Winter is finally taking its last turn. And that means spring cleaning. Before you shake your head no, take a moment to look around. Most likely, you and the rest of your family have been living more at home than ever. Things have gotten a little grubbier from more use. Many items are getting more wear and tear than ever.

So why not take the new season as a renewed sense of productivity. It can be overwhelming. And it can feel a bit fruitless. (I know cleaning that sliding door track will only lead to more dirt in the track – not to mention an aching back.)

Here are some tips to easily get started.

Sort and De-Clutter

Going through everything you own should be your first step in spring cleaning. If available, grab three boxes, sort through the small items you own and put them into “keep,” “store,” and “toss” boxes. (Hint: I use plastic tubs for the store boxes, so I can easily get them in the attic without worry.)

To make the task easier, go through your stuff while listening to music. Make it fun, sing and dance along.

Here’s a suggested playlist:

Create a Basic Cleaning Kit

After decluttering, round-up the supplies you might need to clean every surface of your home. Make sure that you have an all-purpose cleaner, disposable gloves, disinfectant, glass cleaner, microfiber cloths, a sponge, and a small duster in your kit.

This way, you don’t have to run to the store to buy any cleaning supplies when you are already knee-deep scrubbing your floors. You don’t want to lose your momentum.

Take On the Task Room By Room

Thinking that you have to clean an entire house is enough to discourage anyone. You are one person – and there are just too many nooks and crannies to go through. This is why it is smarter to clean room by room.

Set a schedule. You can set an hour or a day per room – it doesn’t matter the length as time as long as you’re consistent. This will make the task less daunting.

Reward Yourself

Spring cleaning is not easy. Especially if it’s your first time, but after it is done – it deserves a reward.  Sure, the house looks great, but give yourself some extra credit and do something for yourself.

Perhaps it’s creating your own playlist for future cleaning! Why not share a favorite song that you like cleaning to in the comments?

Your mother-in-law called. She’s on her way with Aunt Tilly, and they will over in 10 minutes for a visit.

As you hang up the phone, you turn around to survey the damage in the rest of the house.

Yikes!

You’ve been hammering away at work in your ‘mock office’ on the kitchen table. Papers are everywhere. And your kids? If they are like my twin tornados with remote school, video games, and more, things are scattered everywhere. Then there’s the laundry. Yeah, at least we can throw a load or two in while working from home, but getting it put away (at least in my house) hasn’t happened.

But don’t panic.

You’ve got approximately 10 minutes. What do you attack first to get the most bang for your cleaning buck?

Pick stuff off the floor.

It always makes such a difference to actually “see” the carpet. Close off any rooms that don’t need to be seen, such as bedrooms, playrooms, etc.

For those other rooms, keep an extra laundry basket handy and just fill it up. Don’t bother sorting. Just scoop up all the toys and “stuff” and move on. (I also love the stuff under the bed or in a closet routine. That’s often what happens to my laundry… into the closet on the floor until I can get to it later!)

If your vacuum is easy to use, run it quickly. If it is a pain to find it and deal with the cord, forget about it.

Head into the kitchen.

If you have piles of dirty dishes everywhere, you have two choices. You could try to load the dishwasher. However, it might be easier to rinse everything quickly, fill the sink with soapy water, and pile it all in. Don’t worry about actually washing them. Let your company think they interrupted you.

Give the counters a once over with the sponge or a wipe, so nothing sticky is left for your guests to discover.

Time for the bathroom.

Nothing is more embarrassing than having someone ask to use your bathroom when you just know it is gross. And I can tell you with teen girls, it’s really gross. And what the heck happened to all the toilet paper?

Get everything off the counter and into a drawer. Grab a bleach wipe and wipe down the counter, the faucet, the sink, and the toilet.

Grab a wipe made just for mirrors and get that toothpaste spray that you have been purposely ignoring off the mirror. If you can, clean the toilet bowl as well. Note: make sure there is toilet paper.

Living room quickie.

Straighten the cushions on the sofa. Corral all the stuff in the shoe pile and hang up the coats.

That’s it. That’s all you’ve got time for, but this little list should make everything more presentable. Whether you are a neat freak or on the messy side, we all have days where we get caught off-guard. The point to remember is that you only need to give the “illusion” of clean. No one is going to open your closets or drawers. No one is going to peek behind closed doors. At least, I hope not.

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I’m not a gardener per se. My husband has the green thumb in our family. But I’m pretty good with succulents.

