A Busy Woman's Guide to Cleanliness, Meals, and Cutting Corners

As I "cleaned" one of my bathrooms in less than 2 minutes today, I had the inspiration for this post.  I'm not crazy about the title because it sort of indicates that I am capable of writing a guide that has anything to do with cleanliness...I'm not.  This is really just a list of the ways in which I cut corners in and around my life here at home in order to sort of stay on top of things or at least give the appearance of staying on top of things.  I'm all about keeping up appearances.  Not really, I'm more about keeping it real but the fact is that I go really bonkers in my head if my house is a mess.  I'm not clean but I am tidy.  Here are some of my shortcuts--

Cleaning...

• You can count it as cleaning your toilet if you pour a bunch of bleach in it and let it sit until the next person has to potty.  Add in a good wipe down with a cleaning wipe and you're golden.  
• I'm all about those cleaning wipes.  There was a long stretch of time in my life when I refused to buy those because they were more expensive.  Now, I buy them when I see them on sale and they are worth. every. penny.  You can clean a bathroom in less than 5 minutes with those wipes.  
• You can also "clean" your sink by filling it up with hot water and dumping in a bunch of bleach.
• I've heard (and plan to test it soon) that you can clean your microwave by mixing 1 cup water with 1 cup of vinegar and microwaving it for 10 minutes.
• Do a load or two of laundry every day and it never piles up.  
• Vacuuming is overrated.  Just pick up the big chunks of things as you walk through and make a little pile on a nearby table and throw the pile away at some point that it suits you.
• Make your bed every single day.  Only takes a minute and makes it look like you've been productive.

In the Kitchen...some super fast, easy meals

• Buy jarred spaghetti sauce whenever it's on sale.  We like Vodka Sauce and any types of Alfredo.  I make a big pot of pasta, add some olive oil to keep it from sticking and stick the pot on the table with a couple of jars of sauce and parmesan cheese and everyone adds their own favorite sauce or a mixture.  Sometimes I brown ground beef or saute' spinach as an added option but not always.  On a special night you could make frozen ravioli in addition to or instead of pasta.  
• Quiche with a hash brown crust--no more fussing with pie crust here.  I just buy a bag of shredded hash browns weekly now and pour them into the bottom of two greased pie plates and bake it for about 20 minutes on 400 degrees to brown it a little and then pour in quiche mixture.  Quiche mixture can be as simple as a dozen eggs and a cup or so of milk and shredded cheese or you can add in green chile, ham, bacon, onions, spinach, whatever.
• Always keep a big bag of dried pinto beans.  If you have one of those days where you won't have much time to cook, just start the crock pot in the morning with beans, plenty of water, and salt (on high), and by dinnertime you have a big pot of beans.  Add in a bag of corn chips, cheese, and salsa and you've got dinner!  If you want to be fancy you can re-fry the beans, you can add in sour cream and guacamole to the topping choices and maybe even chopped tomatoes and black olives.  
• Really, really easy dinner--crackers, cheese, fruit, hummus, peanut butter, raw veggies, maybe a loaf of french bread...put it all on the table and call it dinner.  If your husband or children think they need meat then throw in a Rotisserie chicken from Publix.

And a few other tidbits...

• Ask for (and accept!) help.  
• Ask your husband to make dinner one night a week.
• Let your kids (if they are old enough) make dinner one night a week, they'll learn some great skills and you get a break.
• If you have the whole family home on a Saturday morning, put them to work!  Set a timer for one hour and everybody work together to get as much done as you can for that one hour.
• Take short mental health breaks.  Go in your room, close the door, and read for 20 minutes or take a quick nap.  
• Bring a book with you in the car if you might have to wait for any more than 5 minutes for someone or something--grabbing these little snatches of time to read are crucial to my own personal sanity.  Not a reader?  Become one!