Join us for a 5-Day Homemaking Challenge! (Day 3 Assignment) and more...

Here's What's New Join us for a 5-Day Homemaking Challenge! (Day 3 Assignment) Free Easy, Frugal, and Healthy Make Ahead Salads Printable Today's Homemaking Challenge Assignment Results: The Cleaning Supplies Closet! The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Review (Part 2) Save $2 on TRESemme + enter to win a $250 CVS gift card! :: Join us for a 5-Day Homemaking Challenge! (Day 3 Assignment) Who needs some motivation and inspiration to clear out some clutter?? ME! So guess what that means? I'm bringing you all along with me. I'm going to be clearing out clutter and re-organizing things at our house this week and I'd love for you to join me. Every morning this week around 8 a.m. CT, I'll post the assignment for that day. Then, at 8 p.m. CT, I'll post my accomplishments for the day! You can either link up your blog posts (if you're blogging about the challenge) or just tell us in the comments what you accomplished that day. Today's Assignment: 1. Get dressed in something that makes you feel great. 2. Make a short to-do list for the day. 3. Tidy up your kitchen - do the dishes and wipe the counter tops off. 4. Make your bed. 5. Go through your clothes - take everything out of your closets and drawers and go through each item and decide whether you love it and it fits. If not, get rid of it. Put the things you keep back in an organized manner. I'm also going to be reading through The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (can you believe I haven't read it?) and blogging my thoughts as I read the book this week, too. Today, I'll be reading pages 64-127. I'll have a post up with my thoughts later today. Who's joining me? Leave a comment to let me know if you're planning to participate! :: Free Easy, Frugal, and Healthy Make Ahead Salads Printable Make This The Day is offering a free printable for 5 easy, frugal, and healthy make ahead salads. It includes an ingredients list, directions, and tips for making the salads. :: Today's Homemaking Challenge Assignment Results: The Cleaning Supplies Closet! So, we started back to our regular homeschool schedule today… and well, while it was a good day, I'm still really dragging. My doctor has cleared me to be able to get up and around, provided I take it easy. I'm glad that I'm no longer sequestered to the sofa like I was this weekend, but man, I am still functioning in such low gear, it seems. Everything takes me twice or four times as long and then I have to stop and rest for awhile. I did make it to the chiropractor this afternoon and then to a little bit of Silas' baseball game tonight. But I felt like an old woman that I could only make it through two innings before I needed to come home and crash on the sofa. However, I'm so happy to be getting a little stronger with each passing day. And I'm also really happy about how much sleep I've been getting! The last two nights, I've been asleep by 9:30 p.m. - and then I've woken up before my alarm went off feeling completely rested. I can't remember the last time that has happened two nights in row. Maybe I'll actually turn this into a long-term habit?? Today's project for the 5-day Homemaking Challenge was to tackle a closet. I chose the cleaning supply closet since it's been in dire need of a makeover for months and months. I posted this on Instagram and said: #KonMari comes to the cleaning closet! Yikes!! Taking everything out of one closet is a pretty scary task! (Also, the black and white filter makes it look a little more artsy and a little less like total chaos, don't you think?? If only there was a filter that could also whip this closet into shape with the touch of a button!) #reallife #homemaking #organization So. much. better! Did you clean a closet today? Tell us about it in the comments or, if you're blogging about it, leave the direct link to your blog post sharing about your accomplishments today.   :: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Review (Part 2) If you missed Part 1 of this review, read it here. So, I fully expected that I wouldn't like part 2 of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up as much as I liked part 1. But folks, I actually think I liked this section even better! Visualize your destination. This section starts off by encouraging you to really step back and examine why and what. Why do you want to have more organization in your life ("Before you start tidying, look at the lifestyle you aspire to and ask yourself, 'Why do I want to tidy?'") and what does a tidy home and life look like to you. Ask: Does it spark joy? This question really got me to thinking. The author says: "We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of." I actually spent a little time looking at the #KonMari hashtag on Instagram today and was so inspired by some of the beautiful spaces I saw there. You know that I'm usually more of a utilitarian sort of person, however, I was really motivated by and drawn to the clean and welcoming pictures I saw on that stream. It made me want to look for ways to make the spaces in our home more inviting. I don't know what that means exactly or what that looks like, but I'm going to start doing a better job of paying attention to what types of colors and patterns and fabrics I'm drawn to and to see what happens when I sprinkle these types of things in our every day spaces. Always think in terms of category, not place. As I mentioned yesterday, the Marie encourages you to go through your home by category, not by location. She suggests getting out all the items in that category, putting them in one place, and handling each item asking yourself, "Does this spark joy?" She says to tackle clothes first, then books, papers, miscellany, and lastly, mementos. I'm planning to try this out with some items in our home in the next few days to see how it goes! Finally… Here are two quotes that were too thought-provoking not to share: "The urge to point out someone else's failure to tidy is usually a sign that you are neglecting to take care of your own space." "To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose." Did you read this section along with me today? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it - or your thoughts on what I shared above. Do you agree or disagree? :: Save $2 on TRESemme + enter to win a $250 CVS gift card! Through September 26, 2015, you can print a CVS coupon to save $2 off any 2 TRESemme hair products. This coupon is valid through September 26, 2015. CVS will also have select TRESemme products on sale for $4 and $5 each, meaning you'll pay as low as $3 each after combining the coupon with the sale. You can use the Style Your Way brand shop at CVS.com to help you select your look by watching tutorial videos and getting details on each product. There are three different runway looks to choose from, depending on your preference: VOLUME: Create your own maxed out voluminous look! Max The Volume Lightweight Moisturizing Lotion helps create a pumped-up body, silky feel. It is infused with cucumber, aloe and jojoba to deliver intense moisture and nourishment to dry, frizz-prone hair, leaving it silky, smooth and soft. Lightweight enough for every day use, it won't weigh hair down and leaves it ready to be styled for a voluminous look. 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Would you like to win a TRESemme Prize Pack, including a $250 CVS Gift Card? To enter to win, just head over to this post on my Facebook Page and leave a comment sharing which TRESemme Runway look you want to create at home. I'll choose one winner from the comments to win the prize pack with $250 CVS gift card. {This post was underwritten by Lunchbox. Read my disclosure policy here.} You received this email because you are registered on www.moneysavingmom.com with the email address panatllc1.kate@blogger.com. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, you can easily unsubscribe here. Money Saving Mom 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900 #313 Franklin, TN 37069 © 2008-2015 Money Saving Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.