Here goes. My number 1 tip for faking a clean house?
Keep it tidy
The number one enemy of a clean house is an untidy house. That means I tidy the toys every evening, put mail in the in-tray or the bin, keep the kitchen counters clear, and put things away in their home, where they belong. If I'm going upstairs, I see if anything needs to be taken along.
The reason this is important is because it's really hard to actually clean if there's stuff everywhere. It gets in the way and makes the cleaning itself take a lot longer, which as you've discovered is not part of the game - the aim is to get the house clean in as little time as possible! I don't have the time to spend an entire day cleaning each week, so I need to do it fast. Having a generally tidy house helps me to do that.
Also, people coming over probably won't notice a bit of dirt, but they will notice if there's stuff everywhere!
What this doesn't mean is that I pounce on things out of place and put them back before whoever's using them has finished! That wouldn't be fun, for them or for me.
In my next post, I'll tell you some more specific things that help me to keep it tidy!
See you soon!
Laura x
Thursday 31 October 2013
Tuesday 29 October 2013
How to have a clean house without really trying - Part 1
Hi everyone!
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to have a clean house. However, I don't really like cleaning. Conundrum?!
Normally, our house looks pretty clean and tidy, even though we have a small child at home. People sometimes seem genuinely shocked when they come round. I recall one instance when the four-year-old son of some friends of ours asked, on entering the living room, 'Why is it so tidy in here?'!
So, I thought I'd share, over the next few days, a few things that help me along in my mission to have a (fake) immaculate house without a lot of elbow grease.
But why, you may be wondering, do I enjoy having a clean house quite as much as I do? Let me tell you. I enjoy making my home an environment where my family can thrive and where guests feel warm and welcome. For me, that means not always tripping over stuff, not worrying about whether there's toothpaste all over the taps, and not having to apologise to visitors. I have a low threshold for dirt but it's not just because I'm picky, it's because I want to create a place of warmth, fellowship, and fun for everyone who lives or visits here. It doesn't mean that my home is actually immaculate - it does, after all, house two adults and a baby - but it does mean that I take a little time to look after it and make it as welcoming as possible.
I don't have a lot of time to do this, with a small baby, a family to feed, and piles of laundry to get through each week, not to mention going places, taking Sophie to playgroups, and having fun! - which obviously, given my aversion to actually cleaning, suits me fine. So, this series is about doing it in the most cut-corner fashion possible!
More to come!
Laura x
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to have a clean house. However, I don't really like cleaning. Conundrum?!
Normally, our house looks pretty clean and tidy, even though we have a small child at home. People sometimes seem genuinely shocked when they come round. I recall one instance when the four-year-old son of some friends of ours asked, on entering the living room, 'Why is it so tidy in here?'!
So, I thought I'd share, over the next few days, a few things that help me along in my mission to have a (fake) immaculate house without a lot of elbow grease.
But why, you may be wondering, do I enjoy having a clean house quite as much as I do? Let me tell you. I enjoy making my home an environment where my family can thrive and where guests feel warm and welcome. For me, that means not always tripping over stuff, not worrying about whether there's toothpaste all over the taps, and not having to apologise to visitors. I have a low threshold for dirt but it's not just because I'm picky, it's because I want to create a place of warmth, fellowship, and fun for everyone who lives or visits here. It doesn't mean that my home is actually immaculate - it does, after all, house two adults and a baby - but it does mean that I take a little time to look after it and make it as welcoming as possible.
I don't have a lot of time to do this, with a small baby, a family to feed, and piles of laundry to get through each week, not to mention going places, taking Sophie to playgroups, and having fun! - which obviously, given my aversion to actually cleaning, suits me fine. So, this series is about doing it in the most cut-corner fashion possible!
More to come!
Laura x
Thursday 24 October 2013
Blackberry jam
Last weekend was jam making weekend! I had already made a batch of cherry jam with the fruit from my parents' garden earlier in the year (yet to be tasted), now it was the turn of the blackberries picked from our local area. There were just so many this year! Big ones too!
