We're feeling better!

Update on us: we are healthy finally! We stayed home all week and just tried to avoid any extra germs....and let the antibiotics work. Thank you for your prayers and for the encouragement. It was kinda lonely there for awhile, and I honestly haven't blogged because I am so bored I can't even think of anything to write about! Sad, isn't it?

I did get back on track with managing my home though. With everything that has been going on this spring, I have felt just a little bit more behind every day. The laundry pile. The toilets. The ring around the tub. The icky inside of that microwave... sigh. It just wasn't pretty. And my husband can attest, I am a much saner person when I have a plan. So since we were watching lots of Dora the Explorer this week, I planted myself on the couch in between my boys and typed out a schedule to keep me on task. If you're familiar with it, I used a format similar to Motivated Moms, in a Word document, and just adjusted it to fit my usual schedule. And it is working so well! I got every bit of laundry done and the toilets are clean...and I had time to read to the boys and fix yummy dinners too!

Are any of the rest of you *schedule* people? Or do you like your freedom? What has been working for all of you homemakers?

Also, Dave is traveling for work this week, so the boys and I decided to visit my mom in Oklahoma for a few days. Ruth and Austin are living here now while Nate is in pilot's training for a few months, so it has been great to spend some time with them before they move to Alaska. Pictures to come!

Spring cleaning

I was a little bummed on Monday night when CVS was out of the Caress and Lever bodywash that was going to be free after ECB. Bodywash was on my list, and it was going to be great to get it for free. That is, until all the other CVS junkies cleaned out the store on Sunday night. Good grief, people, leave some for the rest of us! :)

Well, of course I don't really mind. I'm glad everyone is getting good deals! And of course I could just PAY for bodywash, but since I know I can get it without paying much, I really cannot handle doing that. Can. not. handle. it. :)

But the story gets better!

I already admitted that I'm loosing my mind, right? Well, yesterday Dave was working late, so the kids and I went down in the basement to start doing some spring cleaning that I've been itching to do. First on my list was Organize the storage room. It's this tiny, unfinished little room in the corner of the basement where we keep EVERYTHING. And I mean everything. But there are lots of shelves, some of them very deep...so I knew that organization was possible.

There is a point to this story!

So, I get the whole thing cleaned out and organized enough to designate several shelves to my recent stock-piling method of shopping. Here's the first wall of shelves:


And the other wall...so neat and tidy. I love it!



Now wait, go back to that first photo. What's that, right there in the middle of the shelves? Could it be? Let's zoom in, just to make sure.



And there you have it. A bottle of Softsoap body wash, and here I was complaining. Which just goes to show, getting organized is a very good thing!

Ever tried homemade cleaners?

Recently Shawna reminded me that if I run out of dishwashing detergent, I can just use white vinegar and baking soda in my machine until I get to the store. I had totally forgotten about that trick, and you know what, it works so well! You just put the white vinegar in the door compartment (to shine up the glasses and prevent spotting), and dump some baking soda in the floor of the dishwasher. Such a good tip!

Interested in other homemade cleaners? "Ask Frugal Momma" today is all about how to make your own stuff. Hey, if you're not really into shopping around at several stores to save money, here's one way you can shave some dollars off your household budget. Buy the ingredients at a warehouse store, and they will last you a long time!

Has anyone else used any kind of homemade cleaner? I.e. laundry soap, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, all-purpose cleaner? My mom reminded me that she used to use white vinegar on my hair after shampooing to give it shine. What about you? Have you ever tried anything like that?