Excited kids!

The kids have been so excited all week because it's vacation bible school week.  As soon as they come home, they want to change into their VBS shirts.  I love that they are excited but it makes for grumpy kids in the morning.  They are at least an hour late going to bed.  They might be grumpy but they are enjoying learning about God.

A Wonder Tool

I have used vinegar around my house for small cleaning but tonight I started wondering what else I could use it for.  I mean, it's cheap and I like cheap.  Here are 20 more ways I can use vinegar.  I haven't tried these yet but I will soon.

Remove carpet stains

For more stubborn stains:

• Rub light carpet stains with a mixture of 2 tablespoons salt dissolved in 1/2 cup white vinegar. Let the solution dry, then vacuum.
• For larger or darker stains, add 2 tablespoons borax to the mixture and use in the same way.
• For tough, ground-in dirt and other stains, make a paste of 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and rub it into the stain using a dry cloth. Let it set for two days, then vacuum.

To make spray-on spot and stain remover, fill a spray bottle with 5 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Fill a second spray bottle with 1 part nonsudsy ammonia and 5 parts water. Saturate a stain with the vinegar solution. Let it settle for a few minutes, then blot thoroughly with a clean, dry cloth. Then spray and blot using the ammonia solution. Repeat until the stain is gone.

Conceal scratches in wood furniture

Got a scratch on a wooden tabletop that grabs your attention every time you look at it? To make it much less noticeable, mix some distilled or cider vinegar and iodine in a small jar and paint over the scratch with a small artist’s brush. Use more iodine for darker woods; more vinegar for lighter shades.

Get rid of smoke odor

If you’ve recently burned a steak — or if your chain-smoking aunt recently paid you a surprise visit — remove the lingering smoky odor by placing a shallow bowl about three-quarters full of white or cider vinegar in the room where the scent is strongest. Use several bowls if the smell permeates your entire home. The odor should be gone in less than a day. You can also quickly dispense of the smell 
of fresh cigarette smoke inside a room by moistening a cloth with vinegar and waving it around a bit.

Trap fruit flies

Did you bring home fruit flies from the market? You can make traps for them that can be used anywhere around your house by filling an old jar about halfway with apple cider. Punch a few holes in the lid, screw it back on, and you’re good to go.

Clean windshield wiper blades

When your windshield actually gets blurrier after you turn on your wipers during a rainstorm, it usually means that your wiper blades are dirty. To make them as good as new, dampen a cloth or rag with some full-strength white vinegar and run it down the full length of each blade once or twice.

Care for your car’s carpets

A good vacuuming will get up the sand and other loose debris from your car’s carpeting, but it won’t do diddly for stains or ground-in dirt. For that, mix up a solution of equal parts water and white 
vinegar and sponge it into the carpet. Give the mixture a couple of minutes to settle in; then blot it up with a cloth or paper towel. This technique will also eliminate salt residues left on car carpets during the winter months.

Keep car windows frost-free

If you park your car outdoors during the cold winter months, a smart and simple way to keep frost from forming on your windows is by wiping (or, better yet, spraying) the outsides of the windows with a solution of 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part water. Each coating may last up to several weeks — although, unfortunately, it won’t do much in the way of warding off a heavy snowfall.

Remove mineral deposits from showerheads

Wash away blockages and mineral deposits from removable showerheads by placing them in 1 quart (1 liter) boiling water with 1/2 cup distilled vinegar for 10 minutes (use hot, not boiling, liquid for plastic showerheads). When you remove it from the solution, the obstructions should be gone. If you 
have a nonremovable showerhead, fill a small plastic bag half full with vinegar and tape it over the fixture. Let it sit for about 1 hour, then remove the bag and wipe off any remaining vinegar from the showerhead.

Stop reds from running

Unless you have a fondness for pink-tinted clothing, take one simple precaution to prevent red — or other brightly dyed — washable clothes from ruining your wash loads. Soak your new garments in a few cups of undiluted white vinegar for 10-15 minutes before their first washing. You’ll never have to worry about running colors again!

Soften fabrics, kill bacteria, eliminate static, and more

There are so many benefits to be reaped by adding 1 cup white vinegar to your washer’s rinse cycle that it’s surprising that you don’t find it prominently mentioned inside the owner’s manual of every washing machine sold. Here are the main ones:

• A single cup of vinegar will kill off any bacteria that may be present in your wash load, especially if it includes cloth diapers and the like.
• A cup of vinegar will keep your clothes coming out of the wash soft and smelling fresh — so you can kiss your fabric-softening liquids and sheets good-bye (unless, of course, you happen to like your clothes smelling of heavy perfumes).
• Added to the last rinse, a cup of vinegar will keep your clothes lint- and static-free.

Brighten your loads

Why waste money on that costly all-color bleach when you can get the same results using vinegar? Just add 1/2 cup white vinegar to your machine’s wash cycle to brighten up the colors in each load.

