There IS something wrong with Snow White!

Okay, so I don't know exactly what kind of mental psychosis poor Snow White was suffering from, but any woman who happily cleaned up after 7 sloppy men - and whistled while she did it? Now there's someone just not right in the head! ;)

For those of us who aren't so cheerful about the chores, there are other things we can do to help keep our homes clean. First and foremost, decluttering is essential. The more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to clean. And a lot of it - you probably don't use enough to miss it if you got rid of it. I'm not saying you need to live a Spartan existence, but if you own anything that serves its main purpose as "Dust Collector", then it's probably time to ditch it. When you've gotten rid of a lot of the extra junk, cleaning what's left becomes all the more easier. And that's the important thing, because while if you really push yourself and your family, you can get your house sparkling clean from top to bottom, the problem becomes maintaining that cleanliness on a day to day basis.

THIS EBOOK has some hints and tips at getting and keeping your home clean and organized. It was written for people who need real help getting their homes in order, and the author maintains a non-judgmental tone through-out, but it can also help get anyone motivated when needed, even those Snow Whites among us.

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Free cross stitch patterns

DMC - the embroidery floss people, have a nice collection of FREE CROSS STITCH PATTERNS available on their website, including some "beginner" designs for new learners.

FREE PATTERNS ONLINE offers several designs, including seasonal ones, many of them simple enough for beginners.

CRAFT DESIGNS 4 YOU has instructions on learning cross stitch, plus some free patterns.

123 STITCH has patterns contributed by users, good for more experienced stitchers.

And THIS SITE has a collection of Christmas angels of intermediate to expert level of difficulty.

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Wednesday Quick Tip (2)

When's the last time you went through your first aid kit and made sure it was properly stocked? Do you still have an old bottle of acetominophine in there that expired in 2004? Ideally, you should have at the very least two first aid kits, one in your house and one in your car, and everyone in the family should know where they are kept.

The American College of Emergency Physicians offers this list of items all first aid kits should contain:

Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and aspirin tablets: For headaches, pain, fever, and simple sprains or strains. (Aspirin should not be used for relief of flu symptoms or given to children.)

Ipecac syrup and activated charcoal: For treatment after ingestion of certain poisons. (Use only on advice of a poison control center or the emergency department.)

Elastic Wraps: For wrapping wrist, ankle, knee, and elbow injuries.

Triangular Bandages: For wrapping injuries and making an arm sling.

Scissors with rounded tips.

Adhesive tape and 2" gauze: For dressing wounds.

Disposable, instant ice bags: For icing injuries and treating high fevers.

Bandages of assorted sizes: For covering minor cuts and scrapes.

Antibiotic ointment: For minor burns, cuts, and scrapes.

Gauze in rolls and in 2" and 4" pads: For dressing wounds

Bandage Closures: 1/4" and 1": For taping cut edges together.

Tweezers: To remove small splinters and ticks.

Safety pins: To fasten bandages.

Rubber gloves: to protect yourself and reduce the risk of infection when treating open wounds.

First Aid Manual
List of emergency telephone numbers.

Check your local discount stores and dollar stores for any items you might be missing or need to replace. Accidents do happen. It never hurts to be prepared.

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Friday Five for Free (3)

My five favorite cleaning supplies "recipes" - go green and save money. :)

Disinfectant spray: combine 2 teaspoons borax*, 4 tablespoons vinegar, and 3 to 4 cups hot water in a spray bottle. (If you need "extra" cleaning power, you can add 1/4 teaspoon liquid soap**.)

Air Freshener: combine 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle. Spritz in the air whenever needed.

Glass Cleaner: combine 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap in a 1 quart spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. Shake well. Spray on lightly, then wipe with crumbled newspapers. (Yes, the newspaper really works, if you've never tried it. We don't subscribe to the paper, but we get a few free local/neighborhood ones delivered once a week and I'll sometimes pick up free copies at the store.)

All purpose cleaner: Combine 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 teaspoons borax and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a 1 quart spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with very hot water. Shake well. (You can add more borax for tougher cleaning jobs.)

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet. Let stand for several hours or overnight. Scrub and flush. (If you need "extra" cleaning power here, you can add 1/4 cup vinegar to the borax.)


