Wednesday, October 3

I took today off!

I woke up this morning, not feeling my best, and decided for myself that today was a day of rest. Rest, meaning housework only, no school. Skaterboy got himself off to school this morning which was a blessing in itself. Thumbody, who was asleep on our bed, was out for the count, and I desperately wanted to go back to sleep myself, so I did, until around 9 a.m. This is sleeping late at our house, but I must have needed the additional sleep, because I woke up feeling a bit better. Thumbody is still fever-free, to which I am very pleased. His pediatrician called yesterday to change his appt. to this Friday, instead of the 9th, as was scheduled.

So today, I am cleaning my much neglected house, which has been screaming to be cleaned for a week or two. Monday, I did manage to clean some areas in the kitchen that needed a deep clean. With a ceiling fan in the dining room, the walls get quite dusty, so I wiped the walls with Pledge wipes, and dusted our wall decorations as well. I took bleach wipes to the microwave, and outside of the refrigerator, and stove. I used Windex wipes on the black glossy panels of the oven and dishwasher. I used to feel that wipes were a waste of money. I could just as easily get a bucket of soapy water and a rag and do the same thing for less money. But, you see, I neglected these jobs because of the mess of it all. The dirty soapy water bucket, the dirty rags, the drippy mess. With wipes it takes seconds to clean what used to take a half hour. The dust clings to the Pledge wipes, and I'm not left with smeared dust everywhere. The Windex wipes clean without streaks, and the bleach wipes are an all around favorite of mine. I budget $10 per month for these cleaning supplies. Other than bleach, which is also a staple in my home, and pine sol, that is all I use. I mop once a week, whether it needs it or not, and vacuum every other day. Vacuuming includes the kitchen, which usually needs it this often. Surprisingly, my dh and I do not own an expensive vacuum, and you will probably laugh when you hear what we use, but I have to admit that this item is a favorite of mine, and a must for any homeowner. The trusty shop vac. I have owned my share of expensive vacuums, but the shop vac out-vacuums any we have ever owned. I can go from the living room, to the kitchen, to the bathrooms, and the laundry room, very quickly. It picks up most everything. I dump it out, and switch to the wet setting, and if there are any spills to clean up, I suck those up as well. I also use it after I cut the boys hair. I suck all the hair off the floor, and off their bodies, which makes them giggle for more. My husband uses it to clean out our pool, by sucking all the remaining water out of the bottom before and after scrubbing, and I use it to clean all the ceiling fans in our home, by sucking all the dust off of them. I also use it to clean out the box fans, the air conditioner in our family room, and our air purifier. All these things create dust, and I just suck it away. I know I couldn't live without mine.

Bleach is another thing, I use on a weekly basis. We have ceramic sinks in our kitchen, which get dingy, like they usually do. A few drops of bleach, whitens them right up. Forced to be frugal, I have used cloth training pants from the start. We have enough of them to do a load of training pants, every 3 days. I keep a diaper pail in the bathroom, and once the underwear are rinsed out, I throw them in the pail. On wash day, I dump 1/4 cup of bleach, and half a lid of detergent in the washer, on the hot cycle. This is a small load. I bring the diaper pail in the laundry room, and dump the whole thing in the washer. I don't even have to touch it. Once done, I dry them in the dryer, and they are back to their original white color. Word of warning, however, is to keep the bleach at 1/4 cup or less, because if you add too much, they will eat holes in the undies. Trial and error... But, still less than pull ups. Thumbody has mastered going number 1 in the toilet, even at night he has no accidents. But number 2 is more tricky. We started a sticker chart for Truthseeker, some time ago, because he would never eat his dinner. We told him he could put a sticker on his chart every day he ate his dinner. After 7 days, or 1 week of stickers, he could pick a treat out at the Dollar Tree Store. This worked very well, from the start. Thumbody, became a little jealous of Truthseeker's treats, and so we decided to start a chart for him, and when he went number 2 on the toilet, he could put a sticker on his chart. We are on week 2, and he is ready for his 2nd treat today. I am thinking of starting another chart for both boys as incentive to stay in their own beds all night. Since the boys are too little for allowance, I feel the treats are a good compromise.

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