My newest Norwex favorites

Ok, so I know I talk about Norwex a little bit.  Ok maybe a LOT, but I really love it!  And no, I don't sell it.

This past January, I hosted a Norwex party and got a TON of free stuff.  January is the Hostess Free Mop month, and yes, I got enough sales and got my free mop!  But the mop isn't what I want to talk about.

Along with the free Antibac Cloth, and window cloth, and lint mitt, and hand cream, I got a few fantastic items.  The Optic Cloth is amazing.  I used it a few days ago to clean my glasses and OMG it was like seeing the house with new eyes.  Like seriously clean.  And I've been wearing glasses for almost 25 years!  I did the same yesterday with my sunglasses and was SO impressed.  I got one for my hubs for Christmas since he always used our window cloth and I could never find it.  Great stocking stuffer and now he has his own cloth for his glasses.  Well when I needed a few more dollars to get the free mop, I added the Optic Cloth so I could have one of my own and I'm SO glad I did.  AMAZING!

I also got the dust mitt.  Makes dusting SO easy.  AND I got the kids package, that comes with a kid-sized antibac cloth, window cloth and dust mitt.  M LOVES cleaning the windows with her own cloths, and dusting.  In fact, sometimes she'll make fingerprints all over the windows just so she can clean them up.  I don't mind, since she's cleaning them!

One item I've been very skeptical of is the cleaning paste.  I've heard great things about it, but I found that baking soda worked so well that I didn't want to invest in that.  BUT when I had free money to spend, I decided to give it a try and OH.MY.GOODNESS!  So I won a bath mitt at the party, and whipped out the paste to clean the shower last week.  AMAZING!  When I would have to clean the shower again about 5 days later after cleaning with baking soda, I don't have to do it yet with the paste. And the mitt makes it so easy.  Norwex was genius when they decided to make the cloths in a mitt form.

Keep an eye out for a review of the Norwex mop, and maybe a Norwex giveaway!!

Christmas prep day 2

Here's my list from yesterday:

Today's plan:1. Finish up the last of my orders.  There isn't much left to do, I promise.  And they're all local, and I've scheduled drop off/pick up with all of them so if they aren't already done (which most are, I PROMISE) they will be on time! 2. Finish up crafts with the kids3. Bake something (brownies, cookies, rice crispie squares, SOMETHING)4. Clean up living and dining rooms-meaning ALL work and kid related stuff is out, and it's vacuumed, dusted and cleaned up. 

What did I get done (or not)?

1. Orders: two items done, one dropped off.  3 left to finish, and I promise the hard part is done, just finishing touches.
2. Not done
3. Not done
4.  a. Dining room table cleaned off and wiped.
     b. Side table cleaned off and wiped.
     c. Couch side tables cleaned off and wiped.
     d. Coffee tabled cleaned off and wiped.  And cleaned and wiped.  And cleaned and wiped.  Darn kids.
     e. Work related stuff (piles of fabric moved downstairs)
     f. Need to move a few last random items and vacuum


So what's on my list for today....
1. Finish up crafts.  Will go do that right now.
2. Bake something.  Will do that right now as kids do craft stuff.
3. Vacuum living room/dining room.  In my defense, the vacuum canister in the garage was full (we have a built in) and I had to empty it, WHICH I DID-BY MYSELF!
4. Finish up orders.  That WILL get done when kids go to bed.


And tomorrow?
1. Anything I didn't get done today.
2. Clean bathrooms
3. Finish cleaning and mop entryway
4. Tidy kids rooms
5. Why do I try to have more than 2 items on my list when I KNOW it won't get done?
6. Bake something else
7. More crafts.
8. More cleaning.   Should I go on?????

Our felt Christmas Tree

One super popular pin from Pinterest is the Kids Christmas Tree.  You make it out of felt, make ornaments, presents, etc and stick it up on the wall for the kids to play with, hoping that they leave the real tree alone.

I bought a yard of green felt from Joann's and cut out the tree.  Then I had smaller felt squares that I used to cut out the ornaments and presents. 

At first, I tried attaching it to the wall with scotch tape but that didn't work well.  So as suggested in one of the Pinterest links, I tried the 3M Command strips.  Well, as I discovered with the scotch tape, nothing attaches to felt.  So I sewed the strips on.  Next year, I'll just buy a new pack for the wall.  

The lightbulbs I bought from a friend and local small business Playful Path Felt Stories.  They even sparkle and are a great addition to our tree!

