30 Day House Cleaning Challenge: Day 9

Okay, it may seem like I've slacked- but I haven't. I spent the entire weekend cleaning the house. It started Friday evening when I cleaned the bottom level of the house, then went to the yard where I raked up countless bags of leaves and sticks in both the front and back yards (a 2 day job). I also cleaned the kids' bedrooms and donated 3 boxes of toys to Goodwill and threw away a bag full of trash.

(Just don't ask me about the laundry in front of me, okay? Thanks!)

The goal for today was to Surface Clean your Bedrooms.

Not a problem. My room just needed a little touch up, and I got the kids' rooms under control!

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge: Day 5

I'm back in action for this challenge! I ended up cleaning 3 rooms today (and hope to do even more tomorrow, it finally feels like spring so I want to get moving while the motivation is here!)


Today's challenge was to surface clean the living room and kitchen, clean the bathroom, or clean the interior windows.

I did clean the living room again, but I also finished cleaning the front room:

I also cleaned an "extra" room because I wanted to:

It feels good to have my house clean(er) again!

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge: Day 4

Confession...

Today was not a good day for cleaning.

I got home at 3:30 and had to leave at 4pm for a Cub Scout event. I didn't walk back in the door until 8pm and still needed to eat, get the kids ready for bed, shower, and I'm just about to get my hair dried.

Yikes, 4 days in and I'm slipping.

Day 4's Challenge was to Surface Clean Extra Rooms.

Now my regular rooms are in bad shape, the extras were worse.

I ended up picking up the front room a bit, I organized papers that needed picked up and trashed a LOT of stuff that was just laying around. It is not at all photo-worthy though, so I'm skipping that part.

I plan to keep on track (and play catch up), so I'm posting this to be accountable ;)

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge: Day 3

When I saw the challenge posted for today, I almost gave up. It was a lot of work to get the living room picked up and do the Kitchen. Then the bathroom was something I'd usually save for the end of the week, but I made sure to get it done after a shower.. but this. This was going to be tough.

Day 3: Surface Clean the Bedroom.

Just a little FYI: the master bedroom tends to be the catch-all room since it's upstairs and away from prying eyes.

I did it though. I started by putting away the 3 (yes. 3.) baskets of folded laundry. Then I brought all the toys into the kids' rooms.

This got my husband into the cleaning and he cleared out under our bed and vacuumed. I also dusted the furniture (yikes!).

In the end, it isn't perfect, but I haven't seen my room that clean in a LONG time.

(Yes, it's true- there's a FLOOR in here!). 

Also, I know the room is pink. It's on the long list of stuff to change. 

30 Day House Cleaning Challenge: Day 2

Whew. Today was another long day. I think it was harder to get up and out of bed today than it was yesterday. I just hope tomorrow is easier.

I'm still plugging along with the 30 Day House Cleaning Challenge, but I'm posting so late because I didn't want the challenge to go to waste.

The Challenge for Day 2 is to clean the bathroom.

I decided to wait until AFTER the kids were done with baths, because it always looks like the first picture after. So now when I wake up, I'll walk into a clean bathroom!

I also picked up the living room (which wasn't a big effort thanks to yesterday) and got the dishwasher unloaded and reloaded. Maybe I'm getting used to this cleaning thing ;)

30-Day House Cleaning Challenge: Day 1

I am participating in the 30-Day House Cleaning Challenge on Money Saving Mom, and even though I worked today (getting up after a week off was TOUGH), took the kids to the dentist (Yay! No Cavities!), and had a Girl Scout leader Meeting + Cub Scout Pack Meeting- I didn't want to miss the challenge for Day 1.

This was to surface clean the Living Room and Kitchen.

DONE!

It isn't perfect and I enlisted help. I took care of the dishes in the kitchen (our counter tops are still in the "do not use" period so that surface was easy to clean off ;)

I had the kids vacuum after I picked up the room. 

I think the last thing I wanted to do when I walked in the door at almost 8pm was clean, but I know that it will help the busy week to come be easier! Once I get back into a cleaning routine, it should take no time to pick up the house. :) 

Are you Spring Cleaning? Did you join the challenge? 

Clear the Clutter: works in progress

Remember some of those problem areas I posted about? I spent the day trying to figure out solutions that would keep the clutter away, but I know a day is not enough time to see if something works. So a few weeks later and here's what I've found.

