Camping trick #1

I know I have shared this tip before if not on my own blog in comments on others. I will start with the story that led me to doing it.

Two years ago we took our first tent camping trip. We went to a park in New York for a weekend. Before the trip I forgot to buy shampoo and conditioner so I just took my bottle from home. The first morning my friend and I headed to the shower house and when we got their she realized she left her shampoo at the site so I told her to go in the stall next to mine and when I was done I would put it on the shelf between the stalls. Well someone must have needed it more than us because when we came out from the shower it was gone. The other woman in the bath house said a woman took it and left. The way I look at it is if she needed to steal a bottle of shampoo she was in worse shape than I so be it. Around the same time I started reading a blog that did store match ups and free sample offers, so I decided to do all the free samples for everything I might need for camping. Now instead of buying shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, razors I simply bring a box of samples with us. It works out well because now I can separate them by person and each person gets a bag with what they need to go take a shower.

FCF- KISS

This post is being linked to Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

This week I have decided to live by the KISS method. Not the rock band but the Keep It Simple Stupid. I am not of fan of the last word hmmm........ maybe I will make it Keep It Simple Shannon.

My grandmothers advice for cleaning house when you are overwhelmed is to pick a spot and start from there. She used to tell me that when I was a child and my room was a mess. It worked. It kept me from becoming overwhelmed. I think I need to get back to that. The truth is I do very well then life happens and before I know it it is chaos AGAIN. Once that happens I have a bad habit of walking around aimlessly trying to figure out where to begin again. If I was in a movie it would show me standing still and the cameras would be swirling around me to help the audience feel the way that I do. As far as the main parts of the house goes what isn't done yet can be accomplished in a short period of time. The room that gives me the most problems is the girls bedroom. It is a MESS. My 12 year old is a hoarder. I have been sneaking up there trying to do what I can when she is not here, but I have never realized the full spectrum of MESS in that room. Did I mention we are having an electrical problem in there and on top of the mess we had to take out a wall? I washed all the laundry I could find 12 loads of stuff shoved under beds, between beds, under dressers and when I thought I was done I opened the closet. NOPE not done. Out of all the wash I think one load was the seven year olds. So this week I have to focus on getting that room DONE! ..........and pack for vacation, and keep up on the rest of the house, oh and I volunteered to watch my friends four girls one day. On top of having the room worked on for the electrical problem and last night the flowmaster in the downstairs bathroom went while my husband with the only vehicle we have is at work. Fun times... fun times.

Daily Yuck list

From reading several other blogs about housework, I noticed a similar theme, they all had a daily to do list. Nony at A Slob Comes Clean calls them her non-negotiables. Shell at Tangled Zen has a cute to do list. So I decided I would come up with my own list. Unfortunately the things on my daily list often make me go YUCK! Either because it is a task that is truly yucky or it is something that I just don't want to do even though I have to. So here it is my daily YUCKS!

1. Clean the litter box- a truly yucky job, but if not kept up on the yuck multiplies...... quickly

2. Dishes- a chore that seems never ending and if let go can turn into some truly yucky stuff

3. Laundry- at least 1 load a day although more often than not, I have to do more. I do limit myself to only doing as many loads as I know I will wash, dry, fold, and put away to cut down on the opening the washer lid and getting a whiff of a very yucky smell.

4. Dog duty- I love my dog but he only respects my husband which makes everything I do for him a task. (Like today when he ran out of his Kennel on me and I had to chase him around the neighborhood in my socks)

5. Floors- although I enjoy my new vacuum, I don't like picking up all the stuff before I can vacuum.

6. Pool care- We have one of those vinyl pools and I have found that if you do not go in daily and maintain it it turns to Pea Soup very quickly. This weekend I had to go into the Pea Soup pool and clean the sides and floor and have vowed to make sure to keep up on this everyday so I never have to do that again.

Two Weeks

`I have two weeks til we leave for vacation. This year we are attempting camping in a tent for an entire week. The longest we have gone is three nights so this will be interesting. We have been camping for two years now. It provides us with an opportunity to get away even with a tight budget. We camp with several other families and go to a local campground that provides themed activities for the kids. I am not going to lie it is a lot of work but it is so worth it. My kids have a great time. Here is what I have done so far to prepare for the trip.

1. I cleaned out my linen closet. We have the low to the ground queen air mattress which a twin sheet set fits very well. We no longer have any twin beds in our home so I purchased a large container and put enough twin sets in there for each air mattress. I also found that fleece blankets work great for camping they are thin to pack and provide some extra warmth when needed. When we return all items in the bin will be washed, dried, folded, and placed back in the bin for our October trip.

