HAVE I MENTIONED I HATE MOPPING?

I DO!!

My house with the exception of the three bedrooms is wood floors well and tile one bathroom and the entryway.

I love wood floors!

With kids and animals, I am sure the pain of stains would be much worse if we had more carpet. There is one problem!! I hate to mop and wood floors require frequent mopping esp b/c of said kids and animals!

Saturday I went on a cleaning spree and decided to do the mopping two days early due to Moose (HE gets his very own post SOON!) our Bulldog and......you don't want to know! I finally finish mopping all the floors when I put the kids at the table for lunch and say don't get up until I tell you b/c the floors are not yet dry.

Soooooo........Zay proceeds to spill his juice ALL OVER THE TABLE. Elijah instead of telling me decides to "help" and his attempt at cleaning up the mess pushes it onto the scrapbook stuff on the opposite side of the table. THEN he calls for me!! What a mess! I finally get the table clean when I realize the juice went through the cracks of the table where the leaf is inserted and the floor........ugh!! SOOOOO.........I move all the chairs clean up the mess then mop the dining room again!! Done, right?

WRONG!!

Avani had come over and in her attempt to pour herself a cup of lemonade she spilled lemonade ALL OVER THE KITCHEN FLOOR AND HERSELF!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO...............I get out the mop AGAIN and proceed to mop the kitchen floor again!! Done, right?

WRONG!!!!!!!

After telling the kids to go outside because my nerves are about to explode, Isaiah decides to water the flowers! Nice, right?

WRONG!!!

He waters the flowers, the house, the sidewalk, his motorcycle, Elijah's scooter and his entire body within about two minutes!! Normally, this would not be a big deal and I would just change him at the front door BUT instead he tries to hide this little adventure and change in the bathroom. He proceeds to run through the house leaving muddy footprints from the front door, down the hall and into the bathroom. Needless to say I was NOT a happy camper!!!

I told the kids it was time to rest and put them in bed with instructions NOT TO GET UP UNTIL I TELL THEM TO!!!!! I then proceeded to mop the entire house all over AGAIN which now just looks like it needs to mopped again! Ugh!

The moral to this story is ~

I should have never changed my mopping routine and this is why I mop ONLY when everyone is asleep at night!!

FRIDAY HIGH FIVE

Time for Friday High Five!

Come join in the fun....please!

Make a list of 5 things ~ ANY five things you want! 5 favorite things, Top 5 Vacation spots, 5 most embarrassing moments, 5 favorite pics, 5 reasons to not pick your nose......A LIST OF ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE!

To see my Friday High Five posts for examples, click here!

Post about it, linking back to me then sign Mr. Linky!Please use the Friday High Five URL post in Mr. Linky's URL section instead of your blog URL and here is how: write the post, publish the post, go to edit posts, VIEW the High Five post, copy the URL in the address portion at the top of the screen then paste it in the URL section of Mr.Linky!!

Sounds complicated but it isn't too bad! If you need help, let me know in the comment section!

Go view all the other High Five posts and comment away!

Have fun!

I had this post done and planned on reading through it again this morning before posting (since I was typing into the wee hours) when low and behold the internet would NOT WORK! Why? Only Cox knows and they aren't even sure!! Hopefully by the time I make it home after going to see my friend's new baby, my internet will be working again. I had to stop by my work to get this published ~ not an addict at all! If I do not comment today, then just know it is only because the internet is still not working!

5 REALIZATIONS FROM THIS WEEK

5. I am unsure if anyone in the house can read besides me! I wrote a note ON the lid to the hot dog container in the refrigerator saying:

If you can NOT shut the lid, then you can NOT eat the hot dogs!

Literally, I grabbed a sharpie and wrote it ON the lid!

Pretty straightforward if you ask me but are they shutting the lid ~ NO!

I will remedy this problem by no longer buying the nasty things!

4. For some reason I think I failed to read the entire contract when we bought the house. THIS house is not self cleaning!! Hmmm...I really should have researched that aspect a little more. I totally should have researched self cleaning hardwoods like I would a stove! Self-mopping hardwoods would rock!!

