Questionable Housekeeping

A Surprising Kitchen Essential

2012-02-13T08:26:00.000-06:00

You know what I keep in my kitchen drawer?

I am perfectly fine with a messy kitchen utensil drawer.

A balloon. Any guesses why? A balloon makes THE absolute best jar opener. Have a stuck jar lid? Grab a balloon, use it to grasp the lid, and turn. Simple, cheap, easy, and works every time! Before I discovered the balloon I would use a rubber band for this--and it worked. But it took a little time to get it wrapped around the lid properly, and you had to have a size that worked. Then one day I couldn't find a rubber band in my junk drawer and spotted a balloon. A balloon works even better!

So go go find a balloon and toss it in your kitchen drawer. I promise it will come in handy. And it will be a great conversation starter when you've got someone helping you out in the kitchen.

Repurposed Toy Packaging

2012-02-10T10:34:00.001-06:00

I LOVE Melissa & Doug toys. They are simple, well made, and classic. My daughters received two fabulous toys for Christmas this year: a magnetic doll (you can see in action here) and pet lacing boards. Each toy was packaged in a sturdy wooden divided tray covered in clear plastic. I ran into a problem after my girls started playing with the toys. Everything fit nicely in the trays, but it would all fall out so easily...especially in my (clears throat here) "storage" area. One day I got tired of picking up the pieces that kept falling out, so I decided to throw each of the toys into a plastic Ziploc bag. I looked at the empty trays and thought, "What a waste!" And then I realized the trays would be perfect for my bathroom drawers. Cleaning up my bathroom drawers is one of my organizing goals for the year. I've never used divided trays in the drawers, but I know they can be a great way to keep drawers neat and tidy over time. I'm looking forward to using these as a way to give them a try as a storage solution! I will be sure to post an update when the drawers are finished.

I'm Featured at Ask Anna Today!

2012-02-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

This is an exciting day for me. I'm being featured over at Ask Anna. It's a post I wrote about removing grease stains from clothing. I swear grease finds me. Whether I'm cooking, washing dishes, eating, or attempting to keep my kids' greasy fingers off of me, it finds me. When I have a huge pregnant belly, it's exponentially worse. I remember the last time I was pregnant my already meager wardrobe of maternity clothes dwindled all too quickly, with me chucking spotted shirts weekly. I'm just relieved to have found this solution and want to share it with you. If you're not familiar with Anna's blog, it's an awesome resource for all things cleaning. If you have a problem, Anna has a solution, or she will find one for you. Now go check it out!

And if you're coming here from Ask Anna, welcome! Take a look around. I'm a messy girl who blogs about cleaning, organizing, and what's happening in my life.

How to Revive a Fuzzy Sofa

2012-02-06T15:12:00.001-06:00

Back in August we bought a new sofa. "Sofa" may be an understatement, as it's a 9-piece sectional that runs the length of two entire walls of our living room. We struggled to decide whether to get leather or fabric. We've got young kids and dogs. We had a durable leather sofa that lasted us many years, but we've also has a leather love seat ruined within the first month thanks to dog toenails. In the end, we decided on this huge fabric sectional, with the understanding that it probably won't last forever. We get it. But within the first month or so of enjoying our new couch, we noticed a few of the cushions were getting a little fuzzy, for lack of a better word. It didn't take long to figure out the cause:

It was our dogs, of course. Specifically, it was the little spinning ritual they do before they lie down. Here's what the cushion looked like before the damage (it's actually the vertical cushion for comparison).

And here's what the cushion looks like with the damage from the dogs. Not something you want to see a month after you shell out a fair amount of cash for new furniture.

Since noticing the damage, we attempt to keep the sofa cushions covered with blankets during the day. It's not a perfect solution, as the girls will often use the blankets to keep warm or build a fort. And the blankets inevitably end up on the floor, making the room look even more cluttered than it already is. And, of course, the damage had already been done. Once I noticed the cushions were beginning to resemble a worn sweater, I knew I had to give my Sweater Stone a try. I bought my Sweater Stone several years ago at Faribault Woolen Mill*. It has worked wonders to spruce up my tired fuzzy, pilly sweaters over the years. I put the stone to work on the cushion (it literally took less than a minute) and saw great results.

Here's the after photo. Drum roll please..................

It's not back to it's original condition, but it's much, much better. The damage is no longer the first thing you notice when you look at the sofa. Even knowing it's history.

And here's the floor after using the Sweater Stone.

The Sweater Stone. I can't imagine a cheaper, easier, and better way to revive my fuzzy sofa (and sweaters)!

*I have no idea if they still sell the Sweater Stone.

**This is not a paid advertisement--just a great solution I wanted to share with you!

January Reads

2012-02-06T09:37:00.000-06:00

Near the beginning of each month, I will be posting what I read in the previous month and a brief description of the book and my thoughts. I don't do lengthily summaries, you can find those anywhere and I encourage you to do so if you're interested. I will be brief, and probably a little vague.

1. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

A young girl and her family is arrested by French police in the 1942 Vel d'Hiv roundup, and her brother's survival depends on her. A journalist writing about the 60th anniversary of the Vel d'Hiv uncovers a family secret that connects her to the young girl. This is a wonderful page-turning read full of heartache. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

2. Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

High school sweethearts move from rags to riches through hard work but find their marriage has suffered. Husband has near-death experience and decides to turn their world upside down. Wife must confront her own feelings and what that means. I had really high hopes for this book, but I ended up disappointed. Call it cliche, but it was hard to sympathize with this wealthy couple, and I didn't really like the wife all that well. I think the real story would be what happens after the book ends, but in the end, the author doesn't explore the deeper issues that were present throughout the rest of the book. The writing is pretty solid, however, and the characters were well fleshed out. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

3. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

A mysterious man and his loyal supporters rescue Frances aristocrats during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. The beautiful Marguerite is thrust into the action in an effort to save her beloved brother. I picked up this classic in the Target bargain aisle based on this little excerpt on the back of the book:

"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven?--Is he in hell?
That deemed elusive Pimpernel?"

I knew nothing about the book and know no one else personally who has read it. I don't know if it's because I had little expectations or if I was just in the right frame of mind, but I loved it! I couldn't wait to read it each night. It was like a Jane Austen Adventure story. Which sounds bizarre but clearly worked for me. I would absolutely love to see a modern movie version of this book. I've attempted to watch there version available on Netflix, but it's a huge bust. I can't get past the first five minutes. I give the book 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

4. Bossypants by Tina Fey

A memoir by Saturday Night Live alum and 30-Rock writer/producer/star Tina Fey. I would call this "memoir light." I feel like we get some fun stories, hilarious self-depricating humor, and teases of celebrity dish. I'm pretty sure if I became famous and wrote a memoir it would be like this one. There's probably some juicy stuff that's been left out (as any self-respecting mother and currently employed Hollywood-type would do). But there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, so I give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

I keep my Bible on the nightstand and try to read from it most nights. I'm amazed over and over again the the depth of teaching, hope, and wisdom and the beauty of the language found in the Bible. It continues to blow my mind. I like that.

Those are my January reads. I've mentioned it before, but I'm a member of Goodreads. It's a free site where you can track what you've read, rate books, review books, read reviews from others (including me!). I find it much easier to find new reading material now. As is evident by the growing pile of books in my to-read pile! If you belong to Goodreads or decide to join, you can find me (and friend me) by clicking the Goodreads link on the right side of this blog.

Have you read anything good lately?

Random Friday

2012-02-03T09:59:00.001-06:00

1. It's finally starting to resemble winter here in Minnesota (although it was 46!? degrees here on Tuesday), and my daughters decided to dress up their magnetic doll for the cold weather. I thought they did pretty well considering the wardrobe consists only of ballet costumes. My daughter got very concerned when she realized we didn't have any mittens for the doll. I suggested shoes, which she thought was a brilliant idea. Now if it's ever so cold here that I need to start wearing shoes on my hands and face and flowers in my hair to keep me warm, it might be time to consider a move...or at least a wardrobe update*.

2. I made these no-bake chocolate chip granola bars this week. They were easy to throw together and turned out pretty good. I made all kinds of changes (subbed bran flakes for rice cereal and added coconut, cinnamon, and pecans) trying to get them to resemble my favorite cookie dough and found I needed to refrigerate them for a good long time before I could get them to set up like bars (our first taste we ate from bowls with spoons). I was happy with my first attempt at making granola bars. I'm still not a fan of honey though, so I think I'll try out a different recipe next time.

3. My three-year-old loves to talk about God and asks me all kinds of questions. One morning this week:

(In response to her sister's roar) Oh no! A lion! Mom, call God.

Mom will you ask God to pick up our house so we can dig for dinosaur bones under it?

Mom, does God have good hearing?

*After last Friday's Random, you'll be happy to know I did by a new stocking hat at Target this week. It's not fancy, but it is pink and it was only $1.40.

Organizing Goals 2012 - #9 A Chore Chart (For Me)

2012-02-01T12:27:00.000-06:00

This is the final entry for my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

9. A Chore Chart (For Me): A while back I jokingly mentioned that I need a chore chart for myself. A little gold-star motivation. I've never had a daily (or even weekly) cleaning schedule--I'm more of a clean before company kind of gal-- but I think I need to change that this year. I've seen some great examples of cleaning schedules on Pinterest, and my friend Bethany shared her weekly cleaning schedule recently. I like the idea of having a few things that need to be done every day and then divvying up the rest of the cleaning throughout the week. I always feel like maintenance is nearly impossible in my house between the dogs and the kids and the husband and the unpredictable work schedule, but I think I need to really give it a good effort this year. I always feel so much better when my house is clean. I hate that the messy state of my house is always in the back of my mind. And I've been catching myself a lot lately wanting to invite different people over at the last minute and feeling like I just can't do it. I don't want to be like that! I know my house will never be immaculate, but I do know I can do better. And I'm a sucker for crossing things off a list, so a laminated chore chart may just do the trick!

Organizing Goals 2012 - #8 Create a Storage Solution for Kitchen Entry/Island

2012-01-31T23:35:00.001-06:00

8. Create a Storage Solution for Kitchen Entry/Island: Sometimes I feel that if I solved this one problem area in my home, all my troubles would go away. I'm realistic enough to know that probably isn't true, but I'm really hoping to give it my best shot. Our kitchen entry becomes a dumping ground for coats, shoes, hats, mittens, gloves, backpacks, purses, and miscellaneous stuff--a LOT of miscellaneous stuff. There are several factors contributing to this mess.

This is the door my family uses 99 percent of the time.
There is no closet near this door,
There is a huge unused counter right next to the door.
We have no storage here other than four overused coat hooks and lots of flat surfaces.

I definitely know I want to get a lower set of hooks so my daughters can start hanging up their own coats, snow pants, and backpacks. Not only will that keep them off the floor, I won't have to do it anymore (win-win!). I'm thinking some sort of storage cubbies where the little table is now (it doesn't have to stay) or even under the ledge of the counter would be great. I hope to get to IKEA soon to take a look at a shoe storage unit, beautifully used here. If the divider can be removed from the top shoe drawer, even better. I'd use that one to store backpacks. I also need a better storage for hats and mittens. And finally, I would love a rug by this door, but I haven't had any luck finding one thin enough to be able to open the door. Even the super thin officey ones don't work. For now I have one leading from the door toward the kitchen, although it's not visible in the photos.

This is definitely one of my biggest challenges for the year. I look forward to getting started!

Ignore the dirty wall. It's leftover from two pictures I tried for years to keep hung. Every time we'd shut the door the pictures would tilt. I tried blue sticky stuff (as you can see), but it only helped a little. Finally I just took them down.

I'm always amazed that little coat rack doesn't fall off the wall.

Organizing Goals 2012 - #7 Combine Bedrooms

2012-01-30T10:16:00.003-06:00

Each day for the next week or so, I am introducing my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

7. Combine Girls' Bedrooms: Later this year we plan to move my youngest daughter in with her sister. It will involve buying new beds and bedding. I think my two-year-old is too young for bunk beds (I can just imagine them pushing each other off the top bunk), so I've got my eye on this amazing DIY trundle bed. Side-by-side bunks are also an option. We've got an old loveseat in the room that we cuddle on to read our books at night, which will have to go (the loveseat, not the cuddling and reading) to make room for the beds. We will also need to figure out how to combine closet and dresser space. There are two large, unused closets now. I would love to add closet desks if there is room. And finally, we'll decorate! The room is already painted and has some flower and fairy decals on the walls, but that's about it. I will be on the hunt for a rug to warm things up a bit. I have a fun dinosaur theme in mind--my daughter is obsessed.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake*

2012-01-29T10:13:00.000-06:00

So last week I made this little robot cake for my daughter. I have a 2-year-old now!

The girl likes robots.

It's not the greatest cake in the world, but I can't for the life of me remember her first birthday. What kind of mother doesn't remember her child's first birthday? I don't remember where we were, what we did, or what kind of cake we ate. I know I didn't make a special cake, if I made one at all. Here are the cakes I have made for my oldest daughter over the years:

This cake was pretty, and it was perfect for a spring 1st birthday. I'm not sure, but I think it may be upside down. Big wings go on top? Those marshmallow flower cupcake toppers were impressive and so easy to make!

My daughter was really into fish for her 2nd birthday (and still is!). I had the fish sugar cookies made but did the cake myself.

For her 3rd birthday, my daughter requested a strawberry cake. What can I say, she has good taste. I do remember I was actually out of town on her birthday, so we celebrated a couple days early.

So I guess what I'm getting at, is that I've tried to make birthdays special, with the exception of that missing first birthday. It's probably out of fear of guilt more than anything, as at this young age they won't remember. We haven't done any big parties yet, aside from family dinners, but if nothing else, a picture of a homemade birthday cake is proof that the day was celebrated, and it was more than just an afterthought. I was the youngest of three, and while we have lots of pictures of my sister's and brother's birthday cakes over the years, I don't think there are many of mine (at all). I guess I'll have to continue to step up my game for the youngest. So at least we'll have the photographic evidence.

*A reference to this lovely little book. It's funny. Especially if you were born 1978 and 1982, I think.

Random Friday

2012-01-27T12:30:00.001-06:00

Here's my random:

1. I reached into my daughter's drawer on Tuesday and was surprised to find all of her pants folded and in nice little piles. I could also tell her too-small 18-month pants were gone because the drawer was at at about quarter capacity. I had this weird feeling that some OCD person (more likely just someone very neat and organized) had been in my daughter's drawer and cleaned it out and folded everything into neat little piles. I paused for a second, and then I realized that person was me. I just completely forgot I had done it. I think I was secretly hoping for some mysterious person to come into my house and do that for me. Surprise cleaning and organizing. Every day. In every room. Wouldn't that be awesome? In all honesty, I'm still a little shocked every time I open that drawer.

2. My youngest daughter now has a catch phrase. She says, "Oh, man!" in a really whiny voice. It's from Swiper on Dora the Explorer. When she drops her cup: "Oh, man!" When she can't get her arm in her shirt: "Oh, man!" It's much better than her usual reaction, which would be a major tantrum. And it's pretty darn cute.

3. Monday I fulfilled my preschool volunteering duty for the year and helped with the annual mid-year classroom clean. The volunteers (there were probably 10-15 of us) were charged with wiping down every single thing in the classroom. That means every Lego, every plastic vegetable, every shelf and drawer, every plastic super hero action figure, and every wooden block. Everything. It was a flurry of cleaning. We had it done in just over 2 hours. I dream such a cleaning troupe would scrub their way through my house.

4. How is it possible that I live in Minnesota and do not own a proper stocking hat? And is there a non-Dad word for stocking hat? If nothing else, I need one so I can slap it on my head at preschool pickup and drop off and not have to think about my hair. Notice I didn't say "do my hair." Usually I just think about how I should have done something to my hair.

5. I made a yummy veggie, ham, and cheese bake for supper last night. At least I thought it was good. My daughters each ate about two bites, and my husband was gone for the evening. Nothing like a giant casserole for one!

Now you'll have to excuse me, "My tummy is feeling a bit eleven-o'clockish." (Name that movie.) Time for leftovers.

Organizing Goals 2012 - #6 Reorganize Bathroom Storage

2012-01-26T18:29:00.003-06:00

Each day for the next week or so, I am introducing my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

6. Reorganize Bathroom Storage: It's been almost two years since I organized my bathroom storage. You can see how that went here and here. Based on these current before photos below, I'd say it's time I get to work.

Organizing Goals 2012 - #5 Organize Food and Finances

2012-01-24T11:41:00.000-06:00

Each day for the next week or so, I am introducing my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

5. Organize Food and Finances: There is a reason my daughter once asked me if budget is a bad word. No, we don't have problem overspending in our house. We live well within our means. But constant debit-card purchases (even on necessary expenses) were adding stress in our lives. Seeing that long banking statement with several purchases a day was like watching money fall out of our pockets. My husband has long asked me for a household budget with the purpose of figuring out exactly where our money goes. This year I've finally created a budget, and we are working toward a more cash-based system for handling expenses. I think there may be a few kinks to figure out, but progress is being made. We were both amazed when we checked our bank statement and there hadn't been a purchase in 5 days.

The new budget has led me to organize my food purchases and menu planning. Before all this, I had a general idea of what we had on hand and what we tend to eat, and I would make a very general list, forgetting things, including things we didn't need, etc. Then my husband would make the trip to Aldi to stock our pantry and would end up buying 36 cans of soup (the kind my daughters refuse to eat), of which I might eat two in the next four months. You get the idea.

First, I looked for an app that included the following:
1. pantry inventory--I need to know what we already have on hand before I know what we need to buy.
2. long-term menu planning--I need to know what I plan to cook so I know what I need to buy for our 4-month supply.
3. shopping list--My husband tends to make the Aldi shopping trip, so it's important that I can provide him with a very detailed shopping list--I learned that yesterday when he interpreted an arrow I drew as a 5 and came home with 5 containers of sour cream. He also called to confirm that we needed 40 cans of black beans. No, that was actually a 4 with another number crossed out.

Unfortunately, I haven't found the magic app yet. But I did find a pretty amazing 3 Month Food Supply spreadsheet from Food Storage Made Easy.* The spreadsheet includes a column for ingredients on the left, and spanning the table to the right at the top of the page are meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for 30 days. The girls have included a "Have on hand" column, where you can enter the number of each ingredient you have on hand. You then fill out your meals for the month, and under each meal you mark the number of each ingredient needed. The beauty of this spreadsheet is that it will then give you a 3 month total, as well as the number you need to buy (figuring what you have on hand) to make that 3 month total.

Clearly start-up is time-consuming. I first did a food inventory, which with my daughter's "help" took me about 45 minutes. Then, I planned my meals for the month. This was surprisingly easy. I picked a homemade soup for one day each week, and I had a day for leftovers, which left me with only 5 days to fill each week. Next, I started filling in the ingredients. I first copied and pasted the Common Food Items list found on another page of the spreadsheet. I did it that way so the ingredients would be organized by category and in alphabetical order. Then I added and removed items based on my food inventory. And finally, I went meal by meal marking the number of items needed to prepare each meal.

So I now have a 3-month shopping list. This is great, But unfortunately I need a 4-month list. So I still need to tweak the spreadsheet. For the trip yesterday, I wrote out the list and added a month's worth of ingredients to each 3-month total. It did feel pretty great to have my husband come home from Aldi knowing he got things we will actually use (aside from the 5 containers of sour cream). I am still trying to figure out the best way to keep the food inventory updated.

