How Keeping My Home Clean Helps My Mental Health

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I like to consider myself a clean person. I have my weekly routine of tidying up, laundry and changing my bedding that helps me stay on top of everything. However recently, life has been so busy that I just haven’t had time to clean. I thought going to bed without putting my dishes in the dishwasher to get an extra five minutes of sleep would be worth it but at the end of the week, I now needed more than 5 minutes to clean the house. So starting in January, I am doing a deep clean of my house and going back to my routine to keep my home clean… Does anyone else like to do a deep clean in January?

Bathroom
I keep a small plastic bin of cleaning supplies in our hall closet next to the bathroom so I can make cleaning easy and convenient. Be sure to have a roll of paper towels, a cleaner with bleach, a multi-surface cleaner, and toilet cleaner so you have no excuses not to clean the bathroom! At night while I do a face mask or use mouthwash, I will clean the sink and countertops and I can get everything clean by the time I need to wash the mask off.

Vacuum
I used to never vacuum because it was such a pain until I bought myself this cordless vacuum. Now when I see a mess, I immediately clean it up and do a quick walk through the house while I have the vacuum out. Once a week, I will vacuum the floors and pick up pet hair on the couch and it only takes me minutes to keep the house dirt free.

Bedding and Laundry
On Saturday mornings, I bring all of the laundry to the basement and sort it by color in baskets that I keep by the washer. Since I have enough clothes that I don’t need to do laundry every week, I can pick out the clothes that I need to wash and leave the rest in the hamper for the next week. On Sunday mornings, I strip the bed and bring the sheets to the basement to get washed. Under our bed, I have a storage container of sheet sets so I can immediately make the bed with fresh sheets. After too many times of bringing sheets down to wash and then forgetting to do it until late Sunday night, now I just swap out the sheets right away. Once a month I will wash the other blankets and duvet cover.

Containing Clutter
Having a two story house is great until I need to clean and put everything away. I keep a fold up storage cube at the bottom landing of our stairs and at the top of the stairs to collect items that need to be brought up and brought down. Everytime I go up or down the stairs I can pick up something and put it back where it belongs. It takes time but then it doesn’t make cleaning so overwhelming.

Kitchen
We take the trash out on Sunday nights and go through the fridge to toss old leftovers or expired food before we bring it to the curb. We are pretty good at keeping the kitchen clean and I like to wipe down counters and load up the dishwasher while I cook dinner. I’m a big multitasker so I like to clean up while I watch tv or wait for dinner to cook.

After work I rarely have any energy so I like to do my cleaning on the weekends. I found that when I keep up with a routine, cleaning is easy and it’s easy to keep up with. One day I will have enough money for a maid, but for now I spend my Saturday mornings cleaning! I love coming home to a clean home and cleaning has always been relaxing to me. There’s just something calming about organizing a drawer or finding a better system for my linen closet.

My J. Crew Factory Holiday Favorites

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I haven’t done much shopping for holiday outfits because my closet is already filled with so many festive pieces. Most importantly is that they are all classic and work year after year and most of them are from J. Crew Factory. There is just something about their plaid that gets me into the holiday spirit! Since there are so many good sales going on right now because of the holidays, I thought it would be a good time to share my J. Crew Factory holiday faves.

Statement Holiday Top // I have one from last season that I wore constantly throughout December. I am excited to see it back this season in a new tartan print! This top is classic and can easily be worn for work everyday or for a festive occasion.

Fair Isle Sweater // Every year J. Crew Factory has a perfectly preppy version of the classic fair isle sweater.

The Vail Parka // I love this coat so much that I bought it three times! I currently have it in a grey, red, and black.

Pearl Headband // It looks like headbands are back in style and my two day dirty hair appreciates it! The headbands are an easy accessory to wear and are a perfect gift for a friend.

Scallop Camis // I have a few of these camis and wear them the entire year. Super cute for the summer months and can be worn with a cardigan during the colder months. I love wearing these with a sparkly necklace as the adult version of the going out outfit.

Velvet Bow Hair Ties // This was the number one item on my Christmas wish list last year and I wear these constantly to work. On my busier days at work, I like to put my hair up in a pony tail and these are great when I need a little something to make me look a little more professional and less frazzled.

Tissue Turtlenecks // If you are one of those people that can’t wear turtlenecks because of how they make your neck feel, then I highly encourage you to scoop up a few of these. When I wear skirts to work I often wear it with a tissue turtleneck for a chic look and they look great with jeans when I want to go for a classic look.