1. Shoes. This will still be a battle. With 5 people in the house, we have a Lot of shoes. Once it cools off I'll pack up the flip flops, so that will help. I went through the shoes and tossed all the old ones (I did leave some for a camping trip, I didn't want to ruin their school shoes). Now if only people would put their shoes BACK.

2. Counter space! Who knew that was there. I have a plan for the pencils/pens. Just you wait ;)

3. Basket of doom. Anything that belongs upstairs goes in the basket. It has to be emptied nightly. Anything left, is gone. Sorry Woody- I don't make the rules. Oh wait! I do.

The more I sort through "problem areas" the more I find. Can your whole house be a "problem area?"

I'm in this for the long haul. Thank you for all your suggestions and for letting me know that I am not alone!

Project Organize the House: Less is More.

I spent 2 hours cleaning out the kids' rooms this weekend. They were away at a slumber party and I knew this was the best time to go through their stuff without protest. What I found really upset me. Headless Barbies, cut up dolls/clothing, missing puzzle and game pieces, and even torn up books! I could not believe the amount of destruction.


This really taught me a lesson. A few of them actually. The first being "make sure that scissors are kept out of reach at all times."

I was so overwhelmed when I walked into their rooms with the intention to clean them, and if I felt that way I could only imagine how they  feel when I tell them to clean up! I barely knew where to start, but pumped up the music and got to work.

Being overwhelmed isn't just something that happens when it's time to clean up, they can be overwhelmed with too many choices! You say "go play!" but with what?

 I always make the promise to not let their rooms get like that ever again, but I'm going to have to be more proactive about it. If it means reducing their toys even more, or going up every few days to help them reorganize, so be it.

A Mother Poem

Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter there,
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere,
For smears are on the windows, little smudges on the door;
I should apologize, I guess, for toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children and we played and laughed and read,
And if the windows do not shine, their eyes will shine instead.
And when at times I'm forced to choose the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife, but first I'll be a mother.

A friend shared this with me and  cried reading it. It really helped me accept that my house will always have toys out of toy boxes and that the moment I get a mirror clean will be the moment that my kids start to make silly faces in it :) 

I wanted to display it, so I printed the poem with room for my kids' hand prints. It is simple, but I really love how it turned out. I put it in our entrance way. It gives a kind of warning for what is to come.

Busy Mom Tips

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. Some weeks I feel like I’m just flying by the seat of my pants. I have lists of stuff to do growing faster than I can cross things off. I do know that things are much easier when I do a few things, which is why I am sharing them here.

1. Use Downtime.

Save time by using time that is usually “wasted.” While waiting for the oven to preheat, load the dishwasher. While the sink fills with water, wipe down the counters. Give the bathroom a once over while brushing your teeth. It may seem like a little thing to do, but it all adds up over a day. Then you’ll find cleaning the house is less of a big job, because it has been broken down into more manageable pieces. It also really helps to have a pre-bed routine. Pick up the last few toys (or make that part of the kids’ pre-bed routine), set out your outfit for the next day, make sure the dishes are done and counters are clear.

2. Write it down.

A lot of the stress I face daily is from trying to remember everything that is going on. Writing it down takes away a lot of the stress because I don’t have to constantly think about it, but I will still remember what I need to do. I have a Franklin Covey planner, because I am better with writing things down than using my phone or computer for day planning. I just like the feeling of writing things down, but I do admit that it gets bulky to carry around all the time. You may find using Google calendars or your phone is more convenient.

3. Plan for the week.

It can feel like everything is falling apart if you’re busy and don’t know whether you’re coming or going. Planning for the week can help. Jot down a few dinner options based on what you have on hand, write out the list of activities that you need to do (or taxi the kids to), and pick out a week’s worth of outfits on Sunday night. It really helps to tell the kids “get dressed” and know they will have weather appropriate and somewhat matching clothing to pick from, it also lets you know if you have enough clean laundry. You could even break it down day by day. When washing the dinner dishes, pick out what you’ll be making tomorrow.

