Category: life

Spring Cleaning with a Side of Quarantine

Published on by blonde rosie3 Comments

Spring cleaning is nothing new since most of us either do a big clean each spring or know about it, just may not get to it. Well now that we have some extra time on our hands and we are sanitizing our homes, I thought it would be helpful to talk about spring cleaning in a time of the Corona Virus. Here are some of the ways that I clean throughout the year and have stepped up my cleaning process today to be safe.

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In recent weeks we saw how unprepared people were when we needed cleaning supplies and basic cleaning supplies. I personally use Grove Collaborative, an online cleaning supply delivery service. This way I can add items to my cart and then have them shipped to my home. You can choose how frequently you receive items and can adjust your cart with what you need. Since I have the storage space, I also order toilet paper, paper towels and laundry detergent in bulk from Target’s online website because I get free shipping and never have to worry about running out. My mom called asking if we needed anything and because I have my cleaning supplies mailed to me, I never had to worry about buying anything.

Have cleaning kits ready to go

Whether you have a big house or a small apartment, I have found that having a cleaning basket for each bathroom and floor makes cleaning so easy and fast to do. I have a set of bathroom cleaning products in each bathroom so I can easily grab a cleaning spray and wipe everything down post shower at night or while I brush my teeth in the morning. Most of my cleaning supplies are in my kitchen so it’s easy to wipe down counters each night before bed and I have a cleaning kit in our linen closet off our bedroom. On Sundays, while I collect all of the dirty clothes and bedding to bring down to the basement, I will quickly spray and wipe things down to keep it up. Now with this paranoia, I’ve been cleaning almost daily so now I can grab a kit and quickly clean.

Keep counters clutter free

I love a good knick knack but I try and keep them to a minimum because it makes dusting and cleaning a pain. My kitchen counters are the most frequently cleaned space in my home since I do it daily so I like to keep the bare minimum on the counters. If I decorate a table, I like to decorate with books in my living room because I can move things around and clean with ease. With the being home more now than ever, my coffee table has been used as a desk, dinner table and a catch all for junk. While I love a good decorative centerpiece, I simplified things a bit to make the space more functional for my daily needs. Now more than ever, we need to sanitize and the kitchen is a space where outside items are most. Having clear countertops makes cleaning a breeze! If you have stuff on your countertops, try to find a cabinet or drawer for them. If there is no space, see if you can purge a few things.

Everything should have a home

If you are cleaning and ask yourself, where did all of this stuff come from? The answer is you probably didn’t home a place for it to begin with. I use one of my end tables in my living room as technology storage. It’s where all of the cords, chargers and unused tech goes so it’s in one place and out of site. It makes cleaning easy because I just throw stuff in there and know where to find it later. Drawers do not have to be labeled and super organized, just have a drawer or cabinet where similar things go so it makes cleaning easy and you always know where things are. Having cleaning kits allows me to keep things sanitized but I didn’t have to worry about not having enough cleaner when the stores ran out.

Decide if you need more than one

I’ve moved so much over the last few years that I have really simplified the items that I own. Sure, I would still need a moving truck if I moved again because I’m not that minimalist, but I’ve done a good job of making sure that I have only one of everything of items that I don’t need more than one of. Not only does it help you get dressed easier because you are not overwhelmed with options, but I also am able to find what I need because I know exactly where it is. I donated a lot of unused bags, sweatshirts, shoes and home items that quickly became clutter because I couldn’t find a place to put allll of my bags or alllll of my sweatshirts. This quarantine has definitely showed me what I use most and what I really don’t need. My closet has full of work tops that I truly love but lately I’ve been wearing a lot more pajamas. I’ve always debated if I really need that many pajamas and I’m happy it’s something I like to have a lot of because they have definitely been my go to the last few weeks! Before I buy another top for work, I am probably going to ask myself if I really need it because I know that I already own so many.

