The 15 Minute Organizer (For the Oganizationally Challenged)

Character traits can either help or hinder our homemaking. I think that, in my own case, there have been many days where I've looked around at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon only to find that I can't really account for what I've accomplished. Either there have been interruptions, I've gotten busy doing something I didn't plan to do, or I've just felt too blah to get things done. I can honestly say that I've accomplished the least when I've felt completely overwhelmed. My nature is to shut down and push things off until the next day when I feel that I have too much to do. Well that doesn't accomplish anything!

When training my children, I see their character qualities, good and not so good. I work diligently at molding those not so good character qualities into the good ones and helping them to use the good ones in great ways. So why can't I do this with myself? I'd love to be able to get up in the morning and follow the suggestions of so many other homemakers with their nice schedules and their organization tactics but I'm me and I wasn't born the Queen of Clean or Olivia Organized. I have to work really hard at it and it can wear me out mentally! That's not an excuse. I'm just saying that this is an area in which I'm not a natural. So I've been training my character to become more diligent in my homemaking skills.

To start off realistically, I bought Emilie Barnes' "The 15 Minute Organizer." This book is really helping me to do things that I've wanted to but just haven't known where to start. The chapters are very short, which I find great because I can read the chapters in small snippets of my time. Emilie also uses scripture in the chapters to keep her readers in tuned to what the Bible says about things like procrastination, having a vision, a time for everything, and even not doing what you say. I've been really encouraged as I've read through the first few chapters, and I really want to keep reading.

I'm determined, not to have the perfectly orderly home but to have the comfort that I, and likely my family, long for. It'll be interesting to see where the rest of this book takes me.


                                                      M

Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer Review

Spring cleaning is amongst us, and coupons.com is helping us get this thing underway. Right now there are some nice coupons for some of the SC Johnson cleaning products like Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Windex, and Fantastik. Many of these products are on sale at my local Martins and a few are on even on sale at CVS.

Usually, I try to stick with my natural cleaning items like vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia, using Soft Scrub only occasionally; however, I'd been hearing a lot about the Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner and the coupons make for a perfect opportunity to try it out.

I headed over to Coupons.com and printed out coupons for $.50 off of any Mega Shower Foamer from two different computers, which gave me four coupons per product (since it's a 2 print per computer limit). Martins had Scrubbing Bubbles for $3.50. I'm not sure if it was the best sale price on this item but it was decent enough for me to get a couple to try out. I was able to get $1.00 off because Martins doubles up to four like coupons. So $2.50 didn't seem like a bad try it price.

My shower is completely white and can get very difficult to clean so I've been looking for something to help me get this done the best way possible. Soft Scrub has been the closest thing to that for cleaning my shower until this morning when I tried the Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Foam Shower Cleaner with Extend a Clean. I was quite impressed. I sprayed it on at approximately a three feet distance, left it on for a few minutes and wiped my shower down with a rag. Immediately I noticed how easily I could wipe the surface clean. I'm talking about a really nice clean! There was no soap scum or residue on my shower surface or streaks on my chrome fixtures. I also noticed that it removed the soap scum from my glass shower doors; however, it didn't leave it "Windex" clean, which I would have preferred even more. It was probably the only con that I can note, especially in comparison to my Soft Scrub standby. The foamer also left a clean smell that wasn't perfumey, heavy or overpowering. It was just a nice looking, clean shower when I finished.

I was so happy that the clean was so easy that I found myself doing my very own Scrubbing Bubbles dance. I know my sixteen year old thought I'd about lost it when she saw me dancing around my bathroom but she's a clean a-holic and can appreciate a good cleaning agent. Besides, having cleaned my shower a number of times when I was recovering from the c-section, she knows, first-hand, how hard my shower can be to clean. I could tell from her smile that she couldn't wait to use it herself. I found it quite impressive.

So now I'm going back to get some rain checks for more Scrubbing Bubbles (since I took the last two). I'm also going to check the boards for running prices so that I can make sure I get the best stock up price on these.

BonTon and Goodwill Equal Nice Savings

Have you ever received a coupon off of something you wanted just for donating something you don't need? Well the BonTon is now giving two 20% off coupons for each item donated in their stores. They're asking that you bring in your gently used items in exchange for the coupons towards new items in their store. The coupons can be used on sale items including electronics, cosmetics, fragrances, and other items that you either don't usually get to use coupons for or that don't often go on sale and the only exclusion is their Incredible Value deals. This is a March only sale so there are a couple of weeks to take advantage of it.

