Yup, if you haven't guess it yet, I'm sick.
Strep. Blech.
But being sick has made me realize how far I have come in this endeavor to be a more organized and clean person.
Even though my skin hurt to touch, every bone and muscle in my body ached, I had a fever of 103.7 and I was exhausted beyond what I have felt in a very long time, I still had to make sure that all the daily chores were done at the end of the day. Kitchen cleaned, all toys put away correctly, mail opened and filed appropriately, dining room table cleared of all the stuff that it accumulates. It all still had to be done even though I was on death's door.
Ok. I dramatize. Just a wee bit.
But normally what would have happened is I would have used that as an excuse to leave the mess and deal with it another day, which would have made it twice as bad and it would either take for ever to do or I would avoid doing it again.
Now, granted, I do need to pay credit to my WONDERFUL husband for letting me order him around, uh, direct him :) He did most of the work for me, except for the kitchen because I'm now totally anal when it comes to cleaning the kitchen at the end of the day. But when you are stuck on the couch, you need to learn to delegate.
The other thing that shocked me is I didn't enjoy delegating AT ALL. Pre-project, I was all about getting someone else to clean my stuff. And I didn't care how it was done, I just wanted it done. (I guess that is how I got in to this mess of a house, lol). I have always been a particular person and I have now developed a method of keeping house. My way. And I will admit that I went around today fixing little things here and there. I mean seriously, how hard is it to put a book right side up on the shelf and somewhat sized tall to short? Re-reading that sentence, kind of makes me sound crazy. Eh, oh well.
My point is, I let all of them go and let him do his thing (under my "direction") and was SO grateful because I really needed the help.
Teensy Weensy step for mankind, ginormous step for Marina.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Some cleaning and household tips
Here are some things I have learned or discovered along the way so far.
1. If you have a carpet that is well walked on and you have problems getting all the fluff and fur off, vacuum diagonally instead of back and forth. This causes the fibers to be pulled in a direction they aren't typically and loosens those stubborn fluffs.
2. When cleaning your bathtub or shower, do it after you have showered. The steam loosens all the dirt and you shouldn't have to scrub (well, unless it has been a long time).
3. GreenWorks cleaning products by Clorox work really well. I have used the all purpose cleaner, the bathroom cleaner and the dish soap and all have done a really good job. I really like the fact that it has almost a non-scent, very light and goes away so quickly.
4. Have to clean your ceiling fan? Get two damp clothes. Put one on the blade closest to the light and use the other to push the dirt toward it. This keeps all the dust from falling off the front and because the cloth is damp, all the crud sticks. I have tried this with the damp cloth sitting at the tip of the blade and pulled everything away from the light but for some reason the dirt still falls of the edges. It think it might have something to do with the fact that we only use the fans in the summer, so they only ever turn in one direction? I don't know, but I do know that it works.
5. Use milk and bread tags to label the many wires that accumulate behind your entertainment system and computer desk. I can thank Martha for this idea :)
6. Baking soda and soda water lift fresh spills off carpet instantly. OxyClean powder with soda water does it even faster. Some people call soda water club soda.
7. Magic Eraser by Mr Clean takes off paint. You may not be able to see it in normal lighting, but when the sun shines across the wall, you can see where you used the Magic. Vim, on the other hand, because it has no abrasives, works just as well without the ghost evidence.
8. The bozo who decided that not all Crayola markers will be made washable should be shot. The "Original" ones, that don't say washable on the box, are really original. I come from a place that never knew a non-washable crayola marker, therefor didn't think to look for the washable logo. Fool me once, shame on me... Not a fun lesson to learn.
The grand unveiling of my office will be on Thursday!! I am super proud of this one. There should be another post between now and then though, so maybe I'll give you a sneak peak :)
1. If you have a carpet that is well walked on and you have problems getting all the fluff and fur off, vacuum diagonally instead of back and forth. This causes the fibers to be pulled in a direction they aren't typically and loosens those stubborn fluffs.
2. When cleaning your bathtub or shower, do it after you have showered. The steam loosens all the dirt and you shouldn't have to scrub (well, unless it has been a long time).
3. GreenWorks cleaning products by Clorox work really well. I have used the all purpose cleaner, the bathroom cleaner and the dish soap and all have done a really good job. I really like the fact that it has almost a non-scent, very light and goes away so quickly.
4. Have to clean your ceiling fan? Get two damp clothes. Put one on the blade closest to the light and use the other to push the dirt toward it. This keeps all the dust from falling off the front and because the cloth is damp, all the crud sticks. I have tried this with the damp cloth sitting at the tip of the blade and pulled everything away from the light but for some reason the dirt still falls of the edges. It think it might have something to do with the fact that we only use the fans in the summer, so they only ever turn in one direction? I don't know, but I do know that it works.
