All the Joys Blog

Cleaning Schedule for Busy People

May 23, 2016 | 16 Comments

When we moved to Texas and I became a stay at home mom, I had these elaborate daydreams of having extra time during the day, every day. Gone was my life of working outside of the home and catching up with friends on the weekend, and most importantly, my cleaning lady. I wrongfully thought that I would have time to clean each and every day. But I soon found myself busy, really busy. Besides being a taxi for my six and almost-three year old, I signed up for many volunteer opportunities and activities to keep me busy in the hopes of making new friends. I quickly realized that binge cleaning on a Saturday was not my idea of fun, so I needed to come up with an easy to manage cleaning schedule. I am a big fan of lists, especially to-do lists, so I consult this cleaning schedule every week so that I can cross off when I’ve finished each item.

Feel free to use this as a template and make a schedule that works for you!

A few things to note:

-There are, of course, daily things that are done: wipe down counters, load/unload dishwasher, general pick up and make the beds.

-Flex Projects are constantly changing. These are items that need to be done, but not every week.

-This schedule was made around my children’s schedules. I clean the floors on Tuesday because they are at school, therefore they stay cleaner for more than two minutes! Also, if I need to “clean out” the toy room, I also do that when the girls aren’t here, therefore avoiding any “I love that toy!” moments (even when they haven’t played with said toy in four months).

-I added a “make-up day” for those weeks that I just couldn’t get to that day’s schedule. I’ve only had to use it once, and this past weekend I had two rest days!

I’ve followed this schedule for the past two weeks and am happy to report that I didn’t spend more than an hour cleaning any day, except for laundry – but it’s easier to get other things done while waiting for that to be done!

What do you think? I love reading and seeing how others do this. Do you use a cleaning schedule or just go for it all at once?

Beauty Empties – Spring 2016

May 17, 2016 | 14 Comments

Welcome to a new series on All the Joys – Beauty Empties. Now, let me be clear – I am not a beauty expert, and this is far from a beauty blog. But besides reading blogs to connect with people, I also read to find new products, specifically, beauty products. I have a plethora of samples and am making my way through them. Before throwing out the empties, I’ve decided to share them with you – along with my real, honest opinions.

I plan to hang on to all of my empties and share them here each season. First up, let’s see what I used up this Spring! You will see makeup, beauty items, personal care items and everything in between. Basically, if you can use it on your face, hair or body, you will find it here!

Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Shampoo – Here is a disturbing truth about schools/daycares/anywhere kids are. There’s lice there too. After a few scares in E’s class (luckily not on her head), we now use this preventative shampoo, conditioner and daily spray. It’s made with all natural ingredients, and I love the way it smells. (essential oils for the win!)

Young Living Satin Face Scrub, Mint – I added this to my monthly order on a whim and am in love with it. It’s exfoliating and smells great. It left my skin buttery soft. I used it in the shower and can’t wait to get more.

Pacifica Ultra CC Cream – I used this until the last drop. I loved how light it was and included SPF. I’ve began using something with a bit more coverage, so this one hasn’t been replaced yet.

Pacifica Sea Foam Cleanser – I really like this brand, and this cleanser smells just like vacation on the beach. I used this in the shower as well and loved how it didn’t leave my skin greasy.

And that concludes the first entry in this new series! Have you tried any of these products?

A Reintroduction

May 11, 2016 | 29 Comments

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Right? It certainly did for me. I’ve been reading posts I missed, catching up on social media, and throwing myself back in to blogging. One thing that was consistent for me as I was absent was that I missed blogging and connecting with all of you. I also have noticed a few new faces around here.

Hi New Followers! I’m glad you are here!

Some of my favorite bloggers and I thought it would be fun to reintroduce ourselves and each other in a fun Q+A post!

First, a few random facts about me:

Where was the last place you traveled to?