4. Use bags.

I am a big fan of tote bags. I decorate them with felt and fabric paint so I can tell which bag I need, but they have helped simplify my life. Library books go in the Library book bag, so when we head out I know I have all the books we checked out and the kids can easily pick out the next batch. They go to a youth group on Sundays and have the activity books in their bags, so when we’re heading out the door we can just grab and go. When I was working in the classroom, I would keep a folder with all the course information, lesson plans, and needed materials ready to go each morning. It helped to have everything for the course in its own bag so I could grab and go in the morning.

5. Delegate- but don’t sabotage yourself!

It is easy to feel the weight of the week on Monday morning. There is a lot to do and only a week to do it in. This is even more difficult when you still have to catch up from last week. You will burn yourself out if you try to tackle it all in one day, so delegate! If you know that Tuesdays are booked, don’t add on laundry or a time-consuming meal to the day. Instead, use your crock pot (or pull out leftovers) and save bigger chores for another day. Just make sure you actually do them on the designated day! What you don’t do today, you will eventually have to do, so don’t put off too much or else you will be even more stressed out tomorrow.

These tips won't change your life, but they may make it a little bit more manageable. What are your tips for busy moms? If there anything you do to keep from chaos?

Bringing back organization.

Since moving a few months ago, my life has felt chaotic. The whole process happened so quickly, we went from just checking to see how much we could be approved for to buying a house in less than 2 months. I get anxious over change, and 2010 really tested my ability to roll with it. I have a baby and a house that I didn't have at this time last year :)

So now it is time for me to develop a new routine. I fight change so much that I tried to keep hold of my old routines in my new settings and this has not worked at all. I feel overwhelmed at the end of the day and have a hard time balancing all of the different roles I fill in this house.

I am working on:

• A new cleaning schedule (bigger house = more upkeep)
• A menu plan (no more playing "what's for dinner?")
• A better homework routine (my daughter is struggling in a subject and needs more reinforcement, my son begins Kindergarten in August and I want to be sure he is ready).
• A better Blogging pattern (I am so excited about the new prospects that I will lose hours planning. I need to be more efficient with my time). 
• Creating a portfolio (I want to start back at school prepared to finish).

This seems like a lot, but careful planning will make it be less overwhelming than trying to tackle it all at once.

How do you keep your household running smoothly? Are there any organizational tips you can't live without?

Purex Complete Crystals- Giveaway!- CLOSED

I have done a mountain of laundry today, and more loads are taunting me. I have banned myself from washing anything else until I deal with the clean stuff first :) I am pretty good and washing, drying, and folding the laundry. I get stuck at putting it away though, my family has picked through clean baskets more times than I like to admit.

Since today is laundry day- and a gloomy one at that- I am hosting a Purex Complete Crystals giveaway! These smell like a spring day and I hope that will help encourage spring to get here and stay.

My mountain of laundry smells great right now, and I want you to get to try it too! I have 3 FREE bottles of Purex Complete Crystal up for grabs for 3 lucky winners!

To Enter: 

1. Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect and leave a comment saying that you're a follower and what scent you would like to try. Would you get Fresh Spring Waters, Lavender Blossom, or Tropical Splash? This entry is required before you can do the extra entries.


 Extra Entries (up to 3 entries total):


2. Follow me on Facebook, and leave an additional comment saying you follow me there!


3. Show me a picture of your laundry area, leave an additional comment here!

To break the ice, here is mine :) We just moved in 3 months ago and it is hard to dress up an unfinished basement, but what we lack in decor we make up in space! I love having a laundry station out of sight.

Terms and Conditions:

Giveaway will end at 11:59pm EST on 4/13/11. Winners will be picked at random from the comments received in that time. Only one entry per type per person. Winners must respond to email notification within 72 hours to claim the prize.  

*Disclosure: I am a Purex Insider. This means I get to try out products and have been provided the Free coupons for the giveaway. All opinions expressed are my own.

Spring Cleaning! + Kids Clothing Tips

With 70* days it feels like Spring is really starting on time! Though in Indiana the weather can change in five minutes, but I am hoping it is here to stay.

The kids have Spring Break this week and since it is going to be rainy one, I want to get organization and cleaning done (my poor kids).