Because I knew I wouldn't be able to use them straight away, and wild blackberries don't keep long at all, I froze them in bags, waiting for the day when they would meet their destiny.
Jam is so easy to make at home. It tastes so much better than supermarket stuff. It doesn't necessarily cost less though, unless you recycle jars. I sometimes do, but generally I buy jars from Lakeland because I like giving jams and preserves as gifts and they look nice in a fresh jar.
It takes about 30 minutes to make a basic jam, and about 45 minutes if you want a smooth, pip-free jam (which is what I made this time). Here's the basic version:
Blackberry jam
A quantity of blackberries (or raspberries, hulled and chopped strawberries, stoned cherries, or a mixture)
Jam sugar
Weigh your berries. You need the same weight of jam sugar to berries.
Put a saucer in the freezer.
Put the berries in your largest pan on a low heat. Cook them until soft and liquid. Mine started out like this
and I cooked them until they were like this. I used a potato masher to help speed things along.
Next, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Then raise the heat, and bring it to a fast boil. Keep it boiling rapidly for five minutes, like this
After five minutes, take the saucer from the freezer, and carefully drop a spoonful of jam onto it. Wait a few seconds, then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles up, the jam is ready. If it's still runny, boil for another minute, then test again.
Pour the hot jam into sterilised jars (see my page on How to sterilise jars).
To make a smooth, pip-free version
You don't need to weigh the berries before starting, as the weight will reduce when the pips are strained out. Before adding the sugar, set a bowl on your weighing scales, and a coarse sieve over the bowl. Set the scales to zero. Then spoon the hot berries into the sieve. Press them to get as much juice out as possible.
It's best to do this in batches. Eventually, you will have a pile of discarded pips, a bowl of juice, and a scale that tells you how much juice there is. This measurement is the quantity of sugar you need. Pour the juice back into the pan, and continue with the recipe above.
You get a lot more jam if you don't strain out the pips (almost double the quantity with the berries I used), but it does taste really nice!
What is your favourite flavour of jam?
See you soon!
Laura x
Jam is so easy to make at home. It tastes so much better than supermarket stuff. It doesn't necessarily cost less though, unless you recycle jars. I sometimes do, but generally I buy jars from Lakeland because I like giving jams and preserves as gifts and they look nice in a fresh jar.
It takes about 30 minutes to make a basic jam, and about 45 minutes if you want a smooth, pip-free jam (which is what I made this time). Here's the basic version:
Blackberry jam
A quantity of blackberries (or raspberries, hulled and chopped strawberries, stoned cherries, or a mixture)
Jam sugar
Weigh your berries. You need the same weight of jam sugar to berries.
Put a saucer in the freezer.
Put the berries in your largest pan on a low heat. Cook them until soft and liquid. Mine started out like this
and I cooked them until they were like this. I used a potato masher to help speed things along.
Next, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Then raise the heat, and bring it to a fast boil. Keep it boiling rapidly for five minutes, like this
After five minutes, take the saucer from the freezer, and carefully drop a spoonful of jam onto it. Wait a few seconds, then push it with your finger. If it wrinkles up, the jam is ready. If it's still runny, boil for another minute, then test again.
Pour the hot jam into sterilised jars (see my page on How to sterilise jars).
To make a smooth, pip-free version
You don't need to weigh the berries before starting, as the weight will reduce when the pips are strained out. Before adding the sugar, set a bowl on your weighing scales, and a coarse sieve over the bowl. Set the scales to zero. Then spoon the hot berries into the sieve. Press them to get as much juice out as possible.
It's best to do this in batches. Eventually, you will have a pile of discarded pips, a bowl of juice, and a scale that tells you how much juice there is. This measurement is the quantity of sugar you need. Pour the juice back into the pan, and continue with the recipe above.
You get a lot more jam if you don't strain out the pips (almost double the quantity with the berries I used), but it does taste really nice!
What is your favourite flavour of jam?
See you soon!
