Busy Moms Survival Guide to Life

I Figured It Out! How My Mom's House Stayed so Clean!

2008-02-17T17:39:00.002-05:00

After having my second, and remodeling/moving back into my parents' old house, it has left me wondering....HOW in the world did my mom's house stay so clean??? The most I can ever remember seeing her do was dust, do dishes, wash clothes, and can. Yet...did dust bunnies hide under her bed?? Absolutely NOT! Did windows look like a fog cloud had entered the house after a month? NO WAY!

So how did she do it??? I have thought and studied, studied and thought....and I have come to this conclusion....

The dirt was too scared to enter my mom's house!

I believe by the time I came along (I was a late-in-life child...one that came along "on accident" after the others were all grown and most had kids of their own)...and I think somewhere during those years.......dirt learned to fear my mother!

That is why, even after a year without cleaning windows, they still looked spotless, why......even though a vacuum was rarely ran under a bed, no bunnies ever appeared! Dirt had learned during her lifetime that it was a losing battle to live in her house, because it would not get to stay long.

So, by the time I got there, word was out to every dust bunny, every dust mite, every smudge spot, every grease grime.....DO NOT enter that woman's house, because death awaits you there! So it just never bothered to come!

And that, my friend, is my conclusion!

That Funky Smell in the Washer

2008-02-15T10:08:00.004-05:00

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Have you ever went to stick your head in the washer, to pull out that last sock that's wrapped tight around the agitator? And when you did, did a smell so rank, so horrible that even Ripley's wouldn't dare try to describe it?

Well, I had the pleasure of that experience first thing this morning!

Talk about an eye-opener! That worked better/faster than any cup of Folger's could ever do!

Now......what's up with the smell?

Do you use liquid laundry detergent?

I read recently that that funky odor comes from your washer if you use liquid detergent all the time because the liquid detergent kind of acts like glue in your washer pipes, causing all the little deposits of dirt to just "stick" to the pipes, building up until..... Congratulations on your new smell!

How to get rid of it?

Use powdered detergent instead! The powder acts as a scrubber to your pipes and cleans out all that sludge!

Now, I have also heard that powdered detergent is not good for your septic system (if you are not one so blessed as to have access to a city sewer)....So....Here's my plan:

I am going to use one box of powdered detergent, then go back to the liquid. Get a box of Ridex, dump it down the toilet, and this should take care of the breaking up of the powder!

Now, when the smell comes along again....time for another box of powdered!

(Oh, and by the way....if you don't have Ridex at your disposal....dump a can of tomatoes down the toilet and flush! Sounds gross but it also works to create the bacteria your septic needs to work right!)

Any other tips on this? Let's hear 'em!

Come visit me on Ebay or Etsy!

Once-A-Month Cooking is Going Great!

2008-02-12T06:59:00.000-05:00

Wow! Just having the menu planned out for a month has relieved so much stress!

No more do I hear that little voice in my head when I head for the fridge to feed the family.

Now, I just go check the menu to see what I have planned for right then!

Granted, I am lenient with the menu. If the kids or hubby want something different then what I have planned, I simply go in and move things around on the menu, so I still got the rest of the days covered.

If I made more in my "cooking for the month" spree than what I thought it would make, I just add to next month's menu....or better yet, two months down the road, as most frozen stuff can last at least 3 months in the freezer, if not longer!

On my daily cleaning list, I have gotten it almost downpat now, to where I make myself do all of it before I stop for anything else (especially all the "little jobs"). That way, if I am caught up on laundry and dishes already, morning chores shouldn't last more than an hour!

Then, if work doesn't call, I have the rest of the day to spend playing/teaching the kids!

Once-A-Month Cooking

2008-02-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

Here's another one of my New's Year's Resolutions that I got started on today!

Once-a-month cooking. What a great idea! For those who don't know what this is, it is where you plan out a month's worth of cooking, go grocery shopping for it all at once, bring it back, cook it all at once, then freeze. Voila, instant "frozen" dinners for a whole month!

Granted, I am probably going to be wading in slowly, and not doing all at once. But, boy I was amazed at how much my list for a month looked just like a list for a week! If I can stick to this and it works like it looks like it will, I will be saving hundreds upon hundreds of dollars a month at the grocery!

I started with just a standard calendar template in OneNote, and went from there with it. I can add as much as I want to to each day, then print the whole thing off, make out my shopping list, and away I go to the grocery store!

I can't wait to put this into action tomorrow!

I will let you all know how it goes.

If you're interested in the templete, leave a comment here or contact me directly and I can email you a template.

Thanks again Busy Moms, for taking time out for a cup of java with me!