I love it when a working toward a goal has some unexpected benefit. I've been meal planning for a couple of weeks already, and let me just shout it out: I LOVE IT! Never would I have imagined that having a meal plan would be so...freeing? You know that gnawing in the back of your mind every day that starts at about 4:00 when you realize you have no idea what to make for dinner, and then you start to ask yourself why you have to be the one to figure this crap out every day. And then you start to resent the fact that you have to cook anything at all. And then you say Screw it! and order a pizza? No? I guess it's just me.

Things are totally different now. I actually look forward to checking the menu plan throughout the week.

Oooh, fajitas! Great idea.

Yum, I can't wait for Friday when we have that roast.

Better thaw out that ham today.

It feels like 50% of the burden of cooking has been lifted. Knowing what we're having and being confident that I actually have the ingredients on hand to make the food is a huge relief. And I'm being more creative with my meals rather than falling back on my last-minute standby dishes. I also like that I feel free to switch meals around within the week to better fit our schedule.

I still have some figuring to do with our food budget. Between the three annual Aldi trips and the fact that we order a quarter of beef a couple times a year, figuring out a monthly total gets complicated. But, I am working on it. So that is progress toward my goal.

Do you meal plan? How detailed do you get? Do you use a food inventory? Do you use technology to meal plan?

*Wow, I did not realize that there is a whole food storage culture out there. Who knew? I am not part of the food storage culture. I am just lazy and like to spend a little time as possible grocery shopping. In addition to Aldi, we stock perishables from the local grocery store throughout the month and buy meat from a local butcher.

Organizing Goals 2012 - #4 Reorganize Linen Closet

2012-01-21T17:43:00.000-06:00

Each day for the next week or so, I am introducing my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

4. Reorganize Linen Closet: You may remember this before-and-after of my linen closet. Lately it's been looking more before than after. This closet is also where I store gift wrap supplies, cards and envelops, games, light bulbs, my shoes, and several other odds and ends. It's time to revisit this space and clear out some clutter. My girls' art supplies (Play-Doh, crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, coloring books, etc.) have been growing exponentially, and I need to find a good storage solution. If you have any great ideas for storing art supplies, pass them along. I'm considering something like this, which would make them easily portable. And I think a magazine file might be a good way to store the coloring books.

I've got my work cut out for me

Notice my shoes are noticeably absent from the shoe rack.
Apparently they were scared off by the dinosaur. ROAR!

Organizing Goals 2012 - #3 Organize Spices

2012-01-20T23:59:00.000-06:00

Each day for the next week or so, I am introducing my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

3. Organize Spices: I store my spices and baking supplies in a tall storage cupboard next to my refrigerator. Like most of my cupboards, I'm not using the bottom shelves. My youngest would empty it out for me daily if I did. So everything has been stuffed onto the top five shelves. Considering I can't actually reach the top shelf, that leaves me with four working shelves. My spices are out of control. I've been slowly stocking up on them over the last year, and unfortunately because they are a jumbled mess, I've bought several duplicates, compounding the storage problem. I ordered these spice clips (found via Pinterest) a couple of weeks ago. Like the good online shopper I am, I scoured the Internet and found the best deal after figuring in tax and shipping. Unfortunately the company I ordered from has them on back order. I'm hoping they will finally arrive by the end of the month. I love the idea behind this product. I've found most cupboard door storage solutions are often so deep they take of half of your actual shelf space. These are versatile and appear to use minimal shelf space. I can't wait to get started on this project! Here is what my baking cupboard looks like today.

Here are the "top" two shelves from a distance. Anyone want a year's worth of Food Network Magazines?
(Why yes, we did paint the outside of our cabinets white and got lazy and did not paint the insides.)

Let's take a closer look at that second shelf. This is what I see when I'm trying to find something.

And here are the "bottom" two shelves from a distance. Don't laugh at the five jars of peanut butter, laugh at my husband. He read an article about rising peanut prices and made a point to stock up. Yes, the rising cost of peanuts would be a big deal in our house.

Need some cumin, you say? Hmm...

Organizing Goals 2012 - #2 Create/Childproof Playroom

2012-01-19T19:12:00.000-06:00

Each day for the next week or so, I am introducing my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. The first post in the series can be found here.

2. Create/Childproof Playroom: I'm looking forward to a time when I won't have to keep my eye on my youngest every second of the day. In anticipation of that day, I'll be working this year to create and childproof a designated playroom. I want to transform our basement family room, which is currently where my husband occasionally plays Xbox and my daughter plays with her trains, into a space where my girls can play, while purging our living room of it's current daycare-esque decor. (I literally have a giant castle in my living room and a plastic princess pink vanity in my dining room.) We already have a huge storage unit in the basement that we bought at IKEA several years ago. With some bins, it will be a great place to stash toys. We had a coffee table and an end table in the room that we weren't using, and I hauled them off to the donation center on Sunday (along with a weight bench and weights from the storage room and other odds and ends), so the space is opening up. Eventually I'd like to get rid of our excess furniture and add some kid-friendly seating, book storage, a rug, and an activity table and chairs.

Sorry for the glare in this photo. The sun was reflecting off our white wood work.

Organizing Goals 2012 - #1 Organize Storage Room

2012-01-18T19:36:00.000-06:00

We are well into January already. And yes, I'm still writing "2011" on everything. I've made some organization-specific resolutions/goals for the coming year. Last year I found I was pretty successful in keeping my resolutions when I introduced them gradually. This year, I'm hoping to continually move toward each of my goals, and I'm already making some progress.

Each day for the next week or so, I will introduce my storage/organization/cleaning goals, plans, and progress for 2012. And I will revisit these goals throughout the year as progress is made.

1. Organize Storage Room:

This is actually one I can almost check off the list. The new year started with my husband expanding the shelving in our storage/laundry room. He also added shelving for his hunting and fishing stuff and a bench and chairs to create a workspace. I am relieved to finally have a home for all of those fishing poles and duck calls that inevitably end up on our kitchen counter. Just after we had everything put away in the storage room, my sister sent me several boxes of baby clothes via a visit from my parents. We are planning on having more children, so we'll hang on to the clothes for now. I was happy to see there was actually still room for the clothes on the storage shelves. The final to-do in the storage room is to find a place for our pantry overflow. We stock up at Aldi a few times a year, and whatever doesn't fit in the pantry goes in the storage room. Previously the food was stored on our shelves (when the floors were covered in stuff). I have my eye on the shelves above our washer and dryer, but they are inconvenient for a shorty like me. For now, I'm holding off on figuring it out until our next trip to Aldi, which I plan on making in the next couple of weeks. If I were going for perfection, we would have matching plastic storage bins on these shelves. I'm not going for perfection. I happily used what we had on hand. Diaper boxes make great boxes for kids' clothes. Down the road I may replace some of the cardboard boxes and bags, but for now it works.

I wish I had a before photo to show you the dramatic transformation, but you'll have to take my word for it. This is about twelve thousand times better. I can now do laundry without passing through an obstacle course (yay?). On the right side of the room (not pictured) is more shelving, a work table, and the washer and dryer.

On a slightly unrelated note, I've been watching old episodes of Hoarders on Netflix. Have you seen this? It's fills me with anxiety. The episode where the woman hoards perishable food? The one where they remove 8,000 pounds of GARBAGE from one woman's home. Or when they find 13 dead cats in another home. I've decided, though, that it's not so much the amount of junk, clutter, and garbage that these people are living in that makes this show so heart wrenching. It's the strained relationships. The hopelessness of the loved ones who so desperately want the fog to clear from their father/mother/sister/brother's eyes. It kills me.

Sunny Day

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

Is an afternoon walk with the kids really something to blog about? When it's January in Minnesota and it's 50 degrees outside, I say yes! My parents visited this past weekend, and while my husband and father were ice fishing (apparently it's been cold enough to make some ice), my mom and I took the girls for a long walk two days in a row. This winter has been crazy nice, and I just know it's going to be one of those marker years we will refer back to in our old age. Remember that winter when there was no snow and we had more days above freezing than below? Of course it is only January, and a cold front is coming our way.

But I'll always have this photo to prove the elusive mild Minnesota winter really does exist.

Crunchy Birthday Cookies

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000-06:00

When I was a little girl, I'm guessing around 5, I received this birthday card with a recipe for Crunchy Birthday Cookies. I love these cookies. They are scrumptious, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, hearty, full of texture and yum, and the cookie dough pre-baked is pretty much the best thing ever. Not that you should eat raw cookie dough. But I do. Actually I read somewhere that you can buy pasteurized eggs. I've never tried them, but the next time I'm pregnant and get a craving for cookie dough, I might give them a try.

*I forgot the baking soda in this photo.

I love that a birthday card included a recipe. And a recipe new to the family. It's become an heirloom recipe, and those are few and far between in our house.

I'm tempted to eat all of this.

Crunchy Birthday Cookies

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg (well beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 c. dry oatmeal
1 c. corn flakes (I use bran flakes)
1/2 c. coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Cream butter; add sugars, then egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Add corn flakes, oatmeal, coconut, and pecans to mixture. Roll into small balls and place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Will make approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Don't over-bake them or the coconut starts to burn. Enjoy!

Yum. Yum, Yum. Yum.

Random Friday

2012-01-06T12:43:00.000-06:00

I call this post Random Friday, which may or may not indicate a recurring weekly post on random stuff. We shall see. Since I've deactivated my Facebook account and don't really care to use Twitter, I suspect this is where all the Facebook status updates I compose in my head will end up.

I've added a follow by e-mail button over on the right. If you want to get e-mail updates when I add a new post, go ahead and enter your e-mail address and hit submit. Easy.

My almost-two-year-old thinks smiling is something you do only with your eyes. Tell her to smile and she makes huge bug eyes that slowly drift off to the side. I'm not sure where this came from, but it never fails to make me laugh. Maybe she thinks "Smile!" is a command to get her to make me smile. In that case, she's got it down.

I'm seriously considering a chore chart for myself. Apparently I am five and thus need some manufactured motivation.

I am also counting down the days until I think my daughters can grasp this concept. It's brilliant. I think I'm almost there with the three-year-old.

I feel terrible for my 137-pound dog who had a growth removed from his foot last Tuesday. He's stuck with a cone of shame for what I've been told will be a "very long healing process" involving twice-weekly bandage changes by the vet. And did I mention his cone of shame is actually a size bigger than necessary because the vet was out of his size. Her exact words were "it's big enough for a bear." I jokingly asked if he would be able to fit through the door, and she said, "if he turns his head sideways." It's true. My daughter observed that he looks like Mother Goose. I'm not sure a bonnet would be any less degrading. Poor guy.

Preschool Game Review: Go Fish!

2012-01-05T14:50:00.001-06:00

For Christmas this year my three-year-old received pretty much the most perfect gift for her (thanks, Amanda!), and I thought I'd tell you about. It can be hit-or-miss with kids games, so when I find a good one, I want to share it. The Go Fish game from Playchest Games is actually two games in one. There is a color matching game that's perfect for any little one who knows their colors. It's a fast game, which is perfect for kids (or parents) who have a short attention span. Fish cards are spread out on the table face down. Players take turns using the fishing pole to fish for cards. If you catch a fish that matches the color of your boat, it goes into your boat--it's a keeper. If you catch a different color, you release it back into the "pond." My daughter and I started out playing the matching game. I've been playing matching games with my daughter for almost a year now, but she's just now finally starting to get it and pay attention and remember where things are. In fact, I left to throw in a load of laundry one day and told her to set up the game. I sat down to play and she got three matches right away. I started to get suspicious when I went to fish and she started smiling and shaking her head. She said, "that's not a green one!" I said, "Hey, you can't cheat. Did you look at the cards when you set them up?" She said, "Mom, it's supposed to be a memory game!" So technically she's starting to get it, but apparently we need to work on the details. This game goes quickly. There are only four slots to fill on your boat, and there are eight cards of each color. The odds are pretty good. There are also three lose-a-turn cards (a boot, an anchor, and a rubber tire). Two to four players can play.

We quickly graduated on to the second, slightly more difficult game, which is Go Fish pretty much as you already know it. This game ignores colors and requires the players to be able to recognize numbers. The cards are spread out face down and each player picks six cards for their boat. Oh how I wish there were six slots in each boat. It's taken my daughter several games to figure out how to keep her six cards in the four-slotted boat, and she still occasionally forgets to check the cards that are hidden behind other cards. BUT, she's learning. The fish cards are numbered 1-8 (thank you Playchest Games for not making us distinguish between 9s and 6s! I noticed, and I appreciate it.). Matches are placed face up next to your boat. The youngest player goes first and asks for a number. If the player has the number, the asker gets the card and the match and goes again. If the player does not have the number asked for, the asker gets to "go fish."

The fishing rod is awesome. It's got a firm line and a suction cup under the worm that works surprisingly well to catch fish. The line can be angled for the best possible catch and the worm and line can even be "hooked" to the pole for storage. My daughter loves when she has to "go fish." Today when we were playing she pretended to jig, set the hook, and reel in. Cute. She's also made up stories for the fish and the worm. "That fish is hungry, he's licking his lips! The worm is scared, look." I don't know if it's because the youngest player gets to go first, but my daughter legitimately beats me almost every game. Stomps me, is more accurate. Notice in the photo below I am blue and she is purple. I have one match and she has seven.

Another great feature of this game is the storage box. Everything fits easily, and the sturdy box closes securely, so there's no dropping the game and pieces going flying. Is that only a problem in my house? There's even a handle. I love this game. I've played it at least once a day and usually several times a day with my daughter since Christmas, and I don't mind it one bit. On the box it shows three other Playchest Games: Penguin Plunge, Silly Story Maker, and Once Upon a Castle. I think I'm going to look into those next!

*I was not paid for this review, I just really like this game!

Notes from the Couch

2012-01-02T14:58:00.001-06:00

jeff medaugh

Occasionally my girls catch an episode of Angelina Ballerina on Netflix. (Did you know Judi Dench voices Angelina's dance instructor, Miss Lilly, in the series? I love that.) It occurred to me that the girls had probably never seen real ballet. I quickly searched Netflix and started playing the documentary Ballerina. Despite having to explain subtitles, which led to a discussion of languages, etc., the documentary held their attention for a pretty long stretch. We were watching a particularly beautiful and elegant ballet when my daughter said the following: "Mom...Mom...Mom, next Halloween...next Halloween can my costume be a..."

Could it be? My very tomboyish daughter was getting a girly streak? She was appreciating the elegance, gracefulness, and beauty of ballet?

"...a hunter? I want to be a hunter for Halloween."

Maybe her younger sister will want to be a ballerina.

My Christmas Wish: No More Diapers

2011-12-22T22:43:00.000-06:00

So despite having virtually zero freelance work over the last week or so, things have been anything but dull around here. My youngest daughter will be turning two next month, and I've been waiting for the perfect time to potty-train her (as if there is ever a perfect time!). My three-year-old was potty-trained a couple months before she turned two, and it went pretty smoothly. Since my workload has taken a nosedive and most of our holiday events have come and gone, I decided now is as good as time as any. So on Sunday morning, I pulled out the underwear instead of the diapers and jumped right in. My method of potty training is intense, but it's over rather quickly (about five days).

I started potty-training my oldest based on the advice of the sister of my brother-in-law, an experienced mother and day-care provider. Her advice came via a Facebook comment. I've gone to her with questions before (Best diaper cream? Triple Paste), and she's never steered me wrong. She said to switch her over to underwear (no pull-ups) cold turkey, have her wear tight stretchy pants (hello, leggings!), and ask her if she has to go potty a million times. Of course, there's lots of praise and a little manipulation going on: Look, you kept Minnie Mouse dry, she's so happy she's smiling!!! Don't get the ponies wet, yuck! It also requires your undecided attention for five days straight. It sounds simple, but it really does work.

I've been through this once before, so I stocked up on underwear and had my stash of tight-fitting stretchy pants ready. There will be lots of accidents for the first two or three days. Day one, was accident after accident after accident. Lots of sitting on the potty and more accidents. Day two, was only a couple big accidents where she fully released her bladder, and lots of little accidents where she would pass a little urine and then sit on the potty. She started having success on the potty on day two. She would pee several times throughout the day, but it would be only a tiny bit at a time. By day three she was definitely having better recognition of when she had to go. She had one big accident, but otherwise it was all just a spot of pee in the underwear before going on the potty. The evening of day three we reached a crossroads. My daughter was doing a great job of not having accidents, but she also wasn't fully emptying her bladder on the potty. She'd let just a tiny amount pass each time. This meant lots and lots of trips to the potty and increasing discomfort for her as she struggled with not wanting to have an accident and not really letting it all pass on the potty. She cried and had the mother of all meltdowns for almost 30 minutes. She even brought me a diaper in tears. At that point I took the diaper in my hands and almost gave in. That's when I realized the potty training was actually working. She understood that she wasn't supposed to go in her underwear; we just needed to help her feel comfortable going on the potty. It was incredibly difficult, but I didn't give in. Eventually, she calmed down and went to the potty on her own and released.

On day four there was only one big accident when she was reading and I had gone a long stretch without asking her if she had to go. On the evening of day four we had a big win, however. She pooped in the potty!!! On day one she had pooped in her diaper at nap time (I keep her in diapers for naps and overnight), but she hadn't pooped since then. I was relieved when she finally went on Wednesday and overjoyed that she did it in the potty. On day five we had no accidents--not even tiny leaks. She stayed dry the entire day. I had some last-minute Christmas shopping to finish up that night and had to leave her with our sitter for a few hours. I had no idea how it would go, but I got a great report when I returned home: no accidents and two nice long pees on the potty! She makes lots of trips to the potty (false alarms), but I'd call a dry 24 hours a success! It's now day six and things are going great. She even told me she had to go potty when she was in the bath and then went went I took her out. And she's now fully emptying her bladder every time (as far as I can tell).

I plan to keep her in a diaper at nap time and overnight until she consistently stays dry during those times. I kept her sister in diapers overnight for a couple months after she was potty-trained. When I finally got tired of "wasting" a diaper each night, I switched her to underwear. She's never had an accident at night.

Potty-training this time around has been more difficult. My oldest never had this bladder-release problem and the grumpiness that came with it. She also didn't have a sibling distracting her a dozen times in a million different ways. And we've got a fabric sofa to worry about instead of a leather one. Also, I potty-trained my oldest when my youngest was just a month old and I was pretty much sitting and nursing all day. I'm much more aware this time around how much focus and time this process takes. But the timeline for success has been much the same. The bonus this time around is that my daughter prefers to go on the big potty, so I don't have to clean out the little potty. In fact, I'm planning on putting it away in our storage room tonight.

So it looks like I'm getting my Christmas wish: no more diapers!!

My New Favorite Potato Soup

2011-12-15T13:23:00.001-06:00

Last night I was thinking about what I could make for supper. With a trip to the grocery store planned for later that evening, the refrigerator was relatively empty, and I was feeling uninspired. I had a handful of potatoes left from our garden harvest and some frozen diced leftover ham. I started searching the Internet for a creamy potato and ham soup. I scored when I found Christy Jordan's Southern Plate's My Favorite Potato Soup recipe. I'd say that's the perfect name, as it's now my favorite potato soup. I didn't have any whipping cream, so I used Christy's suggested substitution of evaporated milk. I also added a stalk of chopped celery. I only wished I'd had some green onion and bacon to top it off. Yum!

