cleaning/laundry

Using Vinegar Around The House

I have always been the kind of person that bought commercial cleaning products.  If it promised quicker or easier cleaning, I was going to check it out the next time I went to the store (and maybe even buy it).  Because of this, the area under my kitchen sink is packed with all sorts of [...]

Oreck Steam-It Steam Mop Review and Giveaway

I’m super excited to share about the steam mop that I have recently been able to try out – The Steam-It by Oreck!  And, not only am I excited to share about our experiences with the Steam-It, but I’m thrilled that one of you will be able to win your very own Steam-It Steam Mop [...]

Finding a Cleaning Schedule that Works

I have tried many systems (too many!) for housekeeping.  From ones that made me put on shoes in the morning to ones with lots of check boxes, from special apps for my iPhone to free downloads from sites — you name it, I may have tried it.  Each would go fine for a while, and [...]

A Dish Mat That Does A Lot More Than Drying Dishes (Plus a Giveaway)

I was very pleased recently to get a chance to try out the Dish Drying Mats from Garden Botanika.  Well, hang on.  That’s not exactly true.  Actually – I was going to try them out, but I kind of thought, “I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with these, since I don’t even [...]

7 Quick Takes: October 7, 2011 (Vol. 99)

~ 1 ~ As I already mentioned, Molly had a birthday this week! How did it happen that I’m now the mother of kids ages 7 – 12? Molly decided to forgo receiving an actual gift from us, and instead opted for going out for a manicure (it was a first for both of us!) [...]

Organizing a Habitually Messy Area

My monthly post is up at The Happy Housewife.  This month, I’m sharing some tips for working on a habitually messy or disorganized area of your house. From the post… If you also have these kinds of issues, I suspect you hope that this is where I will come in and share my life-changing organization [...]

7 Quick Takes: August 26, 2011 (Vol. 94)

~ 1 ~ Apparently my mind may be like mush (at least at this moment).  I got on my blog to start writing my seven quick takes, and I suddenly couldn’t think of what types of things I blog about.  And then I followed that up by starting to write the date as December something. [...]

10 Things I Don’t Do

I know that in the past, I have had people comment that I have given them a complex because it seems like I do it all.  After that, I’ve tried to be very real and open about my shortcomings (which are many).  I’m just a real Mom who has real struggles. To prove this, I [...]

7 Quick Takes: August 5, 2011 (Vol. 91)

~ 1 ~ Do you know why I’m so crazy about my husband?  Well, of course, there’s not just one reason.  But, tonight was a great example of what a great guy Eric is.  He knew I was stressed out that my craft room has (yet again) become a disaster area, especially when we were [...]

10 Tips for More Efficient Homemaking

Do you ever struggle with keeping up your home?  I know that I definitely do!  Here are 10 tips that have helped me on my road to attempting to be a better homemaker (and not the kind that burns Rice Krispie Treats three separate times on the same batch). 1. Have a Couple of Go [...]