Honorable mention - for every day dusting, a lightly dampened cloth does the trick - no spray-on "polish" needed. For extra polishing, combine olive oil and vinegar in equal parts. Pour a small amount on a soft cloth and buff. If you use too much polish, just use a dry cloth to wipe off.


*borax can be found in the laundry detergent aisle.

**liquid soap - I have seen many recipes for liquid soap, but they often call for odd or expensive ingredients. The one I've tried before is this: Save all the little bits and pieces of leftover bar soap until you have 1 cup full. Make sure they are fully dried out and then grind them to a fine powder in your blender. Pour one cup of boiling water over the soap and stir until the powder is dissolved. This can be stored in a pump dispenser or squeeze top bottle. In our house, however, it takes forever to build up to a full cup of soap pieces because we tend to use them until there's barely anything left. Generally, I simply buy the generic liquid soap from Dollar General.

PS - Don't forget to label your bottles! :)

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Chores Incentive Program.

This is an interesting program. You register with the site, create/choose tasks for your children, designate a point system, and create awards goals. You and your children can log in to monitor progress and "claim" the rewards. (More in full post.)

I admit, I was quite skeptical when I stumbled across HANDIPOINTS, if for no other reason than it looks too slick to be free. Heh. But I have registered with it so that I could really check it out and I went over every point of the Terms of Service. As far as I can tell, the biggest "catch" is that as long as you use the service you cannot opt out of their mailing list and you will receive advertisements because of it.

I was also wary of the awards system. I certainly didn't want to get into some sort of situation where I'm promising my kids I'll be them a Nintendo Wii! However, when I clicked on the "most popular rewards" section, many of them turned out to be things like "1 hour of computer time" or "play a board game" type rewards. In addition, you don't have to use a listed reward - you can create your own.

My hiccup with this system is this: Obviously, this program was created with the intent to get you to purchase things. It asks that you "support" the site by purchasing your rewards through their "featured merchants". Now, this is NOT a requirement whatsoever; the service is offered for free, but it remains a personal decision on whether or not using the site without ever buying anything would be completely ethical or not.

I will give the system a try for a few weeks and let you know what I think of it.

Just one other note - the site has a referral system; however, as I am only posting this info FYI and not trying to actively promote it, I am not "referring" you with that above link. It simply directs you to the main page.

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Free Custom Chore Charts.

THIS SITE allows you to create and print customized chore charts for your children. (Don't worry about the SpongeBob picture on the front page - you aren't stuck with him; you get to choose from many themes.)

Hint - if you have a program like CUTE PDF WRITER you can save your document as a pdf file before printing it.

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Cleaning Supplies.

I don't spend a fortune on cleaning supplies. For one, I can't. For another, I don't need to! At some point we allowed corporate America convince us that we need a different cleanser for every job in the house.

The truth is, for just about every situation, a cheaper, home-made alternative works with equal effectiveness, and is better for the environment, to boot.

For some simple "recipes", check out: ORGANIZED HOME.

Also, a personal fave of mine (as we're a family with cats and dogs):

HOMEMADE CARPET DEODORIZER
(from Cheaper and Better, by Nancy Birnes)

2 cups baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 - 5 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon ground cloves

Mix together and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid. To use, sprinkle on carpet. Let sit for at least 20 minutes, then vacuum.

I keep mine in an old juice carafe that has a lid. In order to be able to "sprinkle" it, I covered the top with plastic wrap and used a rubber band around the neck of the bottle to hold it firmly in place. I poked holes in the plastic with a fork. The lid still fits easily on top for storage.

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The Fly Lady.

I have several friends who *swear* by this site, so I figured I'd give it a plug. If you're the type of person who has trouble keeping your household clean and organized, THE FLYLADY can help you.

To be perfectly honest, in perusing the site, I found it a bit too "boot camp" for my tastes, especially the concept of how you MUST put on your shoes every morning and wear them around the house all day. Uh, no. I am not ever going to walk on my carpet in the same shoes that I cross the gas station parking lot in and wear into a Wal-Mart bathroom. Not a chance.

Still, I like the zone concepts the FlyLady promotes. We do something quite similar in our house. And if you are truly living in what she calls CHAOS - "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome" - then this site might prove to be a big blessing for you.

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