I was ready to change over the wardrobes this weekend. I buy my kids' clothing in advance from friends, yard sales, or even the yard sale leftovers that friends just want out of their house. I keep a tote for my daughter and one for my son and keep off season or too big clothing in each. I have about 3 totes for my baby, and am thankful that I bought and kept so much in advance since he is wearing 9 month clothing at 6 months right now. For his clothing, I sort by size so when one size is too small I can just pull out the next tote and rotate. I have been blessed with many generous friends and many amazing deals on clothing.

We went through all the drawers and pulled out clothes that were too small or too warm. Then I had them try on the clothing kept from last year to see if anything could be used again this year. Once I sorted it all out, I put the too small stuff in one box, and put the too big/too warm stuff in the respective totes.

I finished up the cleaning by doing 6 loads of laundry. I washed all the stuff we pulled out for spring (this helps because as I get new clothing I just store it and know to wash everything when I pull it out rather than have to wash it twice), and put away more winter items that were in the dirty laundry when we went through the clothing. I have a good amount of 4T stuff to put up for my youngest to use later, a bag of 6 girls clothing to pass onto friends, and the rest of the winter stuff packed away and ready for next year.

Throughout the year I will buy clothing on clearance, if it is cheap enough or for special occasions. I have my daughter's Christmas dress for next year hanging in her closet from the after Christmas clearance. I also stretch these dresses to last 2 years if possible. I also watch Garage Sales and buy inexpensive clothing. If a friend offers to give a trash bag of clothing, I always accept. I pull out what I know we can use and then donate the rest or pass it on to another friend for their turn to go through it. I try not to keep things more than 2 sizes too big though, just to conserve storage space.

My system works well for me. I don't always know exactly what I have, but I have a general idea and know that if my kids have a sudden growth spurt that I should be able to clothe them without having to spend a lot on a new wardrobe. It also saves space in drawers and the closet to be able to store off-season clothing separate.

What is your system for seasonal clothing? Do you buy in advance?

SC Johnson Spring Cleaning BzzKit- BzzAgent Report

BzzAgent has come through again. I have to say that I loved this BzzKit! It was one of the best I have received, not just because it was free stuff, it was stuff that I could actually use and give an honest opinion about! People tend to be pretty brand loyal when it comes to cleaning supplies, so having the chance to try a product that I may not normally purchase can really make me a new customer. That happened when using this BzzKit.

This is the "before" shot of my bathroom. Cleaning it inspired me to take down my shower curtain and wash that (I moved in in January and still hadn't done that-gross!). With the shower open I could easily spray it down with Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Foam. I am pretty short (5'2") so cleaning out the shower can be difficult. I can either skip the top of it and end up with streaks or build-up, or I can reach and scrub and end up soaked in the process.

You can see the Scrubbing Bubbles at work in these pictures. I was able to reach the top of the shower without a lot of effort and as soon as you spray the foam on, you can hear it start to clean! It says to leave it on for about 3 minutes then wipe or rinse off. During this time I was able to clean the sink and counter in the bathroom and start on the toilet. I just turned on the bathwater and shower to rinse it out. I filled a cup and splashed the water on the higher parts of the shower. I was able to clean the whole bathtub without ending up soaked!

The picture doesn't do it justice, but my shower was sparkling. I was really excited that I was able to clean my shower so quickly and with so little effort. It really helps you multitask too because you can start cleaning by spraying down the shower, then clean the rest of the bathroom and end with rinsing the shower! This is also supposed to keep cleaning for up to 4 days after (as you use the shower) and I did notice that my shower didn't have the build up that usually winds up on the walls (we have very hard water here).

Once I cleaned out the toilet (one of my least favorite jobs ever), I decided to try the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gel. It was easy to put the applicator together, and you just need to push in the button on the side to apply just enough gel to the toilet. It stays in place and today is the 7th day and there is still gel on the toilet! This is one product that I am completely sold on. It doesn't just dye your toilet blue (it doesn't color the water at all), it actually cleans with every flush! My bathroom tends to get pretty smelly with 2 boys in the house, but it still smells fresh in there a week later. That is no small feat in this house!

The gel is also discreet. It took some angling to get a picture of it to post here. I remember the days when my daughter was scared to use the bathroom if it had blue water, this would be a solution for cases like that since the gel can be placed out of sight. It is also better than the cleaners that are placed in the tank because you can tell when it needs replaced without having to lift up the back of the tank, and no matter how frequently the toilet is flushed, the same amount of cleaner is used.

