cleaning.......

 People are vastly different on how they clean, and trust me, I used to use everything under the sun. Until I worked with my sister in law. {she has her own cleaning company} {"Touched by Angels"}
 Then she taught me about cleaning products and what is ok to use and what you should not use.
My kids have severe allergies and bad asthma. So this year I started using her recommendations on cleaners and this was the first year that we did NOT have pneumonia in our house. Everything she recommends is plant based environmentally friendly, and aromatherapy based. Mrs. Meyers is the first one I got, and used it faithfully, learned that the bottle you get is a concentrate and you can change it up, add bleach or make it not as strong for each individual application needed. The next was Caldrea,{ this is Mrs. Meyers big sister.} And she rocks! Same said for all the uses and the bonus is that they smell good, they work very well, and your house doesn't smell like a chemical lab! The other thing she recommends is:  if you use a vacuum, look at how it works, does it suck well? If you have a bag version, do you change your bag? How often? Where is the exit valve? In the back or front? Are you confused? Well I will clear it up for you. First, canister vacuums in my opinion {remember I said my opinion} are not very good at their job. I have used plenty and I'm hear to tell you that they are not that great. They generally have the blower {exit valve} in the front and where is your canister???? That is right, in the front. Blowing back the dust mites you just sucked up....You can clean out your canister to stop it from keep blowing out those particles and maintain your valves. If your concerned, about how well your vacuum suction is, put some paper clippings on the floor and see how much it picks up. Also what will help in the suction department, are you changing your bag once a month? {at least...} I vacuum everyday, that is right everyday. {kids with allergies and a husband that won't take out the carpet.}I change the bags every three weeks. The next thing to check is your front brush, take it out and clean it off. Open underneath and get in the nooks and crannies to get out the stuck dust inside. If you have carpet and pets and shoes coming and going, are your carpets clean? Are you breathing in cleaner air or dirty air? A vacuum is an investment. You need to remember carpet is only clean when you have a good vacuum. Hope you find some of these tips handy!

busy

as a stay at home momma I have this guilty conscience. and let me tell you sometimes its on overload. I secretly think that sometimes, I don't do enough. seriously. I think I am not worthy of staying at home and doing all that I do...... which frustrates me to no end. I know what I do. sometimes I write down what I do each day for a week and look at it. its really a lot. so this week my kids had the opportunity to see what its going to be like for them with a momma that works. my oldest decided to do her own laundry..... did you hear me??!! her OWN laundry. I shudder to think it would happen again, but she did it. I like the idea of being able to work, make money, {which helps the house hold} but want to be able to keep the ship running..... so that is what is happening this week. i have had many people ask how do you do what you do? so I am going to give anyone who is going to be reading this, a clue into my insanity........