Eco, Kid, and Pocket Book Friendly Cleansers

Spring cleaning is here! I have to say, I am messy by nature. I have a real hard time following through with picking stuff up and putting it back in its "home" if it even really has a home in our house. Many objects in our home are nomads or gypsies. However, I have been really dedicated to some new cleaning products.

The first one is vinegar, which my mom uses a lot for windows, but as I have been researching, it does more than windows. Vinegar is a cleaning superstar. My sorority sister Meredith who lived overseas, says the Germans use it to clean everything! I use it in a spray bottle mixed with water. 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. I do windows, clean the kitchen sink, and shine the crome fixtures with this. This mixture also takes the price stickers off glass with a magical ease. I think of the time I spent getting those stickers off the bottom of my new china when I was first married, I wish I'd known the vinegar trick then! I also use it to wash my wood floors! My girlfriend puts some in her wash to soften the clothes instead of using fabric softener. Vinegar is great for descaling and removing calcium and lime deposits as well as removing soap scum.

Here is a great website for vingar uses.

I also have fallen in love with liquid Ivory dishsoap. It is very eco-friendly. Add 1 tablespoon soap to 1 cup water and you have yourself the BEST all-purpose cleaner ever. It makes things sparkle, you even hear that little--ting! You know, like the people on the Orbit commercials. I use this spray to clean my kitchen counters, stovetop, microwave, bathroom sinks, around (not in) the toilet, walls, I could go on forever! Spray, wipe, and dry. Drying I have found is essential to the cleaning process. Especially with windows and countertops. You need to dry it with a cloth or paper towel for it to really look its best.

Probably my favorite product here is the baking soda. My Grammy has always sung its praises and it deserves it. You can use it to scrub, to deodorize, cut grease. I polish silver with it. Use a damp cloth and some baking soda for a beautiful shine. Here is a great website for baking soda uses.

My very favorite thing is when you add vinegar to baking soda--that is a dynamic duo.

I recently found in Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook how to unclog a drain using vinegar and baking soda. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda in the drain, pour 1/2 vinegar down the drain, cover the drain with a cloth to keep the gasses in the drain. Wait five minutes and pour boiling hot water down the drain (use a teakettle to keep from burning yourself).

You really cannot go wrong with any of these products as they are not harmful to kids as many household cleansers are. They are friendly to the earth. And, they are inexpensive.

So, let's get spring cleaning!

Mommy Friends

I have been blessed with many friendships in my life. Friends I have had since childhood, college friends, church friends. But today I have to give the shout out to my Mommy friends. It it hard to capture in words just what these women do for me. But I will now try.

Just in the past week some of my mommy friends have:
a) watched my preschooler on very short notice so I could go to a Dr's appt.
b) lent me a boatload of dish and glassware so I could host a party
c) disciplined my child gently and without passing judgment on me
d) listened to concerns or worries I had
e) made me lunch
f) made my kid lunch
g) gave me hand-me-downs
h) found the number (and a coupon) for the garage door fix it man
i) encouraged me
j) offered to do a playdate swap giving each of us some alone time
k)shared a great recipe--breakfast casserole
l) lent me a mop!
m) just called
n) gave my kids a snack
o) let my kid give her dog a snack
p) brought my kid home from the bus stop


I would not be as good a mother, wife, or friend without these women. I also would be a little crazier and at wits end most of my days.

• Potty training would have been a lot less funny and tolerable had I not had you all around to know I am not alone.
• Having moms who have been there before was so crucuile those first few months after birth! The things only another mom would tell you!!
• Knowing you love my kids and I love yours.
• The wealth of cleaning and cooking tips that we have all shared!
• Knowing we don't have to be perfect--or even seem perfect.

Thanks for being such great Mommy Friends!