Two weeks ago I went to St. Louis – my sister has lived there for the last fifteen years but just moved to North Carolina, so we all went to say goodbye to St. Louis! We ate at our favorite restaurants, went shopping and caught a Cardinals game.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are three materialistic things you’d want with you?

A camera with unlimited memory, chapstick and a Kindle preloaded with hundreds of books. (too much?)

When was the last time you tried something new, and what was it?

Last weekend, I ate a “red hot”, which is apparently common in Texas? It was sort of like a spicy hot dog/brat. (Just ok, but don’t tell any Texans that!)

If you knew you could not fail, what is the one thing you would do tomorrow?

I would open my own store. Think “Etsy in a store” – it would have gifts, household items, basically everything cute that everyone wants to have.

What is your earliest memory?

I remember being about three and having picnics at the park. There was one of those dome-shaped jungle gyms, and my sister and I would climb on top while my Dad tried to grab us. Hours of fun!

If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

100% it would be pizza. #pizzaforlife

Do you like your first name and why? If not, what would you change it to?

I do! I like that it’s a common name with an uncommon way of spelling it. Although that was torture when I was younger and couldn’t buy anything with my name on it!

If you could give yourself one gift, what would it be?

The gift of more patience. Oh, how I wish that was a real thing! I think my girls would appreciate that as well.

Would you rather be the person asking the questions in a conversation or the person answering them?

It really depends. Sometimes I love talking about myself (who doesn’t?) and other times, I am so fascinated by the person I’m with that I want to know as much as possible about them.

If you had to live in a place where only one season existed year-round, what would that season be?

Before moving to Texas, I would tell you summer. But, summer here is worse than anything I can imagine, so I’d go with Spring. Spring here feels like my normal Summer, if that makes sense!

If money was no object, what would you do all day?

I’d do what I’m doing now – volunteering, being a stay at home mom, and blogging.

And now, I want to introduce you to some of my friends in the blogging world. Be sure to click on their links to learn more about each of these fabulous ladies!

CASSIE: Sage

Would you rather be the person asking the questions in a conversation or the person answering them? I’m a complete introvert and have been told that I don’t talk about myself very often, so I guess that implies I would rather be the person asking the questions in a conversation.

ANNE: Love the Here and Now

If you could give yourself one gift, what would it be? Without fail, it would be self-confidence. I constantly second guess decisions and choices and don’t attempt new things because of a fear of failing or judgement. Truth be told, I could fail and be judged and I would be ok. Self-confidence would give me the edge I need not to care about those things and would enable to me to live free of doubt, fear, and feelings of inadequacy.

REBECCA: Adventures of Bug and Boo

Where was the last place you traveled to? San Francisco! In February I took a long weekend to visit my BFF from middle school, and meet her new baby. It was my first time on the west coast and I fell in love! San Francisco is so different from NYC and London (both cities I lived in for a while) but it’s an awesome city in its own right. And the FOOD….I will definitely be back!

AMANDA: Knock on Wood Blog

If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? I would totally be cool with eating pizza for the rest of my life. You can switch up the toppings and essentially have something different each day. Plus you still get all of the food groups!

EMELIA: Dream Big and Buy the Shoes

If you knew you could not fail, what is the one thing you would do tomorrow? I’ve always had the dream to be a wedding planner, but I would love to work with all types of events. I have a love of details and creating beautiful memories, so I would give it all to be an Event Planner and have the opportunity to make special moments for other people.

EMILY: Ember Grey

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are three materialistic things you’d want with you? A notebook, pen, and Sun-In. (Obviously.)

CHRISTINE: Christine Everyday

If you knew you could not fail, what is the one thing you would do tomorrow? I would go skydiving! That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and if I knew for sure that I wouldn’t crash-land, I’d totally sign up.

KELLY: Southern Komfort Blog

If you could give yourself one gift, what would it be? I would have to say the gift to be able to travel (no worries about money, who would take of the pups, boring adult things). I would love to travel all around the nation and the world, just meeting people and doing life with them.

