One of the things "ladies" magazines used to do a lot more of was to give practical tips for keeping a house organized and clean.
The phenomenal success of the magazine Real Simple is attributable to the dream every woman has of an organized home and the need for practical tips, all the better for being wrapped up in a beautifully designed package. It was too long before their online website looked as good as their magazine, but too often, their solutions are fey or don't really cover the day to day gritty practicalities.
More practical and homespun advice can be found at FlyLady who says "We don't need new trash cans, a resupply of underwear or plastic containers to get rid of the CHAOS in our lives. All we need is ROUTINES." which she gives you along with email reminders several times a day. I joined for several weeks to see what it was like and I've never gotten more email in my life, rather like a hectoring aunt with occasional flashes of wit and brilliance.
Maria Cilley who runs FlyLady could get any woman feeling overwhelmed on the right track in a few weeks if you read the heart warming, sometimes heart-rendering letters that women send in.
But this is the first blog I've seen on housecleaning. My clean house via of all people Bill Ives.
What ever happened to Hints from Heloise you ask. Her daughter is carrying on at Heloise.com and answering your questions at an iVillage messageboard every week.
Posted by Jill Fallon at June 18, 2005 3:45 AM | Permalink