Woman in Real Life

A really good spring cleaning can be daunting. So much to do - and wouldn't we all rather be outside enjoying the sunshine? But the end result of all your work can't be beat. Lovely fresh clean surfaces and neatly organized cupboards. How wonderful.

When I have a big clean-up to do, I like to think back to the wisdom found in Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance, A Daybook Of Comfort And Joy:

For what is the purpose of cleaning this room? Is it simply to pick up trash and dispose of yesterday's newspaper? Or is some inspired action at work here? In the process of transforming this room into a safe and serene haven where my family can come together to enjoy the comfort of each other's company, am I not changing the perception of my work?

While I'm not big on shopping for clothing anymore, I still love shopping for kitchen gadgets and serving dishes for my home. Recently, I told you that Linen Chest was adding a new store in the GTA. In celebration, all of the GTA stores held a grand opening sale. I hit the sale that weekend and found a few special new items for my kitchen.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I'm on an uphill climb towards beautifying and organizing my home. I had some help recently when the lovely people at KiDECALS offered to send me some of their personalized labels and decals.

I selected a pretty pink initial for my daughter's room, above. It is the perfect size for the area above her desk. Putting it on the wall also gave me the incentive to organize her desk and the area around it. She loves to write (like her mom), which is great, but she also tosses each piece of paper aside when she's done. I removed an entire box of paper for recycling.

You will be happy to know that these decals are phthalate-free and won't harm your walls. The self-adhesive material can be removed easily. Just be careful you don't stick the skinny bits to the other skinny bits like I did!

Friday has rolled around again. Christmas is a distant memory. Two or three more months of winter to go. Not that I'm complaining...well, maybe a little.

Here, cell phone pics from the week...this week I'm showing you my Instagram photos. My son started an Instagram account this week, as did my husband. They aren't looking for followers. We basically just look at each other's photos. You can follow me @ziajojo if you like.

Last week, I showed you my home office organization. This week, the Organizing Revolution continues with week two - the kitchen.

I once read an article in Real Simple about a fabulously organized but seemingly relaxed mother. Her home was simple but lovely. I'm not saying I believe everything I read, but one thing she said stuck with me. Her secret was to ensure that, at the very least, her kitchen was back to clean at the end of each day.