LINDSAY: Bourbon Lipstick & Stilettos

If you knew you could not fail, what is the one thing you would do tomorrow? I would do web development/design. It is a dream of mine, but I’m struggling to find time to study and perfect it!

I hope you enjoyed meeting some of my friends and learning a bit more about me. Please introduce yourselves below – tell me something random about yourself!

Stitch Fix – April 2016

May 9, 2016 | 14 Comments

Another month, another Stitch Fix. I actually received this fix in April, but because of my unexpected break, I didn’t get a chance to share it with you until now. By now, we all know how Stitch Fix works, yes? The short version – receive five items, picked out just for you, in the mail. Try them on, decide what you like and send back the rest. The most important part – leave detailed notes for your stylist. I find that the more I say, the better my next fix is. Ok, let’s get to it!

This fix had potential upon first glance. Sadly, you just never know until you try something on!

Papermoon Dawson Crochet Shoulder Knit Top – $54. I liked the details of this top, but it was a bit short for me. Also, I was worried about having to wear a strapless bra (ugh) so back it went. Returned.

41Hawthorn Filbert 3/4 Sleeve Popover Blouse – $58. This shirt is much more my style. I wasn’t crazy about the color, but once I got it on it complimented my skin tone nicely. Unfortunately, it was a bit snug in the thighs and since you aren’t supposed to buy clothes in hopes of losing weight, it was Returned.

Collective Concepts Thompson Crew Neck Blouse – $54. Love the floral print and the navy color. It was too boxy on, which would have been ok if it was longer on me. Returned.

Street Level Meyer Tassel Clutch – $38. Love this bag, love the price. It came with a strap to make it a cross-body bag. It was basically perfect. Until I opened it – I can’t explain it but it smelled so weird inside! And then I decided that I didn’t need it because a) the smell, and b) I already have a black cross-body. Returned.

Skies are Blue Kamaria Patterned Drape Front Cardigan – $58. This was love at first sight. Not that I need a sweater now that it’s 90 degrees here, but it’s sitting pretty in my closet just waiting for Fall/Winter (or how I like to describe it, “cooler summer”). Kept.

So, what do you think? Anything you think I should have kept? My next fix was shipped today so I’m looking forward to the next one!

*Post contains referral links.

Hello + May Goals

May 4, 2016 | 18 Comments

Why, hello there internets. I’ve missed you all! Where have I been? I wish I could say I was traveling the world in remote locations without internet, or having a fabulous time redecorating my house, or something else “blog-worthy”. The truth, however, is that life happened. We had a last minute trip to say goodbye to a dear family member, a few bugs that took us out for a few days, and visitors – lots of visitors (the highlight of April). One thing is for certain, though. I’ve missed blogging and am happy to be back!

It seems fitting that my first post back in a few weeks is a goals post – as my last post was my April goals. Let’s take a look back and see how I did…

Read Two Books – Done! With all the travelling I did, I had some time to read. I’ll be doing a post of Books Lately soon.

Do Any Two Pins – Not done. Maybe unintentionally I did, but I didn’t set out to do them.

Workout at least Twice a Week – Definitely not done. I have no excuses!

Get my Hair Done – Not done. Wow, I didn’t do so great with April!

Complete Something on the 101 in 1001 List – Done! I read 20 books.

Now, for May, I have some pretty hefty goals:

Blog at least three times a week. I love blogging and have missed it so much! During my unintentional break I kept getting blog post ideas so I’m excited to get them on “paper”.

Read two books. Nothing new here, this is ongoing.

Work out. I’m not going to put a number on this, but it needs to happen.

Give up Diet Coke. Again. Once upon a time, I had given this up and loved life. I fell back in to it, and it needs to go again. It’s SO bad for me but I just crave it! Wish me luck.

I have a few more items on my daily to-do list, and I plan on getting all of those crossed off as well. Wish me luck! What are your goals for the month?