5. Use milk and bread tags to label the many wires that accumulate behind your entertainment system and computer desk. I can thank Martha for this idea :)
6. Baking soda and soda water lift fresh spills off carpet instantly. OxyClean powder with soda water does it even faster. Some people call soda water club soda.
7. Magic Eraser by Mr Clean takes off paint. You may not be able to see it in normal lighting, but when the sun shines across the wall, you can see where you used the Magic. Vim, on the other hand, because it has no abrasives, works just as well without the ghost evidence.
8. The bozo who decided that not all Crayola markers will be made washable should be shot. The "Original" ones, that don't say washable on the box, are really original. I come from a place that never knew a non-washable crayola marker, therefor didn't think to look for the washable logo. Fool me once, shame on me... Not a fun lesson to learn.
The grand unveiling of my office will be on Thursday!! I am super proud of this one. There should be another post between now and then though, so maybe I'll give you a sneak peak :)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
What June Cleaver had that I do not
And that would be kids that are over three years old, lol.
I LOVE my kids beyond belief, but having two young ones does take its toll on the whole "role of the housewife" thing. They just plain get in the way of getting anything productive done in a shortish amount of time. Which is fine. They are supposed to need me, they are young and I take every day in with my whole heart because I know that these days go by too quickly and the time will come that I will look back and want these days to live again.
But getting stuff done? Yeah, there are days that it just doesn't happen. At all. And so I get back to the title of this entry. I think being a housewife is much easier when your kids are older. I betcha June Cleaver's house looked like a bomb went off when Beaver was little. Especially since he was so good at getting in to trouble when he was older, lol.
So, ... how to find a balance.
I have always hated that word, balance. You hear it and see it everywhere mom's are discussed. That we need to find a balance between work, kids, marriage and ourselves. I think there will never be a balance in my life because my kids will always come first and knock everything else off the scale, and I'm fine with that because like I said before, this is such a short time of their life span and mine.
So how have I found balance?
I call it the 10 minute tidy! (idea stolen from Big Comfy Couch's ten second tidy)
Before I play, I take 10 minutes to clean something. I set the timer so that Alexander knows that there will be an end and away I go. What ever I get done, gets done, what ever doesn't gets left until the next tidy time.
There are three in the day, morning, afternoon and evening. And this seems to be working, so far. In all honesty, I've only been doing this for three days. But it has given me the best of both worlds, Alexander still gets the best of me, my house gets and stays clean and tidy, and I don't feel overwhelmed by the whole thing. I do get kind of annoyed sometimes when I really get in to it, but 10 minutes is 10 minutes and I can always get back to it later, or after the kids go to sleep. (I think I'm still convincing myself of this, lol)
We'll see how long it lasts. I'm one week away from being finished with the office and am SO happy with the results. I can't find my camera cord so all before pictures will be posted with after pictures, but I'm really excited to show them off. I thought the kitchen was a transformation, but this is just amazing!
I'll leave it at that, build some suspense :)
I LOVE my kids beyond belief, but having two young ones does take its toll on the whole "role of the housewife" thing. They just plain get in the way of getting anything productive done in a shortish amount of time. Which is fine. They are supposed to need me, they are young and I take every day in with my whole heart because I know that these days go by too quickly and the time will come that I will look back and want these days to live again.
But getting stuff done? Yeah, there are days that it just doesn't happen. At all. And so I get back to the title of this entry. I think being a housewife is much easier when your kids are older. I betcha June Cleaver's house looked like a bomb went off when Beaver was little. Especially since he was so good at getting in to trouble when he was older, lol.
So, ... how to find a balance.
I have always hated that word, balance. You hear it and see it everywhere mom's are discussed. That we need to find a balance between work, kids, marriage and ourselves. I think there will never be a balance in my life because my kids will always come first and knock everything else off the scale, and I'm fine with that because like I said before, this is such a short time of their life span and mine.
So how have I found balance?
I call it the 10 minute tidy! (idea stolen from Big Comfy Couch's ten second tidy)
Before I play, I take 10 minutes to clean something. I set the timer so that Alexander knows that there will be an end and away I go. What ever I get done, gets done, what ever doesn't gets left until the next tidy time.
There are three in the day, morning, afternoon and evening. And this seems to be working, so far. In all honesty, I've only been doing this for three days. But it has given me the best of both worlds, Alexander still gets the best of me, my house gets and stays clean and tidy, and I don't feel overwhelmed by the whole thing. I do get kind of annoyed sometimes when I really get in to it, but 10 minutes is 10 minutes and I can always get back to it later, or after the kids go to sleep. (I think I'm still convincing myself of this, lol)
We'll see how long it lasts. I'm one week away from being finished with the office and am SO happy with the results. I can't find my camera cord so all before pictures will be posted with after pictures, but I'm really excited to show them off. I thought the kitchen was a transformation, but this is just amazing!
I'll leave it at that, build some suspense :)
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