The best floor cleaner ever

I am not the best at keeping my house deep cleaned.  I surface clean a lot and it is mainly just the living room that stays picked up (as best it can with 3 kids and a newborn). 

Mopping is not high priority on my cleaning list.  Who wants to get out the bucket and mop water every day?  So I have been using Swiffer wet pads.  They "clean" the floor, but they don't deep clean at all.  There have been many times when something falls on the floor and I pick it up but I don't wipe it up, and my Swiffer won't get up the stain or gunk it leaves behind, even if I use the scrubber part. 

 I haven't really let all the little stains, scuffs, and dirt bother me lately (with facebook a newborn there is hardly any time to deep clean) but I decided one night to deep clean the kitchen floor, and Lord knows it needed it.  After everyday life and multiple birthday parties, it needed some scrubbing.

I cruised Pinterest for a good mopping "recipe" and I ran across this one from Sweet Deals for Moms, and it was just what I needed.  I had all the natural ingredients on hand, and it was SIMPLE, smelled GREAT, and worked AMAZING!!  I wish I had some before pictures of what Swiffer left behind that this solution had no problem getting up.

The recipe is:

• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dish liquid
• 1/4 cup of baking powder
• 2 gallons very warm water

Mix well in a big bucket to make sure the baking powder dissolves and the water gets sudsy, and start mopping.  Prepare to be amazed at how well this works. 

Sweet Deals for Moms does add that this mixture is not good for waxed floors so please keep that in mind.

This also makes a big batch since you use two gallons of water, so I knocked out all the floors that could/needed to be mopped (including the laundry room and both bathrooms).  I am also glad that my mop is from the dollar store and easy to replace because it looks gross (which means a lot of dirt came off the floor), so I call that a success!!

I hope you love this floor cleaner recipe as much as I do!

I also love it when I have help :)

 

What are some of your go to recipes for deep cleaning?

Bubble Bath

Can a bubble bath change your mood?

If you are a very grumpy 1 year old with a tummy ache, it sure can!!

My Health and Weight Loss Progress

I have slowed down on working out a lot since I have been working, but I am still slowly losing weight (thanks to all the walking at work)!  I can't wait till I can get back in the gym though, I really miss it! 

I am not counting calories or being super strict on everything that I am eating, but I am very aware of what I am putting in my body.  I am trying to make sure that it is lots of fruits and veggies and less crap than I was eating.  I am cutting out calories and fat by supplementing fat free or low fat versions of things like cheeses, soups, and creams in my cooking, I have cut out sodas and I am drinking diet green tea instead, and I have cut out fast food almost completely.  If I am really hungry before dinner, I eat a big salad with fat free dressing so that I don't over indulge on dinner.

My new favorite adult beverage is Voli vodka and lemonade.  Voli vodka is a low cal vodka and I found 15 calorie per serving lemonade.  It is a super yummy drink and very refreshing, especially on a hot day out by the pool :)

I know that there will be cheat days/weekends, and I am ok with that.  I am learning to not be so hard on myself if I do fall off the wagon, but to just get right back on track.  

Having a support system is really important, and I highly encourage anyone trying to lose weight and be healthier, to partner with someone.  They can keep you on track, be a motivation when you are down, or scold you when you do fall off the wagon and have a hard time getting back on.  I have several people in my support system, and they have been a huge help for me.

So far I am down 5 or 6 pounds, which is not a lot, but I don't plan on putting it back on.  I am ok with it coming off slowly, as long as I keep the weight off.  I have finally moved back into the 160s, and I am looking forward to the 150s!!  I will keep you updated!!

What keeps you on track and motivated??

Pack Rat

I am a pack rat.  I will admit it and I hate it!  I would give anything to have an uncluttered house where everything is put up in its place.  I feel like I could spend my whole life cleaning and organizing, and it still wouldn't be finished.  The chaos of the clutter gets to me so much sometimes that I feel like going crazy and throwing everything out.  I realize that a lot of the clutter is things we use everyday that just don't get put back up in their proper places, ex: dishes, clothes, shoes, crayons, toys, etc. 

But then there are the things that just don't have a place, and make us pack rats.  The hundreds of stuffed animals that the kids have, the tubs of toys they don't play with, the tons of clothes that don't fit or we don't wear, the things that I brought from my grandma's house that I cannot get rid of, the hundred of movies that we no longer watch, and the list goes on and on.  

I know clutter makes a house chaotic and I need tips on how to get organized.  I am tired of of being a pack rat. 

Are you a pack rat?  How do you stay organized?

This is my P post for the A to Z challenge.  Please leave me some of your best tips for an organized house in the comments :)    

Lady Gaga's Wisdom

I am not much of a Gaga fan, her outfits and antics are so overwhelmingly out there to me.  I mean a meat dress, come on, really??  Her last stunt with the egg sent me over the edge!  Who does that??  I watched her on Good Morning America last week, and I was pleasantly surprised at what she had to say.  Some of it made sense, not all, but some.  She said that we as people need to:

"Love and protect ourselves more. Live our lives with more passion.  And look inside ourselves for validation"

*This is not the whole quote, just what I could remember*

I surprisingly agree 100% with her statements!

Too often we look to society to judge ourselves and compare ourselves to others.  More often that not, we fall short of our comparisons, which makes us feel horrible about ourselves and our surroundings.  I know I compare myself to others on a constant basis. 

My body isn't as skinny as hers, my hair isn't as shiny, my kids and I aren't dressed as fancy, my house isn't as big, my job isn't as great....

I could seriously go on and on.  I agree that we need to stop looking to everyone else to make us happy and to validate us, and we need to figure out what makes us wonderful all on our own!  As soon as she said those words, I rewound the broadcast and listened to it over and over.  I could not believe it!  She was right!  I should love myself and validate myself.  Yes, I am a mom and a wife, but that is not all that I can be. 

I am so much more!!  I am going to be so much more!!

And I am going to do it for myself!!

     

Some Darn Good Advice

This is "Some Darn Good Advice" I saw on another blog while I was blog surfing like always!! Too good not to share :)

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath it calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important vital organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone, everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good of bad the situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative- dying young.

37. Your children only get one childhood.

38. All the truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come....

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up! <---Love this one!!
44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.


Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.