Whiten your dingy crew socks

If it’s getting increasingly difficult to identify the white socks in your sock drawer, here’s a simple way to make them so bright you can’t miss them. Start by adding 1 cup vinegar to 1 1/2 quarts (1.5 liters) tap water in a large pot. Bring the solution to a boil, then pour it into a bucket and drop in your dingy socks. Let them soak overnight. The next day, wash them as you normally would.

Get the yellow out of clothing

To restore yellowed clothing, let the garments soak overnight in a solution of 12 parts warm water to 1 part vinegar. Wash them the following morning.

Spray away wrinkles

In a perfect world, laundry would emerge from the dryer freshly pressed. Until that day, you can often get the wrinkles out of clothes after drying by misting them with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 
parts water. Once you’re sure you didn’t miss a spot, hang it up and let it air-dry. You may find this approach works better for some clothes than ironing; it’s certainly a lot gentler on the material.

Speed germination of flower seed

You can get woody seeds, such as moonflower, passionflower, morning glory, and gourds, off to a healthier start by scarifying them-that is, lightly rubbing them between a couple of sheets of fine sandpaper-and soaking them overnight in a solution of 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 pint (half liter) warm water. Next morning, remove the seeds from the solution, rinse them off, and plant them. You can also use the solution (minus the sandpaper treatment) to start many herb and vegetable seeds.

Keep out four-legged creatures

Some animals — including cats, deer, dogs, rabbits, and raccoons — can’t stand the scent of vinegar even after it has dried. You can keep these unauthorized visitors out of your garden by soaking several recycled rags in white vinegar, and placing them on stakes around your veggies. Resoak the rags about every 7-10 days.

Unmark your pet’s spots

When housebreaking a puppy or kitten, it’ll often wet previously soiled spots. After cleaning up the mess, it’s essential to remove the scent from your floor, carpeting, or sofa. And nothing does that better than vinegar:

• On a floor, blot up as much of the stain as possible. Then mop with equal parts white vinegar and 
• warm water. (On a wood or vinyl floor, test a few drops of vinegar in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t harm the finish.) Dry with a cloth or paper towel.
• For carpets, rugs, and upholstery, thoroughly blot the area with a towel or some rags. Then pour a bit of undiluted vinegar over the spot. Blot it up with a towel, then reapply the vinegar-let it air-dry. Once the vinegar dries, the spot should be completely deodorized.

Directly protect against fleas and ticks

To give your dog effective flea and tick protection, fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar and apply it directly to the dog’s coat and rub it in well. You may have more trouble doing this with cats, because they really hate the smell of the stuff.

Clean your pet’s ears

If you’ve noticed that Rover has been scratching around his ears a lot more than usual lately, a bit of vinegar could bring him some big relief. Swabbing your pet’s ears with a cotton ball or soft cloth 
dabbed in solution of 2 parts vinegar and 1 part water will keep them clean and help deter ear mites and bacteria. It also soothes minor itches from mosquito bites and such. Warning: Do not apply vinegar to open lacerations. If you see a cut in your pet’s ears, seek veterinary treatment.

Remove skunk odor

If Fido has an unpleasant encounter with an ornery skunk, here are some ways to help him get rid of the smell:

• Bathe your pet in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon liquid soap in 1 quart (1 liter) 3% hydrogen peroxide. Work the solution deep into his coat, give it a few minutes to soak in, then rinse him thoroughly with clean water.
• Bathe your pet in equal parts water and vinegar (preferably outdoors in a large washtub). Then repeat the procedure using 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, followed by a good rinsing.
• If you happen to have an unscheduled meeting with skunk, use undiluted vinegar to get the smell out your own clothes. Let the affected clothing soak in the vinegar overnight.

Cleaning!

You would think that I would be happy to let someone else take care of cleaning my house but that not me.  It's my house so it's my job.  The last few days I have been searching the "Google" for suggestions and other peoples cleaning schedule. I think I have found one I can modify.  Let me show you.  I found this information on Molly Maids.