Sweaters // You can never have too many and you can never go wrong with a classic sweater for that preppy holiday look. I’m actually embarrassed by how many sweaters I own and I really do wear all of them!

All I Want for Christmas is a Dyson Vacuum

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For months, I have wanted a new vacuum that actually worked so I read all the reviews and did my research. The final conclusion was that the Dyson cordless stick vacuum was the best on the market. As much as I didn’t want to spend the money, I knew it was just one of those adult purchases that I needed to make so I kept an eye out for the best price. During the Thanksgiving holiday, I noticed that Target was running an amazing deal on the Dyson cordless vacuum. On Black Friday, we hopped in the car and drove to a Target near my parents house and purchased the last vacuum on the shelf! As soon as we got home from North Carolina, I opened the box to start charging it!

With our cat and just usual foot traffic, we had a lot of dust bunnies and just the normal dirt that accumulates in a house. It took me 30 minutes to vacuum the entire house and I had to empty the canister 3 times because the amount of dirt it picked up! Because it weighs only 5 pounds, it is easy to do a quick vacuum whenever I see a mess or do a quick clean during the week. There is a bit of a price difference between the Motorhead Model and the Animal Model so we went with the standard Motorhead Model. So far we have had no issues with picking up Ed’s cat fur and I can use the handheld attachment to vacuum the couch with ease! I’m a little embarrassed to admit how excited I am to vacuum because that is how much I love it! At work, I am telling all of my coworkers to treat themselves for Christmas and buy a new vacuum because it makes cleaning a breeze! Dyson offers several options so you can find the best option that fits your home needs. So far, I have been really impressed with our vacuum and can’t imagine using anything else. I have found that with previous vacuums you have to go over back and forth to get up all of the dirt, but the Dyson picks up everything the first time. It makes cleaning easy and I don’t have to worry about a cord going from room to room. I hope Santa treats you to a new Dyson vacuum for Christmas!

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Dyson Vacuum // Pajamas

The Holiday Gift Guide: My Favorite Things

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I rounded up the items that I love and especially love to give my family and friends. I own most of these items or have given them as presents in the past so I know they are perfect for gifts for others or even yourself!

Daily Desk Calendar // I ask for one of these every year because it brings me so much joy! I especially love to have daily quotes, activities and fun trivia ones.

Google Home Mini and the Google Home Hub // This is the perfect present for your tech-savvy friend or the person who has everything. I purchased a few Google Home Mini’s when they were on sale and I have my eyes on the Google Hub for those who already have a Mini.

Earrings // A little something special for anyone on your list! These come in a variety of styles and a nice price point so they can be a nice gift for a coworker or a stocking stuffer.

Kate Spade Frame // The perfect gift for your friends who are accomplishing goals and successfully adulting. It’s such a lovely frame and you can put a nice photo in for a personalized gift.

Slippers // These are amazing. I cannot recommend them enough and I love to give them to all of my friends for Christmas.

Velvet Bow Hair Ties // Kate Middleton wore this hair bow last year and they sold out within hours! I’m so happy they are back this year because they look so cute and come in multiple colors. I talked all about them in this blog post here.

Monogram Mug // These coffee mugs were so popular that they sold out by December! Luckily they were restocked from A-Z so you can get anyone on your list a personalized gift that everyone will love.

Camp Socks // These are amazing and great stocking stuffers!

Perfume // I love getting a new perfume at Christmas time and I really like Love by Victoria Secret for every day. For a higher-end perfume, I really love La Vie Est Belle by Lancome for special occasions.

Bath and Body Works Candles // You can never have too many candles and you should definitely take advantage of the Christmas sales to stock up to give as gifts.

Black Friday Sales

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SHOP THE OUTFIT

Jeans // Coat // Boots

Now that Thanksgiving dinner has been eaten and I am snacking on pumpkin pie, we can start shopping the Black Friday Sales! There are so many amazing sales and deals right now so you can get started on your Christmas shopping or get a few things for yourself. I’m making it easy to shop and see where the sales are!

