Day One Of Cleaning School

Apartment Therapy

I was so worried that I was going to get all defensive or apologetic when my cleaning teacher, Julie Gates, came over yesterday.  I didn't but I was soooo nervous!  I've known Julie for a long time and really respect her opinion especially on design and CLEANING and felt like I was going to be letting her down by showing her all the dirty things in my house. 

But once she got there and we got some small talk in and stories of our little ones the atmosphere changed and we rolled up our sleeves to get to work.  

Note: I'm sharing this on here for two reasons.  One as much as I think all my problems and quirks are just mine, I know, through experience, that there are others that deal with the same things I do.  So, hopefully though my learning you'll get to learn too.  Plus! you won't have to put your ego on the line.  :)

Second, I need to make sure I take good notes and what better way to keep track of your notes and thoughts than on this blog?!

(Daily chores = * , Weekly or Bi-Weekly = **, As Needed = + )   

That said we started on the kitchen yesterday.  I cook and bake a lot plus the kitchen for a long time was my crafting area.  So, everything from sewing to hot gluing and who knows what else in between was home to the kitchen.  It is well lit, open and has lots of flat surfaces, but it was really starting to show off that it was used a lot.

To start off we *cleared the counters by washing all the dishes, drying them and collapsing the dish rack.  *Moving everything that didn't belong in the kitchen like purses and junk mail out.  This allowed us to focus on just the kitchen itself.

Next, the sink was filled with hot soapy water and the cleaning rags were broke out.  With rag in hand Julie attacked.

First Attack:

• Wiped down ALL flat surfaces: Counters (decor on them too!), Table, window sill (and any decor on the sill), trays (either for plants or soaps). *
• Wiped down walls and anything on them (includes light switch plates, art, etc)**
• Dusted the tops of the cabinets. Removed all cob webs. +

Note: To make it easier for you to clean these surfaces regularly it is best to de-clutter your counters.  Put away as many appliances as you can. Try to limit your self to one or at most three big things on each counter and even less than that around cooking areas (small items can be clustered to count for one big item if you have them in a (1) container. i.e. utensil holder).  I even had to find a new place for some spices and hot pads because they were around my cooking top and were getting greasy from all my cooking.

Second Attack:

• Cabinets doors and drawer fronts (if you have a hard time making your cabinets look clean try furniture polish!). **
• Wipe down and shine appliances: both on and off the Counters. (i.e. refrigerator, oven, microwave, coffee maker, etc.). *&**

Note: A good way to make a room look really clean is by focusing on a few items.  For me I have a great stainless steel espresso machine (a gift from my wonderful husband!!) and white sink.  If I keep both of those shined up it will make the room look and feel much cleaner than if I just had the counters wiped down.

Homework: All **

• Wipe down your base boards.
• Wipe down all your shelves (I have to do this because I have open shelves).
• Wipe down the top of the refrigerator.
• Deep clean stove top and area around it.
• Wipe down trash can lid
• Clean windows.

he has grown so much those pants fit him now. wow!

N dancing about a month ago...

Our Trip To The Zoo

Nolan loved the animals! By the end of out trip he was asking for "Mor mor?!" . (Toddler translation: More more?!)

Taking Advice

Martha Stewart Living

If you have ever been through a job interview you have been asked the question, "How well do you take criticism?"...  My answer, because I wanted said job would be, "I take it well."

What I should have said was, "I kinda snarl a little and my eyes look like I'm trying to burn a hole in your head, but I'll hold my tongue.  Then once I've cooled down, yes I did take it as an insult to my perfection, I will evaluate whether or not it was true and if it really is a problem I might have.  By the end of the day it could go either way."  Yeah, I definitely would not have been employed if that were my answer but it is definitely more honest than the first.

Well, now that I am a stay at home mom and hang out with other mom's I am inundated with advice and criticism.  "Well maybe you should ____." or "You need to stop ______." and so on.  I try to not burn holes in their heads and I definitely hold my tongue!  ("a soft answer turneth away rath." Prov 15:1)   And truth be told I do take a lot of their advice, some of it really hurts when it first comes out but in the end it did help.  By golie I'm growing as a person!

Now, what about asking for criticism AND advice on a subject I'm already self-conscience about? Do you think I've grown THAT MUCH?  Am I ready to put pride and opinion aside to just listen and do? Is anyone willing to do that?!

In the coming months I will be taking a private session on how to clean and keep my house clean.  Just let that sink in... A professional cleaner will come to my house, point out flaws, dirty spots that I've had a blind eye to, and tell my how to re-organize my house! Even thinking about it brings to mind getting spankings as a kid.  Hold the counter and hope they are not going to get you on the leg.

