Floor Mopping Lessons

  Today, as I contemplated use of duct tape on my whining boys (just kidding, I'd never do it, but it's awfully tempting!), I had the bright idea to burn off a little of my frustration with some housework. This way, I could burn calories doing something that needed to be done and possibly not be quite so annoyed with all the whining going on in my house. The changing-by-the-minute Oklahoma weather decided to turn back to winter yesterday and the penned up boys were beginning to revolt!
  The oldest was chomping at the bit and hounding me to help me do something today...in between whining about his brother. He is used to helping out with particular things like vacuuming, putting away his clothes, making his bed, and feeding the dog, amongst a few other things, but today, he wanted to be doing whatever I was doing.  I gratefully obliged and he helped declutter and entertain his little brother while I swept so we could then mop. That part went smoothly enough.

Then the magic happened....
  I gave him a damp mop rag and away he went! Then the little one wanted to join in, but he only wanted to wash his cars and wipe the small tables, so I let him have at it. Who am I to turn down some help with housework and my boys wanting to be clean!?? As it turns out, this whole helping idea was rather great! You see, they were so busy helping that they forgot to be annoyed and pestered by ea ch other and they focused...yes, FOCUSED (with boys of 5 and 2 this is rare!)...on their little jobs. Not only are they learning about helping around the house, they are learning to finish a job, do a job well, listen for directions, focus on the task at hand, do their work cheerfully, and take pride in their work.

  I pray that someday, their future wives will be thankful I taught their husbands to be helpful around the house. I thank God that He is teaching me that even the small, seemingly mundane and insignificant things can be used to teach my boys life lessons and guide them towards Him. I pray I can be as cheerful and willing in the purpose He  has for me, as my boys are in the jobs I have for them.

A Little Spring Cleaning Idea....Kids' Nook

Before

 Since I am a Pinterest junkie, I have seen these cute ideas for children's reading nooks and making little couches and things for them to have a little corner for themselves. My kids don't read to themselves yet, but they love books and, like every boy, they love hideouts.

So, my "office" is in the corner of our living room (which is one huge open area...living, dining, kitchen), and they like to play right by me when I have some work do to. I needed to do a deep clean on the area anyway...you know, clean all the dust bunnies out really good from under and behind the desk and untangle all the wires, not to mention straighten up the top of the desk.

After

I decided to turn the printer cabinet the other direction at the end of the desk, move the desk down a few inches and there was room for a little nook! 

I eventually want to make this cool little couch made out of all sorts of pillows (or at least find a little small couch or cute armchair to replace Spidey), but for now, stuffed animals, Spiderman chair, and a few random pillows from the kids' room are a big hit!

Thrifty Thursday--Laundry Soap

This is tough stuff!!

 There are a million recipes on the web for how to make your own laundry soap and I found one that I personally like and began using it this past summer.
   The one I like is a recipe used by the Duggar Family and is on their website. I figured if it worked pretty well for 21 people, then it sure could work for the four of us!
   The recipe makes A LOT, so I decided to sell some at our local farmer's market and give it to people as well. I ended up basically having free laundry soap for myself, which is still a pretty sweet deal if you've been down the detergent aisle at the store lately and noticed the price! I like liquid, some people prefer powder, and there are thousands of different ways to do both as well as tutorials on You Tube. (Simply search for Homemade Laundry Detergent) I use it on all our laundry, including baby clothes and it works great! It even doubles as stain remover by applying it to set a while directly on stains before you wash!
   You might want to experiment if you like scents or don't like certain ingredients...there are lots of alternatives and most are a great "green" choice- environmentally and for keeping some cash in your wallet!

HAPPY WASHING!!

My homemade soap removed the poo stain!!