Gotta Love the First

I recently read that it's best to begin a new exercise routine on a Monday because Mondays are a fresh start, you're (relatively) well-rested from the weekend, and if you mess up, another Monday is right around the corner. Not bad logic, if you ask me! I feel the same way about the First of each month. The First is like a Monday "fresh start", but for bigger projects. It's also an opportunity to take care of all those little things that I'd forget if I didn't do them on the same day every month. Here are a few of the thing that make my First list.

*Update my planner. I use a paper planner, so on the First I take out the oldest month and add one for future planning. I save all my old planner pages in storage sleeves for reference.
*Give the pets their monthly medications, like heart worm and flea & tick prevention.
*Plan the next month's budget. Actually, I try to do this before the First. I think of the First as the final deadline for the monthly budget.
*Review my annual goals. If I see any that I've been neglecting, this is when I try to commit to work on it more in the coming month.
*Clean the inside of the dishwasher, the garbage disposal, the detergent tray in the washing machine, the lint trap in the dryer, clean out the fridge, etc... Once you get in the habit of cleaning these things once a month, you'll never have one of those days when you walk in the door and wonder, "What died in here?" again.

Are any of these tasks monumental? No, not at all. In fact, I could probably go a month or two without doing them, but I wouldn't be happy about it. I like starting out the month clean and organized and in control of my home and life. I just like having all my ducks in a row. Or maybe, rabbits. Years ago, I was taught to start every month by saying, "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!" before anything else, for good luck. I have no idea where it came from, but perhaps that's really the most important routine of every First for me. Whether it's blind superstition or balancing the books, the First is all about getting into that "fresh start" state of mind.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy & safe Fourth of July!

Quick Tip for Disinfecting

Whether you're spring cleaning or making an extra effort to keep the flu at bay, one of the biggest headaches for moms is trying to clean all those toys. There's a mountain of them in most homes with kids, and they're covered with germs. If you have a baby or toddler, half those toys have been in their mouths, and of course little kids are the ones most at risk for catching infectious diseases like the flu. You've bleached everything you can, set the dishwasher and laundry to the "sanitize" cycle, and steam cleaned every hard surface in the house. Now what?

Last year, thanks to a Black Widow spider who shared both her venom and the staph virus with me ($#$#@! spider!), we had to seriously disinfect our home - toys and all. I finally found a way to make sure I hadn't missed anything. It's called a Safe Space Disinfectant Room Fogger, and it kills all the bad "bugs" you want dead. After you clean, you just turn it on and it fills the room (read: all the nooks and crannies) with disinfectant. It's used in hospitals, schools, and other public spaces, and for me, at least, it provided peace of mind. For more information on the fogger, see the attached link. For detailed instructions on how to disinfect your home step-by-step, see the How To article on the right.

A few hours of spring cleaning can save you and your family days or weeks of illness, missed work or school, and medical bills. With the tools and products on the market today you can tackle this worthwhile chore in no time.

http://www.safespaceco.com/