If you give a mom a beautiful day, she is going to send the kids outside and open the windows.

Seeing the dirty, fingerprint covered windows, she is going to clean them.

Feeling the cool breeze blowing in, she will remember to turn off the a/c.

While turning off the a/c, she will think to check the filter and notice the thick layer of dust, so she will change it.

When she goes to throw away the used filter, she will decide to go ahead and take out all the trash in the house.

While emptying the bathroom trash, she will notice the toilet needs to be cleaned.

Since she's cleaning the toilet, she decides to clean the whole bathroom and wash the shower curtain.

When she puts the curtain in the washer, she sees the stacks of folded laundry that need to be put away, so she takes them to the kids' bedrooms.

After putting away the clean laundry, she notices a damp towel laying on the bedroom floor and takes it back to the bathroom.

Being in the bathroom reminds her of the shower curtain in the washer and she figures it is probably done by now.

She takes the shower curtain out of the washer and decides that the dryer will heat up the house, so she takes it outside to hang on the clothes line.

Once she gets outside, she remembers that it is a beautiful day and decides to stay outside with the kids where there aren't any chores to be done.

This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Note: The above story is a based on actual events in this author's day. It is also an original creation and is not to be used without giving credit to the author - Christy at RaisingKnights.com. Thank you!

Linked to Mama Moment Mondays.

A Toddler, A Couch, and Dish Liquid

With children, you never know what the day has in store for you. With a toddler, take a deep breath, gear up, and never take your eyes off the little stinker tike! I'm sure the title of the post says enough, but I'll tell the tale anyway. There is no picture for this post because, after the incident occurred, I stood there for several minutes trying to figure out whether to laugh or cry or scream.

After our grocery shopping trip last night, M2 was helping me put things away. Although, our organizing styles are vastly different. I may find a can of beans in the refrigerator later. He is only 21 months. We were almost finished when IB asked for my help at the computer. I left M2 alone for just a few minutes and I could even hear that he went into the living room with NG and LJ. But I should know by now that when the kids are watching television, they are oblivious to what is going on...even right next to them. It wasn't long before I heard the familiar "MOM! You need to come in here!"

M2 had poured out half of a new bottle of dish liquid on the couch and ottoman. It took me a moment to tame my response. NG confiscated the bottle from him. I gently removed M2 from the mess and told him that he had made a big mess and I was not happy. He just smiled his sweet smile and all was forgiven. He is "the baby", after all.

But I was still left standing there trying to figure out where to even start. After a brief period of closed eyes and deep breathing, I had NG scrape off as much as he could into a bowl while I wiped down the leather ottoman. That was the easy part. What to do with the couch? The dish liquid had also run down in between the cushions and onto the rug. Have you ever tried to clean a microfiber couch covered in dish liquid?? Even though I knew what would happen, I tried using a damp dishcloth to wipe it off. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse...well, you get the idea. Of course, that just made suds and the fabric was still full of soap. Ahhhh! It was time for the hobbits to go to bed so I decided I'd deal with it the next day.

Fortunately for me, my mother showed up unexpectedly at my door this morning. She knew just what to do, as usual. She convinced me to take the covers off and put them in my front-loading washer. We did a rinse-only cycle on low. About half-way through, we opened the washer and scooped out as much of the foamy suds as possible and then let it finish. It worked! We dried the covers on Ultra Delicate and put one of them them back on. Good as new! The other cushion needed to have one corner rinsed out with my sink sprayer and it's drying right now.

So, if you ever find yourself with a microfiber couch covered in dish liquid, now you know what to do. But what are the chances that it would happen to someone else?

Homemade Glass Cleaner

Marriage is all about compromises. Even when it comes to simple things, like what you clean the windows with. Papa Bear hasn't minded too many of the changes I've made over the years, but he does like streak-free windows. And toilets that smell like bleach, but there's not a compromise there. I've purchased a few different kinds of all-natural glass cleaners and made my own with just vinegar and water. None of them meet Papa Bear's standards. Since his police cruiser is his "office" and visibility is a very important factor in doing his job well, our compromise was that he would use (and keep) commercial (read: toxic) window cleaner in his car.

But now...I found a recipe for Heloise's window cleaner and after trying it on a couple of mirrors in the house, this may be the one. My only concern is that it contains rubbing alcohol. I know it's dangerous so I'll definitely have to be more vigilant about keeping it out of reach of the little ones than I was with the plain vinegar/water solution. Just wondering, is rubbing alcohol considered natural?

Heloise's Window Cleaner

In a clean, empty spray bottle, combine:
12-16 oz water
1/2 c white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1/4 c rubbing alcohol (70%)
 a few drops of essential oil (lavender, orange, cinnamon, etc.), opt.

Heloise and many others recommend using newspaper to clean windows also. I stick to paper towels or microfiber cloths because we don't get the newspaper. It would be a great way to recycle them, though.

The true test of this homemade glass cleaner will come when I use it inside the van. I hate do not care for cleaning the van when it's cold outside, so it has accumulated quite a bit of filth. I have a couple of boys who love to display their artistic abilities in the condensation on the windows.

Easy & Affordable Green Cleaning

Baking soda and vinegar. 

These are my top two natural cleaners. They just can't be beat. I buy a 13.5 lb. bag of baking soda from Sam's Club and a large jug of store brand white vinegar at the grocery. Add some dish liquid and hot water and you can clean just about anything.

This is what I do with them:

• Bathtub/sink scrub - Run a little bit of hot water into the plugged tub (just about a 1/2-1 inch over drain) while getting sides of tub wet. Sprinkle about 1/2-3/4 cup of baking soda all around tub sides, then drizzle a little dish liquid (I use Seventh Generation natural dish liquid) over it. Use a scrubbing sponge to scrub tub in circular motions until clean and smooth. Unplug drain and rinse tub with hot water. 
• Drain cleaner - Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup baking soda into drain. Pour about a cup of vinegar down drain. Let sit for about 5 minutes; pour boiling water down drain. Use a plunger (carefully, your drain is full of boiling water!), if drain is still going slow. Sometimes that helps to loosen the soap scum and hair. Run hot water to test drain. If it is still slow, it may need a second treatment. If you do this regularly, you're less likely to need a plumber for simple clogs. 
• Toilet bowl cleaner - Sprinkle baking soda around inside of bowl, add 1/2 cup vinegar to water, use toilet brush to scrub, and let sit as long as possible or overnight.
• Mildew remover - Ever leave a load of clothes in the washer overnight? ;) Wash on warm or hot and add 1 cup vinegar. Wash again on normal with detergent.
• Fabric softener - Add 1/2 cup vinegar to rinse cycle.
• Stainless steel pots & pans - Burnt food stuck to the bottom of pan? Sprinkle a layer of baking soda in bottom of pan, drizzle a little dish liquid, and add about an inch of hot water. Let soak for a while. Once it's softened up, use a spatula or scraper to remove food. For just regular pot cleaning, I sprinkle a little baking soda inside before washing with hot, soapy water and a scrubbing sponge.
• Kitchen cleaning - I clean my kitchen sink the same way I clean the bathtub. For cleaning the refrigerator shelves, sprinkle a little baking soda on a hot, soapy dishcloth or sponge and wipe down shelves. Rinse cloth or sponge and wipe shelves until clean. For disinfecting, use straight vinegar in spray bottle. Spray surface, let sit for a minute, wipe away.

You can find more uses for vinegar at Frugal Fun and for baking soda at The New Homemaker. Eco Child's Play has an article about using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. By using baking soda and vinegar for just the above-mentioned tasks, you can eliminate at least 5-6 toxic chemical cleaners from your home and save money.


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