Good Moms

There is a quote going around on Pinterest which says, “Good moms have sticky floors, dirty ovens, and happy kids.” 

I take issue with that. 

I have clean floors.  My oven is clean (mostly).  I have clean bathrooms.  I have a clean kitchen.  My carpets are vacuumed.  Our bedrooms are clean. 

And my kids are happy.  I am a good mom.

Having happy kids does not mean I have to have a dirty house.  We work together to keep it clean.  We don’t spend all day cleaning, but we do clean everyday.

And we are all happy. 

So don’t try to make me feel guilty for having a clean house. 

Cleaning Tip #7

So I realized that I skipped #7 on my tip list.  Here you go:

I use my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (or the generic equivalent, which works just as well) to help clean the bathtub.  Now, I wouldn’t need to if I cleaned the tub on a regular basis, but I don’t.  So I get a ring around the tub and dirt in the texture on the bottom that is nearly impossible to scrub off.  But I get it wet, sprinkle Ajax on it, then use the damp Mr. Clean and scrub and it comes off so quickly!  I love it! 

Cleaning Tip #8

I do all my laundry in one day.  It’s a pain, but it gets it done, over with, don’t have to worry about it for another week. 

Cleaning Tip #6

I learned this one years ago and it’s wonderful. 

When you are washing windows, it’s sometimes hard to tell which side a streak is on.  Well, just wipe one side horizontally, and the opposite side vertically.  You will be able to tell exactly which side contains your streak!

But don’t look at my windows.  I haven’t cleaned them in a very, very, very long time.  They don’t have any streaks, just water spots and grease marks (from foreheads on the glass!). 

Cleaning Tip #5

I have another tip for your Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. 

My kitchen floor is laminate.  Dirt has gotten down into all the little bumps and valleys in the floor.  I scrubbed it with a rag, but it wasn’t coming out.  So I pulled out the Magic Eraser and it got rid of the dirt beautifully!  It took elbow grease and time, but it looked so much better when I was done!

Cleaning Tip #4

I have had my scriptures since I was 16.  I bought them when the quads first came out and I was so excited to buy my own.  They are blue leather.

I looked at them a few months ago and realized how dirty they were.  I tried to clean them, but it just wasn’t come off.  So I decided to try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on them.  It worked like a gem!  It got all the dirt out of the cracks and they look brand new.

I love this thing!

Cleaning Tip #3

I love, love, love the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  It is the best invention in cleaning products that I have seen in a long time!  And the generic is just as good.  So the next few cleaning tips will be focused on this magic tool. 

Today, let’s talk about your countertops.  You wipe them down, maybe even with Clorox disinfecting wipes (I don’t).  Get your Magic eraser wet and scrub a circle on the counter.  I did.

I shouldn’t have.

The circle was clean.  I was horrified at how dirty my counters suddenly looked.  I had to take everything off and scrub the counters down.  It didn’t take long because it was very easy to see where I had been!  But I love how clean they look and how clean they feel. 

Try it.  I dare you!  LOL

Cleaning Tip #2

I know I have blogged about this before, but I have to mention it again, just because it is so wonderful!

They (meaning whoever is in charge of these kinds of things) have taken out all of the phosphates out of the dishwasher soap.  And it’s awful! It leaves white film on everything!  But I have the solution.

Put TSP in your with your dishwasher soap.  1 teaspoon with each load.  I just put the tsp in first, then fill the cup with soap.  It works wonders!  No more film, and the dishes come out perfect.  You can use vinegar too, but it’s not as easy. 

Cleaning Tip #1

I thought it would be fun to share some cleaning tips with you.  It won’t be regular, but I have some pretty good tips, I think.

So, tip #1.

Do your dishcloths smell?  For years, I have been putting baking soda in my washer.  1 cup per load.  And that has worked, for the most part.  But it was starting to not work.  I would get them out of the drawer and as soon as I got them wet, they would stink again.  And then your hands stink.  Ewww.

But since I discovered my newest tip, my dishcloths have never smelt so good.  I pull them out and get them wet and smell them and I have a big smile on my face!  They smell so fresh and, well, clean!  I love to smell them!

So what’s the tip? 

I put a bucket under my kitchen sink full of water, with 1 cup of vinegar in it.  And every night, after the dishes are done and the kitchen is cleaned up, my dishcloth (and my scrubber) go into the bucket, and new ones are pulled out for the next day. 