3. No one in my house can load a dishwasher correctly except for me. After a few years of complaining about Hubs dishwasher loading skills, I ceased. I decided at least he was putting them in there and trying although a very sad attempt. Instead of complaining, I resorted to a quick 30 second loading overhaul before starting. I just don't get it! I used to say, "Why aren't these in the dishwasher too?" while pointing to dishes in the sink. He would reply with, "because it is full!" I then would open the dishwasher to see the ever so full top rack aka FOUR CEREAL BOWLS SPREAD APART AS IF CARRYING DISEASES then begin to rearrange. UGH! Four bowls ~ are you freaking kidding me?!?! After Tez came to live with us, he acquired a chore list that I strongly believe every child should have. One of his regular chores is to load and unload the dishwasher. I've discovered the dishwasher skills must be genetic. Tez puts things in the oddest places when he unloads. It has been about a year and a half and he still puts things in random cabinets. Then IF he reloads the washer he'll only do plates, utensils and bowls. Forget it if there are pots, pans, mixing bowls or measuring cups!! So the other day after seeing his genetic case of the four-bowl-full-top-rack-disease I said to him, "Since the day you came to live here you have been unloading the dishwasher, correct?" Tez, "Yes!" I respond with, "Then if you see the way it is loaded EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. you unload it, why can't you load it that very same way!?!?! And don't just load the dishes you want ~ load them ALL!" Seriously people it drives me nuts!! If you unload the dishwasher almost daily, then you should see how the dishes are placed and be able to load them in that same manner!

2. I think I might need to be studied. For some queer reason, I believe I can gain weight JUST by looking or even thinking about food! Hey some call it denial, some call it an excuse but I think I might just be a freak of nature. I just seem to be getting bigger and NO I am NOT pregnant!!

#1

While over at Jenners reading her post on Men, I laughed because it is just a man thing. For years, I have called this inability to look "MAN EYES". Most, not all, men I know don't know how to look. I don't mean open a cabinet or drawer and look in that direction. I mean LOOK! Looking may involve moving objects or bending down. I laughed really hard while reading her post and finding the bread myself in .2seconds and said, "Oh Jenners man has a bad case of man eyes today!" I did not laugh so hard when I thought to myself that maybe Man Eyes is universal and {insert scary music} genetic! {insert bad actress in a scary movie screaming while running through the woods chased by a mass murderer ~ why do they do that?} While getting ready the next morning, Isaiah was.....well let's go with "not motivated"......SO I tried to motivate him by saying, "WE are leaving! Good bye! Don't go outside while you are home alone today!" I tiptoe into his room where he is crying "I can't find my other shoe!" He has one shoe on and tears streaming down his cute little face when I see his shoe about three inches from his foot. I said, "It is right there baby!" He turns around kneels down beginning to look under the bed. "No baby it is right by your foot!" He begins to circle himself starring at the floor. "It is right there Zay!", while pointing to the floor by his foot. I then decide to pick it up and show it to him when he says, "Oh thank you Mommy I thought I yost (lost) it!" OK! The whole "Man Eyes" problem is not so funny when you realize it must be genetic and you live in a house with four related males!

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

In my effort to "go green" and again no I am not a "tree hugger" I decided to make my own household cleaners. I don't know about you but I get sick of buying the household cleaning needs and spending a hundred bucks. You know the toilet bowl cleaner, the bleach, Clorox wipes, Pledge, Windex, shower cleaner, paper towels, dishsoap, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, stain remover, oven cleaner, floor cleaner and some magic erasers (I don't know if I can give up the magic eraser!) goes in the cart and you gasp at the total! I know most of the time you don't have to buy these all in one trip since some last longer than others but they get expensive. So far I have discovered that making my own cleaners is not only a LOT CHEAPER but easy plus the best part is they work just as well. I am sharing a couple of the "recipes" I used that I found on The Toby Show Green Cleaning Series ~ Green Cleaning 101, The Arsenals and the Extras ~and various other "green clean" websites. Most of the websites have the same basic recipes but I tweaked some of them to my satisfaction.

