Works For Me Wednesday

This week I had trouble figuring out what to write for WFMW. I don't always get this flash of brilliance, and have the most perfect WFMW post ever, so I need inspiration, and often! As I was going through my kitchen cupboards, looking for something to inspire me, I found this product that I had completely forgotten about.



I think the bottle under my kitchen sink actually moved with us to this house 1.5 years ago, and has sat there completely forgotten about since then. However, it still works for me, and I'm going to make it work again.

This stuff is a wonder at cleaning tubs, shower walls, and especially glass shower doors.

You know how the shower doors and walls get that nasty white film on them after awhile? And nothing can really cut through that soap scum? Orange Glo works like a charm. Yes, it is supposed to be used for wood cleaner and polish, but it does the trick here too. I don't know how, but it cuts through that grime like it's no body's business. Plus, the oil in the cleaner makes it much harder for soap scum to reappear, as long as you clean it regularly. All you have to do is spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes to penetrate the dirt, and then wipe off with a DRY rag. It's that easy.

In all honesty, I really did forget I had this stuff under my sink. I am going to be using it this weekend when I clean out my shower, maybe I'll finally be able to conquer that ever-present film on the shower door.

Check out the other WFMW posts over at We Are That Family!

A Good Start To Spring Break

Spring break started off with wonderful, gorgeous sunny weather. It's been around 70 here for the last few days, so I have been able to tackle a few chores outside that needed doing.

Saturday I was able to get the mower started, and mowed the entire lawn. That was a bit of a chore because the grass was so long from the winter. It took me awhile to get the mower started because it was completely empty of gas, about 20 pumps to prime it! I also sent the boy outside to be a pooper scooper, haha. I love the smell of freshly cut grass, the back yard smelled wonderful.

Yesterday I sent all the kids outside and we organized the shed. Well, let me say, I organized the shed and the kids just gawked at whatever I pulled out. They also rode their bikes, enjoyed a Popsicle, and played with the dog and dug in the dirt for worms. There is nothing better for a kid than to dig in the dirt.

My husband and I have a goal to get rid of our storage unit at the end of this month. We pay $63 a month for it, and we can't even remember what is in it. I did have our Christmas items in there, but those have been put in our shed now. I filled bags, a couple big bins and a few boxes of stuff to send to goodwill. I'll drop that off once the kids are back in school next week. We also made the decision to get rid of our old table. I love the table, it was the first piece of furniture we bought for ourselves when we were first married, but we don't have the room to store it. We seriously need to downsize, and cut the clutter, so I decided it will also go to goodwill once my husband comes home in a few weeks. At least we have the memories, right? It has certainly served us well the last 9 years, and I will miss it.

So, once the goodwill stuff is gone, he and I are going to go through the storage unit and purge purge purge. Our goal is to be able to fit what we want to keep, in the rest of our shed. So that means we have to get rid of tons of books, old clothes, paperwork, and who knows what else we have in there. But at least that will be one more bill we can re-delegate to the savings account, right?

It feels good to get rid of clutter.

A Week Offline

I decided a week ago to go offline, except for twitter and email. I thought it might be beneficial to myself and my house to spend some time away from the Internet. Here are my daily "adventures"

Day 1: Tuesday went ok. I had a busy, full day. I actually didn't miss the net at all! My middle daughter had a Dr's appointment which took up most of our afternoon. Do you know how hard it is to get a stubborn, very disagreeable, 6.5 year old child to pee in a cup? It took an hour!!! Argghhh! I also caught up a bit on my TV watching, as I've been a bit behind. Tuesday morning caught me dusting, tidying, doing laundry

Day 2:

Wednesday I went to the gym in the morning, and then to the pharmacy to pick up a couple prescriptions from Tuesday. I got home and had lunch with with the baby. Shortly after the older kids came home (half days this week), and we went to a nearby park to have a "nature walk". It was a family homework assignment for my son's 2nd grade class, and we also had to log our discoveries along the way. We also went to the park, and I let the kids play before the torrential downpour started. It was very very cold and extremely windy, so we didn't get to play for that long. At least i got some cool pictures! Nothing else really happened on Wednesday. Oh, let's not forget my 3 year old daughter dancing to The Proclaimers in her Cinderella dress, Cinderella shoes and Cinderella tiara. Haha. I have also gotten into a new-to-me show from BBC, but that's another post :)