And then on laundry day, when I wash the rags and towels, I take the bucket and dump everything, including the water/vinegar, into the washer along with the detergent.  I then rinse out the bucket and fill it with fresh water and vinegar and put it back under the sink. 

I have never been so happy!  I know it’s a silly thing to be so happy about, but it’s the little things that make me happy. 

Cleaning

Starting next week, I will be going into the office 2 days a week.  I am not looking forward to it, but it’s something that needs to be done.  And with no kids at home, I don’t have an excuse not to.  I have also been going over to our church to exercise with a group of women 3 mornings a week.  Which means I will not have a morning to myself.

So this morning I decided that I wanted to stay home and enjoy being alone in the quiet for one last morning.  I chose to not go over to exercise.  I was going to crawl back into bed after the kids left for school and take a long nap, then soak in the tub when I woke up. 

But as I was standing by the side of my bed, I looked around at the mess.  Now don’t get me wrong, my house isn’t filthy.  But there was stuff sitting around that needed to be put away.  So I decided to do a quick pick-up and put-away session while I called my mom.  I did that and we were still talking, and I noticed that I hadn’t dusted in a while.  So I grabbed my Swiffer cloth and dusted while were talking. 

When I got off the phone, I decided that my whole house needed a good cleaning.  I could have (and should have) waited for my children to get home and help me, but when I get the motivation to clean, I try not to ignore it!  Plus I was feeling really guilty for not exercising, so I thought I would make this my exercise for the day. 

I have loaded all my CD’s on my computer, and I used Windows Media Player to create a cleaning playlist.  Fast moving music that I can sing to and keeps me moving.  I put it on super loud (SUPER loud!) and went to work.  I finished dusting, then vacuumed all the carpet, swept all the floors, mopped all the floors, shook all the rugs, and cleaned both bathrooms.  It took me 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I was exhausted when I was done.  I had worked fast and hard and my face was bright red.  I felt like I had just worked out for 2 hours. 

Wait, I had!  Exercise doesn’t have to be aerobics or yoga.  I was up and down and moving my arms and legs and squatting and reaching and bending.  And even if I had to take a cool shower to try and cool down when I was done, I felt good. You know, that feeling that you accomplished something.  And I had it doubly good because I also had a super clean house when I was done!

I may skip exercising once a week and just focus on cleaning that day.  I love how my house looks! 

When the cat’s away, the mice will play

I am a very organized person.  Many times, to a fault.

In the shower, all bottles have to have their labels facing out.  I always can tell if The Doctor has used my shampoo or face wash because it’s not put back exactly where I put it.  I am obsessed about where things should be put.  I know exactly where each thing on my bathroom cupboard goes.  And don’t get me started on the fridge.  Each shelf has a purpose and leftovers should go on the leftovers shelf, not the shelf for the water bottles!  When I put my hair up in electric curlers, I take one from one side, and then one from the other.  I have to keep the empty spots even. 

So when I had children, it became a daily struggle to let the toys stay on the floor and not constantly be picking up.  I had to learn, and I am still learning, that the house can be a little cluttered.  Not all the time.  The kids never go to bed without picking up and putting away.

The Chocoholic is exactly like me.  He is clean and organized.  The Teenager and The Princess are somewhere in the middle.  They will pick up when I ask them to, but their bedrooms aren’t the cleanest. 

The Artist is a COMPLETELY different story.  He is so creative and artistic and funny, but he is a slob.  That may sound cruel, and I love him very, very much, but that child drives me nuts.  He leaves his dirty clothes (and his clean clothes) on the floor, toys on the floor…oh face it, he leaves everything on the floor.  Stuff on the dresser and the bed.  Stuff everywhere!  I send him down to clean his room and he will lay on his bed and play.  It is so frustrating. 

This week he is gone to Scout camp.  From Monday morning until Saturday afternoon.  I thought this would be the perfect time to clean his room.  And when I say clean, I mean pull everything out and clean and organize.  So this morning, I headed down at 10:30. 

I finished at 3:00. 

Seriously.

I stripped the bed, then started picking up the floor and I just put it all on the bed.  I pulled everything out of the closet and organized it.  I pulled everything out of the dresser drawers and sorted out the too small clothes and FOLDED (novel concept to him) and put it away.  I cleaned out behind the dresser and under the bed and behind the door. Then I went through everything that was on the bed and got it sorted and put away.  And thrown away.  I filled an entire garbage bag full of garbage and broken toys and old Lego magazines. 