Here is a list of supplies found in most of the recipes:

1. Distilled White Vinegar
2. Baking Soda
3. 20 Mule Borax
4. Essential oils (lemon, orange, tea tree, peppermint or whatever you like ~ available at health food stores)
5. Corn starch
6. Washing soda
7. Club soda
8. Castile soap or other vegetable based liquid soap (I can't seem to find this one!)
9. Olive oil
10. Mineral oil
11. Lemon juice

You do not need ALL of these to get started! I bought 1 gallon of white vinegar, baking soda, 20 Mule Team Borax, tea tree oil, orange oil and lemon oil on Saturday and spent $27. Once you see how much you have and how little you have to use in each recipe you will realize how little you spent and how long it will last!

Here are the "green clean" recipes I have tried feel free to tweak them to fit your needs:

General All-Purpose Cleaner

3 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp borax

2 cups hot water

1/8 cup liquid soap

20 drops lemon oil

20 drops tea tree oil

Add all ingredients in bottle except the soap, shake, add soap then stir. Spray away! Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic but since I am not especially fond of the smell I used the lemon oil to cover it up but you can use whatever oil you like.

Toilets

Many of the recipe measurements for this didn't work for me so I just dumped some of both in!!

Scientific, I know!

Vinegar

Baking soda

I must admit this one surprised me. Some call for using borax and I have yet to try that. The vinegar really does a good job of whitening the bowl. I let the vinegar sit for as long as possible in our house since it seemed like everytime I poured the vinegar in I would hear the toilet flush within 5 minutes until I said DO NOT FLUSH THE TOILET UNTIL I TELL YOU!! After you let the vinegar sit for the desired time, dump in some baking soda. This combination will fizz and foam but I wanted it to foam more so I added the baking soda then sprayed some more vinegar over it. I also read about just dropping in denture cleaning tablets but alas I was all out! lol

Isaiah's old cloth diapers which we used as burp rags are now my cleaning rags and I no longer use paper towels. I like using the them and have for awhile now especially for dusting but I am really missing my paper towels.

That is it for now but more green clean recipes will be coming soon I promise! I get to experiment again tonight. What did I learn from the last experiments with the general all-purpose cleaner? Do not just add baking soda to any concoction unless you feel like cleaning up a foamy mess! Learn something new everyday but I should've known this would happen but I was having so much fun experimenting that I got a little carried away!

THE LAUNDRY QUEEN REVEALS HER SECRET!!

Yes I am a self-proclaimed Laundry Queen! Believe it or not I can not count the number of times I've been asked how I keep my boys' clothes stain free! Honestly my boys' clothes do NOT have stains! In 7 yrs of being a mother, I can count on my hands the number of stains I could not get out of the boys' clothes.

"How?" you ask.

My boys are not allowed to play outdoors, in water, mud, sand, snow, climb trees, on playgrounds, play on grass or in dirt, no running/wrestling/climbing or anything that could cause an injury resulting in bleeding. No wiping after using the restroom ~ we just invested in a baday (I have no clue how to spell that and apparently spellcheck doesn't have a clue either) to prevent those nasty"skid marks"! And last but not least all meals are eaten in their underwear! Works for me!

Sounds reasonable, right?

Not if you are sane or a mother of three boys ~ take your pick!

You've obviously NEVER met my children if you believe that tall tale!!

Here you have it ladies and gents.....

Now I don't want all my blog hits to shut down the Internet so keep the praise and mother of the year rantings to a minimum and only let the secret out in dire circumstances......