Abercrombie // 50% off everything & free shipping

Anthropologie // 30% off everything

Bath & Body Works // Buy 3 Get 3 Free, $4 Gingham Body Care, $30 Tote with $30 Order

DSW // 30% off with code BIGTHANKS

EXPRESS // 50% off & free shipping
Downtown Cami // Fair Isle Sweater Dress // Denim // Ribbed Turtleneck Sweater

GAP // 50% off
Soft Shawl Collar Cardigan // Tunic Sweater // Work Out Tank

H&M // 30% off and free shipping
Work Blouse with Tie Collar // White Blazer // Off The Shoulder Sweater

J. Crew // 50% off and 60% off Sale
Tartan Ruffle Sleeve Top // Sweater with Jeweled Buttons // Pom Pom Sweater

J. Crew Factory // 60% off everything
City Coat // Parka Coat // Cap Toe Heels // velvet bow hair tie // tissue turtleneck // Fair Isle Sweater // Twill Jacket // slippers //

LOFT // 50% off
Sweater // Floral Button Dress // Faux Leather Skirt // Ruffle Tie Blouse

MACY’S //
Throw Blanket // Christmas Duvet // Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette //

MADEWELL // 30% off

NORDSTROM //

OLD NAVY // 50% off everything

SOMA // 30% off & free shipping

T3 // 25% off sitewide

TARGET // So many deals! $10 sweaters, $15 pajamas
Dyson V7 Vacuum // Google Home Mini // Fitbit

friday favorites 11.22

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I started off this week with a relaxing weekend with a good amount of cleaning and organizing. It’s amazing what a good nights rest on Sunday can do for your whole week! It’s been a busy few months with work and getting settled in the new house. Jake and I decided to make a dinner reservation on Monday night to start our week off right. It’s not something we normally do and while we were on our date we realized we haven’t been on an actual date since our anniversary trip in August. Geez, it’s been a crazy few months!

I’ve been making an effort to do more after work so my week doesn’t feel like a blur. We organized the basement, did our laundry and I worked on tidying up each room every day. These tasks may seem like the last thing I would want to do after work but it is so nice to come home to a clean house and not that much housework to do during the weekend. At work I am constantly on the go and can sometimes be a little too tempted to sit on the couch after work and not move for the night. I don’t talk about my job here on the job but each day is different and I’m always juggling multiple things at one time. Someone asked a few of my coworkers from my previous team what I did now and both of them were silent for a minute and then replied “everything” at the same time! It’s nice when the people around you see how much effort you put into a job. At times, it can feel like only the things we do wrong are seen by others and not the things we do right. This week I had a few different people thank me or say that they notice how much I do and it meant so much!

I’ve been watching The Crown this week and I’ll watch one episode at night before bed. I’ll straighten my hair at my vanity or flip through a magazine in bed while drinking tea. These new habits at night are definitely helping me unwind at night and more importantly get to bed at a more reasonable hour! At night I will get everything done quickly so I can crawl into bed and treat myself to an episode.

On Thursday, Jake got us tickets to see Frozen II and seeing a movie during the week is something we rarely do. At first I was dreading it because I knew it would be a long night but I am so happy that we went! Frozen II was SO good and I want to say that it may be better than the first one. It was a late night but so worth it because it was fun to make plans during the week. It can get difficult to do things in the winter because of how dark and cold it is when I get out of work.

I definitely treated myself to a coffee on my way into work on Friday. I knew it was going to be a long day and I needed all of the caffeine I could get. Even though we have a nice long weekend coming up because of Thanksgiving, it just means that I have an entire week’s worth of work to get done in a few short days. I worked on charts, emails, confirmed details for next week’s meetings and organized my calendar. After work I rushed home to shower and put on cozy pajamas so Jake and I could order dinner and watch The Mandalorian together. I’m looking forward to a productive weekend with lots of coffee and sleeping late.

A while ago, I binge watched all 4 seasons of Outlander and immediately became obsessed after the first episode. The first two seasons are on Netflix and when I got through them in one weekend, we added Starz to our Hulu account so we could keep watching the show. I was really torn what to do with my life after we finished the show so I needed something good to watch. Luckily The Crown just released another season so it’s been my nightly treat this week. Has anyone else been watching all of the movies on Disney+? I keep saying I will just watch one movie and then I keep finding another classic to watch.

I talked about my new night cream and a new eyeshadow palette I’ve been loving recently! If you didn’t read my blog post about natural deodorant I highly encourage that you do because it’s an easy product to swap out for a cleaner version. I just made another Target order which I’m excited to share but for now, you can see what I recently purchased for fall. Every time I wear one of the pieces to work I get so many compliments and I get so excited to say “thanks, I got it at Target!”