Potato soup is a big comfort food for me. The smell of it cooking on the stove brings me back to lunch at my grandparents' house when I was a kid. I also love that it's simple and easy. My photos don't do this recipe justice. Click the link above to see a truly delicious photo. My husband usually isn't drawn to potato soup like I am, but he loved this recipe, had seconds, and declared it the best potato soup he's ever had. I had to guard the pot just to make sure there was enough for me to have leftovers today.

The World of Dick and Jane: A First Reader Experience

2011-12-12T11:23:00.000-06:00

Today I was finishing up a bit of work at the computer while my daughters were playing quietly in another room. "Quietly" being the operative word. Usually there is laughing, screaming, crying, tattle-telling, singing, crashes, etc. In the quiet, I could hear my daughter reading. She's three.

She started reading a couple months ago. One night I was busy switching out a load of laundry before bed, and I told her to go read (look at) a book while she waited for me. She said, "Mom I don't know how to read." So that night I started teaching her. Way back before she was even walking I bought her a Dick and Jane book. It was the first book I learned to read. It was also the first book my mother learned to read. She still has that copy, tattered and full of the doodles of the progression of kids who have read its pages.

My daughter has been amazing. I think it's a combination of memorizing certain words and certain word characteristics (the long "s" word is "something") and thinking about letter sounds. It been interesting for me, as well. I will never know why she consistently mixed up "come" and "look" over and over again. It's certainly been a test of my patience. She often looks at the illustrations first and has a million questions before she even starts reading...many of which are answered in the text. It took me a while to learn that she wanted to be challenged. We started out by rereading several stories each night often repeating two or three from the previous night. I think she would get bored and start guessing the words rather than studying them as she read. Now we read one new story from the book each night. The beauty of Dick and Jane is the repetition. And as new words are added they appear again and again in later stories. It's true, as an adult the repetition gets old quickly. But what I didn't remember as a kid was the humor in the illustrations. Spot, the dog, digging sand onto Sally who then uses an umbrella to shield herself from the falling sand. The kid who makes a mess and blames the pet. I can identify with the mother who is grocery shopping. Sally (the youngest) grabs a bag of cookies and is ready to go home. That's it. The most important item is in the cart. My daughter thought the story of of the three children dressing up as monsters in paper dry-cleaning bags and then chasing the father was hilarious. While there are a few things to explain, such as milk delivery, the stories are timeless.

Anyway, all of this is background to the moment this morning when I heard my daughter reading all on her own for the first time. Precious. I was beaming with pride. I opened up Blogger and started writing this post. Suddenly I heard her running and the bathroom door open and shut quickly. I could hear my daughter make her way to the potty. And then I heard these words: "Mom, I got poop in my underwear!" (It was just a tiny spot.) Ah, yes. The book so good you just can't tear yourself away. We've all been there. I guess the next lesson for my daughter will be that there are times when you just have to put the book down and take care of business. And then you can always come back and pick up where you left off.

These are the important lessons in life.

Holidazzle 101

2011-12-08T22:07:00.001-06:00

Every holiday season leading up to Christmas, Minneapolis features a festive event called the Holidazzle Parade. This is it's 20th season. Here's a rundown of what to expect, including photos and tips for planning your own Holidazzle visit. (The photos are in random order and not at all related to the "Best" and "Worst" labels below. I just wanted to include as many photos as possible.)

The Nutcracker

The beauty of the the Holidazzle Parade is that it begins the day after Thanksgiving and continues every Thursday through Sunday night for four weeks. This year there are fifteen opportunities to see the parade. This is important for a number of reasons:

The parade is at night in the December. The parade starts at 6:30. If you've ever been to Minnesota in December, you know it gets COLD. And once the theoretical sun goes down, it gets even colder. So if you have plans to head to the parade and it's snowed 14 inches with -34 windchill, you can stay home, be safe, and go a different night! *Tip: The Holidazzle Parade does occasionally get canceled for bad weather. It's always a good idea to check local broadcast stations for cancellations if it's extra cold, windy, or snowy.
Its a fun and FREE event to take any family and friends who may be visiting. We had family visiting from out of state and decided to meet up at the parade. Fun! Free! Festive! *Tip: I talk a lot about the hot seats in this post, because that was our experience this year, but there are plenty of free options for viewing the parade. People do bring a blanket and cozy up outdoors. If you get there early, you can view the parade from above in the skywalk. The parade route spans Nicollet Mall, a pedestrian mall lined with shops and restaurants. You can easily enjoy some pre-parade shopping and view the parade while enjoying a snack or meal by sitting at a window seat.
It's not a big commitment. The parade lasts about 20 minutes. Some of you may be wondering if a 20 minute parade is worth it. I'd say it's worth doing at least once. And trust me, you don't want to be out there much longer than 20 minutes. And did I mention it's free?
It keeps the crowds down. We went on a Thursday night, so it may be more crowded on a weekend evening or perhaps a milder evening, but I guess the good thing about a parade in December is that no one is anxious to get there early...and it's not necessary.

This was our first year attending the parade. Here's a list of what I considered the best and worse of our Holidazzle experience:

Best: It's a parade at night. The lights are festive and the floats are creative. The parade participants are wonderfully cheerful...or they are just moving as much as possible to stay warm. Many of the costumed characters from the stories are riding on or walking near the floats. The Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz was pretty awesome riding her bicycle. And pretty much everything is illuminated, including marching band costumes and choir robes.

Pinocchio

Worst: It's a parade at night in December. I'm hardy, but it's December!

Dancing Christmas lights--There's a person in each one!

Best: Avoiding traffic by taking the light rail. *Tip: This year on December 10 and 17 from 4 to 8 pm, ride Metro Transit buses and light rail FREE or ride the Northstar train FREE after 3 pm on both days to Holidazzle.

Santa's workshop

Worst: Trying to get a squirmy toddler to understand she has to sit during the train ride. "I walk! I walk!"

The Wizard of Oz

Best: Hot seats--a paid seating area in heated tents. *Tip: Buy your hot seat tickets early. They go on sale near the end of October. Check the website often. They sell out quickly. Hot seat tickets for 2011 are sold out. I did see see someone looking to sell/trade tickets on the Holidazzle Facebook page, so it might be worth checking there in a pinch. Adult tickets this year were $9. Kids three and under are free when sitting on the lap of an adult. I'm not sure of the price for big kids.

Illuminated choir

Worst: Hurriedly walking with two small children six blocks from the light rail station to the hot seats. In full winter gear. And then carrying them in full winter gear so you can get there faster. *Tip: Don't be late. No one is admitted to the hot seat tent after the parade starts (or so the sign said).

Not sure what this was

Best: Free hot chocolate and hot cider in the hot seats tent. *Tip: Don't tell the kids ahead of time about the hot chocolate in an attempt to make them walk more quickly. It's more trouble than it's worth. If they don't know it's available, they won't be disappointed when you decide not to get some.

Hansel and Gretel

Worst: Scalding my hand three times while waiting for the hot chocolate to cool enough to drink (as the last float was passing by), while holding a squirmy preschooler in full winter gear and taking photos. *Tip: Skip the hot chocolate if possible. It will spill, and you don't need another thing to hold. And don't wear anything nice. Even if you skipped the hot chocolate, the person above you or squished in next to you or walking by you may not have.

Illuminated marching band

Best: The floats are really impressive. This year's theme was A Fairytale for All, and each float had a fairytale theme. I didn't get a photo, but one of my daughter's favorites (and mine!) was a zoo-train themed float (Dumbo, perhaps?) with kids in adorable, vibrant animal costumes in circus rail cars. I also missed a photo of the Little Red Riding Hood Float. I found the scale of the Peter Pan float awesome.

Peter Pan

Worst: Climbing our way up the bleachers in the hots seats. We arrived just minutes before the parade started, and our family had saved us seats on the second row from the bottom. Yet it was so crowded in the hot seats it was still difficult to get us all up that one step. *Tip: There is plenty of room for children to stand at the front of the tent to view the parade. It's expected. There's even a sign to let you know it's a children's viewing area.

Spinning Snowman

Best: Everyone clapping as Santa closes out the parade.

Santa and his reindeer

Worst: Walking the six blocks back to the light rail station with two tired toddlers in full winter gear. *Tip: We considered bringing a stroller to haul at least one kid but were worried about finding a place to stash the stroller while we were in the tent. There is stroller parking in a cordoned area at the tent entrance. Wish I had known that!

Overall my preschooler had a blast. The toddler just soaked it all in. Next year we'll bring a stroller and skip the hot chocolate.

Snow Ice Cream!

2011-12-04T12:39:00.001-06:00

I first saw snow ice cream last winter, but I kept forgetting to put a bowl out ahead of time to catch snow. We got six inches of snow Saturday, and in the anticipation of our first "big" snow of the year, I actually remembered and put two big bowls out on our deck.

There are several "recipes" out there for Snow Ice Cream. I decided to go with Paula Dean's recipe. I had the sweetened condensed milk in my pantry stocked for fall baking. Here are the details:

1. Take 8 cups of snow.

2. Add 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk.

3. Add 1 tsp. of vanilla.

4. Mix and serve.

In the photo above I hadn't added all of the snow. When I first read the recipe, I actually thought it called for 5 cups instead of 8 cups. I ended up adding more snow because it was so soupy. Then I checked the recipe and realized what had happened.

My girls were thrilled to try snow ice cream. I thought the flavor was surprisingly comparable to store-bought vanilla ice cream. After we sampled the vanilla, I added a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the rest of the batch. It was really good, reminding me of a Wendy's Frosty. Yum! In fact, scooping this into a cup and drinking it with a straw sounds like a great idea. Of course the texture is icier rather than creamier, but that's not the point. The point of snow ice cream is to give your kids yet one more reason to look forward to a large snowfall. As if they need another reason!

Now if we could only figure out how to make snow ice cream on a hot summer day...

Singing, Baking, and Making Merry: The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

2011-12-03T19:59:00.001-06:00

After reading this post from my friend Bethany yesterday, I decided I wanted to make a conscious effort to get into the Christmas spirit. I knew we had snow on the way, and after a relatively snow-free November (I'm not complaining!), I was ready for things to start looking a little less like Thanksgiving and a little more like Christmas.

Funny Thanksgiving story: After a long day of celebrating and no nap to speak of, my almost two-year-old daughter fell asleep on a trampoline WHILE her cousins were jumping on it. I knew exactly how she felt.

Back to Christmas! So I cranked up the Children's Christmas Radio Station on Pandora and decided to bake some cookies. Listening to a new talker sing Jingle Bells: Cutest. Thing. Ever. This was the first time I had my youngest help out with the cookies (I usually save baking for nap time), and she did a great job. Somehow sibling rivalry was kept to a minimum and both girls were happy taking turns dumping in ingredients. I modified the Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe subbing in 3/4 cup white chocolate chips for chocolate chips since I'd had a partial bag sitting around. I used dark brown sugar because for some reason I'm often blinded in the baking aisle and grab dark instead of light. And I baked them at 350 instead of 375 simply because I turned on the oven and then forgot to check the recipe for the baking temp. Fortunately the cookies turned out delicious! For some reason it took me 31+ years to figure out that I like cookies slightly undercooked and to consciously make them this way. I also liked how the white chocolate chips toned down the sweetness of the cookie without sacrificing chunky goodness. I have found my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! My husband agreed. He was super curious what I did differently and actually said they were the best he's ever had. I call that a win!

The original recipe yields 5 dozen cookies, or so it says. I think I ended up with just over 2 dozen. Where did those other 3 dozen cookies go? Are the Hershey's people making tiny cookies? Are they not sampling the cookie dough?

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely or until you can't wait another minute. About 2 dozen cookies.

So as the sun was going down last night, my three-year-old and I shoveled a few inches of snow from our driveway. Someone in our neighborhood was enjoying a fire in their fireplace (thank you wood-burning fireplace-owning neighbors; that smell is home to me), and we are a couple snowy steps closer to Christmas.

Hello, December (Holiday Photo Card Comparison)

2011-12-03T18:09:00.001-06:00

I spent the last week creating our Christmas card, something I'm doing myself for the first time. Usually it's our super-talented photographer friend who does the job, but after a fall season of big expensive (loving our new fence!! and our new giant sectional!!) purchases, we're holding off on a big photo order for now. That said, I spent the last week exploring a number of photo card sites, customizing cards, and changing my mind at least a dozen times. I checked out tinyprints.com, Shutterfly.com, iPhoto, Snapfish.com, and PearTreeGreetings.com They all had positives and negatives, but I did pick a favorite. Here's a completely subjective and nonscientific rundown of my thoughts on each:

tinyprints

Great fun, contemporary styles - especially their Rainbow group
Prices are on the higher side
Good sorting options
Easy to make several cards and compare

Shutterfly

Good mix of classic and contemporary styles
Prices on the lower side

iPhoto

High-quality cards & envelopes (based on a card my husband made for me a few months ago)
Limited styles and and color options
Prices are moderate to high

Snapfish

Many standard style options
Prices are low

Pear Tree Greetings

Creative designs and shapes
Prices are moderate
Awesome color customization options including artwork (LOVED THIS!)

I chose to order my cards from Pear Tree Greetings. I loved their fun designs, and the color customization options won me over. The prices are in the middle of pack. I ordered matching return address labels, but you can have envelopes printed instead for an extra charge. Some of the companies even offer to address and mail your cards for you. This can be a great time saver. I would have considered this option, but I didn't have my addresses in a compatible format, so I decided to address them myself.

If you're thinking of ordering photo cards online this year, I suggest signing up for the card company mailing list a day or two before you order. Both tinyprints and Pear Tree Greetings sent me either discount codes or free shipping offers. A general Google search for a coupon code for the specific company may also work in your favor. I believe I got 5% off my order by doing so.

This was a really fun project, and I can't wait to see the finished cards! This is a new experience for me, and I spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what I wanted. Do you send photos cards? What company do you use? Do you go crazy sorting through all of the options, or do you get in and out as quickly as possible?

I should probably note that these opinions are my own, and I was not reimbursed by any of the card companies for my thoughts.

Pumpkin Roundup

2011-11-06T21:04:00.000-06:00

photo credit: DrBacchus

Here's a blog post I didn't expect to write. But tis the season. I've been busy pinning pumpkin recipes on Pinterest over the last few weeks. I've stocked up on pumpkin because I always read that it can be hard to find (although that's never been the case for me). Here's a list of pumpkin recipes I've made recently or hope to make soon!

When we carved pumpkins this year my husband was adamant that we roast the pumpkin seeds. Scratch that. He was adamant that I roast the pumpkin seeds. The last time I roasted pumpkin seeds was a project in my kindergarten class. No, I am not a teacher. I was a student in kindergarten. Needless to say, the details were fuzzy. I searched Tasty Kitchen, a great resource for recipes, and found Simple Comfort Food's The Best Roasted Pumpkin Seeds. It looked like a classic recipe, so I gave it a try. Before even eating the roasted seeds, I googled whether you're supposed to eat the "shell." Apparently it's up for debate. After attempting to avoid the shell a few times I gave up and just started tossing the entire seeds in my mouth. They had a salty little burnt cheese meets popcorn flavor that was pretty tasty. We actually have two pumpkins that we painted instead of carved, and I'm considering opening them up just so I can roast some more seeds.

Today my daughter and I made these hearty Pumpkin-Walnut Oatmeal Squares with Cinnamon Glaze from Bake Your Day. Technically I guess mine were Pumpkin-Pecan Oatmeal Squares as that's what I had on hand. They have oats, applesauce, pumpkin, and honey, so I've convinced myself they're totally healthy. I failed on the glaze, however, using three tablespoons of milk instead of teaspoons, which I promptly remedied by dumping in another two cups of powdered sugar. So much for being healthy! I will say as a person who doesn't like the taste of honey, it is noticeable in the finished squares. But I suspect for most people that wouldn't be a problem.

Before I started baking this morning I considered trying this Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping, but then I realized it had canned pumpkin pie filling instead of pureed pumpkin. I'm a sucker for a streusel topping, however, so I'll have to pick up some pumpkin pie filling and give it a try later. I guess I could try making my own substitute if I get ambitious.

This is the other recipe that caught my eye. These Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting from Sweet Pea's Kitchen look delicious. I probably would have made them, but somehow I convinced myself that with all the Halloween candy I've been eating this week the cream cheese frosting wouldn't do me any favors. And remember the Pumpkin-Walnut Oatmeal Squares are healthy! (right?)

I've never made a trifle, nor do I own a trifle bowl, but if I did and I had to make a fall trifle it would probably be this Low-Fat Pumpkin Trifle from Janelle at Comfy In the Kitchen via Women Living Well Ministries. And can I tell you how excited I am to learn you can buy boxed spice cake? I don't know why, but that excites me.

While our squares were baking in the oven, I remembered reading once that a dump cake can be made with almost any canned fruit (or vegetable in this case...I think). That led to some googling and to this recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake from Cookies and Cups. Note to self: buy evaporated milk ASAP!

And finally, this list wouldn't be complete without Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter Dessert Squares. Hands down they are my favorite pumpkin dessert. You may have been lucky enough to taste these if you've been in a Williams-Sonoma store this time of year. They sell the Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter called for in the recipe and generously had out free samples of the squares (knowing full well the samples will lead to big sales). It's one of the few reasons I will venture up to the Mall of America. Totally worth it, I might add. I did attempt this recipe one year with pumpkin butter from a local orchard and mixed with crushed pecans. It was passable, but I recommend the real thing if for no other reason than avoiding having to figure out the correct amount based on different jar sizes.

My daughter would like to add: "What about Pumpkin Pie Pancakes?" That sounds brilliant. Google, don't fail me now!

And for today's trivia: Did you know allspice comes from the allspice plant? It's not some spice mix along the lines of pumpkin pie spice. I didn't know that. My mom didn't know that. My aunt didn't know that. We discovered this last spring in the spice room of the Como Park Conservatory. It kind of blew our minds. But you probably knew that.

Odds and Ends

2011-11-05T12:17:00.000-05:00

Well I shared some happy news in my last post, but now I have sad news. A few weeks ago I had a miscarriage. Unfortunately it's a surprisingly common occurrence. It was a strange experience. Not nearly as dramatic as you often see in movies or read in books (for me). In the end, everything happened naturally, and I think that helped me to accept it. We're all doing fine, and things around here have returned to a relatively normal level of craziness. It's like I explained to our three-year-old. We were wrong. It's not time for us to have a baby yet. We'll have to wait a while longer than we thought.

And perhaps in a bout of stress-induced madness I attempted to start potty-training my youngest last week. The attempt only lasted two days. It was pretty clear early on that she doesn't yet sense the urge to go potty. I seem to recall a similar attempt with her older sister. I'm totally in the get-it-and-get-out camp of potty-training. No pull-ups. Bring the potty to you. Living room, kitchen, wherever you are. Give it a solid try for two days. If there are no signs of progress, wait. Then try it again the next time there appears to be a real interest. Her older sister was potty-trained in a week, before she turned two, and when her sister was a month old. I can already tell there will be new challenges with this one. Gone is our pee-resistant leather sofa. And here is the older sister to provide constant distractions. And they are constant. But I'm still confident that when the time comes it will work out. Until then, I will just have to be patient and continue buying diapers. Already I can tell she's one step closer. Now instead of saying "potty" after soaking a diaper, she tells me after what seems to be a little trickle or occaisionally even before it happens. I think I'll give it another try in a couple of weeks.

This past week of work has been perfect. Just enough to keep me feeling productive but not enough to take over my life. I've been able to get and more importantly keep the house picked up, and I've had time to spend with my husband at night after the kids are in bed. We wrapped up season four of Breaking Bad last night. Brilliant show.