When he was packing for camp, I asked him if he needed to do his laundry.  He brought up his laundry basket and showed me that it was only 1/3 full.  Well, by the time I got done today, the basket was overflowing and it took two washer loads to get it done. 

The sad thing is I know it won’t last.  Probably not even until the end of next week.  Perhaps the chaos is needed in order for him to be creative.  He is The Artist, after all.

I love this kid so much.  But I will continue to harass him to clean and pick up until the day he moves out.  And when he gets married, I will apologize profusely to his wife. 

Slacker

I cannot believe how fast the weeks are going.  This week has been especially crazy.  Monday, The Chocoholic and The Princess started school.  It is so nice to have them doing something besides bugging me!  LOL  No, they have been really good, it’s just nice to have some quiet.

Not that it’s totally quiet, because The Artist and The Teenager are still around, playing video games.  I try to make them go outside and play, but what is a 16 year old going to do outside?  Jump rope?  LOL  He is working a lot, and I have been having them do things around the house.

Yesterday I cleaned out my pantry.  I started it right after the kids left for school, before it was too hot and I was too awake to realize that I was crazy.  I took everything out, washed down the walls and the shelves, organized and got rid of stuff (to the chagrin of my hubby) and put it all back. It only took me 3 hours and it looks so nice.  Now I want to do the kitchen. And bathroom.  And closets.  It’s a sickness.

I have been scrapbooking.  I get stuck because I know how cute people make their pages, but that’s not me.  I am simple and not over the top.  I want my scrapbooks to be about the pictures, not the stuff.  I used to subscribe to “Creating Keepsakes,” but I cancelled my subscription.  The lady that owns the magazine had done a layout and it took me forever to find the actual picture.  It was a 12x12 page and the picture was in the top right corner, overwhelmed by all the embellishments on the rest of the page.  I knew that is not how I wanted my scrapbooks. 

Anyway, so I get stuck because I think I need more, but I don’t.  My kids don’t look at their scrapbooks and say, “Oh, look at that cute fiber!  Oh, look how adorable those buttons are!”  No, they look at the pictures.  The embellishments are there to enhance the picture.  So I am slowly moving along. 

Yeah, so in between all of this, I have been working.  It is easier to go to work when I know I don’t have to take The Princess somewhere to have her babysat.  I am so grateful to all those who have been willing to watch her.  Last year, I just traded with a lady in my neighborhood.  She watched The Princess one day a week, and I watched her daughter one day a week.  It worked out great, but I still felt guilty.  And even on the days I was home, I was sitting on my computer working and not playing with her.  So now I can work and not have major guilt. 

So what has been keeping you busy?

Clean car

I love a clean car.  Especially in the winter when it gets so much salt on it.  I splurge and get car washes because I love how nice it looks.  I just wish it lasted longer.

However, I have learned that I prefer to do it by hand.  Not with my hose, but at the car wash.  The automatic car washes just don’t do a very good job on my minivan.  They don’t get the back washed very well, and they don’t rinse it very well. 

There is a car wash that I love.  It’s called the Aloha Auto Spa.  They don’t have special brushes or machines.  I like them because they use colored and scented foam.  It’s pink and smells like bubble gum.  That’s a good reason to choose a car wash, right? 

Fall Cleaning

Please excuse me if I don't post for a day or two. I am wiped out!
Thank you NaBloPoMo. I have cleaned out most of my drafts folder. Don't be surprised if I do a bunch of random blogs for a while!
Remember...only 25 days to Christmas!

Cleaning tip

When we moved into our first house, I bought navy blue rugs for my kitchen. I love them, but I will never buy dark again! They collect dirt and show it all!

I also hate to mop my floor. Mops don't do a great job, and I was raised to get down on my hands and knees and use a rag to mop. I never do it as often as I should.

Anyhoo...When we moved here, I put the same rugs in my kitchen. And finally a couple of months ago, after 8 years of hard work, the biggest one had had it. It was falling apart, so I threw it out.

And when I looked down, I saw the line seperating the clean floor that had been under the rug from the dirt in the grooves of my laminate flooring where the rug hadn't been. I was so embarassed. I scrubbed and scrubbed and couldn't get it out.

But today, I had some inspiration. I used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (BTW...best invention ever!) and scrubbed at the dirt...and it came clean! I got a portion of my floor done this morning and will do the rest later, but I am so glad it isn't permanent!

Just thought I would pass this along.