Targrosset
October 25, 2009
Things I learned this week:
1. Little kid cowboy boots are expensive! (and I am to cheap to buy them for a Halloween costume!)
2. Okay, I am just going to come out and say this. Don’t beat me up. I think the new Target (in Tulsa) that everyone is gaga over is not so cool. Maybe I had really high expectations because everyone I talk to is freaking out about it, but it is dark, the ceilings are low, the floor is ugly, and the red they have everywhere is claustrophobic. There, I said it.
3. As hard as I try, I can never spell “definitely” without having to use spell check.
4. This is more of a question… Is Facebook different or am I going crazy?
5. I don’t really even like candy corn that much, but as long as it is in my house, I will eat it. Eat, eat, eat and then after I feel disgusting I think, “Why did I just waste all those calories on something I don’t even like!” I think I have issues, as this has happened several times in the last week.
6. The oven in our house is the original oven from the 1950’s and it is the best oven I have ever used. It cooks everything in like double time and my cookies from this house are the best ones yet.
7. It pains me to say this, but I think my dog dream is on hold for a while. We had a meet and greet with an awesome dog from Tulsa Boxer Rescue… but she is not the one. I am taking a step back and seeing where our dog hunt leads.
8. There was/is (I think she was only in one episode) a dino on that new show Dinosaur Train on PBS that was a GIRL named Cori (or Corey or Cory or Kori). I was so excited!
9. I already miss summer. I miss no school, I miss the pool, I miss the heat and the sun and the clothes.
10. Nate is such a good grunter, I am not sure if he will ever talk. He has also really started to like reading, I love that.
11. Cold weather makes me miss my family. Yes, I live down the street from my parents, but it still makes me home sick for some reason.
12. My hair is bugging me. Brace yourself…. BUT…. I think I might actually have to start FIXING IT. The horror.
What did you learn this week?
Squeaky Clean (mostly) Cleaning System
October 15, 2009
I would like to write a preface to this post.
Preface: The below post is not in any way indicating that my house is spotless every day or that I am some sort of super woman. I have, however, found a system that works for me. I love hearing other peoples’ tips on cleaning, kids and life in general, so here is my two cents.
When we moved into this house we started at ground zero. I had it cleaned before we moved in and after we unpacked and decorated, I sighed… “I really want to keep my house this clean.” I had accepted long ago (after having kids) that my entire house would never be perfectly clean all at once (unless I left with the kids and some else cleaned for me!). As annoying as that fact is, that is our life right now. I have about one hour of semi uninterrupted time during the day at rest time to get un-kid-friendly stuff done. I needed a plan.
I have looked into Fly Lady before, but it was a little intense for me. To many emails, to many rules, too much pressure and I hate wearing shoes inside. I don’t want to be cleaning every day all day and I also didn’t want a stringent schedule that if something came up one day I couldn’t move change stuff around. I stole a little bit from her and came up with my own plan.
First, I decided that floors and bathrooms obviously need to done every week. So Sunday or Monday, is floor and bathroom day. (I do usually have to wipe down the sink and counters at a couple ofĀ times during the week…) My kids love vacuuming so I do that when they are awake and then during naps I mop and clean the bathrooms. Floor day is also, pickup the play room and bedroom time. That is another reason I like to have the kids awake during vacuuming… they are forced get to help pick up. (by the way, if you do not own a steam mop, buy one right now. They are worth every penny and make mopping so so so much easier and less time consuming. I have the Shark.) I also decided that every evening Mike and I would spend about 5-10 minutes picking up, finishing the kitchen, etc. so when we woke up it would be to a fresh start. And when I say 5-10 minutes I mean it. We set the timer and go at lightening speed and then we are done.Ā It is amazing how much two people can get done in 10 dedicated minutes.
Next I divided my house into four zones a little bit like Fly Lady so each room would get deep cleaned once a month. Tuesday, while Scott is at school, is usually when I do my deep cleaning day because Nate will nap and I will have two hours to power through it. BUT my goal is that the zone for the week will done some time in that week! Here is my deep cleaning check list:
Zone 1: Kitchen and Laundry Room– Let me say, this is my least favorite zone. It is the most time consuming for the least amount of visible pay off.