Have the right tools to make cleaning easy

Hands down the best thing I ever bought was our Dyson vacuum. I got it on Black Friday for a good price at Target because yes, it is pricey but I read the reviews and wanted it. HSN also runs good deals throughout the year! Because it is so lightweight, I can vacuum when I see a mess easily instead of telling myself that I will get to it when I vacuum next. I have hardwood floors throughout the house and a few area rugs so I love that I can vacuum both floors without dealing with a long cord behind me. Now that I am home all the time, I have been vacuuming every other day because it is so easy to do! I also have a Swiffer with wet Swiffer cloths on each floor so I can easily wipe down our floors when needed. Since I have cleaning tools easily accessible, I am more likely to clean once a week than when it gets really bad and I reallly need to clean. I also purchased a few items like dusting cloths, a duster and others on Grove Collaborative because they have a section on their site of cleaning tools.

Oh and I wanted to also talk about a new item I purchased on Amazon! We don’t have a hall closet on our first floor so I didn’t know what to do with our broom and Swiffer so I bought these holders to put on the wall next to the stairs going down to the basement. It was the perfect space where I could store items so they are easy to get but out of site.

How Going To Bed With A Bedtime Helps Me Sleep Better

Published on by blonde rosie1 Comment

My schedule has looked a bit differently lately and while there some changes that can be nice like having time to actually drink my coffee in the morning before it gets cold, there are some changes that I need to get rid of. One of them is that my bedtime has become later than it should be. Seems silly to say that I have a bedtime at my age but I’ve known for a long time that my body needs sleep and a lot of it. In high school, I went to bed at 9pm and scheduled my classes in college so that I could balance my work load and sleep. A part of growing up is learning that you have to do things for yourself like grocery shopping, cleaning your own home and setting your own bedtime. It’s easy to stay up and watch another episode but you and your body will probably regret it the next day.

I noticed on my Fitbit that my hours of sleep were declining and I was groggy in the morning. Clearly, something needed to change. I needed to get my nights in order so that I could have more productive days. Here are a few things I’ve been doing to make sure I get a good night’s sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin helps you fall asleep which I think is where most of us struggle. I like to take a gummy an hour before I am going to go to bed and I find that when my head hits the pillow, I quickly fall asleep.

Shower

I like to shower at night and I’ll use a face mask, exfoliate and use a relaxing scented body wash to unwind. It’s my way of telling my body that I am ready to go to bed. There is nothing better than taking a hot shower, putting on fresh pajamas and getting into bed!

Reading

If you want to go to bed and get a good nights sleep, turn off the tv and read a few pages before bed. It’s tempting not to put on movie to fall asleep to at night but I have found that every time I read a chapter before bed, I am asleep after only a few pages.

The Right Bedding

Hopefully you wash and change your bedding once a week to begin with! I like to change my bedding on Sundays so I can start the week with clean sheets. I also wash all of my blankets at least once a month and like to swap them out when the weather changes. I invested in cozy bedding and the perfect pillows since it’s where I spend at least 8 hours a day – I want to be able to enjoy them and be comfortable!

Set an Alarm to go to Bed

Seems silly but I have an alarm set on my Alexa 15 minutes before my bedtime as a reminder to start getting ready for bed. You can also set reminders on your phone with your nighttime routine to keep you on track to going to bed on time. Having the same nighttime routine every night helps train your body to get tired before bed.

These are the things I have been doing that have really helped me go to bed at a normal time and get enough sleep to be in a better mood and have more energy the next day. I hope you find them as helpful as me. The biggest change for me to get a good nights sleep is having a bedtime and sticking to it. Right now I am slowly going to bed a few minutes earlier every few nights so I can wake up earlier to get the most out my mornings. Who knew that when we grew up we would get so excited about going to bed early? 🙂

How Creating an Elevator Pitch can help with Personal Growth

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It was one of those nights that I couldn’t sleep so I was laying in bed making a to do list for myself, my version of counting sheep. This to do list quickly got crowded with a lot of little thought bubbles because I wanted to update my LinkedIn bio and it made me realize I wanted to update my blog’s “about me” page, my Instagram bio and such. It made me ask myself, “Who am I?” and then my mind went blank. I didn’t really have a good answer. So I asked myself “Who is Rosie?” and I thought of the book sitting on my nightstand with the author’s bio on the book jacket with a nice photo of a woman who has the perfect outfit and blow out. If someone had to write my bio on a book jacket, what would they write?