Maidenform Sale 50% Off

Today only, Maidenform is having a 50% off sale on their panties. They have run as low as about $4 or $5 in the past so this is a great sale if you can head over there. Also, you can get a 7% rebate on your purchase if you purchase through Shop At Home or a 6.5% rebate if you purchase through Ebates.

5 Uses for Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets

If you thought that dryer fabric softener sheets were only good for laundry, not so. As a stockpiling mom who does a minimum of four loads of laundry daily, I have a pretty nice stock of Arm & Hammer dryer sheets. However, I don't just use them for my laundry. Here are five great ways to make more use of fabric softener dryer sheets:

1. Use them to loosen up baked on food in your baking dishes. Cover the baked goo in your baking dish with water and toss a fabric softener sheet in. Let it sit for a few hours and that goo will lift right up and be ready to wash!
2. Place a couple of dryer sheets in your packed away seasonal clothing for a nice fresh scent when you go back to them.
3. Place one or two in inconspicuous places in your car. They make great air fresheners.
4. Place them in your drawers, closets, and cabinets to freshen them up a bit. (This is not a good idea for food cabinets.)
5. Place them in your husband's boots to absorb odor. Just make sure you take them out before he puts them on.

You don't have to use Arm & Hammer for this. Any dryer sheet should work just fine. If you find any other uses, let me know. I'm always looking for more ways to use these.

Judging Jane

You're in the store to pick up a few things and, as you head toward the register, you spot Jane. You know Jane. She's the one who's child will NOT stop screaming and throwing a fit in the store. She calmly asks little Johnny to stop screaming and extends her hand to grab him but Johnny jolts backward and stiffens his body in protest. Jane pleads with Johnny, in her calm, yet exasperated voice, to calm down, and she even promises him ice cream once they leave the store if he would just stop embarrassing her.

In front of you, in line, is Lisa whose son, Larry, dodging from side to side around his mother, is trying his best to get a glimpse of little Johnny in action. However, in the middle of dodge left, Lisa gives Larry that look, the "I wish you would" look. You overhear Lisa conversing with the cashier about what she would do if Johnny were her child and how embarrassed she would be if Larry were as poorly behaved.

I haven't met a woman yet who didn't desire a well behaved child. Many times, we rattle our brains trying to figure out just how to get them to behave. For some, poor behavior in a child is a result of consistently allowing the child to have his way or maybe it's looking at the child's behavior as a "cute" phase. Sometimes we just don't think about it at all when they're small and notice their behavior when they become of school age. Whatever the situation, and however early or late such behavior is noticed, nobody wants an unruly child.

With this in mind, we shouldn't be too quick to judge Jane and compare our situations, as Lisa did. Lisa may have grasped an early hold on Larry's behavior but nobody has it all together. To look at Jane in disappointment is to puff up ones self and look down on another. This is something that God never wants us to do. It could have been a hectic day for Jane. She could have received some bad news prior to her trip to the store. Johnny could be having an emotional meltdown because of a family circumstance. Unless you know someone's situation personally, you never know what a person is dealing with that may affect their behavior. Therefore, it's impossible to compare what you don't know.

What we can judge is that Johnny is having a bit of a tantrum. Jane does not like Johnny's behavior. Johnny is resisting Jane, for whatever reason, and Jane is trying to control it as best she can at the time. Those are things we can clearly see. To get into how much better a job you could do if you were in Jane's shoes would be impossible, not knowing Jane's full situation, and, in fact, it's just plain arrogant and self-centered. Would you have spanked the child or screamed at him for his behavior if he'd just received the news that his dear granny passed and was throwing a fit in the store as a result of that?

Rather than throw stones at Jane, a better idea would be to find a way to encourage Jane. "I remember when my son used to do that," or "I can help you put your things on the counter if you'd like" can be encouraging to Jane when she's flustered. It also may spark Johnny's attention and get him quiet to see you jump in and help his mom.  It may be wrong for Jane to allow Johnny to display disrespectful behavior but it's equally wrong for you to compare your situation with hers. We need to encourage rather than condemn. God tells us in Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." I think that sums it all up. A little meekness goes a long way.