen the number of pins on Pinterest focused on cleaning? How to clean easier, faster, greener? I won't lie, I have a tendency to pin pretty much any cleaning tip I come across (see my squeaky clean board here)- heck, sometimes I even actually follow the link and read them!

If I'm perfectly honest with myself about it then I have to confess that all the cleaning 'tips and tricks' pins have the psychological effect of making me feel like I've done something to help make my home a cleaner place when really all I did was sit on my behind and tap a pretty or clever picture with my finger on a tablet, computer, or cell phone. Heck I didn't even burn 1/2 a calorie (cleaning house can be a good workout....pinteresting, unfortunately not so much). 

So what to do? Well, I have tried a few of the cleaning schedules - clean this thing on Monday, this one on Tuesday, etc.- that I've found on various blogs but I just can't stick with them for more than a few days or even a few minutes. Once I try a "schedule" it's like I'm instantly pre-destined to fail. But I've discovered a secret for non A type personalities like me.......

15 MINUTE CLEANING!

Now every day I spend 15 minutes when both kids are napping and just clean as much as fast as I can. I don't even have a set plan on what to clean, I just kind of go with the flow. This afternoon I was able to clean 2 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, the office, and my closet. All in just 15 minutes! In fact I hardly have anything else to clean at all! Until the kids undo all of my hard work. I think I am going to make the hubs start doing this with me too after the kids go to bed at night....little does he know... MUAH haha!

Anyways, that is the new tool I'm adding to my cleaning tool belt. So far so good.

DIY Growth Chart

This growth chart is adorable and was a cinch to make! I had been wanting to start charting DS' growth for a few months but just couldn't bring myself to start a growth chart on one of the walls of our home because I knew I would be sad if I had to leave it behind. Since we are in the military moving frequently is a very STRONG possibility to say the least so I wanted something more portable. After researching some ideas on Pinterest and Etsy I decided to make my own "bring it wherever we go, we'll have it forever won't the memories be great" growth chart.

DH simply picked up a 2 by 6 board at our local Home Depot and a can of Rust-Oleum spray paint in a pretty Teal Green. We then sanded it down and spray painted it with two coats and left it to dry over night. I ordered a super cute growth chart decal from the Orange Blossom Shop on Etsy to apply to our board.

We found the best way to apply the decal was to tape it to the board so that the lines were exactly 1/2 inch from the edge. We then peeled off the backing and applied the vinyl decal about one foot at a time to the board. It turned out very cute and wasn't difficult at all. It was cheap and easy and is now one of my favorite decorations in the house. I definitely recommend making one, especially if you know you're current living situation isn't a permanent one. Here is the price breakdown:

Board: $5
Spray Paint: $3.50
Vinyl Decal: $10 plus $4 shipping and handling
Total: $22.50