Pledge Lemon Shine is a product that is probably the most familiar in my BzzKit. I remember as a kid I would spray it in a room to make it smell like I cleaned. Just wiping down a couple tables and stacking papers would instantly make a room seem cleaner! I decided to try it out on my shelving in the kitchen. I put small appliances there and though I wipe around them, they can collect dust! In this picture I wiped the left side down with Pledge and left the right side untouched. You can see a difference in the sheen of the wood.

This the "after" picture. The wood looks shiny and clean and I even wiped the outsides of the appliances with my Pledge rag and they are shiny as well. Pledge is most known for its use on wood, but it can also be used on stainless steel and granite surfaces! So rather than buy many different cleaners for different surfaces, this can help you tame the collection of cleaners under your sink :) I loved how clean my kitchen smelled after using Pledge too.

The BzzKit also offered a Glade Lasting Impressions Scented Oil in Crisp Waters. I had a fan plug in that I used this in and Glade Scented Oil refills are not just for Glade Plug Ins but can also be used in Air Wick plug ins as well! I was impressed to hear this because usually once you buy the plug in you stick with that brand refills, but this gives you even more options without having to buy an entirely new kit. I decided to use this in my daughter's room because for some reason it always smells musty in there. I don't want to use candles or things that generate heat because I don't really want to leave that in her room without supervision. Even on the lowest setting I could smell this throughout my house. I left for a few hours and came back to a whole house smelling fresh- not just her room. I also liked that I could adjust the plug in so that I could fit her clock and night light in the plug as well since her room is really short on outlets. The only downside is that the smell can be a little overpowering and seems to have triggered my husband's allergies. We are going to keep it for a couple days, then remove it to see if that changes things.

Finally, I have the Glade Spring Collections candle in Sparkle of Spring. This candle does smell like spring in a jar, but is not overpowering. I loved that the label can be removed, because after doing so it looks like a candle chosen to match the decor rather than a candle used to help control odors! It is a good-sized candle as well and I plan to see if it does last the 22 hours advertised.

This SC Johnson Spring Cleaning BzzKit really gave me a jumpstart on my spring cleaning! It was gloomy outside, but I was able to feel like spring was near while using the products. I am thankful for the opportunity to try these products for free, because I discovered new products that I plan to purchase. Though I was provided the kit, the opinions expressed are completely my own.

Have you started Spring Cleaning? Check out SC Johnson's Right@Home website to find more Spring Cleaning tips and Coupons to try out the products I featured here!

SC Johnson BzzKit!

If you haven't signed up for BzzAgent yet, this may convince you to try it! I got my SC Johnson Spring Cleaning BzzKit yesterday and have been testing out the cleaning supplies ever since. It came with:

• 1 Glade spring collection Jar candle 
• 1 Glade Lasting Impressions Oil refill
• 1 Pledge Lemon Clean Can
• 1 Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet gel 
•  Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer

I started in the bathroom and spraying the tub and shower with the Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer lead to cleaning the toilet and using the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet gel. I even washed the shower curtain (I hadn't since moving in- gross!). The Mega Shower Foamer is supposed to continue to work for 4 days and I want to see how long the Toilet gel lasts in our house.

Today I put Pledge Lemon Clean to work and am looking up different uses for it, it isn't just for wood!

I will have a full BzzReport with pictures once I try everything out. It is rainy and gray outside, but my house is in full Spring Cleaning mode!

Purex Complete with Zout- Review

I still love watching the mailbox as much as I did as a kid. Though my parents would say "no news is good news" on the days we only got junk mail, I disagreed. Even though now I get plenty of bills in the mail- I still love to watch for treasures. Signing up for freebies helps brighten my day :)

Since becoming a Purex Insider it has felt like Christmas time when the mail comes! I get packages, and as sad as this may sound- I am still happy when I open them to find Laundry Detergent! I have already had the chance to try and review Purex Complete Crystals Softener, and last week I got another package from Purex to try, Purex Complete with Zout.

I was happy to see this came with a Free and Clear option, though my baby hasn't shown any signs of sensitivity to soaps it has been easier to wash everything with Free and Clear than to have to separate his clothing and blankets and use a more expensive detergent on them. It never made sense to me to wash just the baby stuff in one detergent, since he is held most of the time and exposed to my clothing. So it is nice that Purex gives that option for those that either are sensitive to perfumes or have small children and do not want to risk it.