This morning I whipped up a batch of spicy tortellini soup for a mom who just had a baby. I'll be delivering it along with salad, garlic bread, and chocolate zucchini bread this afternoon. I think it's impossible to understand just how awesome it is to have a meal delivered until you've had a baby and you're not getting any sleep and you're ravenous because you're breast-feeding every two or three hours. It's such a blessing. And there just happened to be a little left over for me. Bonus!

And since I actually thought of it, I started a beef stew in the crock pot this morning. Two meals banged out before 9:30 a.m. Not bad. Not bad at all.

So that's what's up around here. A belated Happy Halloween to you all. I hope you have a generous Spiderman in your family who is happy to share candy. I swear sometimes my daughter sounds like she's pushing dope. Mom! Don't you want some candy. Here, it's really good. You should have some. Do you like this kind? Try it, Mom. Mom, would you like some candy? She's very persuasive. And I don't mind it a bit!

One, Two, Three!

2011-10-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

I'm working away at the computer in the kitchen while my husband is in the living room watching Scary Movie 4. I overheard the scene below and had a good chuckle. We've all been there, haven't we? Or maybe it's just me.

Speaking of three, I'm expecting number three! Shhh. Don't tell my sister. Knowing she never reads my blog, I threatened to share the news here first. And I am. I'm not totally rotten. I'll hound her to read my blog until she does. Until then, it's our little secret.

I Woke Up and My Dog Was Wearing Underwear: A True Story

2011-09-12T18:48:00.001-05:00

Life here has been overwhelming these past couple of weeks. Work came back with a vengeance. We've been dealing with a first haircut and the first day of preschool. My toddler spilled water on my laptop, and I spent an entire day and way too much money getting new hardware and software figured out. And we've got a lot happening in the next week that I'm already stressing over. It all makes for good blogging fodder but unfortunately no time to post. I roll into bed at the end of the day and am immediately out until I wake up five hours later to start it all again.

And that is why I just love it when God throws something at you completely ridiculous in a good way. This morning I woke up bright and early (actually it was dark and early), clicked the leash on my dog's collar, and headed out the door. We were at the top of the deck when I noticed something on my dog's back. I thought he had a sock on his back, and I tried to pull it off. But at that moment I realized he was wearing a pair of my husband's underwear. Literally his entire torso was through the underwear. I had to lift up his front legs in order to pull it off. I didn't get a picture because I thought it was probably a better idea to take the underwear off so he could actually do his business. Yes, somehow in the night, my crazy dog wiggled his way into the underwear all on his own.

I don't even know what to say about this other than it was good to have a laugh first thing in the morning.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

2011-08-23T11:59:00.001-05:00

This past week I've somehow managed to keep a perfect work/kids/house/socializing balance. It's a rare thing around here. I've had just a couple of hours of work each day, the weather has been beautiful, and the girls, the hubby, and I have been getting outside a lot. We even found a park that is perfect for a 19-month-old and an adventurous three-year-old. That was a good find! I had family stop by last week for a visit and have more family coming for most of this week, so I cleaned house and then recleaned it, but it only took a couple hours the second time! I even did a little spring cleaning. It's not too late, right?. I found a great tip at Make It Do and cleaned our mattress, washed some screens and windows, vacuumed blinds, and spent three hours scrubbing the grout in my kitchen floor (I hate this job and only manage to do it twice a year). A friend and I went to a spa event that included wine and mini treatments all for $10. Did I mention the wine? It was such a fun and girly evening--just what I needed. With the slowing of work, my husband and I have resumed our near-nightly ritual of HBO series watching. We wrapped up season 3 of True Blood and are almost through season 4 of The Wire. I've also been harvesting yummy things from my garden. My green beans finally came in, and I picked a big batch and froze some. I'm up to my eyeballs in cucumbers. I've got tomatoes, I'm still getting zucchini, and I (big smile, here) picked my first of about 10 watermelons. It was probably a little early, but it was totally edible. Love it!

So what a better way to celebrate a perfectly balanced week than by baking something delicious! I originally intended to make these cookies, but once I started grabbing ingredients I realized it made a huge number of cookies. I know myself well enough to accept the fact that I can't keep 4-5 DOZEN cookies around for long, and I didn't want to think too hard about halving the recipe (I may try it someday). Also, I liked the idea of skipping the whole scooping and baking in batches step, so I searched for a peanut butter brownie? blondie? recipe. I found a recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars at Bake at 350.

I did make a few accidental changes. I used 7 tablespoons of butter instead of 6, and I doubled the amount of peanut butter it called for. Oops! I also used a mixture of peanut butter chips and milk chocolate chips, because that's what I had. My brownies came out soft in the middle and brown on the edges. I think more chocolate chips rather than peanut butter would have made a nice difference. So I recommend following the recipe. These bars are very rich. I can only eat one small bar a day, but my husband said he didn't notice. Of course he could eat peanut butter by the spoonful. He also told me I need to get the bars out of the house before he comes home from work today. I guess that means they're really good!

I hope each of you has a week full of balance, peanut butter, and chocolate!

Stinky, Dirty Dishcloths Be Gone!

2011-08-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: If you're not at all interested in the resolving the stinky, dirty dishcloth problem or have no idea what I'm talking about, feel free to stop reading here. Visit me another time, though. I won't always be talking about dishcloths. OK, now that we have that out of the way...

I used to have a problem with dirty dishcloths sitting in the bottom of my sink getting wetter and nastier because I refused to use those gross things again and I hardly wanted to pick them up to even throw them into the washer. I'd inevitably just get a clean one out and leave the old one in the bottom of the sink. But you can only do that so many times before you have an even grosser pile of dishcloths in your sink. Of course, they didn't start out in the bottom of the sink. I would attempt to wring them out after using them and lay them neatly on the side of the sink or on the faucet to dry out, only to have them slip, fall, or crawl back into the the sink. My husband, on the other hand, just throws them sopping wet into the sink. Yuck. It makes me shudder just to think about it. I get the same feeling when I have to clean food out of the sink drain catch.

Sometime last year I found a gadget that has actually helped. (Is it still a gadget if there are no moving parts?) The full name is the Umbra Chariot Stainless-Steel Dishcloth Stand and Scrubby Holder Combo, which is a mouthful considering it's just a dishcloth holder. I bought it in hopes that my husband would see that the dishcloth, indeed, had a home and would put it there. No such luck, but at least I now have a place to put it.

This is what it looks like empty:

And this is what it looks like when your dishcloth is staying clean and drying out:

This thing really does work. My dishcloths are no longer draped on my faucet getting in the way, falling into the bottom of the sink, or getting wet as I use the faucet. I no longer get that funky dishcloth smell. I can go a little longer before washing them, and I no longer find my dishcloths repulsive. I think I even wash them more frequently because I not disgusted to pick them up.

I bought my dishcloth stand in a little home accessories and kitchen gadget shop in my town. I encourage you to check out the little shops in your own town if you're considering buying one. Or if you cringe at the thought of dragging your kids to said cute little shops (I'm speaking from experience), they are available from Amazon.

Zucchini Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-08-06T20:56:00.000-05:00

Like every good midwestern gardener in August, I've got an abundance of zucchini. I've been expecting this, and I've been keeping a list of potential recipes as I've seen them. When I saw this zucchini carrot cake with cream cheese frosting from Tiffany at Eat at Home, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I've always been a fan of carrot cake, and I expected zucchini could only make it better. It does!

I used zucchini I had shredded and frozen earlier in the week. As I've been warned, there was quite a lot of liquid in the thawed zucchini. I wasn't exactly sure whether I should drain it first or just add it in. I did a quick search online and saw most people omitted the liquid when using frozen shredded zucchini, but a friend of mine had suggested I add the liquid. The cake batter looked pretty dry, so I ended up using about half of the liquid.

This frosting is really, really good. Emphasis on really. You've been warned. I was generous with the frosting, and I still had plenty left over, so I guess you save it for another baking project.

Also this week, I cooked up this Betty Crocker recipe for zucchini meat loaf. It uses 2 cups of shredded zucchini in place of other liquid (my usual recipe calls for milk). It was good. And an easy way to get my non-zucchini eating daughter to eat zucchini. She did notice the green bits and asked about them, but I told her they were tiny pieces of green beans, a vegetable she likes. Yep, that's me lying to my daughter! It totally worked.

I've got zucchini cakes (think fritters), zucchini boats, cheesy baked zucchini, and zucchini quesadilla recipes bookmarked and ready to try. My go-to zucchini is just sauteed in olive oil with onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Yum! So how do you use up your zucchini?

A Summer of Dust, Dog Hair, Grime, and Clutter

2011-08-03T14:53:00.000-05:00

This summer I've pretty well fallen off the wagon and into a deep, dark pit of despair when it comes to keeping my house clean. For eight consecutive weeks I worked more freelance hours than I ever have before, including pre-children, including pre-freelance. It was an insane experience. Oh, and did I mention I continued to be a stay-at-home mom while fitting in these hours? Which meant waking up at 5am and staying up until after midnight many days to work while the kiddos were asleep. It also meant calling up my babysitter a few times a week, paying her well, and sneaking off to the coffee shop to get in some real focused work time. In fact, I'm hoping she understands her babysitting fee is hush money. Please do not tell the neighborhood what kind of slobs we are. Maybe I can get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Anyway, this all means that all nonessential household chores (anything other than cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, and child care) were put on hold indefinitely. I even went a full month without reading a book. Shameful. Here's a little peek at what I've been living with...

Granted, this mess and clutter changed over the weeks, but the general chaos was constant. It got so bad my husband even did the dishes TWICE!! That's unheard of around here.

Do you see my blog's cute vintagey polka-dot background with it's adorable fake dust. I actually wiped my screen once this past week assuming my computer screen was actually THAT dirty. Gross. But it wouldn't have surprised me.

So after spending my summer stuck inside reading away at my laptop, this marks my first week with a "normal" workload. Have you noticed the baking, the cooking, the gardening, and the extra blogging happening here? My only challenge now is to not go too far in the other direction being lazy and wasting the day at the computer.

I feel like I'm about to gear up for another round of organizing and cleaning. We've got new furniture coming soon for our living room, and before that comes we're planning on painting. It will be a good time to give the living room (and the rest of the upstairs) a deep clean.

There was a great post today from Rachel Meeks at Small Notebook on how to make a room uncluttered while retaining a warm, homey feel. Rachel sums up the beauty of a clean home perfectly:

When you have clear surfaces, your room is ready to be used. You can come in and set down your drinks and popcorn bowl on the coffee table. You can eat dinner at the table without sitting next to the paperwork. Your bed is ready for you to stretch out on it. The room welcomes you. It’s not a place to hold your stuff, it’s a place where you can live.

That sounds like exactly what we need over here. Right now I work at our kitchen table, so the table is always cluttered with my laptop, books, my phone, and whatever my daughters have brought me throughout the day. As a result, my husband often eats on the couch rather than clearing off a spot at the table. That's not right. I don't want my house to be a place to hold my stuff. I want it to be a place where we can LIVE.

Hopefully I'll have some after pics to share soon!

Early Garden Harvest Pasta

2011-08-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

Last night, after spending a little time in my garden, I had a typical first harvest--a lot of odds and ends but nothing substantial of any one thing: 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, a handful of green beans, exactly 3 pea pods worth of peas, and 1 zucchini. I decided to throw it all together into a yummy pasta.

While the pasta cooked, I microwaved some bacon and sauteed the green beans. I threw in some onion flakes (sad) because I was all out of onions. Then I added the zucchini to cook for a few minutes. Once the pasta was cooked and drained, I threw in the cooked veggies and bacon, adding some chopped cucumber, chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. I stirred everything together and added a little salt. You can eat it right away, although I prefer to refrigerate it overnight and serve the next day. It's better the second day when everything is cool and crisp and fresh and the flavors have mixed together. I do wish I'd had some onion and maybe a green pepper, but my peppers plants are pitiful this year.

In full disclosure, despite the abundance of noodles, my daughters were not big fans of this meal. My three-year-old said she likes "soft" green beans (i.e. canned). She did appreciate the bacon, however. Don't we all? Personally, I loved it. I ate it up and had seconds. It's a great light, fresh, cool meal for a hot summer night.

By the way, if you're like me and hate frying bacon on the stove and don't like heating up your whole house to bake it in the oven, this is a great alternative! It's the only way I cook bacon. In fact, I specially requested it for Christmas several years ago. My parents have one too. (Not an advertisement, I just really like it!!)

Got Brown Bananas?

2011-07-31T15:50:00.000-05:00

We don't seem to have overripe bananas very often. It may have something to do with the preschooler and toddler. They've never met a banana they didn't like. Therefore, despite buying a bunch of bananas once or twice a week, we still never have extras. On the rare occasion that we do, this is my go-to recipe.

Grandma Schmidt's Banana Bread recipe was included in a collection of recipes my friend Bethany gave each of her bridesmaids as a thank-you gift. Of course she did them all cute on colored note cards held together by a removable clasp. This was a crafty, thoughtful, and inexpensive gift that would be suitable for several occasions.

The ingredients:

Notice my husband bought Country Crock sticks instead of butter the last time he went to the grocery store. I'm not complaining; I didn't have to go to the store with the two little ones in tow.

Grandma Schmidt's Banana Bread
1/2 c. butter or oleo
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in mashed bananas. Mix in combined dry ingredients and add nuts. Pour in greased and floured 9x5x3 in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

At three, my daughter likes to "help" out in the kitchen. I put her to work mashing the bananas. Isn't that apron adorable? I got it at our town's Crazy Daze this week. It was $8. It was clearly handmade. Totally cute and a great deal!

I baked it a little too long today. Next time I'll make sure to stick on the shorter side of the bake time. I love this recipe because it's simple, easy to quickly throw together, and includes ingredients I almost always have on hand. Also, it's delicious, and my girls always love banana bread for a snack.

What Is an Alaskan Doughnut?

2011-07-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

Do you know what an Alaskan doughnut is? I didn't, but I do now.

Yes, folks, that is 7 inches of golden sweet deliciousness. I heard rumors of the giant Alaskan doughnut when we were furniture shopping in our little town yesterday. Today is Crazy Daze, in which our town closes off it's main street for a pedestrian-friendly sidewalk shopping experience. Restaurants get in on the fun and offer food on the street. There fun activities and even some free live music. This town loves an excuse to have an event. It's like a real-life Stars Hollow. It was a beautiful day today and my husband's day off, so we ventured downtown for some lunch, had the kids walk around to burn off some energy, and began the hunt for this elusive Alaskan.

We spotted it in front of the bakery on our main street. We chatted up the friendly workers and discovered that the Alaskan, a 60-year tradition of this bakery, appears only once a year at Crazy Daze. In the name of tradition (of course), we paid a little over $3 and got one to go. We split the doughnut four ways. It was fresh, sweet, soft, and a little chewy, just as a good glazed should be. We enjoyed the doughnut, and partaking in this local tradition,we feel a little more like genuine townies. Already I'm looking forward to next year's Alaskan!

For Levi

2011-07-24T09:17:00.001-05:00

My daughter cuddled up with me in bed yesterday as I was trying to read my book and begged me to read to her instead. She certainly knows my soft spot. Anytime my daughters bring me a book, I will read it to them. Yesterday she picked Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein. I love this book. And I love the fact that my daughter, at three, is just starting to really pay attention to the poems and the illustrations and find them humorous.

This little poem from the book, and it's accompanying illustration, reminded my of my friend's son, Levi. He's two, and when we visited him recently he showered affection on my daughters, especially the one-year-old--tackling her with hugs and kisses over and over again. He is adorable.

And so I present, for Levi:

Wishing you hugs, giggles, kisses, grins, cuddles, and wins today!

The Perfect Iced Tea Concentrate: The Rule of Three

2011-07-14T14:47:00.000-05:00

It's summer! It's warm out. It's sunny. We're lazing the days away by the pool. OK, maybe not. It's cloudy, cool, and rainy here today, and I've been working at my computer nonstop for weeks. But technically it IS summer.
To me summer means iced tea. My mom is a big tea drinker. She likes her tea black and straight, only occasionally (and regrettably in my opinion) reverting to her Southern roots and adding in sugar. I remember back to my childhood getting regular phone calls from her during the day, asking me to get a jug of tea started and outside in the sun so it would be ready when my parents got home from work. It's not uncommon for my mom to comment on the quality of iced tea she's had when talking over her day. And yes, a meal can be a total disappointment when the tea is bad.

She's been a big fan of the tea at the cafe in her local Barnes & Noble. I hear repeatedly how good it is. Despite being across town, I know for a fact she eats lunch there regularly, and I'm fairly certain it's only because she loves their iced tea. She does that. She chooses a restaurant based on the quality of their tea.

If my mother were to pass down to me one recipe, one creation that completely encompasses who she is as my mother, it would be the recipe for good iced tea. When I was back home visiting my parents a few weeks ago, my mom excitedly told me she had perfected the "recipe" for good iced tea. (She had made an earlier attempt during my last visit home but had missed the mark. She didn't quite have the flavors and proportions figured out.) She described the process, and I tasted the new tea. It was good. Really, really good. She told me the secret: the rule of three. She learned the process carefully watching her friends at the B&N cafe and taking mental notes.

If you like plain, black iced tea, I highly recommend the recipe below. It's not fancy. It doesn't call for tea leaves. You can use your microwave. I suspect you could play around with the tea varieties if you're so inclined, add some lemon, make it a hard iced tea, or even (blech!) add some sugar. It's not sun tea, but on a cloudy day like today, I'm just fine with that. It's a concentrate, so you can save some room in your refrigerator. But most importantly, it's a delicious, refreshing, and guilt-free summer drink!

Perfect Iced-Tea Concentrate
1 quart jar full of water, microwaved (or "nuked" if you're my mother) until very hot.
Add 2 bags Earl Gray and one bag black tea.

Steep until really strong (2-3 hours), ignoring the dirty patio table.

Remove tea bags and refrigerate.

When you're ready to drink, remember the rule of three: Fill your glass 1/3 with concentrate, 1/3 water, and 1/3 ice. Mom says if you want to get fancy you can use a shaker to shake it.

Enjoy! And if it's really good iced tea, it might just make you feel like this!

Garden Update

2011-07-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

I posted some pics of our vegetable garden early on. We used Weed Barrier this year to keep the weeds to a minimum, and let me say I'm so glad we did. We were away from home for about a week, and when we came home our plants had doubled in size. Had the weeds had the run of the garden, we would have been in big trouble. Instead, I weeded the entire garden (basically the area between the plants in each row) in less time than it took my husband to take our girls to the park. I took these photos on Thursday, and the garden has exploded with growth even since then.

So far we've got a bumper crop of radishes, and I've harvested two zucchini. There are about 962 more radishes where these came from.

We've got tomato plants loaded with green tomatoes. A little early for that, isn't it?

Several squash are on the vine. And I'm VERY encouraged by these big, beautiful watermelon vines, currently with blossoms.

Deer and rabbits have been munching the leaves of our green beans, but they are full of blossoms, so I'm expecting them to be just fine. And the peas are looking good. I think. I've never grown peas before, so I'm not exactly sure.

The cabbage are huge and it looks like heads are starting to form. The pepper plants are growing pretty slowing but are hanging in there.

For the first time it seems like the cucumbers are lagging behind everything else, but a few days ago they had a growth spurt and are now sporting blossoms.