Professionals suggest that you have an elevator pitch ready so that you can quickly summarize your past, present and future goals in a sentence or two that describe who you are. This can be what you do, where you work, what value you have at your job, and something to catch their attention. I thought it would be clever to apply the same elevator pitch strategy to answering the question of “Who am I?” The same elevator pitch is often said when you meet a new person and start to get to know one another. I imagined myself getting coffee with someone and what I would say to introduce yourself. This approach helps make it less business oriented and help explain who you are in a more authentic way.

Once I had a few things in mind, I typed up a little bio of myself similar to what I would see on a book jacket for an author. We are the writers of our own life so why not have the same approach when describing who you are? Since I was writing it as if I was going to have it printed in a book that I wrote, I chose more confident words and highlighted my accomplishments that I often overlooked. I typed it up in an email and sent it to myself to have so I can easily refer to it when I know I will be asked to “Tell me a little bit about yourself” – a question often asked during interviews and mentoring events.

Once I had my book bio page and elevator pitch written, I took the opportunity to see how I could improve myself so I could therefore add anything that would benefit my bio. Is there community service you wish you did? I would do countless of hours of community service as a college student and would like to get back to it. Was fitness once important to you but got pushed aside once life got busy? For years, I was committed to my gym routine and was really strong because of my Pilates classes but now I’m not sure when the last time I took a class was. I could go on but I think you get the point.

I’ve updated my bios and have a prepared paragraph to answer the dreaded “So, tell me a little bit about yourself” question. Instead of being a deer in the headlights, I have something prepared that I am proud of and can be used for my personal growth as well when I see on paper how I am summed up in a few words. By doing this, it can help you look at your career path with fresh eyes and see what hobbies or passions are missing from your life. It was fun for me to do and I hope you get something from it to!

So What Do You Want To Do?

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It’s a question I’ve been getting asked a lot lately and I keep asking myself the same thing because I don’t really know. For a while I did some deep thinking about what I want to do but I couldn’t really think of anything that inspired me. What I want is to wake up in the morning and be excited to go to work. It’s something that I haven’t experienced in a while and I did a brain dump of what causes me stress and what makes me excited about a job. I found this really helpful to see it written down on one page because it helps me look for certain words in the job description and avoid ones that I knew didn’t bring me joy.

I remember feeling confident walking into my office at my first job after graduating college. I was able to multi-task and take on more work than was expected. After just a few months of learning procedures and the day to day, people referred to me as the go-to person and relied on me to have the answers. There were days that I stayed at work late because I didn’t want to go home because I enjoyed getting work completed. Over time, the job got easy and with my free time I realized how isolated I was being alone in my office all day. There were busy days during the summer season but the winters were long and it made me realize how isolated I was.

I left that comfy desk job with normal hours to work in retail because I could not sit at a desk answering phones for much longer. Those 9 hour days flew by and I didn’t mind the weird shift hours. The job was the right amount of repetitive that I felt confident going into work because I knew what to expect. I was surrounded by people who were there for stupid questions and encouraged me constantly. Over time, my bosses saw my potential and taught me how to be a leader and learn about store operations. I was being groomed to climb in the company and getting promoted. But those late nights at the store and working on every holiday made me ask if I was going to do this forever? As much as I loved waking up for work every day, even with those 5am alarms for those early morning shifts, working retail isn’t something I could do long term.

Then I was the customer, not the employee behind the register. I was making more money than I could spend and had a prestigious title that my mom loved to tell her friends about. It was a dream job and I was running around all day making things happen. When I was working retail, from the minute I walked in the doors, the repetitiveness allowed me to fold shirts, clean the store and ring up customers at the register without much thought. I knew what I had to do and the days were so busy that I didn’t have time to do much else. Fast forward to my desk job and I would walk into work with a long to do list with 8 hours to get it done. Some tasks seemed daunting and others couldn’t be completed until someone sent me an email so I had to wait with the task haunting me. In the morning, I just wanted to sit at my desk and slowly drink my coffee to start my day. Instead, I spent most of the day overthinking and my to do list only gets longer and longer no matter how hard I try to accomplish it all.

