Home

6 DAILY HABITS TO MAINTAIN A CLEAN HOME

laurenalexandra

We all know that feeling. A clean home is a happy home. But sometimes it seems as if we turn our heads and it happens; our house is a wreck again. Here are 6 daily habits to keep your house tidy.

1. Make the bed as soon as your feet hit the floor.

Other than maybe visiting the bathroom, this is the very first thing I do when I wake up. One of my live by rules, is “clean as you go”. And if you’re up for the day, and you’re not planning on laying back down any time soon, just make the bed. Plus, your room will always appear cleaner when the bed is made.

2. Pick everything up off the floor and give it a home.

Everything. Those lounge pants you decided to change out of before going to bed, the random Amazon box on the kitchen floor, give it all a new home. If you’re thinking, “Really? Everything? That will take a century.” At least pick it all up and place it in the room it belongs so you can put it away later.

3. Do at least one load of laundry every day or two.

Sure your laundry basket may not be full yet. That’s okay! It will be soon! Staying on top of laundry is a must if you want to keep your house looking tidy. And when I say “laundry” that means, wash, dry, fold, and hang. Completing that full cycle is key. Although throwing the dry towels on the couch and forgetting about them can be so tempting, make sure you stick to the plan. Wash, dry, fold, and hang.

3. Wipe down those surfaces.

Here are the areas I try to hit daily; kitchen counters and sink, stovetop, table tops, and bathroom counters. Whether you disinfect em, wipe em, or dust em, this simple step will go a long way in your home’s overall appearance.

4. Vacuum or sweep the floors.

Although the word “vacuuming” can make you shudder, running the vacuum for just 5-10 minutes a day is simple! Choose a room and go for it. If you live in a two story home, half the week choose to do downstairs and then switch to upstairs. That way you’re not lugging the vacuum around all over the house all the time. Heck, buy a second vacuum to keep upstairs. Whatever your method may be, just plug in (or push the button) and go for it.

5. Clean as you move.

Going to the kitchen from the bedroom? Take that water cup on your nightstand with you! Headed out of the bathroom? Glance around and see what doesn’t belong that can be put back in its home. I feel like I’m constantly moving so I might as well be multitasking. Cleaning as I go is one of my favorite ways to “stay on top of it”.

6. Store it or toss it.

Why leave the junk mail on the kitchen counter? If you’re not going to look at it today or tomorrow, you probably won’t look at it the next day. Let’s be honest; it’s going in the trash eventually (or recycling bin). You catch my drift? This is a good way to keep your home decluttered.

Education

My VIPKid Journey

laurenalexandra

This summer I started an excited new adventure! Interested? Read more below!

VIPKid Fast Facts

  • VIPKID provides English lessons to kids in China using an online webcam-based classroom.
  • They employ over 60,000 native English teachers living all over the world.
  • Kids range from ages 3-14 so there are many levels in the curriculum.
  • Lessons are taught from a slideshow and involve different speaking exercises.
  • Teachers make lessons interactive and fun by using TPR (Total Physical Response), a variety of props, puppets, etc.
  • Classes are approx. 25-28 minutes long
  • Teachers create their own flexible schedule and typically teach early in the morning as well as at night.

How Do I Get Hired?

The hiring process is pretty simple and is broken down into “stages”.

  1. Basic Info: At this first stage you will submit basic personal information and previous experience. 

  2. Demo/Interview: The first “interview” is the Demo Lesson. This can be done live with your computer or smart phone or recorded and submitted on the VIPKid portal. It is 5 minutes long and the lesson is provided on the VipKid platform. You can use your smartphone headphones for this. If you’re feeling ambitious, feel free to purchase a headset! (You will need one when you get hired.)

  3. Certification/Mock Lesson(s): The second “interview” is the Mock Lesson. This is done live with another VipKid teacher acting as a student on the VipKid portal. 

    First, you will choose which level you wish to be certified in. Most VIPKid teachers get certified in Level 2 Interactive/Level 3 because those are the most popular levels with the majority of students. (That means when you are hired, some of your students will be on Level 2 and some will be on Level 3.) 

    There are two, 10 minute lessons available. That means preparing for both just in case! The teacher will tell you which one they want you to teach once you are connected and ready to go. 

    You will need some basic props (“realia” in the TESOL world), TPR (total physical response), engaging facial expressions, a clear and appropriate level of voice, high energy, and BIG smiles! This is a good time to show off your classroom. No, you don’t need a full-blown, amazing set up yet. Just have a nice background, white board, teacher name tag/sign, and reward system. You may need to re-do your mock lesson if VIPKid feels like you are not ready yet. It’s okay! You can re-do your mock lesson multiple times, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t pass on the first try. Remember, you want to practice a lot and make sure to reach out to your referral teacher for help! VIPKid wants to make sure you are ready to teach! 

  4. TESOL Quiz/Legal Documents/Profile Setup: After you pass both of these stages, you will need take a TESOL quiz if you do not have a TESOL certification. Once you pass the quiz, you will submit legal items such as tax forms, contract, any teaching certificates, degrees, etc. Also, they will conduct a background check. You will also create your teacher profile. You will need to upload photos, make an intro video, and write a bio. 

Classroom Set Up

Your classroom space is crucial to being a successful, organized VIPKid teacher. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to start out huge with tons of props and materials. It will evolve naturally as you teach. Keep it simple and basic with the following must have items:

Purchased items

  • A nice background- I suggest a map. It’s colorful and easy to hang up.
  • Magnetic dry erase whiteboard– This is where anything that you want displayed goes; your name tag, reward system, fun decorations, or 2D props
  • Headset– VIPKid has you use a headset with a microphone so students can hear you clearly and vise versa. It cuts down on background noise. 
  • Magnetic alphabet letters– for phonics slides. (TIP: Look up “synthetic phonics”. You want to make sure you are making the correct sounds when teaching.)

Printed items:
Many of these can be found online and also on Teachers Pay Teachers website.

  • Teacher name tag/sign
  • Reward system- ice cream scoops on a cone, soccer balls in a goal, bananas for monkey
  • Emoji faces on a popsicle stick
  • Meg and Mike (VIPKid’s characters used in lesson slides)

Thrift Store Finds:
Keep an eye out for these things. I purchased each for .10-1.00 each. They are not necessarily needed for the mock interview, but always good to start looking for them. The only items I strongly suggest having is the puppet.

  • Stuffed animals for rewards
  • Puppet- some students love talking to puppets.
  • Balls
  • Other small toys