In the Chinese tradition, the days before the New Year is when everyone pitches in to help thoroughly clean the home.

For weeks now, I’ve been uninspired by our playroom. The endless number of stains on the carpet were getting worse, as were the watercolor and glue stains on the shelves. We’ve had the same pictures on the wall for a year. And it’s been at least six months since I last wiped the windows.  It was time to rally the troops and do something about it! 

Brooke (3 years, 0 months) helps Dad roll up the old carpet. Time to replace it with the clean carpet in the garage. 

M cleans the chalkboard with water and a rag

B sprays and wipes down the marker and glitter stains on the table

Toys in the garage needed some cleaning, too. B scrubs…

and M wipes. A bucket of soapy water, a hand brush and some rags (pictured) were all they needed.

Voila! Our newly-inspired playroom. Of course I took this picture while the children were out – and tidied up beforehand. The toys on the shelf were mostly chosen by the girls. The ones they don’t want to play with anymore are stored in the garage. 

Thanks to my husband, our shelves were re-sanded and stain-free. The pictures on the wall are old calendar pictures I’ve reframed, but they feel new!

The day after we put in the new carpet, M noticed a speck on the carpet, pointed it out and then went to get the vacuum. It’s inevitable that carpets, chalkboards, shelves, trays, etc will get dirty. Children are children, after all. They can help maintain it, but when it reaches the point where it just can’t be cleaned anymore, replace it. It will bring fresh, vibrant energy into the home and everyone takes better care of things that are clean and new.

Happy New Year, everyone! May your 2014 be filled with Beauty, Happiness and Inspiration!