Day 3:

Thursday was a day at home, as I didn't want to go anywhere. We had gone somewhere pretty much every day for the past week, so I just wanted to stay home. I caught up on laundry, read my youngest daughter a story and made a craft with her, washed dishes, figured out what I wanted to bring to Goodwill. My hubby and I have planned a major purge and we're going to clear this place out. The weather was nice, so I banished the kids outside so they could ride their bikes. My youngest daughter was quite cranky, so I put her down for a nap and she slept for a few hours. It was nice to have a peaceful afternoon while I folded laundry. By Thursday I still hadn't completely caught up with the housework, but I was slowly chipping away at it. I don't think it helped being gone/busy so many days last week. I really need to work on a schedule, otherwise my day is ruined and completely chaotic.

Day 4: Friday I had a few errands to run, but then my oldest daughter woke up with a really bad crik in her neck. I still went out and did them, but with two kids rather than one. I decided not to send her to school because they would have called me to pick her up anyway if she had complained of any pain. One of the errands I had planned was to visit the Tea Lady, which is a shop downtown that I frequent. I bought some chocolate mint Wu-Yi tea, and some white peach Wu-Yi as well. Then we headed to Target for shoelaces, and then on to Safeway for some milk. I treated us to a DiGiorno Garlic Bread Supreme pizza for lunch, and it was divine! It's my favorite frozen pizza. Friday I actually cheated a bit and went online to Google "container" gardening. I was a bit inspired and thought that it might be something I can do once it warms up a bit.

Day 5:

We had snow on Saturday! Can you believe it? Thankfully it didn't stick! The kids did their Saturday chores in the morning, and then after lunch we took the boy to get his hair cut. Right before we were to leave though, I got a call from the mom of one of his good friends (they've been friends for three years) inviting him to come spend the night. So the boy was gone overnight, and the girls and I finally watched the new Futurama movie I had bought a few weeks before. We also took a short trip to Pet Smart, and walked out $64 poorer, yet one pooper scooper, one 20lb bag of cat food, one cat brush and one doggy tube of toothpaste richer. I think I lost out on that one! I cheated a bit and went online on Saturday, oops! Well, an acquaintance of mine was due any day and I wanted to see if she had her baby, so I checked on facebook, and on a gymboree message board we're both on. Any way, she did on Saturday night actually! A little girl. As I sat there looking for the info I needed, I realize just how boring the net is! I had nothing to do but read a message board! Well I did google some stuff, but that was all. We're going to the Zoo in a month, and I wanted to figure out how much it would cost.

Day 6:

Sunday afternoon I had the girls outside, as it was a nice balmy 50•F. You can go outside here without a coat in that weather! The older two got to test out the new pooper scooper too! The boy came home around 5, we had dinner and then the kids went to bed. It was a quiet day. I was treated to my first dandelion bouquet by my 3 year old, who wanted to pick me some flowers. Aww! When the boy was dropped off I wasn't wearing any makeup, and my face has been breaking out like crazy. It's bad! I wish I had at least put some on because his friend's mom saw me bare-faced with zits. I wasn't even thinking! Ugh! I actually started using a new face product by Avon last week. It's a glycolic peel, and my face looked terrible, but apparently that can happen because it "peels" the skin. Reviews say give it two weeks, so I've got a week to go. I have been feeling very self conscious though. Hopefully it will get better, I've had a red, broken-out face for a week, and I hate it.

Day 7:

Today I went to the gym in the morning and worked my ass off! I'm down 1.5 lbs so far. Not a lot, but it's a start! I did the elliptical, outer abductor leg machine, lots of stretching, squats and leg raises. I felt good. While I was on the leg machine, this creepy old lady was hovering behind me, waiting till I was done. Ugh, it was driving me crazy! Every time I turned around, she was there!

