Day 88: Microwave Quick Clean

Ok, I know we've talked about tackling the dreaded microwave gunk before (see THIS post), but this morning, as I was boiling some eggs, I did a quick clean on my microwave. WHY? Well, first of all, I wipe it down after every use. And second of all, if your microwave happens to be over the stove, like mine, the steam from whatever is cooking will go straight up. So, why not use this to your benefit? Oh yes, it's another little Neat Freak Cheat Sheet tip: use the steam from cooking to help clean your microwave, counter tops, or whatever. Just open the microwave door, and let the steam do its work. Then, take a paper towel and/or Lysol wipe (depending on the amount of dirt!), and wipe it down. Ta-da! A quick clean... and some multitasking! LOVE it!

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 87: Neat Facts

Sorry for the absence... I've been sick, and my 13-month old has been sick. Yuck...

SO, to get us back on track, I have some really neat facts that I found recently....
1. Women spend 17 HOURS A WEEK cleaning. This is down from 26 hours, 30 years ago....
2. Men have more than doubled their domestic duties, from 6 to 13 HOURS a week.
3. BUT... having a husband creates an EXTRA 7 HOURS of WORK each WEEK for women.


OH, and don't forget about the great giveaway from Wear-N'-Write! Just go back to day 86 for details!

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 86: Get Neat With Wear-N'-Write

Y'all know I enjoy gadgets that help with cleaning and organizing. And I am trying out a NEAT, new product... It's called Wear-N'-Write. Get this: It's a mini, dry-erase board that comes in 2 nifty styles: 1 that you can WEAR on your wrist, and 1 that you can CLIP on somewhere convenient.

I know we live in a day and age of fancy phones and electronic what-nots, with technologically advanced ways of taking notes, but how many times have you been searching under the seats in your car for a pen or a crayon and a receipt or even a gum wrapper to jot down a phone number or a quick note? And think about people who work outdoors... or in hospitals! What about contractors, waitresses, nurses and carpenters? This little, note-taking wonder is perfect for wearing "hands free" or for clipping on a car visor, a tote bag, a backpack, etc, etc.

My daughter is already chomping at the bit to steal a Wear-N'-Write from me and use it for her own imaginative projects, but I am envisioning clipping one to my cleaning basket so I can jot down things that I need (like: buy more Lysol wipes) or stuff that I notice (like: change batteries in smoke alarm) while I am doing everyday chores from room to room! Hey, I could even clip one in every room of the house... I could write down my kid's chores on them. Or, we could jot down messages to one another or mention necessities that are required... or missing (i.e. need toothpaste, running low on laundry detergent, need more toilet paper, or must have clean-and-dry basketball uniform for Saturday!). It's a perfect solution for anyone who is already busy... with always more stuff to do. And it's a great gadget for any neat freak! ;)

I've already tried the wrist version on, too... just for fun! I like that the marker (that comes with it) not only has a neat little place to attach to the board, it has its own eraser! So, no dirtying up your sleeves, fingers or whatever else is handy at the time!


It will be fun testing these out, here and there, and everywhere! Oh, and best of all... while I am giving this new product a whirl, YOU, too, can try out this little gadget for yourself! Just go to the Wear-N'-Write Facebook page and click on "like." The first 10 people who post the comment "Wear-N'-Write makes my busy life EASIER!" and mention that they saw the product on the "Get Neater" blog will win FREE products! Yep. It's that easy! (And, hey, just because you're not one of the first 10 folks doesn't mean you can't like their page! "Like" them, and get details on what they are been up to and what they have to offer!)

GOOD LUCK!

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 85: Even my iPhone has OCD

A friend of mine just showed me that one of the iPhone updates allows you to FILE and ORGANIZE all of your phone applications (apps). WOW! SO... you'd better believe that I took full advantage of this neat little trick!

If you, too, are an iPhone-usin' neat freak, and you haven't yet organized YOUR apps, you will LOVE it! You can categorize everything in neat, little, 12-app squares... and then name each square!

So, instead of having little app icons spread all over the place, taking up every "page" on my iPhone, I now have 1 "regular" page with all of the items that I use most often or just feel like I need to see at any given moment (see picture, above)! And... I have 1 page of "files!"
AND... YES, they are all alphabetized! (I know... I can't help it!) And... all of the contents in each folder are alphabetized, too! See, here is my "Games I Love" file. It's GLORIOUS!


