Lazy Mopping

I'm the laziest of moppers since I have a Shark Mop now.  I leave it full of water (and sneak cleaner in there too so my floors don't smell like burnt toast!) so all I have to do is plug it in and mop away.  I used to have a better system when I mopped the old school way and now my trash can stinks.  How are those related!?  I'll tell you...

I can't take credit for this since I remember reading it in a magazine, but when I mopped with a mop and bucket I would get SO frustrated that I couldn't fit my rectangular mop head in the round bucket.  Sometimes I would just fill up my kitchen sink with mop water like my mom always did, but that requires that your sink isn't full of dishes like mine ALWAYS is.  So this solution BLEW MY MIND! 



This lady, whoever she is, would bag up her trash and then fill the trash can with hot water and soap!  She would use it as a mop bucket while simultaneously soaking and deodorizing her trash can.  GENIUS!

Like I said, I don't do it this way anymore, and now my trash can is paying the price.  You wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of nasties that get behind and under the bag!  Disgusting.

So, to recap:
1. Bag up trash and leave it for your husband.
2. Dump out any crumbs over balcony and try not to drop the garbage can 10 feet to the ground.
3. Use the crappiest clogged spray hose ever to fill the garbage can (about 1/4 full) with hot water at snail speed since the sink is full of dishes... again.
4. Add soap and realize that your kids inherited your unnatural love for the smell of Pine-Sol.
5. Blog about how awesome you are for stealing someone else's idea.
6. Dip a rag into the water and wipe down the inside, outside and lid.
7. Mop to your heart's content!
8. Dump out the water into a drain or outside.  If you're really thrifty you could dump a little in each of your toilets and have Pine-Sol fresh toilets too!  Uhhhh, mine's going outside though! :)
9. Enjoy your freshly mopped floors and your clean & deodorized garbage can!

And that's why using your garbage can as a mop bucket... uh.... used to Work For Me!!

Sew In Control

I could feel like my world isn't spinning out of control today for a number of reasons.  The first could be that I actually got up at 6am this morning when my alarm went off, then I actually got my butt in the shower, and then I actually spent some quality time with Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown.  Alright, fine... I just watched it from the couch.  In my opinion it would be dangerous to undergo a new exercise routine without first reviewing it in my jammies AND consulting my doctor, so there you go.

I also did some sewing today.  I don't know what it is about the act of messing up projects, but sewing is SO zen for me.  I'm whipping up a few of those reusable snack & sandwich bags for my friend.  They're so easy that I threw in a few for my own bagless kids too!  AND I'm using up some PUL fabric that I bought back in my cloth diapering days.  AND some other fabric that has been hanging out in the towering stack of "someday I'll use this" items.

The timing couldn't be better since I'm linking up on Friday to the Use Your Crap challenge!  I'm so excited to actually be using something I already own instead of just buying new crap to add to the pile.  Here's a sneak peek of one of the bags!



I'm also doing the "Use Your Crap" challenge across the board and clearing out some of my Canadian chocolate that's been wasting away for almost 6 weeks in my pantry.



This Coffee Crisp must be illegal in the U.S. for being TOO good, that's why they don't have them here.  Mmmm, happy day! :) 

Oh, and I got a comment from Valerie at Frugal Family Fun about her Awesome Remote with a bacon button that made her think of me and it made me smile.  Thanks, Valerie, for letting me live in a bacon remote kind of world today :D
Any awesome things happening to you today?

Doughnut Pass Go

Uggg, slacking again.  In my defense I've been editing photos during every spare second I've had since Saturday.  My dishes are done but my laundry is piling up.  I thought over my life plan with some doughnuts.   After some pondering I realized that all I had figured out was that I wanted a second doughnut.  So I ate it :D  And now I have NO plan for today even though I have a million things to do... How's your week going??

Dirty Little Secrets

It's been a while, and lately I've been so lazy that my whole blog has turned into a dirty little secret!  If you have your own dirty little secret I'd love to hear it in the comments.  As always, you can comment anonymously ;)

I'm so behind on laundry that for the first time in MONTHS Little Man had to search for socks before school.

I haven't made my bed in weeks.

My kids almost missed the bus this morning because I was playing on my phone.

The kids have a locked closet full of toys that I was going to rotate in and out, but I never did.  I can't let go of them either though...

I told myself that I'd volunteer at the kids' school while Boo was at preschool but I didn't.

I talk my kids into hot lunch that sounds gross so I won't have to make cold lunch.

It bothers me that I used "kids" in the last 4 confessions and I feel the need to split them up.  (that's its own confession)

I hate Fall.  In fact, if we could skip straight from Summer to Thanksgiving I'd be happy.

I'm still thinking of starting my photography business.  I have tens of thousands of pictures of my kids.  I have ONE (outdated even) picture on my walls.  ONE.

I still have my carry on bag packed from my trip I took a month ago.  Skymall anyone?

C'Mon... what's your dirty little secret!?

Cleaning FAIL

Ok, so I didn't do a whole heck of a lot yesterday.  I did get my stove elements scrubbed and reassembled, but only because we'd be really hungry if I didn't.  I got one load of laundry washed and dried, but it's all wrinkled up in the dryer still, with the second load mildewing in the washer.  Whoops!  Today isn't looking a whole lot better since Boo has preschool and I'll be totally kidless on Thursday mornings for the first time in over 6 years.  Mr. Wright has the day off, so we're definitely not going to spend the morning at home doing laundry. 

Today I will:
Collect the garbage and take it to the end of the driveway
Fold laundry from the dryer
Dry, then fold the laundry from the washing machine
Put the basket of folded clothes away from yesterday
Ignore the banister crap for now
Keep up with dishes and counters

What A Crock

Captain Jammie Pants log, September 15th.  Way too damn early in the morning.