– dust base boards and molding
– dust ceiling fan
– clean blinds and window sill
– clean out fridge and freezer and clean the shelves and drawers
– dust top of fridge
– sweep behind fridge
– organize and wipe down pantry shelves
– wipe down insides of all cabinets and drawers and de-crumb any silver ware trays etc
– clean fronts of cabinets
– wash high chair cover and deep clean high chair
Laundry Room
– wipe down tops and fronts of washer and dryer
– clean base boards
– organize and clean out “shoe baskets”
– de clutter coat hanger thing
– wipe out cabinets
Zone 2: Living and Play Room
– dust baseboards and mantle
– clean/dust shutters and sills and light fixtures
– wipe down all pictures and decor
– vacuum under couch / chair cushions
– organize movies and dust tv stand cabinets
Play Room
– organize and sanitize all toys
– dust base boards, shutters and light fixtures
– clean french doors
Zone 3: Bedrooms and Master Bath
Bedrooms
– dust all base boards, blinds, and light fixtures
– dust all furniture and clean all decor and pictures
– organize all bedrooms toys
– clean out clothes (if needed)
– organize shoes and closet (in master)
– organize/clean out night stands (master)
Master bath
– dust/clean baseboards and blinds
– clean out/ organize all baskets (ie get rid of any make up, organize hair stuff etc)
Zone 4: Entry, Dining, Hallway and Hall Bath
– dust all base boards and shutters
– organize entry closet
– dust and clean all pictures, decor, and furniture
– organize inside of buffet
– wipe down every inch of every chair (NOT FUN)
Hall Bath
– organize and wipe down insides of all drawers
– organize, throw away expired meds
– organize towels
– organize/clean out all cabinets
So there it is! I know everyone has different rooms than I do but this system has really helped me. My entire house might not all be clean at once BUT it is also never completely gross. Also, I don’t feel like I am constantly cleaning but never getting anything done. I spend two nap times cleaning non stop, it feels so good when I am finished and I actually feel like my house is clean and organized. Just promise me that if you ever come over on the last week of the month, you won’t judge me if you open up my fridge… It will be done the next week!
Tip: I have found that watching a show on Hulu that I don’t really care about helps. It is a little bit of distraction but I don’t care enough about the show that I want to stop and watch. Plus it is on my lap top so I can carry it to each room with me.
I would love to hear any tips any one else has!
Plum Sake
October 10, 2009
Things I learned this week:
1. When a neighbor down the street is getting new windows and you actually feel jealousy… You need to get a life. And you are officially a grown up.
2. Making a pumpkin pie from scratch (I am talking from a real pumpkin with homemade crust) is so so so not worth it.
PS I threw that one in just to brag a little.
3. When I am 45 I want to look like Mary-Louise Parker. Also, I have been renting Weeds from Net Flix and am obsessed.
4. I have got to come up with a new plan of distraction for Nate. So far this week I have had one MAC blush broken, one MAC eyeshadow broken (you think I would I have learned after the blush, but these are desperate times), one brush completely lost (I have searched everywhere), and one earring lost.
5. The Cabo Tacos at In The Raw are incredible. Totally random, but incredible.
6. The Plum Sake at In The Raw tastes like children’s Tylenol. So that is why I had to follow it with a beer, you know, to get the taste out of my mouth of course ;)!
7. The pumpkin patch is definitely not very much fun to go to alone (by alone I mean with my kids but no friends).
8. Evie will be here in 17 days!!!
What did you learn this week?
Chocolate Covered Bacon
October 4, 2009
Things I learned this week:
1. If you set your bedroom clock 10 minutes earlier than the real time thinking this will make you wake up earlier, you would be wrong. Example: Your alarm clock goes off at 6 am. The real time would be 6:10am. It took me three weeks to realize what was going on. If you want to wake up earlier, you should set your clock to be 10 minutes LATE. Example: Your alarm goes off at 6am. The real time will be 5:50.
2. This isn’t really something I learned, this is more of a question… Why is it that when you chew minty gum and then take a drink of water it hurts because it is so cold? It is just artificial flavor. Any answers?
3. The chocolate covered bacon at the fair did not live up to my expectations. The turkey leg however, did.
4. My favorite fair food this year was unexpected deliciousness…fried green tomatoes, wait…, I have to add to that, the aussie fries were also divine.
5. I am going to work for Mike. 6 hours a week. Pray for our marriage.
6. Nate can now say, Hot, Yuck, No, Scott (sort of), Uh oh, but he refuses to say Mama.
7. The AnnualĀ Lyon/Bandy Family Fair Day is awesome. It is one of the best days of the year. Fair Day morning, Scott said, “This morning I got in bed with Tots and was telling him stories all about Fair Day.” I love that Scott gets so excited about holidays. (yea, that’s right, I called Fair Day a holiday)
What did you learn this week?
Simply Stuff 