52-Week Challenge: Week Seven

Week seven is here....  how did everyone do on the multivitamin challenge last week.  I went 5 for 7, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.  Then again, I eat a pretty well rounded diet, so I am not so worried about *having* to take a multi-vitamin in the first place.  And Flintstone Vitamins...  still yummy as ever.  I did resolve to ask my doctor about vitamins on my next check up, so that's a positive thing right? 

Okay, so on to week seven, which is keep the outside out.  This week it's all about reducing the amount of dust and allergens in your home by the simple act of taking your shoes off at the door.  The quick and dirty is have a place for your shoes near your main entryway, or even create a mudroom.  There is a great benefit to this practice besides not tracking unwanted pollen in the house...  it keeps your house so much cleaner.  Less dust and dirt to sweep, less black-bottomed socks, less having to clean the carpets because of ground-in dirt.   

Again, easy peasy for us...  we are already in the habit of taking our shoes off at the door from living in Asia for two years.  We have a mud room area in the house, complete with cabinets for the girls to store their shoes.  We even have shelving out in our garage to keep our wet/muddy/snow laden shoes out of the house.  So all in all, we are set for this week's challenge. 

I highly encourage you to do your own shoe closet near a door.   Or it can be something very simple, like this:

So cute, right?!? It's amazing the results you will notice in your home - the floors will stay cleaner and there will be less dust in the house.