I used it to wash two loads of laundry so far, and feel that the clothes came out smelling fresh (not perfumed, due to being free and clear). I think to have it work even better, I would need to soak the clothing in the machine for a longer time. Having a baby gives me some pretty big stains to test, and though some were left after washing, I know that some of the sleepers were close to being trashed before I tried washing them. I plan to keep trying it and give another review if I find a way that helps it perform even better.

I think this detergent is more helpful for everyday stains that miss the pretreatment, like the shirts that my kids get dirt or food on then toss down the laundry chute without me knowing. I try to catch it all, but doing laundry already takes enough time without meticulously going through all the items.

Don't just rely on my review- Try a Free Sample of Purex Complete with Zout and test it on your own stains :) Let me know what you think! Keep watching my blog for a Purex Complete with Zout giveaway as well!

Purex Complete Crystals- Review

I was so excited to give away the coupons for the Purex Complete Crystals that I didn't even try it first. Oops. I was sent a kit for being a Purex Insider, and it included a small sample of the Purex Complete Crystals to try and a coupon to get more.

I usually don't like laundry products that are heavily perfumed, so I wasn't sure how I would like these crystals. Usually vinegar is the only thing I use as a softener. I found that the scent was nice and not overwhelming. It was easy to use since I could just add it after putting my clothes in the washing machine. I especially liked how my sheets were lightly scented and noticed my towels were more absorbent than using regular softener. I would recommend trying them if you haven't yet, click here to find a money-saving coupon if you plan to give them a try!

Homemade Laundry Soap

My household is in the process of cutting back expenses. We really want to be able to buy a house soon, but also just want to be able to live more comfortably within our means. Cutting back can seem like a punishment, rather than a wise choice. Something to remember about cutting back is if you do it in the right way, you don't feel like you're sacrificing a lot for very little payout. Look at where your money is going and determine if it is worthwhile for you. We did that when deciding to cut the landline.

Laundry soap is something my family of 5 goes through a lot! The kids come home dirty from playing hard at school, the baby contributes to his own laundry (and mine as well!), my husband wears a uniform to work and changes when he gets home so that adds to the laundry pile as well. We don't like the overwhelming perfumes that are used in many detergents, so we go for the "Free and Clear" varieties. Even with coupons, these can be around $5-8 for 32-64 loads. Since the "loads" are determined by the smallest possible load- it really doesn't last long.

So after seeing how much was being used to wash our clothing each week, I finally decided to try to make my own. There are many recipes out there for liquid detergent, but since we are in a small home space is at a premium. It also looked like a lot of effort so I just never bothered. Then I found a recipe for a powder detergent! It was simple to make (took minutes to throw together!) and since you only use a tablespoon per load it did not take much to store it (a small tupperware worked perfectly for our batch).

I used:

1 Bar of Ivory Soap- grated (you may substitued Fels Naptha as well)
1 Cup Washing Soda (not the same as baking soda!)
1 Cup Borax (found in the laundry Isle)

Just mix it all together.

The initial investment was $1.29 for 3 bars of soap, $3 for a box of washing soda, and $4 for a box of Borax- Pretty much the same as my $8 for a bottle of laundry soap. I will get at least 3 batches out of this though, possibly more. If I only got 3 batches, it would still be like getting 2 free bottles of laundry soap and made the effort more worthwhile (since that would be a savings of about $16, plus I won't have to run to the store as soon as we were out).

The true test is if it works. I could be saving $50 a day but if it the product doesn't actually work, it really isn't saving anything. I tested it on the toughest laundry load my family can give- towels. We rarely use paper towels so spilled milk, dishes, cleaning, and drying is all done using the different towels we have. I thought that if this could make my towels fresh, then it was a keeper. I used 1.5 Tbs of the powdered mixture and a splash of vinegar in place of fabric softener. When I pulled them out of the washing machine, I didn't smell anything. It wasn't caked with a perfumey scent, but it also didn't stink either. It just smelled clean.

I have since washed the rest of my family's laundry with it and have been happy with the result. If you want something that'll scent your clothing- this isn't for you. If you want to cut the budget a bit and just want clean laundry then this is something you should try.

