Trying to make the best of our current situation, it is the perfect time to nest and improve your personal space.

Spring cleaning:

• Clean all the nooks and crannies besides regular surface cleaning.
• On a warm day, open windows to air out house.
• Cross off items on the ‘Honey-Do List’. If you are not handy, access what needs to be done to hire a professional in the future.

 

Edit and forget it:

No better time to go through closets, cabinets and drawers. Here is a mini Marie Kondo, lesson: pick up each item and ask if it sparks joy? No? Trash, donate, sell. If you don’t need it, use it or love it, get rid of it.

Check expiration dates:

• Medicine cabinet
• Personal care items, makeup, toiletries
• Pantry items
• Spices

For Children & even Adults:

• There are many online sites to explore and take a virtual tour of museums all over the world.
• Try to maintain a regular schedule for peace of mind and comfort. Routines create a sense of normalcy.

Teresa Giordano of Middletown says, “I’ll be offsetting the ‘home schooling’ with my version of Home Economics. My children already know how to do laundry and cook simple meals, but I have time to kick it up a notch!”

Smudging:

Burning sage leaves and other medicinal plants has been used in many cultures for cleansing and healing. With intention, it is a way to ‘clear the air’ of emotional negativity that has built up in a space or person. Health benefits have proven to have antiseptic and bacteria killing properties. My house feels better and clients have felt the difference after a smudging.

How to smudge: Be clear about setting your intention. A few loose pieces of sage or a sage bundle, a bowl to catch embers and something to light it is all you need. Open up a window slightly. Start by the front door and work clockwise by going room to room, corner to corner, opening closets and letting the smoke do its work. End by opening the front door to allow the negative energy to leave. Pay attention to wear the smoke is excessive. Closets tend to hold a lot of negative energy. We wash our clothes, but we don’t wash our shoes, coats, handbags, etc. Energy can get stuck there.

Gardening:

It’s the perfect time for spring clean-up and some early planting. Cold weather resistant vegetables and pansies are in stock and ready to plant. Even going for a walk to notice the beauty of the buds and bulbs ready to burst can lift our spirits reminding us to bloom.

Can you “spare a square”?

Reach out to your neighbors especially those that are compromised. If you have something they need, like toilet paper, share it and pay it forward.

There will be more tips for Spring cleaning, home maintenance, places to donate your stuff in future columns. Got an idea? Please share.