Spring Cleaning Giveaway Winner

Wow! This contest resulted in the most comments I've ever had on this blog. Maybe I should do this type of thing more often, eh?

I don't want to torture you so I'm going to go ahead and just tell you. The winner of the Spring Clean Year 'Round box is 

 #47 -  Shiloh and Bob Willey

E-mail me at Jillderbeast@cableone.net to give me your address. Congratulations!

Now, a couple of you suggested that Ter should win because she's had such a rough year. Since I can't, in good conscience, rig the contest, I decided to make her a little box of her own.

What do you think? It's smaller than the Spring Clean Year 'Round box and it's not the same. I've made different chore cards because, again, in good conscience I couldn't just copy the original since it is something I purchased. My intent in holding this little contest was to support another work-at-home mom and share a great little system with you.

Yikes! They multiplied. You can't put those dang boxes together because they just can't behave.

Actually, I figured since I was going to be making one anyway, I might as well kill two birds with one stone and make one for one of my contest winners from this post. 

So, one of these boxes is for Ter from Canada, and the other one is for Amanda of Another Day in Diaperland.

Please e-mail me at Jillderbeast@cableone.net with your addresses. Congratulations.

Here's a little peek inside the boxes I made. The chore cards are small, 2" x 4" but I think they are plenty big for their jobs.

Before I found Travis' Spring Clean Year 'Round system, I had a system of my own that wasn't working very well. It was the same general idea as the Spring Clean system, but it wasn't cute. I think because it wasn't cute, I didn't keep it out in plain view, so I didn't  use it. I also had tried the Fly Lady System, but I just couldn't stay on top of it during busier days and weeks, so I found that it wasn't flexible enough for me. Plus, I need another e-mail in my in box like I need a hole in my head. Plus, plus, I find her website incredibly confusing. Granted it's probably just because of my rabid Chihuahua attention span, but still.

I like spread sheets and all, so my skills are limited.

So, what I really like about the Spring Clean Year 'Round system is the flexibility. If you can't get to a chore on the day you had planned, you just move it to the next day when you think you will be able to get to it. You might think that it's just enabling procrastination, (my friend) but I've found that isn't the case. I have all my chores in one place now, written down, and I know that I have them scheduled so I don't have to be overwhelmed by thinking about the big picture and everything I have yet to do. I just focus on today with the knowledge that I will get to the other stuff, just not today. It's liberating.

So, having a peek at this Spring Cleaning system and getting some inspiration, I've had another go at my own system and spiffed it up a bit.

I used a rotary Rolodex for mine because of that rabid Chihuahua thing again. I tend to rush around, and as a result I'm always dropping things and knocking things over. This way, my chores are anchored so I don't 52 Pickup them all the time. Remember that game? It's a hoot. Not.

Can I just tell you how much fun I did not have making the Rolodex divider cards. It took FOR-EVER. The picture above is the smart way, with the exception of the pain in the rear tabs and that I don't think I would use staples again. I would just stick them on with my Tape Runner.

See, when I started making my own dividers, I had to cut out all those little notches with little itty bitty scissors.

And as I mentioned, the tabs were a whole 'nother problem. 

Until I got this from Melanie-Who-I-Almost-Killed-With-Pie.

It's a Round Tab Punch. I could have used this thing years ago and I'm so happy it lives at my house now.

Watch this . . . I punch my tab out . . .

Fold it in half and put some adhesive on the inside, and then sandwich my piece of divider card stock between it.

TA-DA!

I digitally scrapbooked my chores. Of course. I put three to a 4x6 print and uploaded them to my local photo center. By printing them at a photo center, I save my own printer ink and I get a much better quality print. Waaaaaay better. And I even have a decent photo printer.

Then I just cut the chores apart.

Round the top corners so I won't stab my rabid Chihuahua fingers.

Then I used way more Tape Runner than I really needed on an actual Rododex card. I adhered my chore cards this way so that I wouldn't have to cut out all those dang Rolodex notches. I'm a cheater, and I never want to do that again.

Then I carefully lined up my chore on the Rolodex card. Some of them aren't super perfect.

And here are some of my chores.

I want you to know that I'm going to try to turn over a new leaf and dust more than my once a year whether it needs it or not system. But still, one room a week is my limit. 

I just thought this one up yesterday. It's one of those things that I'm always noticing and thinking I should do, but I just never get around to it. Now there's hope.

I have chore cards for cleaning the toilets once a week and the sinks and counters too, but this one is for all the rest of the bathroom. My goal is to not need a Hazmat suit to clean the bathrooms in the future.

I even made some blank cards for additional chores that I think up. I could go to Fly Lady to look for more, but I figure I'll start with this and add them as I need to.

Like this. I was filling the cat water yesterday and realized that this needed to be a chore. I just wrote it on there with a Fine-Point Sharpie.

If you want to purchase the Spring Clean Year 'Round system, click on the link and go get yourself one. They're $30 plus shipping.

So who's in the mood to clean now? Me neither.

Maybe after I finish off that box of Bon Bons that Peanut Head thinks I eat all day watching soaps while he's at work. He has no idea.