Spring Cleaning List

I received several emails asking about Lenten cleaning. Danielle and I briefly toyed with the idea of adding it to our Lenten prompts but quickly recognized that our homes were so different, it wouldn't really work. I bumped into this list today at Charming the Birds from the Trees (an aptly named blog, by the way, since it's always so very charming). It's an ambitious list and, since Emma is an Orthodox Christian, her Easter is a week later than mine, so she's got a bit more time. She also started on Monday. Today is Thursday. I did indeed manage to do a few things this week before seeing her list (note my Small Successes), so I did a little cut and paste. I'm also going to have some time on Saturdays, so I did some more cut and paste. And, not all of my spaces to clean match up with hers, so I tweaked just a little more. It's still a very ambitious list but I figure I have a few children around here who can be pressed into service and, together, we might be able to keep pace with Emma.(Unless the chief mess-maker, pictured above, continues on her current path of destruction.)
What does spring cleaning look like for you? Take the list below or the original at Charming the Birds from the Trees and make it your own, then come back and leave a comment and a link and I can see all the things I missed putting on my list:-). It's not a perfect system, nor is it comprehensive, but I do think that if I stick with it, my house will be far cleaner Easter Sunday than it is now.
March 2nd: Desk
March 3rd: Dressers
March 4th: Family Closet
March 5th: Master Bedroom Closet
March 6th: Mudroom
March 7th: Clean Van
March 8th: Sunday
March 9th: Master Bedroom
March 10th: Nursery Bathroom
March 11th: Learning Room
March 12th: Learning Room
March 13th: Hallway and Steps
March 14th: Entrance and Closet
March 15th: Sunday
March 16th:  Linen Closet
March 17th:  Basement
March 18th: Library Closet
March 19th: Living Room
March 20th: Craft Cupboards
March 21st: Storage shelves
March 22nd: Sunday
March 23rd: Dining Room
March 24th: Baseboards
March 25th: Windows
March 26th: Master Bathroom Drawers and Cabinets
March 27th: Kitchen
March 28th: Family Room
March 29th: Sunday
March 30th: Pantry(both)
March 31st: Freezer
April 1st: Refrigerator
April 2nd: Drawers
April 3rd: Cabinets
April 4th: Paschal Baskets and Clean Garbage Cans
April 5th: Sunday
April 6th: Master Bathroom
April 7th: Children’s Artwork
April 8th: Garage
April 9th: Launder Spring Bedding
April 10th: Clean Car
April 11th: Plant Flowers for Hanging Baskets
April 12th: Easter

Easter clothes:already finished (Ooh, I'm good. Hah! Mike did all the hunting and gathering for me.)

Comments

[Charlotte (Matilda)]

So jealous!!! The only down side of having a colorblind husband is that he can't be trusted to match clothing. I was already working on a list like Emma's so I went ahead and posted it.

http://tiredtwang.blogspot.com/2009/03/lenten-cleaning.html

[Maryan]

I'm jumping back on the Fly Lady Wagon and spent the last two weeks redoing my routines (last visited when I only had two kids). So far I have a shiny sink. That's it. "Baby steps."

Maybe by Easter I'll have a shiny sink, made beds, clean floors, matched socks and less clutter. :)

[regan]

i like this idea of cleaning one thing or room at a time and you even have a few breaks in there. right now i am sort of feeling like i am flitting from room to room, making piles, but nothing is REALLY getting accomplished. but we have had this terrible cold and my sick grammie is here. but all things considered i think i just might try this. one of my lenten prayers/changes was to somehow make it so that EACH day is Divinely ordered, meaning that i do what He wants me to do, whatever it may be. and that means even handling lifes' little inconveniences with grace and ease.
and btw. i love that messy, sweet face! thanks for sharing.

[Ann Voskamp @ Holy Experience]

(A whisper from here -- I have a storageroom that I'll switch for a nursery bathroom... and we've upset tummies here, but we'll just head in this direction, our work manifesting our interior preparation for Easter, and see where the road leads. Even 15 minutes a day in each assigned area is 15 minutes of focusing on "Create in me a clean heart, O Lord."

And may I just say that delighting in Karoline's sweet face and Sarah Anne's giddy giggles is all happy joy here? Thanks for *letting* us listen, Elizabeth. Our mama hearts sing with yours. ~warm smile~)

All's grace,
Ann

[Barbara]

Thank you, Elizabeth. I have had the need to move toward a more monastic home, but have been overwhelmed with where to start. The clutter just seems to build -- where does this stuff come from? It seems to appear overnight.

God knew I needed someone to help me (even though I didn't know) and you did.

[Sarah]

As I commented on Charlotte's blog, I really like this idea! I wanted spring cleaning to be part of my Lent but wasn't sure what to do (Sometimes I'm lucky to just keep up with the day-to-day!) And some unexpected things happened at the very beginning of my Lent, so I feel a bit behind, even though I know deep down that these unexpected events were indeed meant to be part of my Lent as God intended. I will pray about how I can make cleaning a realistic part of my Lent going forward. Yours and Charlotte's posts were little nudges in the right direction ... Blessings on your day!

[Teresa Kramer]

Thank you Elizabeth for this posting. I had grand ideas for cleaning before Easter but never got around to making a plan. I have revised your plan to fit my home and posted it on my blog. http://kramers.blackkeep.com/?p=190

[Katherine]

Here's a post about the plan:

http://web.me.com/katherine.johnson/Evlogia/Journal/Entries/2009/3/6_lenten_cleaning.html

and here is the detailed list:

http://web.me.com/katherine.johnson/Evlogia/Lenten_Cleaning.html

Thanks for the inspiration. :)