MONDAY-VACUUM, WINDOWS

1. Pick up clutter

2.  Dust

3.  Vacuum

4.  Use a streak-free glass cleaner (don’t spray on too much) and wipe with newspapers.

5.  Clean large and hard-to-reach windows with a professional-quality squeegee.

TUESDAY-KITCHEN

1.  Wipe down countertops and cabinets (start at immediate right of the stove)

2.  Clean face of appliances (refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher).

3.  Wipe down stove top.

4.  Clean inside of microwave

5.  Clean inside and around sink.

6.  Sweep and mop floor (go light on cleaning product in the water to avoid build-up)

WEDNESDAY-BATHROOMS

1.  Remove rugs/wastebaskets (if you haven’t already when vacuuming earlier).

2.  Remove everything from tub/shower.

3.  Wet tub/shower walls with warm water.

4.  Apply tile and grout cleaner, allow to sit.

5.  Spray/clean everything with all-purpose cleaner except toilet, vanity, shower/tub, mirror.

6.  Fill bucket with ¼ cup all-purpose cleaner and water to prep for floor cleaning.

7.  Scrub tub/shower walls and door (use grout brush in-between tiles as needed).

8.  Apply tile and grout cleaner to tub/shower floor and scrub.

9.  Clean shower rack/soap dishes.

10. Clean shower track.

11. Rinse off walls of tub/shower and dry with cloth.

12. Vanity: spray tile and grout cleaner in sink, soap dish.

13. Spray countertop with all-purpose cleaner.

14. Scrub sink.

15. Use grout brush along faucet and drain.

16. Rinse the sink and your rag.

17. Wipe the vanity countertop.

18. Wipe down cabinet fronts.

19. Clean mirror: spray glass cleaner on soft cloth and buff.

20. Shine the faucets.

21. Wash the floor with solution in the bucket

THURSDAY-BEDROOMS, LAUNDRY

1. Wash sheets

2. Straighten.

3.  Special projects

4. Laundry

I finally made something!

So before the accident as we call it, I would make stuff out of wood all the time.  Well, I haven't been able to do that in the last two years but I have now.  As a quadrilateral amputee, it's hard to go potty if you want to spend time in the library too, if you know what I mean.  To fix this, I have built a shelf out of PVC pipe.  Now I can stop holding everything with my teeth and cracking my phone.  I'll have to take some pictures then edit this post.  I am almost done with a PVC ipad document scanner for school and a table that stands alone so I can sit in my recliner and work, paint, or project build,  but I'll talk about those later.

So here is the picture of what I built.

Everyday life

As I try to get my life back under control, I am going to start sharing with you guys about some other stuff.  Things like cleaning, time management, etc.  There are a multitude of things.  If you have a question about how I do something or something you do let me know.

Potty Training Update

Well, the training was a bust.  He kept telling us he had to potty as he went.  He wet every pair of big boy underwear we had.  Oh well, we will try again later.

Yesterday

Yesterday was BAD!  I couldn't hold on to anything. I busted my lip.  Everything kept falling. I hated everything and everyone.  I know there are going to be bad days but as a quadrilateral amputee, it makes those days worse.  I feel like there is no point to try and do anything and no one really cares.  What I mean is some people are obligated to care like you family, kids, and husband. The question is, do they really care?  Sometimes it doesn't feel like it.   But on a happy note. I was actually cold yesterday. I know that sounds weird but I'm 33 and I have has a full historeactomy.  Because of that I am also suffering from surgical induced menopause.  But hey, I'm alive!

Weird Place

I am in a very weird place right now. I don't feel like my meds are working properly.  I'm hot constantly. I wish some could give me the magic formula.

Potty Training

I have no idea what I'm doing trying to potty train a little boy.  This is going to be an interesting day.  Potty training my daughter was.  The son, do you stand him up or sit him down?  I'll have to check in latwr

Self Destructive Behavior

I have heard the term before but I'm not sure if i truly understood it until recently  I have a habit of buying things that are not necessarily to the greater good of my family.  I didn't gave the ability to go out and buy whatever I wanted when I was in high school like some if my friends did.  So when I became an adult with a good job I thought I could do just that.  If if was something I wanted I went and got it.  This wasn't a big deal until I was no longer a one person family.  This habit has been a center piece for many arguments between my husband and myself since.  Now the family has evolved even more over the last 7 years to include 2 beautiful children.  That behavior had still not changed.  To be honest it got worse.  I was no longer buying things I wanted but also things the kids didn't need.  In the last week, I have been trying to take some hard looks at myself and my behavior because 2 years ago I become really sick and had to have quadruple amputations.  That mean all 4 limbs were removed.  My husband has been by my side the whole time.  He has had to take the role of husband and wife in our marriage and take care of everything.  When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING.  But then there is me, doing the same things I did before but adding to the stress of my husband by doing it.
Now to get back to the original point. You see during my sleepless nights I've come to realize that the buying of things that I have been doing this whole time is destructive behavior.  I have been buying things then hiding from my husband just to start an argument when he finds out.  OK, maybe not so much before but definitely now.  You see though, by buying this stuff that only is helpful or wanted by me is ruining my relationship with my husband.  We as a family will never be able to build a handicap accessible home.  Beside, he can't trust me to not do it and only by things that are good for the family.  OK I know this sounds controlling and I thought so too, which is why my behavior haven't changed until now, but you see its not that I can't buy things for myself but do i need to do it 4 or 5 times a week.  The answer would be no.  I don't need to and in order to fix myself and bad habits, I have to stop.  I can't keep putting my family through this.  My behavior is not just affecting me anymore.  It is affecting 4 people. This is what I am working on right now.  It is also why I started this blog.  I need somewhere I can talk through my issues, and trust me this isn't the only one.

Hello and Welcome

Welcome!  I have always heard that blogging is therapeutic for the soul so I thought I would try.  So much has happened in the last two years that i need some place to release so tension.  I think I'll be complaining, reviewing stuff, and just talking through so things to get my life back.  So enjoy or don't.  It's really up to you.