Review- Amazon Textbook Trade In

Sometimes pregnancy-nesting can be a lucrative thing. After having stacks of books in my house from school that I was ready to just toss, I was told about Amazon.com's Textbook Trade In. The steps are simple, you only have to find your books by the ISBN, select Trade In, then pack up and ship for free with a printed label. I had used their marketplace before and still have books listed that I have been trying to sell for a year.

I was happy with my experiences selling on Amazon, I sold a lot of the books that I had listed and in about a year I made $206.92 by selling only 8 books, and this came to me as cash in my bank account that could be spent on anything. Though that was helpful at the time, there were also downsides to doing it that way. I had to wait around until I got an email that something had sold, then ship it asap (at my own expense up front). This meant there were times that I would have to run to the store for an envelope before paying for shipping at the post office. By the time payment would clear in my account it would be just added into the money that was available, so it did not feel like I had any "extra" in there for my efforts. There were also times that the selling price was so low that after paying for the shipping and packaging, I only netted a couple dollars for my effort.

Since I have many that have still not sold, I did not want to wait around for another year to only sell a few. Instead, I listed 10 newer books and mailed them in on May 21st. Today I got the email the 9 of the 10 I sent were accepted and that pile that was just taking up space in my house has been turned into almost $200 in Amazon Gift Cards. In less time I made the same amount as I did when I waited a year and had to individually list, pack, and mail books. Though this is not given in cash form, Amazon offers a variety of things including grocery items, baby items, and more. This money has to be separated from my usual income, so it will feel like the little effort I made did result in something extra.

I checked the books that I still have listed on Amazon, and only have about $10 worth of books. There are some that aren't even in the system because I waited so long to list them. I plan to cancel all my listings, pull aside the books that are eligible for Trade In, and donate the rest.

If you have any books taking up space in your house, I encourage you to check Amazon and see if you can turn them into something you can really use :)

Cleaning Up.

There are many things I aspire to be. The kind of mom that has a house that is perfectly in order is one of them. Unfortunately that is not me, at least not yet, but I do hold out the hope that it will be someday.

Since this is the first day of Summer break, I thought that breaking in a new Chore Chart would be a good move. It isn't the most fun thing to do, but I know how messy the house gets when they are only home for part of the time and was worried about how it'd get with both of them home all the time. I also feel that with a baby coming soon that they need to have more responsibility. I used the generator on this website to create it. I liked that I could pick what the kids were into (dragons and fairy princesses) but also pick what chores I wanted to include.

I started somewhat small and put "Make bed, Put away toys, Put away laundry, and Feed fish" as the chores to do daily. Making their bed is each morning, but the rest are going to be done during the time between dinner and their bedtime routine. Their room doesn't have to be perfect, they just have to make an effort to put things away, and all the toys need to be out of every other room in the house. Putting their laundry away means both putting the clean stuff away in the right drawer and putting the dirty in the hamper. It is all stuff that really could add up if not done daily.

I also made my own Chore Chart. I have a room assigned to each day. Monday is the Bathroom, Tuesday is the Kids' room (this is when it is deep cleaned), Wednesday is the Kitchen, Thursday is the Master Bedroom, Friday is the Living Room, and Saturday and Sunday are maintenance days. I break down each room by what needs done (like cleaning the toilet or washing the bedding). Each day I do at least 1 load of laundry (washing, drying and putting away) and some I do 2. I also have dishes listed daily as well as sweeping the kitchen. Mine is printed out and laminated so I can put it on the fridge and mark off what is done daily, then erase it all at the end of a week. This saves paper/ink and also is kind of rewarding to see so much done at the end of a week. I also have budgeting, menu planning, grocery shopping, and a day to purge from a trouble spot added in every other week.

With this system my house is still never perfect, and I am still doing a dash to pick stuff up before company comes over, but the mess does not get past my comfort zone so I feel happy in my home. This helps us stay home more (saving on gas and the expense of whatever we do instead of being home) and makes me want to cook at home because I know that I don't have to wash anything in order to cook (saving on the expense of eating out). I hope that by adding the chore system for the kids that picking up will become second nature to them, and that they will become used to a clean home and want to keep it that way. If not, I hope that stickers work as a bribe ;)

Do you have a cleaning routine in your home? What chores do your kids do?