Laura x
How to sterilise jars
My method for sterilising jars is quite easy and takes about the same time as a batch of jam does to prepare. Alternative methods include washing the jars and lids in an otherwise-empty dishwasher, or using sterilising tablets (the kind you would use for a baby's bottle).
Here's how I do it:
Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse in hot water.
Stand the jars upside-down on a rack set on a baking sheet (I use the grill tray from my oven). Put the jars in an oven heated at 100C for at least 10 minutes (they can be left in there longer).
Put the lids in a clean saucepan. Pour boiling water over the lids, add a dash of vinegar, and let them simmer away on the hob for at least 10 minutes. The vinegar stops any residue forming on them.
When the jam/chutney is ready and still hot, use oven gloves to help you fill the jars using a jam funnel, and then put the lids straight away. Use caution and avoid burns!
Wednesday 23 October 2013
Great British Bake Off 2013
Well, everyone, the Bake Off is over, for this year at least. What fun! It's been a source of escapism, frustration and inspiration for me and, judging by the online furore, for lots of others as well.
The final, alas, was sadly disappointing. I felt that none of the three bakers really shone as the clear winner. Frances's wedding cake was beautiful, but her pretzels were disastrous. Ruby's pie was a clear favourite, but her wedding cake wasn't finished. Kimberley's pretzels were good, but her wedding cake looked a mess. Not that I can really judge - I certainly wouldn't be able to produce a three-tier wedding cake in only six hours!
What I love about the Bake Off is that it takes something so simple that so many people do and makes it into a form of light-hearted yet competitive entertainment for the masses. I don't think many TV shows achieve that. Everyone knows it's a bit of fun, but everyone takes it so seriously! Is it a British thing to do that? Oh and I love Mel and Sue. Whoever got them on board as the hosts was a genius.
The bakers had to tackle so many different types of baking, some of which I've never even contemplated. Bread and cakes were only the beginning - there were biscuits, meringues, pies, and patisseries too. It's inspired me, though. I may well be getting my bake on in the coming weeks. Although now I'm not running any more (too cold and dark now that the clocks have gone back, boo), I can't exactly excuse myself for eating all the pies. Ahem.
A bientot!
Laura x
The final, alas, was sadly disappointing. I felt that none of the three bakers really shone as the clear winner. Frances's wedding cake was beautiful, but her pretzels were disastrous. Ruby's pie was a clear favourite, but her wedding cake wasn't finished. Kimberley's pretzels were good, but her wedding cake looked a mess. Not that I can really judge - I certainly wouldn't be able to produce a three-tier wedding cake in only six hours!
What I love about the Bake Off is that it takes something so simple that so many people do and makes it into a form of light-hearted yet competitive entertainment for the masses. I don't think many TV shows achieve that. Everyone knows it's a bit of fun, but everyone takes it so seriously! Is it a British thing to do that? Oh and I love Mel and Sue. Whoever got them on board as the hosts was a genius.
The bakers had to tackle so many different types of baking, some of which I've never even contemplated. Bread and cakes were only the beginning - there were biscuits, meringues, pies, and patisseries too. It's inspired me, though. I may well be getting my bake on in the coming weeks. Although now I'm not running any more (too cold and dark now that the clocks have gone back, boo), I can't exactly excuse myself for eating all the pies. Ahem.
A bientot!
Laura x
Thursday 10 October 2013
A (half) marathon effort
Hi everyone!
It's breezy and blustery here today and it feels as if autumn is finally getting going. Quite a change from the weekend just gone, when we were on the beach in sunny Bournemouth! After months of training, half marathon day had arrived! The many, many runs that had taken place over the summer finally paid off for both me and my dad. We both finished, we were both very happy with our times, and we both had sore legs the day after! Actually, today is the first day that I can walk up and down stairs normally again!
It was a brilliant day. Two non-sporty people running 13.1 miles in less than 2.5 hours! I was so proud of both of us!
I couldn't have done this run without Nick's amazing support in staying at home while I went running three times a week. In the end, he says he's been inspired and wants to do something similar. A marathon maybe?!
Here are some photos of the day!
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| All smiles before... |
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| and after! |
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