The ornaments were all cut freehand.  Some are circles and some are supposed to look like diamonds.  The command strips work great and the kids love it.  And my tree is left alone!  The whole project cost about $5 for the felt and two sets of command strips.  The ones sewn on to the tree will be permanent and next year, I'll replace the ones on the wall.  

Isn't it pretty?  Adds a bit of Christmas to the playroom!

The last of the Christmas Fairs

My last Christmas event is tonight.  Products are all ready, or as ready as they'll be at this point.  It's time to pack everything up and then tidy up the house.  It's been nice for the past few events, that I've already done the bulk of the work and don't need to have a week of mad rushing beforehand to get stuff ready.  At this point it's just finishing up the custom orders to get in the mail by Monday and then local orders.

In a way, I'm glad the bulk of my business involves shipping, because I won't be rushing to finish stuff up at the last minute.  Which gives me more time to focus on my house and my family.

Wish me luck tonight, I hope my last event of the season is successful!

Introducing....Simon (the magic is real)

Simon is our Elf on the Shelf.  And the kids aren't the only ones who love him.

In December, the kids wake me up and my first thought is 'OH SHOOT-I didn't move the Elf' and I distract them while I go to move him.  But some mornings, ok most mornings, Simon isn't where he was left the night before.  And at that moment, I call M out to find him and I actually can't help her.  In fact, I totally get into the hunt and get excited to find him.

Some parents go all out.  They have Elves who get into trouble, or pull of crazy stunts.  Some have admittedly lazy Elves who hang out in the same spot for a few days at a time.

In our house, the magic is real.  This mama doesn't move Simon.  We wake up and we all try to find Simon.  It's great fun.  And it's all real.


Today, Simon wanted to hang out with our Santa, and M found him on top of our tree.

Do you have an Elf?  What is your Elf's name?  And what's his or her favorite place to hang out?

Keeping Christmas Clean

Well we've put up the tree and some decorations.  And of course, I love it!  I love everything that has anything to do with Christmas.  In fact, as I type this, I can see my neighbor stringing the lights on his tree.  Tomorrow I'll make my husband put up the outdoor lights, while I clean up the inside and put up more decorations.  I just love it all.  Love it so much I'm hosting Christmas dinner this year.  I want to create a Winter Wonderland inside my house and just stay here, all cozy, and have everyone come over.

 

If I'm making a huge effort to clean up and decorate the house, I might as well have lots of people over to enjoy it, right?


Now I get to spend the next few days figuring out how to keep the 4 year old and 18 month old from getting into everything.

The real answer

Just a quick post to share this picture.  A few friends on Facebook shared it and I thought it was perfect.  We all know that I struggle to keep a clean house, and we also know that I struggle to stay sane.  And it's true.  Sometimes when I feel like I have a clean house and a good balance, I realize that I haven't been spending as much time with the kids as I should have.  So without further ado, here's the reason why my house is a disaster.  

Although I should also add that I just CLEANED my kitchen, like CLEANED it, swept floors and vacuumed the playroom/living/dining rooms.  About to go mop the kitchen and then cleaning is DONE for the day.  All thanks to nap time and educational websites.  I feel for anyone with a child who doesn't sleep.

The sun is shining....

and it's raining.  And WOW I need to clean my windows.

Since I'm apparently not very good at keeping up this blog, I'm going to do a quick review of which methods I'm still using.

Cleaning windows/mirrors: I'm still using my Norwex Anti-bac Microfiber and window cleaning cloths.  This combination works great, no chemicals, super fast and super clean.

Countertops/tubs/dusting: Still using the Norwex Anti-bac Microfiber cloth.  This is a great multi-purpose cloth for cleaning jobs all over the house.

And now it's hailing....and sunny.

Toilets: I use baking soda and vinegar.  You might remember I tried a few of those 'new and improved' toilet cleaning products but they just don't work as well as baking soda and vinegar.

Carpets: I also use baking soda and vinegar.  I recently bought (or redeemed with points) a Bissel Green Machine.  After mixing up the solution, I thought why am I using this in here, I could just fill the tank with my 50/50 vinegar/water solution.  So sprinkle your stain with baking soda and spray with the vinegar/water.  Let your kids help, they love the bubbles!  If you don't have a carpet cleaner, let it dry, remove as much of the baking soda as you can, then blot out the rest.  If you do have a carpet cleaner, use the brush/vacuum to remove the baking soda and the stain along with it.  I love this, so easy and fast and SAFE!