And I am certain it will confuse the heck out of my husband! ;)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 84: DE-Clutter the Pen Cup

OH, it's a simple task, all right... but it's one that we don't always make time for. So set aside about 2-5 minutes and go through the cup, basket and/or drawer that holds your writing utensils... and clean it up!

Step 1: Take everything out. You can do this in clusters, like I plan to do, or just dump it all out at once. Your call!
Step 2: Test every pen. If it's not dried up -- or, worse, a goopy, gooey mess -- keep it! Discard all space wasters and all pens without tops. (Topless pens might not be causing any problems now.... but they are just begging for the chance!)

Step 3: Check pencils. Sharpen dull ones. And toss out the useless nubs that you have to cross your eyes and grit your teeth to hold onto! ;)
Step 4: Rinse out and/or wash off holder. I usually turn mine upside down over the trash can and then wipe with a damp paper towel!
Step 5: Replace items! Be sure to store highlighters, pens, markers, Sharpies, etc., with the ink side down, if possible! That way you don't waste time waiting for the ink to get to the tip!



(And, yes, that is me, top photo, with one of my favorite pens: a PEEPS pen!)


Now, THAT's neat!

Day 83: The Organized Baby Bag

I know this is not a "mommy blog," but since I am a mommy... and since my neat freakishness carries over into ALL of my "roles"... I figured I'd share another neat product with all of you! So, neat mommies, take note!

I recently discovered Diaper Dude and figured I would give one of their products a try, even thought I am NOT a daddy, and most of the items they sell are designed specifically with some cool, hip, diaper-changing daddies in mind! ;)

Since I LOVE neatness and organization, I thought I'd purchased a changing station. It recently arrived, and WOW! I just love it! I used to keep wipes in one pocket of the diaper bag and diapers in a small zip pouch. Then I had a changing pad and some "essentials" (AKA baby powder, butt pastes, etc.) in another baggie. Well, needless to say, that set-up was NOT convenient for a quick run (uh, no pun intended) to the bathroom with a little one!

Well, this well-constructed-- and I must say, fashionable, bag -- is bigger and sturdier (and way cooler) than I imagined. And it's just the PERFECT size and shape for diapers and wipes and any of those other "extras."

It unfolds from a shoulder-strap bag, like THIS:


...to a full-size, cushy diaper pad, with two pockets and a mesh bag, like THIS:

And check out the fun little diagram, HERE:


...and the all-important checklist for dads, in case they are in sole charge of the little ones:


I may still bring our whole diaper bag with us wherever we go, but now I can just grab the extremely handy, convenient (and cool) DD changing station whenever we have a... ummm.... "need."



Now, THAT's neat!

Day 82: Color Code Your Calendar

I have an iPhone, but I am not a fan of electronic calendars. I don't like things beeping at me all the time, reminding me of what I need to do in an hour. ;) Plus, I don't really like seeing only ONE event or ONE day at a time. I like the big picture. And that's why I actually have two calendars. Paper calendars. One is specifically for work items, due dates, meetings, phone conferences, etc., and I keep it on my work desk. The other is a small calendar I keep in my purse. I write down lunch dates, doctor's appointments, practices, parties and other events, and I use it almost like a journal to keep track of what I have done, not just what I have to do! For instance, if the family stops to catch a movie, I'll write down that movie title in my calendar. If we eat out, I'll list that restaurant, too! That way, I can look forward to what's coming up, but I can also look back and see some of the fun things I did!

Either way, folks have asked me about how I use color coding in my calendars. Admittedly, I mostly use the coding for work items, so I can glance at the calendar and immediately get an idea of what I'm going to be doing. But it can certainly be useful for the family calendar, too. You can assign each member a certain color, and then see who's got the most lined up for the month! ;) Or, you can assign colors to different kinds of tasks. For example, as I mentioned in my last post, an orange highlighter alerts me to approaching deadlines and due dates; blue signifies upcoming meetings; green highlights work-related events; pink shows my family and personal events; and yellow…. well, the yellow highlighter is my go-to highlighter for just about everything else!

And HERE is what is COULD look like, if you're curious to see color coding in action!

I see mostly pink for February... and if this were a REAL calendar, that would mean a LOT of family items. And since there's only a little bit of orange, there are not many due dates. See? I didn't even have to look at the actual items. The color coding by itself is enough to get a good idea of the goings-on for the month!


Now, THAT's neat!