Category: Home and Yard

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Spring Cleaning the Bathrooms

Our bathrooms really need some extra duty heavy spring cleaning.  I don’t really want to be exposed to tons of toxic chemicals while deep cleaning but I need to get the place clean some how.  I’m going to do some research to see what I can find that won’t bother my sensitive skin but will still get the job done.  Maybe I can find something I can make at home.

I noticed a build up in our bath tubs and showers the other day when I took a shower.  We aren’t one of those families that spray something every time we use the bath or shower.  However, after what I know is going to be a good afternoon of scrubbing with a hefty helping of elbow grease, I think I may insist on us at least using a squeegee and/or drying the  tub out after each use.  My hope is that this little extra daily effort will go a long way in keeping the place clean.

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Afternoon in the Garden

This afternoon I spent time assembling the upside down hanging planters that I got at the really great price.  I let the kids help put the soil and the plants in each planter.  I let them use some of the toy gardening tools that I found for them at the toy store.  First, they carefully put the baby plants in each planter. They both had smiles on their faces as they heaved small shovel fulls of soil into the planters.  They carefully put the baby plants in each planter.  We had one for peppers, one for tomatoes, and another for strawberries. Once all of them had enough soil they sprinkled on some plant food and topped them off with water from the toy watering cans.

I labeled each of the planters with pictures of each type of fruit that the girls colored for me.  Their favorite one was the planter with the strawberries.  This didn’t surprise me in the least.  The strawberries always go first when ever we have fruit.  I’m excited to watch the planters produce some yummy food and the girls are excited to eat it.

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A Day Filled with Hearts

Because Valentine’s Day falls on a Thursday this year, my husband and I decided that we would celebrate it together this weekend. Tonight we will have fun and do something special with the kids.

I decided to a bit overboard and decorated the entire house last night before I went to bed. When the girls got up this morning they were surprised by all if the heart balloons in the living room and play room. I also scattered hearts in a variety of sizes throughout the rest of the house. There were window clings on the bathroom mirrors and the sliding glass door that leads to the back yard.  I had laid out a few heart shaped pages for the girls to paint later in the playroom too.

To make the day even more memorable for the girls, I made them heart shaped pancakes with little heart shaped banana slices. I used a teeny tiny cookie cutter I got from the craft store to cut out the bananas. And even though it’s not really healthy I sprinkled a few heart sprinkles on top of their pancakes to make them extra special. We enjoyed watching the girls light up this morning. I can’t wait to see their faces when they see what we have planned for them tonight.

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Breakfast with the Family on the Patio

Breakfast with the family is one of my favorite times of the day. Yesterday we had breakfast outside on the patio. I made blueberry scones, scrambled cheesy eggs, and a fresh fruit salad. My husband and I sipped our coffee as the kids gobbled up their breakfast. The scones turned out great. It was a new recipe that I got from a gal at work. It’s definitely a keeper.

When the kids finished eating they played in the back and we kept an eye on them from the patio.  The girls ran around in the grass and kicked a soccer around. I noticed the lawn needed to be mowed and politely mentioned it to my husband. He promised to mow it before lunch and made good on that promise with a smile on his face.  I told him I would pick up a few planters for some peppers and tomatoes as a thank you the nex time I went to the garden center.

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Time to Redo the Flooring

This morning when I got up the sun was beaming in through my window. I forgo to close he blinds before I went to bed last night. I usually one of the last things I do as a part of my wind down routine. I was on the phone with my sister last night and was a bit distracted so a few things were left undone.

After I got past the beaming light in my eyes I made my way to the bathroom. Wouldn’t you know it… I stubbed my toe on a piece of flooring that was sticking out between my bedroom and the bathroom. The bathroom floor is an old linoleum. It was that little metal piece that covers the seam between the carpet and the other flooring that I caught my big toe nail on. I rinsed my toe under the faucet in the tub and then put a little ice on it to prevent any swelling.

I think it’s about time for us to renovate our bathroom and maybe even our bedroom.  Getting injured due to old flooring is not my idea of a nice and friendly wake up call.  I would really like to get some pretty tile in the bathroom and maybe hard wood in the bedroom. I’ll have to do some number crunching and shopping to see what we can really afford.

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Renovating the Yard

This winter our yard looks kind of pathetic.  I hate seeing the grass look so dreary and dull. I wish the grass would stay green all year long.  I’ve heard of some products that keep your lawn looking great all year long but haven’t ever purchased anything special myself.

Even though we don’t really have to mow the lawn in the winter, it still needs to be taken care of.  I’m trying to convince my husband to consider maybe getting some kind of artificial grass.  We would have to make a pretty big investment to renovate the entire yard, but then it would always looks nice and would never have to be mowed.  Maybe we could sell our nice lawn mower and other lawn care tools to help fund something like AstroTurf.

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Toy Organization

This weekend is going to be all about getting the kids’ toys organized. I found these great organizers that have three levels and multiple bins to sort and organize all of the toys the kids have.  The bins are multiple colors too so they match the decor in the kids’ rooms.

I’m tired of stepping on toys when I go in there so I’m having the kids help me sort out all of their toys. This might take all day, but it needs to be done.

Whatever does not fit in the organizers will be donated.  At the end of each night they have to make sure all of their toys are put up. No more messy rooms!

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Major House Cleaning

One thing that always ends up being one of the last things to get done is the major cleaning before the holiday guests arrive.  My mother in law is coming to stay with us for the holiday weekend and I want to make sure the house is nice and clean.  I would hate to have someone come over to my house and not have it be clean.  I need to straighten out the guest room and add more towels to the bathroom.  I like to leave out a few different lotions and soaps for people to choose from when they come over.

I don’t want my mother in law to take a shower in a dirty shower so I really need to scrub it out.  I wish those automatic shower cleaners worked really well.  If they did I would have one in all of the bathrooms we have.  Once I’m finished with the shower I need to scrub the toilets and mop all of the floors.  Dusting is another thing that really needs to be done but doesn’t get done often enough.

There is nothing like a host guest coming to get you to clean your house.  My house isn’t dirty I just like it to sparkle when we have company.

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Kitchen Thief

Post contributed by Alfredo Gaines

This morning the ADT HOME security system team came to install a new security system for our home. I contacted them last week to look into getting an alarm system because several houses in the neighborhood have been broken into recently. We have lived in the same house for twenty years and never really had any problems with crime. Whoever this burglar is that has been breaking into really has interesting taste. It is not the usual home burglary where the thieves steal things that are easy to hock on the black market and at pawn shops. This criminal has been breaking into homes and cleaning out the cooking wear. Pots, pans, cooking utensils, anything in the kitchen that you can think of, this person has been stealing. It is the strangest thing. I just can’t imagine what kind of thief just takes kitchen things. Surely it is someone who is trying to get money for the metal, because they aren’t just stealing the copper pots and pans! I’m glad they won’t be breaking into our house, it has taken me a really long time to accumulate everything in my kitchen!

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Spooky House

On my way home from work today I saw a house that was completely decked out with Halloween decorations.  It had spider webs all over the place, amazing jack-o-lanterns along the front portch, and even a huge blow up skeleton on the lawn.

Seeing houses like this remind me of when I was younger and we’d go out with the family to see lavishly decorated houses.  I think maybe we should start doing that with our kiddos too.  I’m sure they would enjoy seeing that spooky house too.