I am short on time today.  Why? Because I have spent the last 4 days cleaning my windows...and I am still not done!  I have finished the windows on the first floor and two rooms on the second - haven't gone near the third yet.  What a difference a clean window makes though - all my rooms are so much brighter - the windows look bigger and now everyone visiting the library (which I live next to) can see in even better. 

I figured out why the windows are taking me so long.  I am doing each window two or three times - just as I finish one and move on to the next, I see a streak or a smudge and have to redo that first window.  A bird decided to poop on one of my just cleaned windows.  For all the windows with furniture in front of them, you have to move the furniture and then see whats on the floor under the furniture so that has to be cleaned too.  It just goes on and on!

On the up side, the kids noticed the clean windows right away - hubby noticed the smudges (perfectionist).  I am getting my house holiday ready and that includes clean windows for all those candles to shine through.  Tis the season - fa la la la la.  Have a great weekend everyone - heading off the the LAST farmers market of the season - very sad - I will miss the ravioli most of all.

Cara's two cents: Uh? did you just sing fa la la la la? I know you ain't had no turkey yet...what's up with that? :D

 
Is that sick or what? This is what is under my kitchen sink at the moment. I still have a shelf out in the garage with more stuff.


I realized I may have a problem when Hubby and I were out shopping the other day and I spotted the stuff I use to shine my wood floors in a bottle with a different label. (see second from left Quick Shine~blue label) I stopped picked it up and Hubby said "you have that at home what do you need another one for?" I said " I don't want it I just noticed a different colored label" and put it down. But I thought about it for a few more aisles of shopping (Scene: me walking around store with a thought bubble over my head..."I never saw that blue label. Is it new? Is it improved?"...like I said sick!) but I went about my day.


I was in the store today (of course) armed with my short list and coupons. I need a light bulb for my china cabinet, which of course is down the cleaning supply aisle. Now, I had forgotten about the bottle with the blue label. Until I walked past it and heard "Pssst". Yes, it called me and yes, I took it home. It's cousin with the green label is for shining, after the floor is clean. This blue one is for cleaning the floor. ( I can rationalize anything).


Now in my defense a local store had it's annual super-duper sale and I got a lot of cleaning stuff on sale so I stocked up. Hence the different bottles of Fantastic (one with bleach; one without) or Lysols (spray, kitchen counter anti-bacterial stuff...you can get salmonella from chicken juice OK??) But I love to buy it. I love to have it. I love to try new cleaning stuff. And I know all about being green and using white vinegar (which I do that's why I buy it by the gallon) and lemon juice. But I cannot help myself.


It's not like cleaning is my favorite pastime but if I am being honest I don't hate it. I was singing the Barney clean-up song in the beginning of the month if you recall. I had a cleaning lady a few years ago. She was nice. But since I don't need more friends, and I had to clean before the cleaning lady came, and it only stayed clean for about 10 minutes after she left so we let her go. Plus she didn't really clean. If you walked in and look around it looked clean, but let's just say there was no furniture/knick knack moving going on, on cleaning day.


I will try most new products at least once. If I love them I will tell the world. When Mr. Clean Eraser came out I almost had a parade. Clean grimy finger prints off my wall and not take the paint off? Can I get an Amen??


I would also have to cry if they ever stopped making Scrubbing Bubbles or Tilex. I may as well get port-o-potties and turn my bathrooms into closets.


I am not getting any kind of monetary compensation for posting about these items...I just like to pass along info that I have found useful. When the Mr. Clean Eraser came out you had to grab them when you saw them 'cause the store was always out. I used to buy extra to give to people to sample when I talked about them!!!!


So I admit it I am secretly a Cleaning Supply-Aholic. It makes me happy to walk back into my house after a day spent cleaning and smell clean floors or a white wash finished drying. Now you see why someone calls me Martha? I am afraid I am going to start secretly basket-weaving or churning butter next. But that would be waaaay to embarrassing to blog about. Loving cleaning products? Apparently not.

Did you just get a Barney flashback? Or maybe you are still in the throws of Barney and you hear that song everyday, 10x a day like I used to. The Purple Guy has a point. "...everybody do their share!"

Everyone around here is. Well they are being "recommended to" let's say. Christmas has pretty much sang it's last carol around here 'til November. Everything (almost) is wrapped, labeled and tubbed, waiting for some helpful elves to bring them back down to the basement. The only thing left is my tree. I always have a hard time taking that down. The other stuff gets on my nerves but not the tree. We cut it down this year so it's still fresh, not crunchy like it usually is by this time. Since the rest of the room seems empty now that everything is put away it seems even more pretty. So I am going to leave it for a few more days. Eventually, I am sure I will say enough, but not yet. Now I still sit by it (when I have a minute to sit) and enjoy it. Smudge is going to miss it too. He loves to sit under it.

So besides the Christmas stuff, I purged the kitchen like I said I was. Every cabinet. Really, how many water bottles from VBS, Jump for this, Walk for that, does a family need? Toss. Mike is really not into Bob the Builder anymore (not since he hammered the big screen tv with a real hammer and cracked the whole protective screen 'cause Bob was hammering something and he thought he would help. How did he get a real hammer at 2? Maybe his Dad should post about that someday....ok I digress. I do that a lot)

Anyway, he would die if a buddy walked in and he was eating his waffles on Bob. Toss. (a little reluctant, hate tossing things out that look at me..so I put it in face down). I did save a little Dora the Explorer cup. No, Mike doesn't use it. Maybe a little one will be here and I will let them use it. Well...c'mon let me hold on to something. I am not as good a thrower outer as Jenn. I threw out every plastic container that didn't have a lid. You can buy them for beans now in the store. Years ago there was only million dollar Tupperware and you didn't dare throw it away.

Today I enter the teenage abyss. I offered to let them, have everything ship shape by Sunday or I would go in this week and clean MY way to get them off on the right foot for the new year, since resolutions about clean rooms were made. They both opted for Mom Clean. Big surprise here. I would have NEVER let someone into my room as a teenager and go through my drawers and throw things away. They don't mind. So armed with black garbage bags I will go in. I am brave. I am ready.