Back in June on a whim I entered our garden in our local paper's Beautiful Garden contest. Mostly I entered because I was so excited to finally have a vegetable garden I could be proud of. I was also encouraged by the fact that no one else had entered at the time. The voting period has officially begun, and I've got a 2 in 3 chance of winning first or second prize. Now I admit the other two entries are very beautiful gardens, but I'm telling myself their owners are retirees who have all day to spend tending plants. I, on the other hand, have a crazy work schedule (12am anyone?), two little ones at home, and a very busy husband. So if you're so inclined, send a vote or two my way. You do have to register on the new paper's site first, but once you do that it's pretty easy to vote. And you can even vote daily...not that I'm doing that or anything! There's a handy link to the voting on the upper right corner of my blog. Thanks, everyone. And happy gardening!

Hello, Summer!

2011-07-08T11:15:00.000-05:00

Sometime in the last few weeks, summer arrived. I almost missed it, because I've been stuck inside at my computer working more hours in the last two weeks than I have in any other two-week stretch in the entire four years I've been freelancing, including before I had children. Despite all that busyness, we decided to officially kick off our summer with a weekend visit to our friends in Illinois.

Over the Fourth of July weekend we were lucky enough to visit our long-time friends John and *Bethany at their home in Illinois. We've known them for years. I went to high school with Bethany. My husband was John's roomate in college. We introduced them to each other, and several, several, several years later they married. We now have children and houses and real jobs. We talk about things like politics, investment fees, and retirement. OK, our husbands talk about that stuff. Bethany and I talk about diapers, baby vomit, and potty training. We've grown up, but we're still great friends.

Our children are ages 3, 2, 1, and two months, and they're each exhibiting the classic signs of their age. The oldest is schooling the others in the art of sharing and everything else she has seemingly become an expert on overnight. The two-year-old is smothering the one-year-old with an abundance of kisses, hugs, and general attention. The one-year-old is keeping one eye on mommy and the other on the baby, along with an errant finger in her eye and a joyful "Ba-by!" thrown in. And the baby is just soaking it all in--napping, nursing, spitting up, and blowing out diapers as babies generally do.

I hope you all had a fun holiday weekend. I did. I closed the laptop for a couple of days (mostly), sat back, and enjoyed good company, delicious food, and making some lasting memories.

*Bethany just started blogging. She's full of brilliant ideas. She's super crafty. She asked me with a completely straight face if I've ever made my own English muffins. She has. Check out Bethany's blog, Crafting My Happy Life.

Sinfully Good Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

2011-06-18T18:19:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I had an exceptionally busy day. I had work to do, a house to clean, groceries to shop for, dinner guests to entertain and cook for, and (completely separate from the dinner guests) my sister and her family were house guests for the weekend. For a girl who is lucky to get dressed in real clothes during the day, it was a lot.

I survived (with a couple hours of help from my babysitter--love her!). I got my work done, cleaned the house, bought the groceries (with both girls in tow), prepped food, showered, and actually "got ready"! This was all very exciting. I went with a pretty simple meal: grilled t-bones, hamburgers for the kids, baked potato wedges, salad, and watermelon. Yum!

My original plan for dessert was to buy some of that pre-made cheesecake filling, use a pre-made graham cracker crust, and plop some strawberries on top. Easy peasy. Unfortunately (or not) my grocery store doesn't carry that cheesecake filling stuff, so in the middle of the grocery store (again, girls in tow), I used my phone to track down a recipe I had read that morning in a blog. Mind you it was not a blog I subscribed to (I do now; it's fabulous!), and I had gotten to it from a maze of other blog links. After much searching, I was very happy to find the recipe and quickly picked up the ingredients.

And here it is: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen's Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. No pictures from me, I'm afraid...I had a lot going on! But they are every bit as delicious as they look in the link. The middle layer has the consistency of those school lunch peanut butter bars (am I imagining these?) but, of course, these are a millions times better. Rich and dreamy. I followed the directions exactly, except I couldn't find the Minis the recipe called for, so I bought Miniatures and chopped them into quarters. The dinner guests, the house guests, and my family loved them. I hope yours does too!

Keeping a Neat Garden

2011-06-15T21:20:00.000-05:00

OK, if someone had told me last year I'd be blogging about how to keep a tidy garden, I would have literally rolled on the floor laughing. It's always been a struggle for us to keep the weeds at bay, but last year after an untimely vacation (is there such a thing, really?), we came home to the biggest weed patch I've ever seen. Surprisingly there were still some thriving veggies in there, so what's a girl to do? We put our neighbor girls to work. It took two teen girls almost four hours to get the job done. And they were working hard, trust me, I was watching them from the air-conditioned comfort of my kitchen window. It got a little embarrassing when one of their mothers came over to offer them support and an extra pair of hands for a little bit. I was even shamed into coming out to help. We paid the girls well, and it was worth every penny for us; I'm not sure the girls felt the same way.

Each year since we moved into our first house, over six years ago, our gardening efforts have gotten more and more involved. The first year the garden was an afterthought. I planted, but I didn't really expect anything to really grow. That was the year I learned that radishes thrive in my soil, I ate some unidentified weeds thinking they were early spinach, and I handled all of the weeding (not that I did much). I grew a very, ahem, "natural" garden. It's a strategy that has persisted until this year. Let me tell you, veggies grow just fine when they are surrounded by weeds. And I have a theory that all of the weeds throw the rabbits and deer off track. They seem to have stayed away from our plants when they were the weediest.

Since that first year, our garden has grown. The variety of plants has expanded. This is my first year for potatoes, peas, and cabbage! Last year it was okra and broccoli. Over the years I've learned a few things. I've learned I can actually grow watermelon large enough to eat (IN MINNESOTA!), only to have them all crushed by baseball-size hail days before harvest. By the way, that was the only year I've been able to grow them. I try again every year and fail--usually because I can't find the young plants in the tangle of weeds. I'm trying again this year, and so far they look great! I've also learned two people really can't consume a 10'-row worth of radishes even if the radishes do grow really really well. The same goes for cucumbers. You can only eat so many. We've added a fence after rabbits and deer ate the leaves off of two big rows worth of green beans and to keep our dogs out after they ran all over our freshly planted seeds scattering them everywhere. Last year we got fancy (ha!) and used string to mark our rows to supposedly help me know where my pants and not the weeds were coming up (did I mention I ate weeds?!?!). We've learned a few things. But clearly we had some room for improvement in the weeding department.

Last year, my husband asked someone at the nursery what they do to control weeds in their garden. She said they use Weed Barrier. Now we've talked about it before. Weed Barrier is an investment. It's not cheap, but after Weedgate 2010 I was willing to give it a shot. Once the initial tilling was done and the weed barrier was down, I was responsible for doing the actual planting. I will say it was hard work this year! Cutting strips out of the weed barrier to plant the beans, peas, radishes, and carrots took extra time and energy. But just LOOK!

It's June and everything we planted is thriving. I weeded the garden the other night and it took me minutes!!! Not to mention I can do it in flip-flops and come out with toes still relatively flesh colored. Totally worth it. My husband tells me we can use the weed barrier for several years, so I think we have a winner.

One of Those Days

2011-06-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was just one of those days. The kind of day I wish I could wear headphones and still be an effective parent. Seriously, I think scientists should study my daughter. It must be medically significant to be able to talk, sing, laugh, cry, scream, grunt, giggle, groan, holler, and otherwise vocalize astonishingly loudly, nonstop for 12 hours all without the slightest strain of the vocal chords. I blame my husband; he's the talker in the family. When I married him I guess I didn't realize I was signing up for that same quality in a three-year-old!
It was also one of those days where after putting the girls to bed and finishing up my freelance work, I finally got a long-overdue shower. It was lovely. I enjoyed every minute. Then I got out, dried myself off, towel-dried my hair, and was half dressed before I realized while one of my legs was baby smooth, the other one sported several days' growth. Yes, I had only shaved one leg. So I re-undressed, the towel came off my head, and I went back into the shower one more time.

Have you had one of those days? Where you forget to shave one leg?

I also learned these fun facts yesterday.

Sheets are disgusting. According to this article, "sheets can contain 0.1 gram of feces, salmonella, and E. coli after just one night's rest. That means they'd collectively contain about 10 billion microbes." And that's nothing compared to the feces party in your carpet. Seriously. Disgusting.
There's a birth control shot for men. Well, it exists, but approval is still being worked out in India, the home country of the shot's inventor, and maybe in the next year or two the FDA will start it's own research in hopes of eventual approval in the United States. So basically by the time I'm menopausal, there will be a birth control shot for men. Sigh.
I had one more thing, but my browser isn't working to bring up the article. Basically it was all about the harmful effects of the sun, including the risks of skin cancer. And since we had a week of 90-degree temps here and I've been outside with my daughters every day in that blistering sunshine, I was suddenly alarmed at the sight of my slightly darkened (compared to the the usual pasty white) arms and ashamed at my previous pride in the first glimpses of a tan in years. Damn you, sunshine!

Coming soon: Fighting weeds in my garden the lazy way. And this year I don't mean hiring the neighbor girls to do the weeding.

Top-Ten Guide to a Girls' Weekend in Madison

2011-05-31T19:23:00.000-05:00

OK, this blog post was two months in the making. I'm finally throwing in the towel and just putting it out there. Pardon any mistakes, but I just want to finally get the darn thing posted. Enjoy!

At the beginning of April my friend Bethany and I spent a few nights in Madison, Wisconsin. I think it's safe to say we had an amazing weekend. I'm counting down the top ten highlights from the trip, and I'm sharing them with you. I apologize in advance for the mammoth post, but I guess I have about six months to make up for!

10. Hilton Monona Terrace
Our hotel, Hilton Monona Terrace, was just a block from the capitol in the heart of Madison. We were an easy walk to great restaurants and shopping (including State Street). The staff was friendly and happy to give us restaurant recommendations. The hotel is connected by skywalk to Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We were able to check into our room early and our special requests (extra towels, pillows, and robes) were waiting in the room. We enjoyed a beautiful view of Lake Monona from our room on the 11th floor. Our only complaints were that the room did not include a refrigerator and that there was no program guide (paper or digital) for the television. We were hoping to catch a good movie in the room but it was a pain to figure out what was on and when. Also, in-room movies were $13! We went the cheap route and ended up watching It's Complicated on HBO Sunday night.

9. Snacks
Much of our trip focused on eating. As moms of little ones, when we're back at home we're likely to pass on the indulgent snacks in favor of healthier, "kid-appropriate" snacks. Believe me, we took full advantage of our freedom to snack while in Madison.

On State Street we popped (ha!) into one of two popcorn shops in the same block. We knew our hotel room didn't have a microwave and thought we might like some popcorn if we ended up watching a movie in our room. I bought lightly salted with no butter and Bethany bought kettle corn. We were too stuffed for the rest of our trip to eat our popcorn but we did enjoy it later with our families. Oh, and in case you were wondering, popcorn zipped in a suitcase makes your clothes smell funny. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.

Our next snack stop was Babcock Hall Dairy Store, a dairy store on the University of Wisconsin campus. The university-run dairy plant and store offers delicious ice cream, cheeses, and milk (lunch items are also available), as well as an observation deck where the curious can observe the dairy plant in action. Unfortunately for us, the observation deck was closed due to construction at Babcock Hall. We did, however, enjoy our ice cream cones while soaking up the sun just outside the store.

While we enjoyed carefully plotting out each culinary stop, checking our guide for suggestions and previewing menus online, we couldn't pass up an unexpected stop at Gigi's Cupcakes on our trip to Hilldale Mall. This cupcake chain offered a number of interesting flavors on their menu, with fewer options actually available in the store on the day we were there. I opted for a yummy Almond Joy (a chocolate, coconut, and almond-topped coconut cupcake, while Bethany chose White Midnight Magic. We already had our snack stop planned for the day, so we took the cupcakes to go for a late-night dessert back in our room.

On our second trip to State Street, we hit up Paciugo, where I was able to satisfy my craving for gelato. I loved that you can chose up to three flavors at once (the combinations are endless). I was in a tropical mood and got ruby red grapefruit, coconut, and raspberry rose. It's a good thing gelato isn't available in my little town--my pants thank me.

On our final morning in Madison we stopped for breakfast at Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery and picked up some cupcakes for our families back home. My favorite was the chai cupcake with cream cheese frosting. It was so good I may have to find a recipe online and try recreating it sometime. Bethany said the key lime cupcake was delicious. Trust me, they tasted as good as they looked.

8. Shopping

Other than eating, we spent much of our time in Madison shopping. While we enjoyed spending time in the independent shops along State Street, which I'm singling out for its own place on my countdown (see #4), we also looked for deals in some more traditional places. While a trip to Target may not seem noteworthy for most, we needed to pick up a few things during our trip and I just had to snap a pic of this two-story Target! Technically it's not really two stories, the parking ramp is in the lower level, but the IKEA-like cart escalators made me happy, and I knew my fellow Target lovers would get a kick out it.

We made a trip out to Hilldale Mall to visit Anthtropologie. Anthropologie is one of those stores that mothers hauling around a three-year-old and a one-year-old just can't enjoy, so I usually end up browsing their website instead. But in Madison, in grown-up fashion, we took our time walking through, making sure we didn't miss anything along the way. I ended up with a pair of sunglasses and a couple of gifts.

We stopped and chatted with Hannah Wong of HRSDesigns at her booth in the mall. Her delicate metalwork jewelery is beautiful and she is making new pieces (including custom orders) all the time. Both Hannah and Bethany were pregnant and exchanged talk of due dates and the joys of being surprised at the sex of the baby when he or she finally arrives. Good luck, Hannah!

We also stopped at East Towne Mall on our way out of town where we picked up a few last-minute deals (adorable warm jacket for $25!).

There were plenty of other fun shopping neighborhoods (for a lack of a better term) in Madison that we hope to explore in the future.

7. Drinks

So including drinks in it's own category may appear a bit lushy, but I was pregnant or nursing for four years with only a few months break in that span. I even missed out on margaritas (my drink of choice) IN MEXICO! So you take advantage when you can. Besides, when in Madison...

My first drink was a microbrew at The Old Fashioned. The beer selection at The Old Fashioned was impressive, with over 52 brews on tap and several more available in bottles for a total of over 152 beers to choose from. I had a tough decision to make. I chose the Wisconsin-native Esser's Cross Plains Special, a yummy pilsner with a hint of fruit (a little like Blue Moon). I would definitely order it again, and I have actually already had my husband look for it (unsuccessfully) at our local liquor store.

We went out for Mexican at Eldorado Grill the next night and a margarita was a must. Despite an impressive margarita and tequila menu, I opted for tradition and ordered the "World Famous Eldorado Margarita.” It was pretty good, although not the best I've ever had. That said, I drank two!

The next morning I had two firsts. Feeling some lingering effects of the two margaritas, I decided to try out the hair-of-the-dog theory for the first time. At breakfast at Bluephies I ordered the mimosa flight. I'd never had a mimosa before, but the promise of champagne and fruit sounded like a winning combination. The flight includes samples of their orange, mango, and cranberry mimosa. I had trouble distinguishing between the orange and mango, but the cranberry was by far my favorite. Bluephies specializes in vodkas and has too many to count on their menu. And for the hair-of-the-dog theory, I did feel much better after breakfast, but I suspect the delicious and filling food may have had something to do with it.

Our final drink stop was a small liquor store right on State Street. Bethany wanted to bring home a microbrew for her husband. She was having a hard time picking out a six-pack when the helpful guy behind the counter suggested she choose a mix of varieties for the six-pack. Genius! I thought it was such a good idea I got a mixed six-pack for my hubby as well. He loves trying different beers. He drank them the night I returned from my trip (the stress of the last few days watching the girls got to him??). The next morning I asked which he liked the best, and he gave the ever-so-helpful reply of "all of them!"

6. Salon

We kicked off our weekend together at Elevation Spa, just a few blocks from the capitol. Neither of us are girly girls, but we were ready to take full advantage of a little "me" time, a rare thing when we are back home with our little ones. I got a haircut (my first in a desperately long time) and a manicure. My hair stylist did a great job and actually already had printed copies of the two photos I had brought in. I will totally understand if you mistake me for Heidi Klum the next time you see me.

I also got a shellac manicure. I've had all of two professional manicures in my life, and both were highly disappointing. If I'm going to spend money on something as excessive as color on my fingernails I want it to last for more than 24-hours (it was actually less in one case). The shellac manicure promises flawless chip-free glossy nails for 14 days. I went with Fedora, a deep dark merlot color. I figured if I was going to have color on my nails for two weeks it should be something versatile, and the fact that it wouldn't chip made me pick a dark color over a nude. My nail tech did an amazing job. She was meticulous and unhurried. She even noticed an issue in Bethany's pedicure (done by a different tech) and took care of it before we left.

The results were beautiful. The photo above is from day 5. My nails were absolutely perfect for almost a full week. On day 6, after a day of cleaning house sans gloves in preparation for company, I started to see a few chips on the very tips. Sadly on day 10 one of the nails started to peel off after the nail itself chipped. And day 11 two more peeled off. I do change several diapers a day and am constantly washing my hands. I suspect this in addition to the cleaning led to the manicure's early demise. That said, I'd 100% get a shellac manicure again, and think I'm actually more likely to get a manicure at all just because shellac is now an option. I did go out and buy a similar color (OPI's Give Me Moor!) to cover the three peeled nails and let the rest of the manicure last a few more days. The color is spot-on, if you're curious.

In addition to a pedicure, Bethany got a 30-minute prenatal message. We tried to get her in for 60 minutes when we booked, but they couldn't fit it in with the timing of our visit and other appointments. I couldn't have picked a better way to start off our time together in Madison. Feeling put together, relaxed, and a little bit girly was just what we needed. I had looked into several other salons when we were researching our trip and chose Elevation Spa for its location, positive reviews on Yelp!, and more affordable prices than some of the other spas in town. was extremely happy with the spa and would recommend it to anyone spending time in Madison.

5. Food

As I've already mentioned, food played a main role in our trip. I don't know if it's because we're moms to little ones and we never get to sit and enjoy a relaxing meal, instead being responsible for getting the kids fed first, but we found so much good food in Madison! In fact, we often found ourselves too full to eat and snack at all the places we had hoped, as evidenced by a "lunch" of granola bars and fruit from Target.

Our first night in town we walked toThe Old Fashioned, a recommendation from a couple of the girls at the salon we visited. The menu is full of Wisconsin favorites: beer-battered Wisconsin cheese curds, a number of sausages, and mac and cheese. I had a yummy burger, and Bethany and I shared a deliciously squeaky order of cheese curds. We got there early on a Friday night and as we left the place was packed.

Lunch the next day was at Così on State Street. Neither of us had ever been to this chain, but we LOVED it. They specialize in flatbread (we could see them punching it out on the spot) sandwiches and pizzas. Both full from a big breakfast, we opted for salads. They were huge and so delicious we cleared our plates. I had the Steakhouse Salad and Bethany ordered the Signature Salad. We agreed we would go back again and would have gone again over the weekend if we'd had more meal opportunities. We both looked up locations near to us. Sadly, the one near me in forty-five minutes away, but I hope to find a reason to stop there in the future.

For our supper Saturday night, we walked several blocks to El Dorado Grill. We were disappointed when we arrived and the host told us they were all booked up. As we were walking away, he chased us down and told us someone had called at the last minute and changed their arrival time and he could fit us in if we could be done eating in an hour. Already planning on eating light, we happily agreed. We decided to split chips and salsa and the corn quesadilla with achiote roasted pork. The salsa was very mild but smooth and delicious. I don't know if it was just the two margaritas talking, but the quesadilla was absolutely divine. A perfect meal to end our evening.
On our final night in Madison we were exhausted and still very stuffed from two full days of eating. We decided to stay in and eat in our hotel room. We order from Glass Nickel Pizza, which delivered right to our room. We split a smothered chicken sandwich and onion rings. Both were a great accompaniment to an evening of relaxing in front of the television.