This afternoon, I called up a friend and she invited us to come over during spring break (next week ), so we have something to look forward to. What's nice is that we're neighbours, and our sons are in the same class! The last day of being offline wasn't too exciting at all. My youngest and I stayed home this afternoon, and I tidied while she played with puzzles.
After school my son came home worse than he went to school...Yet again, he got sick from his friend (that he stayed over night with on Saturday). Last time was the flu, this time it's a bad cold. WTH! I'm wondering if he should even bother going there anymore. Can't parents keep their sick kids away from mine? Ugh I an so ticked!!!! And then I heard that my middle daughter was invited to a party on Thursday after school. That's not so bad, but they're going to two different places and the party isn't over till 8PM!!!! On a school night? WTH! What about bed time and my other 3 kids? I'm supposed to pick her up 15 min away and then come home after bed time? I hate inconsiderate parents, I really do. Yet how do I tell my daughter no, when this is only the 2nd party she has been invited to all year?
My day was slightly redeemed though as I made a delicious dinner, and cooked something new and yummy that the three older kids inhaled. It was asparagus! I also made my bisquik chicken fingers, which were a big hit.

*******

I think I could have done a lot better and not gone online over the weekend. I am a bit disappointed in myself for doing that, but c'est la vie! I definitely learned that the internet is a very boring place unless you have some specific purpose for being online. I never knew how much time I wasted on here. I'm going to try spend less time online now and more time doing what I need to do.

What A Busy Day!

Yesterday we had so much stuff to do! I think we were out constantly from about 10AM till 4:30 PM!!

In the morning we went to the library, and I let the kids each pick out a few books. I wanted to take my oldest daughter especially, because she is a reading fiend and starting to like Little House On The Prairie. So off we went, and spent some time at the library. Then the boy needed a hair cut, so that took another half hour. He looks so handsome.

I had thought about taking the kids out for a quick lunch, but we're trying to save money for Christmas, so we went home for a quick lunch of ham sandwiches. Yummy!

Yesterday afternoon was long and tiring. First off we headed to Pet Smart because we were out of Dog and Cat food, and of course they were packed since it was Saturday. Next came Hallmark; I wanted to go there because it is the Ornament Premiere weekend. I usually buy the Singing Snowmen each year, so I wanted to check it out and see if it was worth it. Well, I didn't like it this year, so we passed. Do you know how hard it is to navigate a tiny, crowded store with 4 kids in tow?

Next stop was Marshall's. My oldest needed a jacket, and I wanted to check out the toy area for some Christmas gifts. That place was a nightmare too, busy and crowded. But I was able to find a few gifts, and my daughter also got her winter coat. For toys I found a V Smile Jammin Gym toy for $12.99, but I'm not sure who will get it yet. Also found the baby a Doctor Kit, and got the boy a Ninja Turtles DVD for a stocking stuffer.

Every year I have been wanting to purchase this, but for some reason or another, I never have, probably because I don't want to spend so much on a DVD.



Well, the last two times at Marshall's, I have found individual DVDs of most of the movies included in that DVD pack. I found "Rudolph" (the original one), Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Frosty The Snowman (or else it was Frosty Returns. I can't remember. Pretty sure it was Frosty though, because I don't like Frosty Returns. Maybe it was Frosty with Frosty Returns? I know you can find the DVD with both episodes on it. Can you tell that is driving me crazy? I put it on my layaway, so I can't find out till I pick it up, lol). Either way, they were only 5.99 each. So I was pretty happy with that find, I got a great deal. I'll be keeping an eye out for the others.

Next we went to Michael's to pick up some craft supplies. They didn't have everything I wanted, but I was able to use my 40% off coupon and got a Wilton Gingerbread house village! There are about 5 or 6 houses, and each are 3-4" tall. It will be a perfect addition to our regular gingerbread house. We'll decorate those in a month I think. I think I might splurge for a gingerbread tree this year too. Decorating a gingerbread house is a tradition we have done for years, so we always look forward to doing those.