My Laundry/Stain Removal Secrets

by none other than the Laundry Queen herself

1. I only use liquid Tide and NO my attempt at "going green" will in NO way change my perfected laundry routine!! In a pinch I have also used Gain but I love Tide ~ any formula!
2. I inspect ALL clothing for stains before they enter the washer.
3. ALL STAINS get sprayed with Dreft Stain Remover! I have used it for years and love it! If I could buy it in bulk, I would! I don't know what is different about it, but I swear by the stuff and those who have tried it are true believers! It will get out chocolate, mud, grass, spaghetti/pizza sauce, blood, poop, vomit, red drinks of any kind and those pesky soy formula spit up stains! (FYI: You can use Hydrogen Peroxide for blood stains; however, it will "bleach" out colors! WD-40 will get out auto oil stains but use SPARINGLY! Hairspray will get out pen/marker! BUT I USE DREFT FOR EVERY STAIN!)
4. I only wash clothes in cold water!
5. I inspect all badly stained clothing before they go into the dryer! IF (rarely occurs) a stain still remains, I air dry that item and repeat the stain/washing routine!

Not really anything profound or earth shattering just simple Tide and Dreft Stain Remover ~ that's it! I do about 4-5 loads a day so once I found something that worked I just stuck with it. I don't have the time to fool with my laundry routine ~ it is too easy to get behind and too hard to catch up! Now only if the people who have asked me could just find my blog ~ lol!!

Until next time blog land......

WHAT DIDN'T I DO ~ SHOULD BE THE QUESTION!!

My friend asked tonight, "What did you do this weekend?"

I think the question should have been "What DIDN'T I do this weekend?"

Anyway here was my answer,

"Let's see I vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the bathrooms including toilets and showers (my "boy" tends to leave that out), cleaned the windows, cleaned/revamped the boys' closet, blogged about their amazingly organized closet, cleaned my closet, blogged about Hub's shoes, washed all shower curtains and bathroom rugs, went to see the Harlem Globetrotters with Hubs and my parents, launched my first blog giveaway (launched like it is a new business hehe), put Isaiah in time out, redecorated the boys' bathroom, found new shower curtain I bought months ago for my bathroom so I washed and hung it also, mopped boys bathroom ~ really mopped on hands and knees (If you know how to get rid of the boys urine smell in their bathroom let me know!), cleaned the carpet in our bathroom/our bedroom/Tez's room, took down the Christmas tree, put Isaiah in time out again, put away all Christmas decor, put Isaiah in time out again, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the refrigerator, two loads of dishes in the dishwasher, washed ALL sheets and comforters then remade the beds, cleaned Lucy's cage, got rid of a ton of crap, washed blankets in linen closet, vacuumed again and put Isaiah in time out yet again, cleaned off computer desk and used the can air to clean the computer (that stuff is so fun!), then of course I had to read some blogs, cleaned the oven (I NEVER do that!), cleaned the microwave, cleaned the washer and dryer (inside and out!), cleaned under all beds (amazing what you can find!), finished the hooks for the boys' towels and hung them up (which also means I had to charge the drill!), scrubbed the dog feeders (dried drool is disgusting!), mopped the floors (quite a feat since our entire house with the exception of the bedrooms is wood floors!! It kills my back), laid out clothes for boys' to wear tomorrow, read 20 books for Elijah's book it program b/c of course I put it off until the VERY last second of his two week break, couple trips to Wally World AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST I literally did (washed/dried/folded/put away) about a KAZILLION loads of laundry in between each and every chore.....wait in between I did manage to feed the kids....I think!!!!" (All of this in 2 days! I told you guys I was seriously sick of my house being a pig sty and I was going to take back control!)

Her reply, "Did you clear ALL the scrapbook stuff off of your kitchen table?"

Well....."NO".....but all I have left is.......clear off the kitchen table, sort through the old "laundry" room area, sort through the pile in the corner of my room (papers to file) then in time I need to repaint the entry way, repaint the hallway, finish painting the baseboards white, paint the main bathroom cabinet white and repaint the bathroom, paint my kitchen cabinets white, put recessed lighting in the kitchen and paint ceiling, change out the fan in the dining room, call the guttering guy, clean out the garage completely, call the pest control guy since he is late and I will flip if I see a giant spider, fix my bedroom fan....I could go on forever. Is it ever truly done? But at least now it is clean so as long as I keep up with the cleaning I can tackle the other "jobs" over time! Wish me luck! Hey and now I won't be embarrassed to have company or drop by visitors!