So here I am asking myself what I want to do. If I could describe what I’m looking for, it would be a mix of walking into work feeling confident, knowing what to expect and with fun coworkers. Is there a job out there that has that work life balance we are all looking for? I want to be confident but comfortable with where I am. Is there a way we can wake up early to enjoy our morning before we go to work instead of feeling rushed? Can we go to work to do our job and walk out the door at 5pm with still energy after work to do other things? Or even step away from our desk for lunch with friends without feeling guilty about the work that isn’t getting done…

I came to realize that the dream job is only there if you make it. That work life balance is only there if you put up boundaries. Those relaxing mornings are only there if you go to bed early and set that morning alarm. Create a list of what you need and what causes you to overthink. Find a way to create the life you want because the truth is, it is a lot easier to make it happen instead of creating excuses why you can’t. What do I want to do? I want to be happy and I’m going to find a way to make it happen. I’m just still working on it.

How We Use Our Alexa

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We recently got a few Amazon Alexa’s for Christmas and it’s amazing how useful these things are! Sure, I wish I could just say “hey Alexa, cook dinner” or “hey Alexa, fold my laundry” and it would happen but it does help us out a lot in ways we didn’t even realize. It’s nice to have an assistant who is able to set timers, play music, check the weather and answer questions I may have. I usually ask Alexa to do something or answer a question before I take out my phone. You can also sync it to other technology in your house so we can turn on lights, change the temperature and other systems.

How We Use the Alexa in the Kitchen

We have an Alexa in the kitchen and it can hear us tell it to do things anywhere on the first floor which is really nice. While I unload and load the dishwasher or cook dinner at night, I like to have Alexa play music or play a podcast. Without having to waste time on my phone pressing buttons to play what I want, I just simply have to tell Alexa to play. If I’m cooking, it can tell Alexa to set a timer or ask it a question while my hands are dirty. The volume is great and can be heard throughout the entire first floor and even house so I can go from room to room without missing a tune or missing parts of my podcast.

How We Use the Alexa in our Bedroom

We replaced my very old alarm clock from college with an Alexa and at first I was a little nervous with the change. Are we sure it was going to go off? Was it going to wake me up?? I asked Alexa to set my daily alarm for a certain time and she said she would so I went to sleep. The next morning I woke up to a very pleasant alarm and was happy I swapped out the alarm clocks. I was able to create a morning routine with my Alexa so in the morning I have an alarm that goes off, that I usually hit snooze on and then a few minutes later, Alexa gives me the morning briefing. A customizable feature that shares snippets of news stories. I love it because the noise helps wake me up in the morning better than an annoying alarm going off. You can also create a nighttime routine, I’ll have the evening briefing news play at night which is a sign that I should be getting into bed for the night. Sounds silly, but it’s nice to have something to help me stick to my routine. Alexa is growing in what it is able to do. You can also create lists and easily order items by just saying “Alexa, add diet coke to my grocery list” or “Alexa, order paper towels”.

Finance Goals for 2020

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After my new job and moving to a larger house in 2019, my finances this month look very different than how they did January of last year. This year, I really want to focus on saving my money and spending my extra money on vacations and experiences. There are also other things that I want to do this year like cooking at home more, reading more books and spending more time making my house a home. Here are a few things I am doing in 2020 to stay motivated!

  • Set up multiple bank accounts.
    I bank with PNC Bank and I am able to move money easily from my checking and savings and then put money in different savings accounts based on long term and short term savings.
  • Budget Spreadsheets
    I actually got inspired by Jake because he keeps a tally of every bill paid and balances on all of his accounts. I want to track where I spend my money and document my savings goals.
  • Create a Minimum in Checking Account
    I can proudly say that I have never bounced a check because I always keep a thousand dollars in my checking account. Since I know what my monthly expenses, I can have enough money in my checking account and move the rest to my savings. Then once payments start coming out, I will move money into my checking account to keep myself at the minimum.
  • Meal Plan
    We are good at keeping a balance of eating out and cooking at home. So this year I want to keep it going by meal planning and making lists when we go food shopping so we eat in more.
  • Investing with Acorns
    Honestly, I’m not that interested in the investing part more of the savings part. Acorns is an easy easy way to round up your change from every day purchases and a $5 a month goes into an account that is invested. It’s an easy way to put money into savings without realizing that money is missing from my account. I started doing this a few months ago and was amazed how much money was in my account just from round ups!
  • No Shop Months
    Last year I was on a really tight budget and went months without buying something just because I wanted it. It’s been nice to have some extra spending money and now I’m looking forward to having a few months of no shopping challenges.