And after Michael's, came Target. That took forever, because the kids always want to look at toys, I need to check out clearance etc. I needed some toiletries, which should have only taken a half hour, but we were there for probably an hour.
Thankfully, ALL the errands I had to run yesterday afternoon were in the same shopping plaza. So I didn't have to drive all over town.

And then finally we were on our way home. I relaxed last night after the kids went to bed, and watched Sleepy Hollow.

But today, I thought it would be a bit easier. I was wrong. I've spent all morning with the girls deep cleaning their room, have done 3 loads of laundry and emptied and loaded the dishwasher, and that was all before 12PM.

I need a shower!

A Clean Kitchen Makes For A Happy Mom

My dishwasher broke yesterday, and I didn't know it till today, so I was forced to wash the dishes by hand tonight.

Is it just me, or is doing the dishes without a dishwasher calming and theraputic? for me at least, it is. And once I get the dishes done, I can't stand to see a dirty counter, so all my counters are clean now too...except one, which needs to be decluttered tomorrow. And the floor needs to be swept and mopped, but that will be done tomorrow. My sinks here are so so so tiny, so it takes forever to wash them, but I am all caught up. Except for my crockpot pan, which is soaking.

Now if I could only get the rest of my house in order.

Have you seen my map?

It is on the right side, if you scroll down a bit. I think it's such a neat thing to have on your blog. Now I know I get readers...not many, but at least my words are reaching someone, right?

I love to look and see where people are coming from. Today I had one from Jaipur, INDIA!!! and I also had one from the UAE...United Arab Emirates. How cool is that?
Please feel free to post comments people, I like getting them ;o)

Potty training went well today! She is doing much better than I thought, and only had ONE accident today. Plus, she woke up dry from her nap!! Is anyone doing the happy dance with me? One thing I am concerned about is that she doesn't tell me when she is done, or when she has to go. She hasn't pooped in the potty yet either. I know we're only on the 2nd day, but I just hope it doesn't turn into a big problem. She did wake up soaked this morning...I am not quite sure how we are going to fix the peeing at night thing. I KNOW she doesn't like to be dirty or wet, and is really starting to hate it. And she loves to say "bye pee" as we flush it down the toilet. lol I guess I just have to keep repeating to myself that "we've only just begun" lol! It will get better, and we've had such great progress from yesterday.

Today I finally got some stuff moved into the shed. I need to go through the rest of the boxes tomorrow and figure out what can go in there before hubby gets home. I hate clutter, as does he, so it will be nice to have it taken care of. I also have to figure out a way to get the van completely spotless. Yep, it's a disaster zone. I swore I wouldn't let it happen, but I did. *sigh* Tomorrow is thursday and he is home on wednesday...I need to get my ass in gear! I have so much to do and such little time to do it.

Flowers in my Window

Last night while at Safeway with the kids, I treated myself to some Daffodils. My vase is too big, so I put them in a large clear glass beer stein of Barry's. They are on my windowsil, and look so pretty! They are just starting to bloom. I haven't bought myself flowers in, well, forever! Not since I lived in Germany. Flowers over there were so cheap! I could get a gorgeous boquet for 5 DM, which was about 2.5 american.

It is hard to get a good shot because it is darker inside than outside. But they still look pretty!

Today I went to Shelton and loaded up the van. I still have stuff left there! One more load to go I think, and we should be done. This is ridiculous, all this crap left over. I just wish I could toss it all and just be done with it. So my plan to start organizing and cleaning will have to start tomorrow morning, as I can't put away and organize the girls' room while Aili is sleeping this afternoon. Maybe I can do something else this afternoon...if I am motivated enough.

Since we just moved, we got a new phone #. And now I am getting tons of telemarketer calls too. Today was one telling me I won a diamond quartz watch...if I just bought a magazine subscription. No thank you! I signed up immediately for the national do not call list.

And my happy post for the day: I just won this on eBay for my youngest for the fall. It's a size 4, so it might be a bit big, but once november rolls around, it should fit her quite well.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260219574016&ssPageName=ADME:B:BCA:US:1123

I dont know any HTML ;o)