We have big plans for our garden. After having so much time living in our backyard due to the pandemic, we know there’s more to do. As much as I don’t have the planting ‘gene’, I want to make sure our outdoor space is our sanctuary.

And now is the time to plan. Getting ready for spring planting makes the growing season go more smoothly when you start early. Plus, it helps bide your time during the cold days ahead when you can’t get outdoors.

Here are some of the things we’re doing to prep:

Save Containers

Whenever you use lettuce, strawberries, or other foods that come in a clamshell container, save the container. A lot of them have convenient holes in them for drainage and circulation. Fill these with soil and they make excellent seed-starting containers. Other containers you can save for seed starting are:

• Yogurt cups
• Paper cups
• Egg cartons

Compost

If you haven’t started composting, do so now. Set up some sort of containment system, such as a bit of portable fencing against your house or deck fence, or a garbage can with holes drilled in it. Then add leaves, yard waste, newspaper shred, and kitchen scraps. Stir it periodically and, if you have access to worms, add them into the middle. If it’s very cold, though, composting will go slowly. You can help by putting the compost pile in a sunny location or even starting it in a bin indoors.

Get Out the Seed Catalogues

This is a fun one! Go ahead and order your seeds as you plan what you are going to grow this year. Look over your notes from last year – what grew well? What failed? Are there some plants that would grow better in a sunnier/shadier part of the garden? Order your seeds so that you can begin planting indoors at the right time for those seedlings to be ready for moving outdoors in April or May.

Also, check with your neighbors about what works in their gardens. (I use Facebook and Nextdoor for this.) You’ll also find that many are also selling or giving away plants from their own gardens because they are growing too well!  We got a beautiful small trumpet vine for our pergola which is now growing like crazy, and even a huge rosemary bush from our neighbors.

Take Advantage of Warm Days

In many areas, there are warm “moments” even in winter, especially late winter. Whenever you experience one of these brief thaws, get outside and work the soil. This not only helps aerate the soil and assist with the decomposition of leaves and such; it also makes the initial turning of the soil in springtime easier. That can be back-breaking work, so spreading it out over a few months and weeks can help a lot.

And now is the time to prune things back. We’ve worked on our rose bushes, as well as our grapevines.

If you are going to add lime or compost (if it’s already “ripe”), you can start now.

Prepare Your Tools

Nothing puts a damper on spring planting like not being able to find your tools or finding them rusty and dirty. Get your tools organized and ready, and clean them by scraping off dirt and rust. An abrasive pad and oil will help remove rust and restore shine and mobility to tools like clippers. Sources say that storing tools in a bucket of sand is best for preserving them and keeping them sharp.

We all know the basic flavors we can taste:  sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Yet, the long lasting impression that wine leaves in your mouth is far more complex.

When you drink or taste wine, your taste buds and your sense of smell are involved, adding to how you interpret wine overall. So the flavors, aromas, and sensations all add to the experience.

Let’s review some basics you should look for when taking that first sip.

Sweetness

Sweetness is something that wines are well known for. With most types of wine, grapes are responsible for the sweet taste. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, which breaks the yeast down into alcohol. The grapes and yeast used to produce the wine will leave behind various sweetness levels, which your tongue will be able to detect quickly.

Alcohol

Alcohol is also present in wine, although your tongue doesn’t really know how to decipher the taste of alcohol. Even though the tongue doesn’t really taste the alcohol, the alcohol is present in the mouth. The alcohol found in wine will dilate blood vessels and intensify all of the other flavors found in the wine. After you have sampled a few types of wine, the alcohol level can easily affect your taste buds, making it hard to distinguish other drinks that you may have. (That’s why it’s common to have the best wine at an event offered first because lesser-quality wines can be served later without much notice!)

Acidity

Another flavor is acidity, which affects the sugars. With the proper balance of acidity, the overall flavor of wine can be very overwhelming. Although acidity is great with wine, too much of it will leave a very sharp taste. With the right levels, acidity will bring the grape and fruits’ flavors alive in your mouth – providing you with the perfect taste.

Tannins

Yet another thing that affects the flavor of a wine is tannins. Tannins are the proteins found in the skins of grapes and other fruits. If a wine has the right amount of tannins, it will give your tongue a great feel and bring in the other flavors’ sensations. Once a wine starts to age, the tannins will begin to breakdown in the bottle, giving you a softer feel to the taste.

Although other flavors are involved with the taste of wine, they aren’t as present as the ones identified above. To start a wine tasting journey, you’ll need to get more familiar with these to start.  This way – you will know more about what you are tasting, and you’ll truly be able to appreciate wine.