Spring Cleaning List

I received several emails asking about Lenten cleaning. Danielle and I briefly toyed with the idea of adding it to our Lenten prompts but quickly recognized that our homes were so different, it wouldn't really work. I bumped into this list today at Charming the Birds from the Trees (an aptly named blog, by the way, since it's always so very charming). It's an ambitious list and, since Emma is an Orthodox Christian, her Easter is a week later than mine, so she's got a bit more time. She also started on Monday. Today is Thursday. I did indeed manage to do a few things this week before seeing her list (note my Small Successes), so I did a little cut and paste. I'm also going to have some time on Saturdays, so I did some more cut and paste. And, not all of my spaces to clean match up with hers, so I tweaked just a little more. It's still a very ambitious list but I figure I have a few children around here who can be pressed into service and, together, we might be able to keep pace with Emma.(Unless the chief mess-maker, pictured above, continues on her current path of destruction.)
What does spring cleaning look like for you? Take the list below or the original at Charming the Birds from the Trees and make it your own, then come back and leave a comment and a link and I can see all the things I missed putting on my list:-). It's not a perfect system, nor is it comprehensive, but I do think that if I stick with it, my house will be far cleaner Easter Sunday than it is now.
March 2nd: Desk
March 3rd: Dressers
March 4th: Family Closet
March 5th: Master Bedroom Closet
March 6th: Mudroom
March 7th: Clean Van
March 8th: Sunday
March 9th: Master Bedroom
March 10th: Nursery Bathroom
March 11th: Learning Room
March 12th: Learning Room
March 13th: Hallway and Steps
March 14th: Entrance and Closet
March 15th: Sunday
March 16th:  Linen Closet
March 17th:  Basement
March 18th: Library Closet
March 19th: Living Room
March 20th: Craft Cupboards
March 21st: Storage shelves
March 22nd: Sunday
March 23rd: Dining Room
March 24th: Baseboards
March 25th: Windows
March 26th: Master Bathroom Drawers and Cabinets
March 27th: Kitchen
March 28th: Family Room
March 29th: Sunday
March 30th: Pantry(both)
March 31st: Freezer
April 1st: Refrigerator
April 2nd: Drawers
April 3rd: Cabinets
April 4th: Paschal Baskets and Clean Garbage Cans
April 5th: Sunday
April 6th: Master Bathroom
April 7th: Children’s Artwork
April 8th: Garage
April 9th: Launder Spring Bedding
April 10th: Clean Car
April 11th: Plant Flowers for Hanging Baskets
April 12th: Easter

Easter clothes:already finished (Ooh, I'm good. Hah! Mike did all the hunting and gathering for me.)

Gingrich to Convert

Laugh with me this morning:
When one of my children saw the headline "Gingrich to Convert" at National Catholic Register, she said, "To WHAT? Liberalism?"

I convulsed in giggles. And she said, "No, seriously, what is he converting to?"

My children see Newt Gingrich at church all the time. Last Christmas Eve, they were at the Basilica way before time for midnight Mass. They bumped into (literally) a familiar silver-haired gentleman in the cafeteria. He chatted with them for a few minutes and they wished him a Merry Christmas. Then, Stephen turned to Christian and said, "Don't I know him from somewhere?"
Nicky (rather loudly) replied, "Yeah, he's always on Sean Hannity! He must be important if he knows Sean Hannity."
Mr. Gingrich smiled.

Newt Gingrich always sits in about the same place in the Basilica. His wife sings in the choir, and so my children all assumed he already was Catholic.Imagining that Newt Gingrich is Catholic is not a far reach for my family and we look forward to going to the Lord's Table with him (maybe Easter?).

Imagining him converting to liberalism is another thing entirely;-)

Small Successes~7

1
I wanted to post that I had done a deep cleaning in my bedroom--the first of the Lenten spring cleaning. Instead, I'm reporting that my desk and dresser are very clean and orderly. That was the first thing I saw this morning. That's my small victory. The rest will happen, no?

2
I woke up in the morning after a very bad day and was reminded once more that God grants grace sufficient for the day. Every Single Day. My success lies in being open to every last bit of that grace.

3
At her insistence, I played the "gem game" with Katie for hours on a Saturday morning when I really had so many other things to do. She thinks I'm the "best Mommy in the world."Good to know. I'm tucking the declaration away for when she's an early teen.

~

What are your successes this week? This is a great exercise in holding ourselves accountable and patting ourselves on the back. Mothering and homemaking don't have built in performance reviews and bonuses. The  internet can be a source of support and encouragement. Let's encourage one another in our small successes. Share them at Faith and Family Live! 

Lent Day 8

Fast: Ifit doesn’t build you up and strengthen you in your vocation, why read it, why listen to it, why do it, why bother?

Pray: Remember that work can be prayer too. Give God your most gruesome task today. Do it with diligence and love.

Give: Think of the kind of person your husband was when you were dating. Love and serve that person today.

Lenten Prompts

When Danielle and I decided to run our daily Lenten prompts again this year, I  Patrick changed all the dates from last year's posts so that they would run on the right days this year. I guess that Google Reader doesn't see them as new posts, because they aren't appearing there. I don't see spending the time to cut and paste and completely re-post. So, if you rely on your Google Reader to tell you what's happening in the Heart of My Home, you're going to miss the Lenten prompts. But, you can still get them on your Reader if you're subscribed to Faith and Family Live.

 And now for my confession: I totally forgot to check the prompt today and I missed doing the blog/board fast. I'll do that tomorrow (and I think we should add Twitter and Facebook too, huh?). I'm looking forward to a more silent day--today's prompts were some of my favorites last year. I'll be pondering and praying what Ann has said about silence here and what Amy has written about how the habit of writing makes us more aware of the  sacred.