4. State Street
We spent most of Saturday shopping on State Street, a pedestrian street lined with adorable shops and great restaurants. The highlights for me included ReThreads (this isn't your mother's consignment shop) and Jack's Shoes, where their clearance rack is made up entirely of sample sizes, which happen to be my size (7!). It was awesome. The sample sizes were on sale for around 30% off the regular price. State Street was also a hot-spot for some of the political demonstrating going on in the heart of the capitol. During our day of shopping we witnessed a zombie protest parade, a taxi cab protest parade (annoyingly loud honking to a beat), several vendors selling pro-union gear, some random sign holders, and a guitar player singing protest songs. It added a little interest to the otherwise not very diverse environment. In theory State Street would be a great place for people watching, but we found most of the people looked and acted just like us. Not especially exciting.

3. Madison, the city
When we originally started planning our girls' weekend, we were aiming for San Antonio, a warmer, vibrant, and obviously less Midwestern location. When Bethany checked in with her doctor, however, we discovered we'd be limited to easy driving distance from Chicago. We didn't want Bethany to end up on bed rest in San Antonio after all...although now that I'm thinking of it, I would have happily extended my vacation if necessary! We started researching places and ended up picking Madison mainly for its location--easy driving distance from both Chicago and the Twin Cities (good for both of us). When I started telling people about our upcoming trip to Madison, more than once I was asked, "What is there to do in Madison?” My answer was always the same. It wouldn't take much to make us happy. Two good friends thrown together anywhere (for the first time without kids in years) and we were bound to have fun. I was right!

But now I need to give credit where it's due. Madison was a pleasant surprise. The restaurants were amazingly fantastic, with more "locally grown" and "fresh" options than anywhere I've ever visited. The size of the city was perfect, with tons of opportunities for eating, shopping, sight-seeing (capitol, Monona Terrace, museums, galleries, etc.) all within walking distance from our hotel. And most importantly we felt totally safe doing so. The city was clean and the people were friendly. When my husband was transferred from Chicago to Minneapolis for work, our #2 choice was Madison, despite having never visited the city (I'd read great things). I kept thinking to myself throughout the weekend, "Good choice! I could have totally lived here."

It was easy to find public parking in lots and ramps; however the public ramps are tight. I kept thanking my stars I had our little Jeep instead of the Expedition on this trip, as even parking the Jeep and Bethany's mid-sized sedan seemed to require several attempts and strategic passenger pick-ups after pulling out of the ridiculously tight spots. I guess Madison is really living up to their green reputation and hoping everyone will taking the parking hint and drive a Prius or walk and bike instead. Not a bad strategy. We visited at the beginning of April when it's still pretty chilly (three weeks later in Minnesota and we were still getting snow), but I've read all about Madison as a great bike town, and I believe it. We noted several biking lanes throughout the city.

We both agreed eventually we'd like to return to Madison with our families. As I said, it's a good meeting spot between our two cities, but there are also some kid-friendly things to do in Madison, including a children's museum and a free zoo. And it's only an hour from Wisconsin Dells, the water park capital of the world.

2. Breakfast
We were excited to venture out for our first breakfast in Madison, and we were certainly not disappointed at Marigold Kitchen, a casual and vibrant spot just steps from the capitol. I ordered the special, a breakfast scrambler of eggs, asparagus, cheese, and other yummy things I can no longer remember. It was served with toast and fried potatoes. The bread was my favorite of any during the trip--and good bread is important to me. Bethany ordered pancakes (with orange butter and maple syrup) and a scrambled egg on the side. We shared a bowl of fruit. It was a satisfying and filling breakfast.

On Sunday morning we drove out to Bluephies, a fun bright and busy restaurant in the Monroe Street shopping district. We LOVED the menu at Bluephies. There were so many interesting and delicious dishes it was hard to choose. We peeked at their dinner menu online and it also looked fabulous as well. I ordered the Lyle's Favorite scrambler, which was eggs with spinach, bacon, red peppers, red onions, and Parmesan *YUM!*. Bethany ordered the Avocado Extravaganza scrambler, a generous plate of eggs, red onions, andouille sausage, and tomatoes (subbed for mushrooms), topped with avocado salad. The scramblers come with breakfast potatoes and toast. As we were leaving, we passed the dessert counter and lingered oohing and ahhing at the variety of decadent treats, making a mental note to come back if time permitted. Sadly, it did not. On a return trip to Madison, I'd definitely make Bluephies a top priority for both breakfast and dinner.

On our way out of the city on Monday, we stopped for breakfast at the Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery. This was an adorable stop in a quiet neighborhood. We both ordered a fried egg sandwich, which included fried egg, bacon, cream cheese, purple onion, and cilantro on grilled rosemary bread. It was served with oven-roasted potatoes and fresh fruit. We were both interested in how cream cheese would taste on an egg sandwich. We thought it added a rich creamy element, without some of the "cheesy" flavor other traditional cheeses would add. I thought it was good, but I think I'd try their cremini and Gruyere strata on a future visit.

1. Bring the right friend
And the #1 thing that made this weekend a success? Bringing the right friend. Bethany and I have been friends since high school, and despite living cities and eventually states apart for much of that time, we've managed to stay close friends.

We have a bit of history traveling together. One summer in college we took a road trip following Route 66 from St. Louis to Amarillo. Literally 80% of our trip was spent in the car, and we still had a blast. See those t-shirts? Bethany made them. Yes, we're that cool.

Bethany and I just travel well together. We both love to plan, but we're also totally flexible. We're pretty low-maintenance. And we like to eat when we travel. Frequently. It's a trait I inherited from my parents, spending family vacations stopping at every pie shop, ice-cream joint, and fresh fruit stand along the way.

As many similarities and Bethany and I share, there are plenty of differences. Bethany is organized; I am not. She works out (even at 8 months pregnant!); I do not. She sews; I do not. She keeps her house clean; I keep mine dirty. She does all those things that I read about on blogs and wonder who does that!?! Bethany does. For example, she froze meals ahead of time so she could be prepared and totally focused for the three-day potty training of her son. As I wrote this, she was shopping for fabric for an apron she's making me, so she can have it done before her baby came! (Welcome Lillian Ruth!) And she made my daughters these precious shirts. Made them! Beautiful.

And strangely I don't think she's crazy. We laugh together about our differences. In fact, about five years ago, in honor of our friendship, she sent me a copy of Big Dog...Little Dog. She does that kind of thing. When I ask, she immediately finds her photo album of our Route 66 trip and has the photo scanned and emailed to me the next day. She's amazing and I love her. And I will spend 3 days with her stuffing ourselves and shopping our brains out anytime!

Freshly Fallen Laundry

2010-10-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

image source

So running and jumping in piles of dirty clothes is just as good as the leaves thing, right? Thank goodness my daughter seems to think so.

You Are Beautiful, Just the Way You Are!

2010-10-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

Today I came across the lovely site operationbeautiful.com devoted to helping others find beauty in themselves. I'm talking BEAUTY, not physical stuff. I love this idea. I actually keep post-its in my purse (along with a million other things I rarely need), so I think I will be posting my own little note soon. If you get a chance, this is a powerful blog post about how one of these little notes can affect someone in a big way. Finally, the short little video below, which I hope you can see, gives a great overview of what the Operation Beautiful project is all about.

Keeping Your Toilet Fresh between Scrubbings

2010-10-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

Image Source

Yes, this post is all about the glamorous world of toilet bowl cleaning. If that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will. Seriously, as of late this has been a problem in my house. Ever since my first daughter was sleeping in a bedroom adjacent to the main bathroom and her little ears would pick up on everything, every flush waking her and subsequently making her (and me) cry, we've been more of an "if it's yellow let it mellow" kind of a household (particularly at night). I've heard all about how this saves water and is therefore good for the environment, but there is a serious drawback: our toilet gets FUNKY! I'm mean really grody fast. Ew! Sorry if this is TMI, but I'm just keeping it real. So all of this disgustingness had led to me needing to scrub said toilet about three times as often as I normally would. Notice I'm not actually disclosing how often this is; I'm well aware it's still not as frequently as I should. But the point is, I was definitely not enjoying the extra work.

That said, I'm happy to report I've found a solution! It's actually something my husband picked up when I asked him to buy toilet bowl cleaner. He brought home Comet (Don't ask me why he's convinced Comet is a toilet bowl cleaner. It is not. Don't try it!, it will forever turn your toilet bowl blue--I know this from experience, which he still denies.) and a little box of Clorox Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner, which does work! Each box contains two tablets. After scrubbing your toilet, you drop one in the back of your tank when the water level is low after flushing. Clorox says it cleans and deodorizes the toilet for up to three months and it repels stains. According to the product website, it's safe for plumbing and septic systems. I do occasionally smell a subtle bleach smell from my toilet, but it's ten times better than what I was smelling before. And now I'm back to cleaning my toilet at my normal leisurely rate (which will remain undisclosed).

I do need to mention that there are plenty of product reviews online that warn that this product harms valves in the toilet. For now, I'm trusting Clorox and risking it.

If you're reluctant to try the Clorox solution, I've also read that you can use effervescent tablets (think Alka-Seltzer or denture cleaner) dropped in the actual toilet bowl. You leave them set for 20 minutes and then brush and flush. But that still requires brushing, so I'm not sure what the benefit would be. You might as well clean your toilet if you're getting the brush out.

The same article say a can of cola dumped in and left for an hour works, too. I swear, our intestines must be indestructible. On a related note, I was this close to spelling it "bowel" instead of "bowl" throughout this entire post. I'm an awesome speller ;o)

We Won the Neighbor Lottery

2010-10-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

Image Source

I'm convinced we scored big when we moved to our little cul-de-sac almost six years ago. I've always known we've had wonderful neighbors, but after an insanely generous gift of a wooden outdoor swing/playset this weekend from our neighbors whose two daughters have grown into teenagers, I've taken the time to really think about all the blessings we've received from eight special families on our block.

Here is a partial list:

1. An antique rocking chair when we were awaiting the birth of our first child
2. A teak outdoor dining table and chairs
3. An offer to watch our daughter if I went into labor with my second child in the middle of the night
4. Countless offers for help when my husband is out of town
5. Expertise and help when building new stairs on our deck
6. The use of some pretty swanky power tools
7. Offers for free babysitting
8. 2 fishing poles, a loaded tacklebox, and a pink tent for my daughters
9. Some very thoughtful (even homemade) baby gifts
10. Baked goods (yum!)
11. An occasional snowblowing of our driveway when my hubby's been out of town
11. A hand-carved wooden pen
12. Some lovely meals out and some delicious meals in
13. A movie night out
14. A condolence card when we lost a pet
15. Great conversations in the driveway

We do try to reciprocate. We've hosted a dinner party for all the neighbors. We've invited them over for tea and for beers around the fire pit. We've lent out our tools and even our car. We've bought new baby and graduation gifts. We've baked goods. We've invited them out to dinner and a Twins game. I've taken their dogs out (and took one to the groomers!). We've given them houseplants. We've picked up mail. We given thoughtful thank you gifts. We've visited them in the hospital when they've had a sick child. We bought Girl Scout Cookies and wrapping paper. We've given donations for schools. We've given them extra veggies from our garden.

In the last couple of years we've paid the neighbor kids to help mow the lawn, weed the garden, babysit, gather mail and feed fish when we're on vacation, and and let our dogs out.

I didn't grow up in this kind of neighborhood. I grew up in a micro neighborhood in the country where houses were rather spread out, and people kind of kept to themselves. But I'm sure glad my daughters will be growing up surrounded by all of this kindness and generosity. I encourage you to get out and say "hi" to your neighbors today. Get to know them before there's two feet of snow on the ground and everyone hides away inside for four months (even on our block!). Be good to them; you never know how they might be there for you in the future.
What about you? Have your neighbors done something special for you, or did we really just get lucky and win the neighbor lottery?

Book Deals

2010-09-30T18:57:00.000-05:00

If you are the kind of person who thinks Wal-Mart is evil, you may want to stop reading now and go about your day.

If you're more apt to think a deal is a deal, carry on.

I'm not much of a Wal-Mart shopper. As I've made clear time and time again, Target is my supplier of choice. Wal-Mart makes me anxious and depressed. BUT, last night when I was searching the Internet for my next book club pick (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) I remembered a little tidbit from some marketing?/econ?/business? book I worked on last year. I don't remember the details exactly, just something about Amazon and Wal-Mart being in an book online pricing war. I don't even remember who won. But that doesn't matter. My evening went something like this:

* Checked local used bookstore inventory online (no luck)
* Checked library availability including all interlibrary loan options (no luck. wth? popular book!)
* Checked Amazon.com and BN.com (bingo. started the order process on Amazon--almost always the cheaper of the two) but then...
*Remembered to check Walmart.com. (score! cheaper and only $1.97 for shipping.) I even had the option to have it delivered to the store for free, but I decided it was worth the extra couple bucks to avoid driving 20 minutes to the nearest store with two young kids in tow.

I did some more checking, and a number of the books I'm interested in are less expensive at Walmart.com (hardcovers, no less).

Of course they don't have quite the selection as the other two big book retailers, but I'm definitely adding Walmart.com to my book-buying search list. I have a book addiction, and I need a cheap fix.

P.S. I am very sad our local bookstore closed last year. R.I.P. River City Books! I would have loved to have given you my business.

Namaste: 10 Reasons I Love Yoga

2010-09-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday a friend of mine invited me to join her for a beginning yoga class. It was a first for both of us. Is it too soon to say I'm head over heels in love with yoga? I went back tonight, and I'm already looking forward to next week. I mean, really, is there anything better designed for a young, frazzled mother? Let's consider:

I get to be away from my dirty house, needy kids, and annoying dogs for an hour and a half.
My biggest focus for that period of time is my breathing. When was the last time I stopped to breath even for a few minutes?
I get to be in a warm, dimly lit, beautiful room that I'm not responsible for cleaning.
My husband thinks yoga is going to make me all sorts of fit, strong, and flexible, so he's supportive. I'm just letting him think that, even though my beginning yoga class really is about 80% breathing.
I get to relax and stretch.
I don't have to rush. In fact doing things slowly is sort of the point. Again, this is the opposite of everything else in my day.
No one there needs me. No one there even knows who I am. I dig.
I'm feeling some tiny semblance of being an individual (that thing I was before I was a wife and a mom), and that's probably a good thing.
When I tell someone I'm doing yoga they often react in a way that makes me think they're impressed. Seriously! People will be impressed that you spend time alone breathing, relaxing, and stretching, so there's no guilt! I love not feeling guilty.
Finally, there are probably some really great health benefits, but really, that's just a bonus at this point.

So I implore you, if you are feeling stress, on edge, grumpy, pulled in a million directions, check out a yoga class. Beginning classes are easy. Breath in, breath out, repeat.

P.S. My husband actually said he'd watch the girls so I could do yoga two nights a week. Just to illustrate how much I love yoga, I'm as equally tempted to take a second class as I am to pretend I'm taking a second class and take my book to the coffee shop. It really is a toss-up.

P.P.S. Shhhhh. That's coffee shop info is between you and me.

Douplespeak

2010-09-16T07:28:00.000-05:00

image source

Yesterday my two-year-old daughter came over and said something that distinctly sounded like "Momma, I want a tattoo.” Now she's never asked about tattoos before, she's never pointed them out or commented on them, and she's never even had a fake tattoo, so I really didn't think that's what she actually had said. I clarified:

"You want a tattoo?"
"When I oooolder."
"Where did you hear about a tattoo?"
"Thank you! That's a great idea!"

And she walked away.

What just happened here? I have a feeling this is just a tiny glimpse into her impending adolescence. Clearly she's already mastered the art of talking in circles around me. I cringe at the thought of what is to come. Someday when she's 18 (hopefully she waits until she's 18), she'll be proudly showing of that new ink and wondering why I look dumbfounded. And she'll say, "Mom! We talked about this. Remember?” And she will remember.

Good Morning, Angels!

2010-09-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

I'm a person who desperately needs structure, accountability, a little artificial stress to get things done. I marvel at how much more I'm able to accomplish in a day when I have a million things to do—how much faster I can clean when I get a phone call that someone is stopping over is a few hours. Give me a day with nothing planned, no deadlines, and it seems like I can't get anything accomplished. Shhhhh. Please don't let my husband in on this little secret. He's called me out on in before, but I deny, deny, deny. Suddenly I'm having flashbacks to my college days, staying up late, waking up early and typing away. I'm pretty sure I never finished a paper before 5a.m. on it's due date. And I was an English major; there were a lot of papers.

That is why today I am excited for the launch of the fall Good Morning Girls challenge. Finding daily quiet time with God has been a challenge for me for the last several years, and I'm looking for a little peer pressure to help turn that around. Good Morning Girls is essentially a group of women (you ask your family, friends, co-workers, whoever) who agree to e-mail, Facebook, tweet, text (whatever works) each other after their daily quiet time. You say "good morning" and just let the group know what spoke to you that morning (or more likely for me kids' nap time or evening) during your quiet time. It's a great way to encourage one another and let peer pressure work it's magic. I've assembled a group of 5 amazing ladies, and I'm looking forward to seeing the many ways God will bless us over the next few months. If you want to join our group, let me know. Or if you want to find a somewhat anonymous group, check out the Good Morning Girls message board.

The Birds and the Bees. Or in Our House: The Dogs and the Dogs.

2010-09-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

I have a two-year-old unneutered male hunting dog named Mac. He's got a lot of puppy left in him. I also have an ancient neutered male house dog named Caesar. He's six months beyond the average life expectancy for his breed. I L-O-V-E love Caesar. I tolerate Mac. The other day Mac was clearly taking his sexual frustrations out on Caesar in plain view of my two-year-old daughter. Unfortunately this is not an unusual sight in our house. In fact, I've hear my daughter say "Mac, quit humping Caesar" more times than I care to admit. The other day, however, she got a little more descriptive and thoughtfully said, "Momma, Mac is itching his privates on Caesar. He REALLY itchy!" Well I certainly couldn't disagree with that.

Pretty for under $5

2010-09-13T00:12:00.000-05:00

So you know when you have to make a run to Target to get toilet paper, diapers, dog food, and deodorant and as you're walking down those beautiful clean aisles full of all of that new stuff—not your ratty old stuff—and you really want to buy pretty much everything you walk by (those dishes are adorable! Such a cute top! Maybe I should try that laundry detergent! Surely this is the shampoo that will finally make my hair shiny and beautiful and straight and thicker on the top and thinner in the back and six inches longer!), and you've been stuck inside the house with your two little ones for three days straight, and darn it you should buy something because you deserve it. After all, you've bribed your toddler with finger paints if she stays in the cart and makes it through the store without crying, shouldn't you get yourself a little something, too? You could get a book—that's a relatively guilt-free purchase in my opinion—but you've already got eight books at home waiting to be read and two more books shipping out from Barnes and Noble online tomorrow. Then you remember fondly watching old episodes of Veronica Mars over the weekend (LOVE that show) and admiring her shiny berry-colored lips and decide to drop a few dollars on a new lip gloss. You haven't opened a fashion magazine since before the elastic-waist pants of your first pregnancy and, frankly, you just don't have time and energy to pay attention to beauty ads, so you blindly pick a lip gloss based on color alone. Color and price. $7.99 is not okay, but $4.44 is certainly reasonable. You grab Maybelline's Shine Sensational in Cranberry Crave and you are not disappointed. It's shiny, it's sheerish with just enough color, it's not sticky, it smells nice and tastes nice, it lasts a long time, and you just made yourself feel a little pretty. For $4.44 I would say that's a steal.