But just like spankings for a foolish child, I need this.  I WANT a clean house.  I WANT to know how to clean and KEEP my house clean so that my self-conscientiousness goes away.  I WILL know that my house is clean & smells like geranium and not dog butt.  I am looking forward to the outcome which smells pretty nice. :)   

P.S.
I do want to note that I have tried to accomplish this goal on my own.  I have two cleaning how-to books to prove it!  Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook and Mrs. Meyers Clean Home
 

Missing a Good Friend

It's been over six months since my childhood friend Sarah Hodges left for Kenya.  Even when she told me that she was going to be moving to Kenya for a year I wasn't sure how I was going to live without her.  We had been joined at the hip for so long, since I was three or four I think, that not being able to call her when Steve is working late or just for a coffee break has been hard. 

We still talk (we have a scheduled call each week), but it wasn't until I saw the books that she got Nolan that I really really missed her. 

I think it's funny her selection of books really portray the person she is: The Giving Tree (her husband and her are working with an orphanage and school in Kenya), and Oh, the Places You'll Go (she is in Kenya).  So, Sarah if you are reading this...I miss ya girl. 

Book Love: *the toddler cafe*

As mentioned in the previous post I've been having a hard time getting N to eat full meals.  He does well to "try" everything but quickly decides that chips and ranch taste WAY better.  So, I turned to my local library for ideas on how to feed my picky toddler, and low and behold I found Jennifer Carden's The Toddler Cafe. 

Truth be told I actually borrowed two toddler cook books and tried the recipes in both but N like the meals and snacks in this book way more than the other (I'm not going to mention which book I compared this too...just in case). 

The first snack of choice is Creamy Cloud Dip.  I loved this recipe because of the simplicity and great nutrition and N loved it because it tastes awesome! Can you say "Win WIN!" 

One 5.3 oz container of plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup sweetened flake coconut
1 ts honey
1 ts vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients, chill and serve with pretzels, fresh, frozen (N liked his with frozen blue berries) or dried fruit, or spread it on crackers. 

Something else that this book helps with is imagination.  Not only for the child (it goes over fun food conversation ideas that you and your toddler could have), but also for you the cook.  For me I had some ice cream cones baked apples (a staple @ my house), this dip and of course frozen blue berries.  As you can tell from the pictures N couldn't get enough!

Rethinking vegetables was a needed change for me. N was soo bored with the same old peas, carrots, and whatever else I tried to feed him that he gave up trying them.  They taste like they did yesterday...duh.  But in this book you not only blend peas to make pancakes you also add them to yogurt, & chocolate and get Popsicles! 

Lily Pad Pancakes
Frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbl water
1 egg
3 Tbl all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
Vegetable oil, as needed
Butter, Plain yogurt (or Ranch in N's case)

If you want some pea chunks in your lily pad set some peas aside.  Add remaining peas to a blender with water and egg; puree until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder and gradually mix with a fork or whisk.  Stir in the reserved peas; let batter rest for about 10 min (while you clean up).
Oil a skillet or saute pan and warm over medium heat.  Cook Lily Pads as you would pancakes.  Serve warm with butter, yogurt or ranch.

I am sold on this book, and can't wait to try the other recipes it has within its pages.  Plus! I think this would be the cutest baby shower gift for the foodie mom to be in your life!

N not finding something in his Easter basket. 

Project: Feed Toddler!

N has a new phrase..."No no."  He uses this phrase the most when it is time to eat.  Even the the things that he usually likes have been "No no"ed, which means I have had to be on the top of my food prep game and try and get as much advice as I can.  These are some of the meals that have come from that effort:

Grill cheese hot dog bun with dippers, ketchup, ranch (of course), and hummus with a side of peas.

Ice Cream cone with baked apples on the bottom, creamy cloud dip, and to top it off frozen blueberries.

Lily Pad Pancakes with Ranch dippers.

Peanut butter and grilled apple sandwich with diced mango and assorted crackers.

Sick day on 75th street

N has been fighting a 102 to 103 fever all day.  Other than blueberries and  dried mango all he has wanted to do is nurse.  At first i felt very conflicted...I was starting to wean my nursing addict son and now he needs extra liquids and food and he won't take anything else.  PLUS, the medical professonials are telling me that mother's milk is the best for him right now... I don't want to nurse a 2 year old (N is 18 months), what are some liquids (other than the highly sugary ones) that you can give your child when he is sick?