Monthly To-Do List

2008-02-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

Ok. Here it is guys! Better late than never huh? Here's my monthly cleaning list:

Clean Windows

Clean Doors/Doorknobs

Clean/Change Air Filter

Clean Vent over Stove

Clean out Pantry

Put Ridex in Toilet

Clean Coffee Pot/Burner, etc.

Wash Pillows

Clean/go through toys

And we might as well add in the Bi-Yearly to-dos too, while we are at it!

Right now all that is on that list is

Put car wax on tub/showers

But the great thing about digital notebooks is you can add/subtract any time you dang well please!

See you again soon!

My Cleaning List - Part 2

2008-01-30T08:27:00.001-05:00

Good Morning! As I promised, here is more on my cleaning list. This time, we are dealing with weekly to-dos. Hope this helps!

Clean Van

Clean humidifier with vinegar

Clean bathrooms

Mop

Clean kitchen counters w/Clorox wipes(this is an overall wipedown of all counters. I use Clorox wipes any time I am making food that might contaminate the surface. I wipe down surface immediately after preparation of food!)

Clean Microwave

Clean Toaster

Clean out Refrigerator

Clean dishwasher

Dust

Bank

Store

Fill Up Bird Feeder

Vacuum mattresses

Clean Stove

Next time: Monthly to-dos!

Please, feel free to add any of your weekly's here to my list!

Come visit me on Ebay or Etsy!

My Cleaning List

2008-01-29T07:42:00.000-05:00

Good Morning! (or good night, depending on when you are actually getting a half a second to read this!) I thought I would start today by telling you about my personal cleaning list.

I was having such a hard time, after we moved into our new house, just figuring out how to clean the darn thing, that most days I just sat and watched the dirt pile higher and higher!
Then, one day I had had enough! So I got online, started doing research, and took notes in my OneNote (my brain!)

What I ended up with was a cleaning list that got separated down by day, week, month, twice a year, and once a year. Then, on a day to day basis, first thing in the morning (cause that is when I can do my best cleaning), I pull out my list and start with the daily stuff. If I have time during the week then, I move on to weekly things, then monthly things, etc.

Once I got the routine down of just "Yes, I will do the daily things today", it started getting easier! It also helps me a lot when I feel like I am not accomplishing anything but going around in circles. (Did you ever feel like that?)

At those moments, I stop, pull out my list, and either check off what is already complete, or note beside what is currently in progress (i.e. laundry, dishwasher, etc.). Then, I can really SEE how much I have accomplished already, and it gives me another breath of energy to do the rest!

Now, granted, I do have those days when nothing at all gets done (either because of family emergencies, sickness...or just plain TOO TIRED in general!) But, I have learned not to beat myself up about it! I figured out this much: The dirt/clutter/mess/laundry/dishes will be there the next day if I don't get to them today, so there is no real rush! I mean, really, they are not going anywhere...I have yet to see the Magic Cleaning Fairies come in and do it for me (have you?)....and if they did I certainly wouldn't cry over it, would you?? LOL

Now, I have been talking a lot about this list, so I thought I'd share mine with you. If you have one of your own, please feel free to post it here with mine! Maybe together we can finally defeat the dirt!

My Daily Cleaning/To Do List
(in order of doing)

Breakfast
Everybody brush their teeth!
Load dishwasher
Clean off counters/stove/wipe down fridge/microwave, etc.
Clean kitchen table/high chair
Feed cat
Baths
Clean up clutter (all thru the house...mainly looking for laundry here!)
Start Laundry
Sweep (this could be whole house, or just the areas of low traffic...most of the time..it is areas of low traffic, so I don't have to go back and do twice!)
Break---sit down a rest g/f....you've had a hard morning!

(Here the rest of the time is where I work/homeschool)

Lunch
(This doesnt' usually generate a lot of dishes, so most of those go to the sink, to wait for tonight)
Everybody brush their teeth again! (yes, I am a real stickler on the toothbrushing thing, but sometimes we don't get to the mid-day brushing)

Run errands

Dinner
Everybody brush teeth
Unload dishwasher/reload
Put up clean dishes
Wipe down counters/stove/sink/fridge/table/high chair
Pick up clutter (toys, clothes, etc.)
Sweep (High traffic areas)
Put kids to bed

Whew!! I'm done!! Time for Mommy to rest and relax!

Now, I know this might sound like a lot, but if I really get on it, I can have morning finished in about 1 to 1/2 hours. Then night chores (after dinner) will take about 15-30 minutes, especially if everybody else pitches in to help (which they mostly do around here!)

I'll post my other lists tomorrow.

Meantime, I would love to hear about your daily routine!

Come visit me on Ebay or Etsy!

Hello!

2008-01-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

Hi and welcome to my new blog! As a stay-at-home mom to 2 boys, I have picked up a few tips here and there along the way just to help me get thru my day unscathed, and coming back for more the next day! Won't you join me in a cup of coffee as we get ready to start our day?