Yes, I get the irony in buying myself a reward for not spending loads of money on a bunch of other unnecessary stuff. And yes, I'm perfectly okay with that. What about you? What do you like to reward yourself with on your Target/Wal-Mart/grocery store trips?

This is not a paid advertisement, and unfortunately no one gave me any free stuff. I just got lucky and found something I liked and wanted to tell you about it.

Habaneros and Ice Cream: Not a Recipe

2010-09-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

I've taken a little break from blogging and I think I'm ready to start up again. A sure sign is that I've written two or three blog posts in my head while drifting off to sleep each night. I'm feeling the urge to blog about non-cleaning/clutter related topics. That said, as a work-at-home/stay-at-home mom my life is pretty much my kids 24/7. So you'll probably be hearing a lot about them in the coming posts. I hope you don't mind.

Image Source: Jose Ibarra

Just some words of advice for you today. If your husband insists on doing something with the bushels (that may be a slight exaggeration) of habanero peppers from the garden, and he preps them and chops them, and lays them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight, do not forget about this when you ask you not yet 2-1/2-year-old daughter to put something away in the freezer for you. She will be immediately drawn to the beautiful orange candy-like bits and promptly put one in her mouth. And it will take you a minute to realize exactly what has happened. As she has surely swallowed said HABANERO pepper there will be no proof of exactly what happened. She will start coughing and looking confused, like she knows something's not right. And she will grab at her mouth and look very sad. And she inevitably will rub her eye before you've remembered to wash her hands. And she will tell you her eye hurts and her mouth hurts. And you will call poison control. And they will be lovely and reassuring. And then your daughter will voluntarily go take a nap on the couch for an hour-and-a-half (which she NEVER does). And you will worry and worry and worry. And because the habanero pepper eating takes place just as dinner is ready to be served, you will wake her up from her nap at 7:30p.m. and take her to Culver's for ice cream. Just to make sure she's really okay. If she refuses the ice cream or it doesn't boost her mood, you will then take her to the emergency room. But she does eat it, and it does make her feel better. And it helps ease your guilt just a little. And in the end, it is a good excuse to go get ice cream.

Clean Enough for Madonna?

2010-08-23T21:32:00.000-05:00

For those of you readers who don't know me personally (all two of you), I have a very vivid and bizarre dream life. For example, last night I had a dream that Madonna (the material girl, not the virgin) was my house guest. I hadn't been expecting her, so my house was in pretty pathetic shape. For some reason, I wasn't worried about this. I think I was in shock that Madonna showed up in the first place. It started to sink in at breakfast the next morning how ill-prepared I was. I offered her bacon (as if!), and she politely declined. I offered her eggs, she politely declined. I offered her pancakes, she politely declined. Then I started wracking my brain about what the heck her crazy macrobiotic diet was all about. Fail. Then I followed her back to the guestroom, where I started to notice how utterly dirty and cluttered the place was. Madonna hadn't said anything the first night, so I told myself it wasn't as bad as it looked. Then she started telling me in a very positive life-affirming way that cleaning things up would make me feel better. So while she took a shower, I picked up. And it looked better. And I felt better. The end.

When Madonna is entering my dreams to lecture me on keeping a clean house, perhaps it's time to step up my game.

I Love Goop!

2010-07-06T16:17:00.000-05:00

Solution to my grease stains? Drumroll please...

GOOP!

No, I'm not talking Gwyneth. I'm talking the little tub of wonder, Multi-Purpose Goop Hand Cleaner. It's been in the back of my mind for a long time; I've seen Goop used for years on grease stains, watching my mom slather it all over my dad's work clothes. I can still remember the smell. Yet it never occurred to me to try it for my own tiny spots. I don't know why. I finally asked my mom for the details, and remembered to buy some on our last trip to Menards. It didn't take long for me to find my first test pieces--two shirts, worn layered, that my daughters little greasy fingers pawed. I was wearing one of the shirts for the very first time.

Surprise, surprise it worked!

There's nothing fancy about Goop. The marketing copy on the side of the container says, "Try it for difficult and stubborn stains on shirt collars, blouses, skirts, slacks, vinyl, canvas, woodwork, rugs." Apparently there is no limit to which specific item of clothing (or material) it can clean. Essentially you rub it on the stain, let it sit for 20 minutes, and wash your clothes as you normally would. The instructions emphasize that both your hands and the material should be dry when the Goop is applied. It does stink, so I washed my stained shirts in a separate load. I've since washed some Gooped clothes in a full load and didn't really notice any smell on the other clothes.

It's also non-toxic and biodegradable. That sounds good, right?

The directions suggest testing for colorfastness, but really once you've got a big grease spot on your shirt this is pretty much your last resort. Next stop, garbage.

Give it a try. It's 4 for 4 at my house.

Embracing the Magic

2010-06-25T12:44:00.000-05:00

I'm convinced the Magic Eraser was invented just to removed dog slobber from white painted woodwork. And thank goodness for that.

Also, I found a solution for grease stains that works! More to come.

Together is Better

2010-06-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

I could probably count on one hand the number of times my husband and I have done dishes together. We did it tonight. I'm not even talking washing and drying, just loading up the dishwasher. Finishing up my work for the evening and looking at the kitchen full of dirty dishes, I sighed, and then my husband offered to do them for me (shock, joy, love!). Sold. Then for some reason I decided to take a few minutes before bed and unload the clean dishes from the dishwasher. Just a little help to get the process started. As I was finishing up, hubby walked in, got to work, and said "If we do this together, we can get it done fast." True. And knowing in my heart of hearts my husband isn't the most efficient dishwasher loader (lots of wide open space), I agreed. And it was fast. In probably just over 5 minutes of working together rinsing, loading, and wiping we got a very messy kitchen transformed into pretty good shape.

So often married couples work on separate tasks (cleaning vs. yard work) or work together on huge remodeling projects that can span days, weeks, or even months, with plenty of time for disagreements, grudges, and gripes to surface. There was something sweetly satisfying about getting in there, working together for a few minutes, and getting a job done. I can't quite put it into words, but it felt right. Or, maybe it's my subconscious trying to glorify the experience so I don't have to be stuck with the dirty dishes for the rest of my life. Or maybe it was just my husband's sneaky way of getting some extra help. Damn! He's good.

Making Progress

2010-06-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long absence. I don't have any great excuses, just life! I'm not quite as diligent in keeping the counters clean (as Traci can attest), but overall my house is probably staying at least 50% cleaner than it did 2 months ago. I call that progress! When I slide it's usually only for a day or two and then I feel a push to get back on track. The thrill of a cleaner house has worn off a little, which I attribute to my new higher standards. Darn you, higher standards!

I've been working my way through Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred. I realize based on when I originally started, I'm about 30 days in. I hit a road block early on with a stretch of travel, however, so I'm more like about halfway. I'll be the first to admit I'm not doing it every day, but I am doing it at least 4 or more times a week. Considering I didn't work out at all 30 days ago, this is great progress. I find the 20 minutes pretty manageable, even in my busy schedule. I haven't changed up my eating too much yet--just fewer sweets and better carbs, although I did chow down on taco pizza tonight. I've lost 3 lbs so far and have majorly toned up. My arms, which I usually try to keep covered as much as possible, are looking respectable (to me). I usually do a few extra minutes of abs at the end of the video (got that post-baby tummy to tighten up). My muffin top is already much less noticeable. In fact, while cleaning out my younger daughter's closet last night, where I keep my out-of-season clothing and stuff that's too small, I found 3 pairs of jeans and 2 pairs of shorts that now fit! Keep in mind this is my fourth summer in a row either pregnant or post-baby, so the little things excite me.

Better and more frequent posting to come! There. I just put it out into the blogger universe. I guess now I will have to follow through.

Bathroom Drawer Revisited

2010-05-25T22:37:00.000-05:00

In a previous post, I added a before photo of the last holdout in my bathroom purge: a bathroom drawer.

And here it is now.

I have no idea why we have such an abundance of oral hygiene products, but we do. We also have a disturbing number of lighters (11) considering neither my husband nor I smoke. Actually, a couple times a year he picks up the bad habit for a few weeks. Apparently he's not good at keeping track of lighters. Anyone have any good ideas for getting rid of them? Do I just toss most of them in the garbage? Is that even safe?

Since the bathroom is pretty well in shape now, I'm going to be moving on to my daughter's bedroom. The biggest obstacles there are a drawer of sentimental stuff (ALL of the cards from my first daughter's birth and a bunch of manuals for baby gear) and her closet (a catchall for all kinds of random family stuff). Now I'm very practical when it comes to the sentimental stuff. I have no problem throwing out those cards. My husband, on the other hand, thinks it's imperative that we keep it all. I know from experience (thanks, Mom!) that someday we will need to get rid of this stuff; we'll be downsizing to a smaller place or just needing to use our space more efficiently. And we'll have to pass along this stuff to our daughters. And then they'll have to find a place to store it. I've got the proof, handed down by both sets of parents, in our basement storage room (the last room in the project, for good reason).

So, any suggestions on how to handle the sentimental overload and convince my husband it's a good idea to pare down? Or will I regret it someday?

My Name Is Joanna, and I Have a Problem

2010-05-24T13:07:00.000-05:00

I can't put my finger on it. Something has changed. Once again, I'm losing steam. I've learned that, much as in my experience with my children, just as you get into a really good groove, something changes--a new found ability to crawl, climb, or walk, the ability to suddenly reach higher drawers, an incoming tooth, a bad cold, potty training--and things get thrown out of whack. My maintaining is out of whack. I'm not sure why. A busy week? My husband out of town for a few days? The sweltering heat and humidity? New planting and gardening projects? A renewed commitment to exercise? An increasingly alert (and therefore demanding) baby? I know that those really aren't good excuses. I had free time this week. I read an entire magazine in one sitting, people! So am I just tiring of the tedium that is housekeeping? After all, it's one of the things that really is never ending. I guess the key to to just take it one day at a time. Is it bad that I'm comparing housekeeping to overcoming addiction? Huh. Is there a 12-step program for laziness?

How do you all stay motivated to keep it up day after day? Ideally a clean house (or at the very least, clean countertops) would be reward enough, and initially it was. But I'm slipping.

On the positive side, I did get my final bathroom drawer cleaned out this week. After photo to come. Granted, this blog is the ONLY reason I cleaned that drawer. Whatever works, right?

Oh, and I prettified the blog. Just more proof of my procrastination. Uff.

UPDATE: After posting this entry, I looked around at my messy place and immedately started shopping online for a new swimsuit. What do you do when you want to procrastinate?

I Am Not Alone

2010-05-18T13:40:00.000-05:00

So just when I think I must be the messiest, most cluttered person I know, my sister steps up and lets me know I'm actually not. Case in point, she sent me these pics after my recent bathroom decluttering post:

By the way, this doesn't include her makeup drawer. I'm still waiting for that photo. So sister, my loyal blog readers (all 10!) will be looking forward to some "after" photos. Get to work!

And in the spirit of total disclosure, I still have one more bathroom drawer to get through. Take a look:

I'll let you know how it goes.

I Waited 15 Years for This?

2010-05-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago, as part of my ongoing bathroom purge project, I got rid of a TON of makeup (most of it never worn out of the house). It was a sad reminder of all of the dollars I've wasted over the years trying to find the perfect (or at least acceptable) lipstick/eyeshadow/eyeliner. I wish I had a before photo or even one of all of the crap I threw out, but I don't. You'll have to take my word for it. I've talked about this over the last week or so with my best friend, my mom, and my sister. Apparently I'm not alone here. We've all got a stash of unused cosmetics. Why are we keeping them? We don't use them. And not only does this extra makeup mean more clutter, my friend reminded me that, for health reasons, we are supposed to get rid of makeup regularly. I guarantee I won't miss anything I threw out.

I'm pretty sure I've had my old makeup bag since I started wearing enough makeup to warrant a makeup bag (about 15 years). The problem is that there is nothing wrong with the old one. Granted, it isn't very cute, but it worked just fine.Tonight, as a reward for clearing out all that old unused makeup, I bought myself a new makeup bag. I'm not sure it's worthy of having waited 15 years (that's half my life!), but it's cute enough and much better than the old one.

Before:

After:

The "makeup" drawer I cleaned out looks great. Other than my "everyday" makeup, I kept only a handful of additional products. They're stashed in a small bag way in back.

P.S. I swear the big banana clip is only for hold back my hair while I straighten it!

P.P.S. Now if I would only get rid of some of the 9 lipsticks stashed in my purse. One thing at a time. One thing at a time.

Stocking the Pantry

2010-05-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

Every few months we make a trip to Aldi to stock our pantry. When I say "stock" I mean "STOCK." Those who know my husband will understand. He has emergency preparedness anxiety. We can't be too prepared. He would love to have enough food stocked to last us a year. We had two overflowing carts at Aldi today, and his exact words were "We didn't really get that much."

Here's some pictures of what we brought home. There was actually more than this. Excuse the few other things in these pictures, but we got home right at lunch time, so I cooked us a quick meal before I put things away.

Here's the pantry before. Not bad.

Here's the pantry after. .

Here's the overflow that will be stored in our basement until we're ready to use it. And we do use it.

You're probably thinking 1) we're crazy or 2) we're awesome. After the first couple of trips to Aldi I thought we were crazy. But after doing this a few times, I've grown to appreciate the fact that I can make fewer trips to the store. I HATE grocery shopping. And if I can make fewer trips or even shorter trips, I'm game. We have the space, so why not? By the way, people, Aldi is cheap. Way cheap. And great for pantry items. You can't get everything there, but it is worth a special trip if you've got the room to stock up. Just remember to bring a quarter for you cart.

Think I'm exaggerating my husband's preparedness anxiety? Check out the first-aid corner of our bathroom cabinet.

Told you.

Good Advice from My Bathroom Drawer

2010-05-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

I started to uncommittedly (is that a word?) clean out my bathroom drawers yesterday. They pretty much look like my kitchen junk drawer but with a decidedly hygienic and cosmetic slant. That said, I did find a few surprises. Apparently at some point in the past I cleaned out my purse, and having no good place to put the junk in my purse, I put it in a bathroom drawer. Makes sense, right? Hence, the college i.d. and random notes I found today. One of these random notes includes a quote from 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever, by Steve Chandler. Apparently I was feeling a little unmotivated even then; also, at my old job I had free online access to business self-help books. This is something I carefully copied down on a post-it and taped to my computer monitor. It's good advice, especially for me. I may have to find a new place to put it. Preferably not in a bathroom drawer.

Look Bad. Take a Risk. Lose Face. Be Yourself. Share Yourself with Someone. Open Up. Be Vulnerable. Be Human. Leave Your Comfort Zone. Be Honest. Experience the Fear. Do It Anyway.

Taking It to the Box

2010-05-13T11:14:00.000-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivewires/ / CC BY 2.0

I'm just about to start working on our upstairs bathroom. I've been dreading it. I'm just not ready to face the many, many unused eye shadows, lipsticks, and "free" Clinique makeup bags, but I'll save that for another post.

One thing in the bathroom that will be quick and relatively easy to take care of is our medicine cabinet. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one guilty of buying medicine and then forgetting about it for 5 years or until the next move (whichever is longer). I remember a bottle of iodine (I don't even know what people use iodine for, but we had it) in our medicine cabinet growing up, it was there for as long as I can remember—at least 15 years or more. And it was still there when I was graduating college and my parents were moving. In fact, I'm going to make a point of checking my parents' medicine cabinet for the iodine the next time I'm at their house. If it's there, I'm going to toss it. I bet you they'll never notice.

One thing I think I've finally learned is that just because medicine is sold in economy sizes, which may ultimately make the per-pill or per-ounce price cheaper, doesn't mean I actually need the economy size (unless we're talking Tums and I'm pregnant). After all, medicine does expire. And not only does it clutter up your bathroom, it's a hazard for kids, and unused medicine can be dangerous to the environment if not disposed of properly. But it's not just over-the-counter medicine that's the problem. I've got leftover prescription drugs from the birth of my first child—she's now fully potty-trained—and I've added a whole new batch of the exact same meds from the birth of my second child.

What's a safe way to get rid of all this excess? The federal government suggests the following:

Check for a local collection program.
Check with your pharmacy.
Follow the federal guidelines for prescription drug disposal.

Luckily for me, our community has a collection program for prescription and over-the-counter medicine. So tomorrow (or sometime in the near future), I'll be packing up the reminders of our previous pain and suffering and taking it down to the drop box at our local police station. And they will dispose of it for me. I like that!

Losing Momentum

2010-05-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

I'm afraid I'm losing momentum. I was away from home last week for four days, and despite doing a decent job of picking things up before we left (isn't it nice to come home to a cleanish house?), now that we're home I'm just not feeling it. I did take time today to clean off the counters three times--the first time cleaning off the stuff we piled on there when we got home from our long car trip and then again after supper, and again after a trip to Target. So at least that's still on track. The bedroom is another story. I'm giving myself a pass today due to unpacking, tons of laundry, and a rather busy day, much of which was spent away from home. My goal for tomorrow is to finish up laundry and get the bedroom clean.

The Best Gift

2010-05-09T23:05:00.000-05:00

From one mom to another, the best gift to give and receive? A clean house. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I hope you came home from work, ate something yummy, put your feet up, and read your book. Enjoy your clean house. I was happy to do it for you. And thanks for always cleaning up my house when you come to visit.

Seriously, why is it always easier to clean someone else's house?

Progress Report: Week 3

2010-05-08T15:25:00.000-05:00

It is the end of week three, so I thought I'd share a little of how this little cleaning project has affected the state of my home. In other words, is my house clean? Here's how I'm doing so far:

Clean kitchen countertops
Clean closet and drawers
Bedroom floor clear of clothes
Laundry done more frequently
Bed made
Clean linen closet

What does it not include?

Anything not listed above.

Stopping by unexpected, one would get the impression that my house is very messy. And one would be correct. I'm taking it one step at a time. No need to hurry through this. The point isn't just a clean house, it's to develop the habits needed to keep it that way. And we all know it takes time to develop good habits. (Why can we develop bad habits so quickly!?!)

The Solution to My Grease Problem?

2010-05-07T09:18:00.000-05:00

As I was roaming around on the Internet in a few minutes of free time yesterday, I found Tide's Stain Brain site. It's a handy little resource for finding the solutions to all sorts of stains. Not surprisingly, they recommend Tide for everything. But they do offer some instructions for exactly how to pre-treat specific types of stains. They also offer tips for treating stains while on the go (and presumably away from your Tide). More importantly, they display user-submitted advice, so you can get suggestions that don't necessarily feature Tide. A free Stain Brain iPhone app is available with the same information, useful for when you're away from home. (I hear some people do actually leave their homes once in a while. Maybe I'll try it sometime.)

It does, indeed, have a solution to my grease stains, but I haven't had a chance yet to put it to the test. Apparently I've been very careful lately (pats self on back). I'll let you know how it works when the time comes.