Yesterday I mostly kept up with the dishes and counters.  This morning I was left with a few things that didn't get hand washed after dinner, but for the most part the dishes are done.  I'm probably the only person on the planet that makes my meal plan to avoid crockpots since I detest washing them so much.  I'm searched high and low for those cool crock liner bags but haven't found them ANYWHERE!  I made a roast yesterday in the crockpot and it's still soaking in water because I like avoiding things.

I didn't get a speck of laundry done yesterday either, but I'm trying not to feel badly about it since I did jackhammer my stove clean and soaked my drip pans and other elements in ammonia overnight.  I also got a little work done on Boo's toy pit and collected at least 2 loads of laundry off Little Man and Sweetie Pie's floor.  I even read a little in my book!

I've been busting my butt to get even the basics checked off my list, but I'm noticing that it leaves me with NO time to catch up on my shows, hang out with the kids, etc.  I'm sure that sounds funny to ladies who do it all every day, but I miss my Teen Mom!!  Although I've always had the urge to clean Amber & Gary's apartment... yikes!

Today I will:
Do 2 loads of laundry since I didn't do any yesterday
Put away the folded clothes that have been in the living room for 2 days
Reassemble the stove
Clean off (or work on) the banister behind my couch which is a catch-all for crap I don't know what to do with

Book Mark

I'm SO tired this morning, and for the first time in 3 weeks I've had trouble peeling myself out of bed at 6am.  I'm sure it's because I never did get around to watching some trashy tv and halfway taking a break last night.  That bookshelf was just taunting me and I had to shut it up.  It still has two baskets of random crap that was just too much to take on at 9pm, but for the most part it is better.  I even got around to making a little homework center with pencils and extra paper!

The messy bookshelf before:


And after:

(More phone pictures, but I'm lazy and bad pictures are better than NO pictures!)

The laundry got folded, but not quite put away since I did it after the kids were already asleep.  The dishes got done and I woke up to a clean kitchen again this morning!  As it gets darker every day in Alaska I'm thankful for knowing there isn't anything to trip on.

Today I will:
Not give myself too many goals since I start teaching preschool with Boo
Keep up with dishes and counters
1 load of laundry- washed, folded and put away
Read some of my book that I abandoned when I started cleaning again!

I'm A Dork, And Other New Developments

Sooooo, I've been trying really hard the last couple days to get my goals reached, and using my blog as motivation to actually finish something. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when no one commented on my last two posts, but I understood that after not blogging for a month I couldn't expect floods of comments on day 1. Day 2 came and went without a single comment. I was getting lots of traffic, but no comments. I don't blog just for the comments, but it really helps when I don't feel like I'm talking to myself.

Aaaaaaand then I realized that I'm a dork. I had gotten comments on both of those posts, but apparently Blogger is still pissed that I broke up with it for a month and never e-mailed me about them. So I thought I was all alone on my messy island when really I have some lovely ladies rallying around me. Thank you Bethany, LaVonne, Shell & Erin for being a little light in my day, and to all my readers who stop by whether I'm up or down! :)

On to the progress report for today... I've stayed on track with my counters and dishes, and even put out a nice bowl of apples since people get all judgy when you fill your fruit bowl with chips. I got the kids clothes washed and dried, and they're waiting to be folded while I catch up on some trashy tv after the kids go to bed. The bookshelf remains untouched, but I'm trying to stay positive and realize that it will still be there tomorrow and isn't worth stressing over. I hate not reaching my goals, but progress is progress, so anything done is better than nothing!

The Proof Is In The Pudding... Mmm, pudding!

I was tired and grumpy, and I didn't want to do it, but I got my goals accomplished last night after my kids went to bed. I got the counters cleared off and cleaned, folded laundry, picked up clutter in the dining room and living room, and did all the dishes.

Excuse the phone pictures- my camera died 5 pictures into a photo shoot with my kids that I've been planning for weeks!

Dining Room before:


After:


Kitchen before:



After:


Living Room before:


After:


We'll see how long this lasts!

Today I will:
Wash, fold, and put away the kids' laundry
Organize the messy bookshelf in the dining room
Keep dishes and counters under control

Babysteps To Productivity

I'm lazy... in case you didn't know. I suck at meal planning, my house is a mess, my kids don't listen and I just can't keep up. My bills are late, my home is undecorated, there's clutter everywhere and my craft stuff is buried. There's books unread, projects unfinished, piles unsorted and traces of stuffy "somedays" thick in the air. My blog hasn't been updated in a month.

And it's MY fault. I have the time, the resources, the knowledge. I just don't have the effort... the motivation to accomplish the things that I want to do. And I get disappointed in myself, then lazy, until I feel like I'm stuck in a dryer from cycling so quickly.

If I knew how to break the cycle I'd be charging for that little secret. Unfortunately I'm just stuck- going around and around and around. I've tried (and failed) more times than I can count, but I have to keep going. I have six little eyes watching my every move, and what I do, say, and teach them will matter for the rest of their lives.



Today is the day. I could spend the next 8 hours cleaning my house from top to bottom, printing charts for organization or making a meal plan for the next 3 months in an effort to reach my goals for myself. OR, I could make little changes that are more likely to stick. It will take me longer to get there, but I'll have a better chance.

Today I will:
Clean off my counters
Fold what I already washed
Empty, then load the dishwasher
Play with my kids

Will my house be spotless by bedtime? Nope. Will I feel better about my handle on life? Probably not. Will I have much accomplished off my never ending 'to-do' list? Not even close. BUT, it's progress, which is a heck of a lot better than my old plan of sitting on my butt and not having any clean bowls for breakfast. And progress is all I can ask for.