Menu and "Flying" Again

Here's what we're having this week:

Sunday: BBQ Pork, Macaroni and Cheese, Cole Slaw, Deviled Eggs
Monday: Leftovers from Sunday
Tuesday: Potato Pierogi With Sauteed Cabbage and Apples
Wednesday: Taco Salad, fresh pineapple
Thursday: Asian Beef and Cabbage Salad, Sliced mango
Friday: Spinach and Cheese Manicotti, salad, garlic bread
Saturday: Breakfast will be Belgian Waffles with homemade blueberry sauce

What's on your menu?  Thanks to the readers who helped me through my "lack of menu inspiration" last week!  We made it through without a menu... but it is SO much easier to have a plan!

Speaking of having a plan... I'll be rejoining my friend the FlyLady for some much needed housekeeping scheduling and advice.  I need to get back on her wonderful schedule.  I was a terrible housekeeper when I first got married 6 years ago and have drastically improved, and FlyLady is part of what made me successful.  But lately, I can barely scrape by with my housework--I'm just keeping my head above water.  Our home is not a pigsty by any stretch of the imagination, but I definitely have higher standards than I have been achieving.  (Toddlers are not conducive to a neat home, I'm convinced!) 

You better believe I'll be starting the week with my Home Blessing Hour!  Anyone care to join me?

Are there any other FlyLady success stories out there?  And any advice on "keeping up" with the house?

I don't like to clean but I do like a clean home.

Many of you know I have been attempting to make some of the cleaners that I use in my home.  I like the fact that I can save plastic and money when I do so--but that doesn't mean that I don't purchase commercial cleaners.  I do.  I definitely do.

One of my favorite cleaners is Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day All-Purpose cleaner.  I like the lavender scent, but there are several others to choose from.  I buy it at World Market when they have coupons, but you can also purchase it at Target now.  The cost for a 32 oz. bottle is about $8, which seems expensive initially but if you use it the way I do, then it actually works out to be quite inexpensive.  (Please note that the Amazon link I have attached to the right is the cost for 6  32 oz. bottles.)

For an all-purpose cleaner, simply mix 2 tablespoons (1 oz.) of the concentrated all-purpose liquid with 16 oz. water in a plastic spray bottle (available at the dollar store).  One 32 oz. bottle of concentrated liquid can be stretched into 32 16 oz. bottles of cleaner that way, making each spray-bottle of cleaner cost a quarter.  A measly quarter.  You can handle that, right?

I use this home-mixed spray to clean off our table after eating, on bathroom surfaces, kitchen surfaces, and basically in any type of situation where an all-purpose cleaner is needed. 

Also, when you mop your floors you can use 2 tablespoons of Mrs. Meyer's All -Purpose cleaner per gallon of hot water to have sparkling and lightly scented floors.  Ahh.  How refreshing.  Or, you can buy a steam mop like I did and never have to make mop water again.  (I highly recommend this option!  To the right, you can see the Shark Steam Pocket Mop--I have had mine for 6 months and this mop makes my most hated chore, mopping, a breeze.  For all you other mop haters, this may be worth the money for you. I think it was worth every penny.)

One of the best parts about Mrs. Meyer's products is that they're pretty safe and environmentally friendly.  Check out their Environmental and Safety Info to learn more.

I don't love to clean, but using products that I like makes the job a little easier. 

Homemade shower cleaner

I am trying to be more "green".  Not because it's trendy, not because it's cool, but because I genuinely have a problem with the amount of trash I create and its effect on the earth that we live on.  One of the ways I am trying to be conscious of my consumption is by using homemade cleaners.  They're cheap (which fits our frugal lifestyle), use less plastic, and they clean well!  I purchased some refillable plastic squirt bottles at the dollar store for, you guessed it, $1 each.  They have handy little lines on them for measuring and the lines even include ratio amounts so there's no need to use other measuring utensils.

Here's the recipe for the shower cleaner I have been using:

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2-3 drops dish soap
5-10 drops essential oil (optional)

I picked up a small vial of green tea and cucumber scented oil at JoAnn fabric for $. 99 on clearance.  It's probably not a great quality oil because it's a man made scent, but hey, it was cheap and it smells good to me!

It costs about $ .20 for the ingredients in this 16 oz. cleaner--pretty fabulous, right?

Now, I won't lie--homemade cleaners are not as "heavy duty" as commercial household cleaners so they require more elbow grease.  You can exert less effort though by keeping up with your cleaning.  My shower ritual is to spray down my shower stall with a few squirts of the above solution 10 minutes before I shower and then when I get in the shower I take a minute to scrub the walls with the handy brush I keep in the stall, and then rinse the walls.  This way, I am just keeping up with things rather than waiting until I have a big ol' mess to tackle.  You know how they say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  Well, scrubbing your shower for a minute daily keeps the mildew and soap scum away!

I will be adding more information on making your own cleaners as I progress in my journey with them.  Anyone else have any concoctions they'd like to share?  Leave a comment--I'd like to hear it!

Sunday Savings

Did you buy a newspaper today?

I haven't clipped my coupons yet today, but I look forward to seeing the sales ads and clipping the coupons that correspond with the sales. If you're willing to make the small investment of time, the savings can be phenomenal!

This week, I will be focusing on getting my house under control because my mess is out of hand right now! (Well, it's really not that bad, but I really like coming home at the end of the day to a clean house!) I will be getting back into the habit of "blessing my home" on Mondays like the Flylady suggests. She offers great housekeeping tips and really keeps you on track if you can follow her system! I use many of her principles, but found that I get too obsessed and borderline neurotic if I follow her list of chores to do! Anyway, the house will get back in shape soon--so I ought not worry about it.

Happy Cinco de Mayo tomorrow!

Declutter!

I have found that one of the best ways to keep up with my house is by dealing with the mail AS SOON as it comes in. If I just leave it on the kitchen counter, it somehow multiplies and attracts other crap!

Since all of our bills are on auto-pay, we review the statements and file them away immediately. Junk mail goes in the trash with NO exceptions. I have gotten in the habit of throwing away catalogues as they arrive for three good reasons. First of all, they tend to make their way to an end table, multiply, and then make me crazy until I run around like a madwoman trashing anything resembling a catalogue! Secondly, catalogues are NOT necessary because everything that is in them is available online. Third, they just get me into that state of "want want want" that I am working to escape! Bottom line? I don't need them! Out of guilt, I used to hang on to cards and letters that I received from others. Why?! Few things I receive in the mail have lasting sentimental value so I read what someone is telling me (Happy B-Day, thinking of you, etc.), store it away in my mind, smile, and toss it! (Sometimes they stay on the fridge for a few weeks, too.)

Anyway, along with making my bed on a daily basis, this routine sets the tone for me to keep a clean and clutter-free home.

One step to a clean room!

There is one thing that you can do to ensure a clean bedroom-it's monotonous, but very simple: MAKE YOUR BED!

When you make your bed daily, the rest of the stuff strewn about begins to look out of place and you become motivated to spend a few minutes picking up after yourself. Here's my bed--it's not perfect, but it's done!
I learned this lesson from the FlyLady. My sister-in-law Angie introduced me to the FlyLady, and much like the coupons it took me a loonnng time to come around. Now, I am in full control of my household and am always ready for surprise company (although I still appreciate fair warning!). This month, the habit that FlyLady is reinforcing is making the bed--and I thought I'd encourage others to pick up this habit.

Making my bed daily has made a huge difference in the overall appearance and cleanliness of my room. Don't stress out and be a perfectionist- just do it.