The Babysitter-Cleaning-Time-Saved-vs.-Time-Spent Ratio

2010-05-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

I work from home while taking care of my two little girls. Usually it means I'm working early mornings, late nights, and anywhere I can squeeze in a hour or so between diaper changes, feedings, burping, potty trips, kissed owies, reading, cooking...you get the idea. It gets particularly challenging when I have a deadline. For some reason my two-year-old just doesn't understand deadlines. Go figure. When I start stressing out over an impending deadline, my husband loves to suggest I hire a babysitter. Brilliant idea! We have three available right on our cul-de-sac. The babysitter will come, I will work, and my deadline woes be damned. Then I open my eyes, take a look around, sniff the stale air of my dirty house, and quickly equate the babysitter-cleaning-time-saved-vs.-time-spent-ratio. It goes something like this:

Time saved = Hours babysitter comes − Time spent consoling sad toddler who doesn't want mommy to go − Time spent frantically cleaning to make the house presentable − Time spent nursing baby (babysitter can't do that one)

Let's fill this in with the figures from a typical day:

Time saved = 3 hours − 15 minutes − 1 hour 15 minutes − 30 minutes

Time saved = 1 hour

Now it gets tricky. You see, I've now paid the babysitter for 3 hours. Is this three hours of pay less than my pay for the 1 hour of productive work time? Yes, but not by much. Call me lazy, call me crazy, but sometimes it's just not worth it. Now I've tried explaining this to my husband, but he still loves to throw out the babysitter as the answer to all of my problems. One day it will be. I'm hoping once school is out (when my babysitters are readily available) I'll be far enough along in my project to knock that 1 hour of frantic cleaning down to a solid 15 minutes. And that will make for some pretty sweet math.

Housekeeping on the Laptop

2010-05-05T00:51:00.000-05:00

Every couple of days I go through my e-mail, sort by the From field, and delete all those daily and weekly corporate e-mails that, at some point in the distant past, I've signed up to receive. You know, those e-mails that mysteriously start showing up after you create an account in order to buy something wonderful, join a giveaway, or cast your vote in a critically important online poll (the blue dress, definitely the blue one!). Or the e-mails you once enjoyed reading but haven't sparked your interest lately. They show up as often as every day, and I delete them. And I delete them. And I delete them. And I delete them. So tonight I'm going to take 10 minutes (tops) and unsubscribe.

So goodbye Target, Menards, Hawaii Visitor's Bureau (I was wishful thinking), Fossil, and about 5 others. I'll still visit you once in a while, but from now on it will be on my terms.

There's an App for This

2010-05-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, before I started this whole housekeeping project, I discovered the HomeRoutines Task Management iPhone app. (I have a bad habit of browsing the Apple App Store when I have nothing better to do.) I immediately downloaded it. HomeRoutines has all sorts of fabulous features for those who like to check tasks off a list as they progress through their day, with a strong emphasis on housekeeping. I've always been a cleaning list-maker. Usually listed by room and then marked for priority, my cleaning tasks just seem to multiply when I write them down on paper. And I like that--the more detailed, the better. Yes, I could just write down "clean bathroom," but I feel so much more productive when I:

pick up bathroom
wipe counter
clean sink
clean mirror
dust
clean toilet
sweep floor
mop floor
empty trash
clean shower

And who wouldn't? That's what's so great about HomeRoutines--it's completely customizable. You can make your cleaning routine as simple or as extensive as you like. And you still get the satisfaction of adding that check mark (actually, it's a star) to each item as you go. It's got lots of other helpful features, including zones of focus, a timer (quick, sweep that floor!), and the ability to sets daily and weekly tasks, as well as a general To Do list.

Now it's confession time. I haven't actually been using the app...YET. I will. But trust me, I'm starting way behind, here. As I've said before, my goal is to work through the house room by room, purging, organizing, cleaning, and maintaining. Once I've tamed this beast of a house, I think HomeRoutines will be a good daily motivating tool for keeping the mess under control.

Pulling back the Covers

2010-05-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

I've decided it's time I act like a grown-up and start making my bed every morning. I didn't say this housekeeping challenge was rocket science, people. This is a habit many people pick up when they are just wee ones. I was not one of those kids. I've never been a morning bed maker. My excuse used to be that I often left for the day before my husband was out of bed. When I started working from home, I decided that the dogs would just mess it up anyway, so what's the point? (That is, indeed, my dog in the photo, demonstrating my argument rather nicely.) And now with a toddler, I could use the same excuse. But now that the dogs aren't nearly as playful as they once were and my little girl usually just slips under the covers for a mellow game of pretend sleep, I'm running out of excuses. I honestly think it just doesn't occur to me to make the bed in the morning. Seriously, I'm lucky just to get myself dressed for the day.

You may have noticed I said I'm not a "morning bed maker." What other kind of bed making is there? I make my bed at night, right before I get under the covers. I like it to be nice and neat and put together properly. I guess I will just move that step up about 17 hours, and I'll be golden. So, from this day forward, I will make a conscious effort to make my bed every morning and keep my countertops clean.

Everything but the Skeletons (Revisited)

2010-05-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

Mission accomplished! I spent the good part of yesterday afternoon taming our linen closet. I have to say, it looks great. I didn't go out and buy any special organizing stuff for this one. I just worked with a few random boxes and containers I had on hand.

I learned that people do not need an endless supply of cleaning rags (grease-spotted shirts make great rags!). This is all the more true for those who rarely clean. I promptly threw out an entire garbage bag worth of rags.

Originally I thought this closet would take me days to get through. But once the contents were spread out across my bed (I should have thought that through), I realized this was a one-day deal. In and out. And here it is before and after.

Everything but the Skeletons

2010-05-01T12:45:00.000-05:00

Lest you think I am naturally an organized person, I bring you this.

This morning my daughter discovered the linen closet. Don't get me wrong, she's known it's there. But this morning it occurred to her that she could find all kinds of interesting things in there. Her bathroom stool has given her the new-found ability to reach new heights...and she's taking full advantage. I put a kibosh on that, but I'm afraid it will be a matter of only hours before she digs in. Since it's a sliding door, and I don't know of any way to childproof a sliding door, something must be done. The project in the bedroom is almost complete, so the linen closet will be my next area of focus. Technically it's the linen/light bulb/gift-wrapping/art supplies/stationery/rag/iron/game/shoe closet. And it's out of control. Don't believe it's as bad as I say? Take a look.

Yep, that's bad. At least if it's cleaned out and organized I can attempt to keep the toddler damage to a minimum. I'm going in. And if you don't hear from me in the next couple of days, you know where to find me.

On a completely unrelated note, I started Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred yesterday. I'll give you an update in about 29 days.

It's in the Mail

2010-04-30T09:36:00.000-05:00

Image Source: D Sharon Pruitt

It's been almost two weeks since I've started this little project, and our countertops are still clean! It's such a simple thing, but it makes a HUGE difference. I no longer have a lingering sense of dread every time I am in my kitchen. That's a major feat; I literally spend 80% of my day with my kitchen in sight. And the few minutes here and there I spend keeping things neat don't even feel like work.

One of the greatest sources of kitchen clutter in our house has been mail. I do a great job of opening it right away and throwing out any junk, but some things just need to be kept around for a week or two. And then there's the filing. I know we probably hold onto more than we need, but every month we get mortgage statements, pay stubs, insurance documents, etc. that need to be filed. Our filing cabinet is in our downstairs office, and I don't make a habit of going down there to file 10 times a month. Instead, I keep a little stack and deal with it once it's developed a "critical mass," as they say. The file pile used to sit on the corner of our counter. I've always wanted something to hold this little collection of mail, but I knew I didn't want something that would sit on our counter looking cluttered and taking up space. So where is our mail and filing now that our counters are clean? After giving my husband an idea of what I was looking for, he came home from Target (yes, Target again!) with a great solution called a Post-it Pocket. It is now stuck on the side of our refrigerator and holding our Netflix envelopes, a couple of bills, and our filing for the week. Problem solved!

While we're on the topic of making the side of the refrigerator useful, last summer I picked up some super-strong magnetic hooks similar to these at Digs, my favorite store in town. There are probably some more attractive options out there, but I like the strength and functionality of ours. I love that they hang (I'm beginning to see a trend here) and that I didn't need to drill any holes in our walls. I've got one holding up our calendar. They've also been great for keeping our car keys handy. We even remember to use them...at least 50% of the time!

Sibling Rivalry

2010-04-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

Apparently my little project has inspired my sister. She's kept her countertops clean for amost a week now. That's impressive in her house, trust me. Here's proof:

So feel free to stop by her house anytime to check her counters. Just don't look at the rest of the house. Oh, Snap!

Saving Money and the Environment One Load at a Time

2010-04-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurenprofeta/ / CC BY 2.0

It seems like everywhere these days I'm hearing that Americans are using too much soap. Seriously, I think I've read at least three articles in as many months. Alina Tugend's New York Times article is full of tips for prolonging the life of your appliances. The number one rule? Use less detergent. Apparently most of us assume using more soap will make our dishes and clothes cleaner, but excess soap actually prevents our clothes from rinsing clean and can cause build-up that damages our appliances. In fact Tide is now marketing a product that is designed to be used monthly to clean your washing machine and remove the residue often cause by using too much detergent. I am aware of the irony. Tide is making money off of a product designed to fix a problem caused by people using too much of their product--I'm trying it tonight.

Incidentally, we can take it easy on the dryer sheets too. My plan (thanks to a rash my daughter has developed since she's been out of diapers) is to forgo the dryer sheets altogether. I've learned that vinegar is a great inexpensive and natural alternative to fabric softener when added to you washing machine's rinse cycle. And no, your clothes will not smell like pickles.

Of course for the truly budget-conscious, you can always make your own laundry detergent or skip detergent altogether. Those options aren't for me. I'm not ambitious enough to make mix my own, and I'm a little too skeptical to leave it out altogether. I have, however, recently started using half the recommended amount. It's a small change that requires zero additional effort, and I've noticed no difference in the cleanliness of the clothes. I'm pretty happy to be saving money and producing less waste. And some day my washer and dryer will thank me!

What about you? Any great laundry tips? I'm still waiting for that answer to grease stains!

You Know What I'm Talking About

2010-04-27T08:24:00.000-05:00

There is no better encouragement for keeping a toilet clean (inside and out) than having a toddler. I'll just leave it at that.

In other news, I've adjusted my comments settings, so you no longer need a special account to leave a comment. Have a great day, everyone!

I'm Going to Read Them, Eventually

2010-04-26T10:50:00.000-05:00

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/indi/ / CC BY 2.0

There is a towering stack of books currently sitting on our dresser. It grows every time my mother visits or my husband steps into a bookstore. His stack is composed mostly of big, thick, hardcover history books like The House of Morgan, The King of Vodka, and Supreme Power *yawn*. My stack is made up of literary fiction and memoirs *yes!*. What my books lack in girth, they make up for in quantity. I currently have 8 books in my to-read pile. Throw in a couple Bibles and we've got ourselves some impressively tall stacks. Eight books will sound like a lot to some of you. But I know plenty of people who could get through my pile in just a few weeks (Mom, Grandma, Traci, I'm talking to you). That's part of my problem. My main supplier (my mother) has a lot more reading time on her hands. I can't keep up. (If you're curious what sort of books are in my pile, click on over to my Goodreads profile.)

So why must they sit on our dresser? Good question. I like my stack. I like seeing it every day. It give me something to look forward to, something to plan. What am I going to read next? I don't necessarily want these books out of easy reach. I've decided a new nightstand will be my next purchase in the name of decluttering.

Our current "nightstand" is pathetic. It's one of those $10 three-legged plywood round tables a college kid might pick up for a dorm room. That's our nightstand. We don't even bother to throw a cheesy round tablecloth on it (hence the water spots). Nope, it's just a very unstable, ugly plywood table, steady enough only to hold a lamp (don't get me started on the lamp) and our cell phones. When our dogs are particularly playful they have a tendency to knock this table and the lamp and the phones onto the floor. Often the legs come apart at that point. It happens every couple of months. Eventually I'd love to get a new bedroom set. But our bedroom is small--large enough only for our bed, one nightstand, and a dresser. So a new bedroom set will wait until we move, some day far in the future. Our current dresser, by the way, is from the bedroom set my parents got when they married in 1969. It's showing it's age, but it's got modern clean lines and I like it.

Other than our two bathrooms, our bedroom is the only room in the house that has not gone through some serious decorating since we moved in 5 1/2 years ago. It will happen. Maybe once the project is complete and we've been living in a clean house for a while we'll finally see the potential in this room and get the job done. Until then, a new nightstand will have to suffice.

PS I will be looking for a new lamp as well. Isn't this one just lovely?

PSS If anyone knows a high school senior, I've got a fantastic dorm room table available! And a lamp!

Airing Our Dirty Laundry

2010-04-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

I've been searching for a hamper for our bedroom. We don't have one. We never have. We keep three laundry baskets on our bedroom floor. Occasionally clothes end up in them, but it's really just hit or miss. I realize there are some really snazzy hamper systems out there with three separate side-by-side compartments, but they aren't for us. They take up too much floor space. We have a tiny bedroom, made even smaller by our king-size bed (necessary for the 130+lb and 50+lb dogs that sleep there). Also, I don't like the idea of having to transfer clothes from a hamper to a laundry basket when it's laundry time. It's an extra step, and who needs that? And then you still need to find a place to store the laundry baskets. You can tell I've been thinking about this way too much.

I've checked out the options at Target. I even brought one home the other night, hoping that it was larger than it appeared on the box. I bought a Michael Graves vertical laundry sorter. It's now back at Target. It was too small, poorly constructed despite the design award prominently featured on the box (it was impossible to disassemble and even broke while trying to do so), and a hassle. The fabric baskets velcroed (sp?) into position and required two hands to attach and detach. I think it's also a bad sign that this product does not seem to exist in the virtual world. I've spent 5 minutes trying to find it so I could link to it, but no luck. How is that possible? I bought it at Target! It has won some stupid award! Oh well, take my word for it and don't buy it.

I have since found a near-perfect solution to our hamper problem. It's the Rubbermaid Stack'n Sort laundry basket. I sent my husband to The Container Store to pick up three, and they are now stacked vertically taking up very little room on our bedroom floor. It's not a pretty solution, but notice there is no transferring of clothes at laundry time, and it takes up the same amount of floor space as a single laundry basket. It was hubby's first experience at The Container Store, and he has since said something to the effect of "when we need more storage stuff, we should go back there." Another success! The only complaint I have is that it takes a little maneuvering to get them into place, and of course you have to disassemble your stack to get to the bottom baskets. That said, this is the best solution I've found. If I were designing my own vertical laundry basket hamper system (why not?), I'd have a frame with the baskets hanging in place and the ability to slide them in and out individually...and I'd make it look cute. Think laundry basket file cabinet. Feel free to make that happen for me. Again, I've thought about this way too much.

So that's it. No excuse for clothes on the floor anymore. I've had the baskets for 24 hours now and I see my husband hasn't actually used them yet. We'll see if a gentle reminder will help. By the way, he said to me the other day, "You know, with this blog thing you're going to have to stick with it you know--keeping the house clean." And he's right...I'm counting on it!

Clothes. Clothes. Clothes.

2010-04-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mysza/ / CC BY 2.0

It's the beginning of week 2 and the project is well under way in the bedroom. We've gone through our closet and thrown out heaps of clothes (a garbage bag full) and have 2 more bags to give away. It was a freeing experience, but I'm beginning to think I have a regretfully close relationship with greasy food. I think I threw out at least 8! shirts with grease stains. They were some of my favorite shirts. Ones I've been wearing around the house (because really, who cares?) or with a strategically placed cardigan. But I decided I'm done with all of that. Besides, how will my husband ever believe me when I tell him I have nothing to wear if I have a closet full of grease-stained clothes? What's worse is they were some of my favorite shirts. So now the clothes that are left in my closet are not so cute and definitely not so flattering. Luckily, my birthday is coming up, and I'm hoping to replenish my wardrobe--I've been hinting to my hubby for weeks.

I've gone through the same process in my dresser. I've thrown out lots of holey, unattractive underwear and pjs. Again, I think this project could have a positive effect on our marriage. And I even went through the old sock drawer. A few months ago I threw out all my white socks and replaced them with two new large packs. My old socks really were old--probably at least 6 years. And since socks are cheap, I chucked them all. My husband has yet to do this. His sock drawer is so full it literally cannot be closed. Who needs that many socks!?!

On a completely unrelated note, I've had the joy of allergic pink eye for the last 2 days. It's the kind of pink eye you get from raging allergies. This is my first year with raging allergies. I don't recommend it.

To the very few of you who have kept reading to this point, stick with me. It will get more interesting than underwear, socks, and pink eye--I promise!

And if anyone knows how to get grease stains out of clothes, please TELL ME NOW!

The Beginning: Or How I Saved My Countertops and Marriage (Week 1)

2010-04-23T18:44:00.000-05:00

SOURCE:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djbrady/ / CC BY 2.0

OK, so I've finally made the leap into blog world. It was only a matter of time. Recently I've been a little obsessed with with my blogger dashboard. And perhaps guilt has crept in a little. I mean, other people are entertaining me on a daily basis. Isn't it selfish to read multiple blogs every day and not actually blog myself? Yes, I have guilt issues. I've been thinking about blogging for a while now. I've mentally composed countless blog posts. Revised and edited them into my Facebook status. But something has finally pushed me over the edge. I've started a project. And as everyone (OK, maybe not everyone) knows, a project = a blog.

What is this project, you ask! Drumroll, please....It's housekeeping. Whoop hoodoo! No, seriously. That's it. What is blog-worthy about housekeeping? Not much. But in my house, it's a miracle. And miracles are blog-worthy. Get it? This all started 6 days ago. I cleaned my kitchen. Well, technically I cleaned off the countertops in my kitchen. I even got rid of all those piles of paper and random electronic devices. Why would anyone need three memory cards, a cellphone battery, and some sort of microchip device on my kitchen counter at all times? After said cleaning, I mentioned to my husband that (I'll use exact wording here, in case you want to try it on your significant other) "I'm really going to try to focus on keeping the counters clean. I mean every time I get something out, I'm going to put it away; anytime I spill something, it will get wiped up; anytime I dirty a dish, it will go in the dishwasher." And he said "OK." But something happened that I hadn't expected. I'd wished for it and prayed for it for YEARS. Somehow, for some reason, my husband heard all of this this as "We're really going to try to focus on keeping the counters clean. Every time we get something out, we're going to put it away, anytime we spill something, we're going to wipe it up. Anytime we dirty a dish, we'll put it in the dishwasher. Six days later, our counters are still spotless. And I've spent less time and energy cleaning them than I've ever spent in my life.

So we now have a new standard in this house...for the kitchen countertops. And it didn't take nagging, whining, a 5-minute nightly cleanup (which inevitably turns into 40 minutes), or anything. It just took a conscious effort and about 10 seconds here and there. I love my clean countertops. They're beautiful! I realize most of you out there are saying, "Duh!" This is common sense. And you're right. But it's been lacking in this household for 8 years.

My goal is to implement this strategy throughout the rest of the house. Slowly. Next up is our bedroom. The plan works like this:

1. purge

2. sort

3. assess

4. organize

5. clean

6. don't screw it up!

In my mind this is so incredibly brilliant. I envision a continually clean house with seemingly little effort. A general lack of extra junk. And energy I've previously spent picking up, putting away, etc. will be spent on deeper cleaning (like vacuuming and dusting)--chores that were mostly saved for company before. I'm planning on getting a room done every week or two until the entire house is finished. It won't be easy. I can only hope my husband doesn't give up along the way. And with a two-year-old, a three-month-old, and two big dogs, I've got my hands full. But I have very high hopes!