I have a few reviews coming up to do and have had some trouble finding time, but will get to it now that my store stuff isn't as crazy, and is just steady.

Happy cleaning!

The Real Parenting Experts

As a parent, and especially as a parent on message boards, I'm aware of parenting contests. The whole 'my kid's walking' or 'mine can say mama' or 'mine has 6 teeth' etc etc etc. All this at only a few weeks old sometimes! Just as every parent has their own situation, they also have their own parenting philosophy. A big issue is sleeping through the night. Every parent has their own way to solve that 'problem', which to some, isn't even always a problem. Just as every parent has their own solution, they also have a book. Some 'experts' say you should let the baby cry. Other's offer a no crying solution, or any number of methods in between. You can find a book that will offer you a solution that is exactly what you're comfortable with, what you're willing to do, and how much time you're willing to put in.

Now, I've read many of these books, and they are very well written. The solutions make sense, they are evidence backed, and are filled with testimonials. And I could get into how it's easy to find evidence that supports any hypothesis or theory that you want to prove, or that you have to look at how the tests were done, or manipulated, etc, but I won't. Or maybe I just did a little bit, oops. Instead, here's what I'm going to say:

YOU are the perfect parenting expert for your children.

There. Said and done. It's super easy. Basically, after reading all those parenting books, I feel that I could write my own. Take ideas from the ones that worked for me, and leave out the parts that didn't work, or that I don't feel are necessary. Enter the (not so) clean mommy parenting solution. I know my children fairly well, and am aware of what will work for them. I know what my husband and I are willing to do. This is why M was sleep trained using 'cry-it-out' at 7 months old, and baby K, at 10 months old, is still waking up 2-3 times to eat every night. I know the kids, I know our household and our situation and I've figured out the best way to be a parent for my kids.

Come to think of it, I AM writing my own parenting book. It's hard work, and will take YEARS, but it's totally worth it. I'm actually writing two books. They are at different levels of completeness. One is almost 3 and a half years in, and loves to swim, jump and play. The other one is 10 months old, and melts my heart when he smiles at me. Each book takes 18 years to write and then is off to the world to test my parenting theories. If they work, I will be the mother of two smart, confident, successful children and the world will ask me for help with their own parenting books (I can hope).

Now, just because I've decided to write my own books doesn't always mean that I know what I'm writing. Sometimes I get writers block. Sometimes I have to try out new ideas and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. But my failures can be a testament to my readers. Tell them what worked and what didn't. And of course they can test my ideas in their own books. My failures might work for someone else and what works for me might fail miserably elsewhere. It's all part of being a writer, and is what will make all our books unique and special.

I must now leave you all and get back to writing my books. Well, not writing, but preparing the supplies. I'm out of paper and need to sharpen my pencils--or just laundry and vacuuming. But it's all necessary for a great book.

I can't wait to read your books, I'm sure they will be fantastic!

What Kids Need (and want)

I read a fantastic article this morning and now know why sometimes I consider myself a crappy blogger. While I'm sure you faithful readers are constantly on your toes waiting for my next post, I'm either busy DOING the things I write about, or, more importantly, I'm ignoring the house and spending time enjoying my children.

Last week, a good friend and fellow mommy blogger wrote about this on her blog, She Will Amaze You. There are days when I'm online all day, or downstairs sewing. And then there are other days when I ignore the work piling up, and ignore the house and just spend time with my kids, and those days go so smoothly.

Then today, I read another article written by The Power Of Moms. Another great reminder that our kids need, and want us. The house isn't going anywhere. The dishes and laundry will be right where I left them. But kids will grow up, and this is the time to just enjoy them. This is the time where being with them will shape who they become.

So now I'm signing off and will get to the house later. Baby K is napping and M needs some mom time!

Starting the weekend off on a clean foot

And no that doesn't mean having a shower first thing Saturday morning, although wouldn't a nice hot soaker bath be wonderful?

Saturday mornings, M has gymnastics. And after she put on a giant show for me, K is now taking her. And since baby K naps in the morning, I get at least an hour of quiet time to myself every Saturday morning.

So today, I put baby K down for his nap, and started tidying the kitchen. Then put diapers in the wash, and then finished putting clean laundry away and tidied the living room. And now I sit on the computer with my tea as M and K storm into the house, and baby K wakes up screaming.

AH the craziness that is my life, but at least the house is tidy.