2. To cut down on food cost we generally divide the meals up between families. I know over the weekend I will be responsible for one breakfast and one dinner for everyone. We decided this year that we would all go shopping together on Monday for the rest of the week to make food storage (cooler space) easier to deal with. I have chosen my meals and began picking up items as they go on sale for the trip.

3. The theme is Christmas in July so we put some light sets aside. As the week goes on I will pull out other decorations to take

Friday.....again

This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

` I really intended to blog more this week but to be honest I didn't have a lot of computer time. As I read the other inspiring post linked to Focus Check Friday, I find that they motivate me, but at the same time I am running at the back of the pack. Kudos to all the hard work and I hope someday to be at the level of house maintenance you guys are at.

`I have been battling the never ending clothes monster. My washer and dryer have been begging for mercy, but there is none to be found. I have been doing an average of five loads a day and I am still not caught up. I managed to go through all the school uniforms. Throw out the bad, pass down the good, and save for fall the few items that will still fit. School uniforms have always been a pain in the...... well you know. I found on line at Walmart a 6 foot clothes closet that now resides in my upstairs hallway. It's job is solely to house school uniforms. I also purchased a vacuum cleaner. On Monday I swept and mopped the house (we only have carpeting in one room). Since then I have been the mad sweeper ready to pounce on any crumb or dust bunny that came my way. I became obsessed and figured there had to be an easier way. So I bought myself a bright purple little vacuum cleaner and try to limit myself to vacuuming each room once daily.

`Thanks to my paper purge, my husband came home from work with a list of documents he needed for work and, for the first time EVER, I knew where each item was. That was a GREAT feeling!!

*Trish I know you tagged me and I would love to participate I am hoping to get more blog time this week. *

Is it really Friday again?

`This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

I want to know what happened to the lazy days of summer? I feel like I can not catch my breath. Anyways.....................

I had an epiphany this week. I have come to the conclusion that I am my own worst enemy. I can never work on just one thing I have to have multiple projects going and then feel like a failure and whine and complain when the truth is I set myself up for failure. So this week I am going to work on accepting the things I can not change.

The COLD hard truth:

1. You can not undo years of doing little in a short period of time.

2. I have come to realize that my house is lived in. Which means things that I do accomplish get undone quicker than I would like.

3.My house will never be perfect and I have to stop looking at my house with the what will others think instead I have to do what works for us.

4. My kids are getting bigger everyday. I need to take time out from trying to get the house in order to spend time with them.

5. If my MIL chooses to do the things I ask of my niece that is her choice. I already have three kids of my own to pick up after and do not need to add a forth. So the clothes she (niece) left laying all over my back porch and shoes on the front will get placed in a box to go upstairs for someone else to deal with. ( I am not saying this to be mean or showing any disrespect I just have enough on my plate and need to let go of this situation)

6. I have gotten a lot of good advice on ways to get my kids to help out more. I am going to try to incorporate them this week and write a blog post on what works for my family.

7. I am a low energy person. Which means I need to learn to pace myself so I don't burnout. If I get all gung ho in the beginning of the week I am more likely not to accomplish much at the end of the week.

8. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!!!!!

Daily habits

This post is a part of Focus Check Friday at A Slob Comes Clean.

`This week I noticed some things are becoming, dare I say it, routine. I have managed to make my bed daily, the dishes have continued to be caught up, and I have been doing one to two COMPLETE loads of laundry a day. As a matter of fact my husband was home today and he likes to do laundry, couldn't believe that there really wasn't any for him to do. Okay scratch that, he likes to wash and dry then leave clean clothes in a basket for me to figure out if it is clean or dirty, but at least he tries. This week I am going to try and make a list of new habits I would like and add one a week. I wanted to start getting my kids more involved in helping out, but it has been a struggle. My girls turn into vagabonds (love that word) for the summer and my sons number one motivator has not been working. He hasn't been on the computer in weeks, usually that is enough to get him to at least help clean his room, but not anymore.

`AND...... I have another situation that I would like some feedback on. My niece who is 19 lives with my in laws in my home in the in law apartment. Most days of the week I cook for everyone and we all eat together. I have asked my twelve year old and my niece to help out by washing their own dishes after dinner. Both are refusing to do so. It makes dinner time very stressful for me because I view this as a respect issue. It also makes me feel unappreciated. My twelve year old, after some fighting, I am able to get her to comply, but with my niece, if I say anything, my mother in law will do it for her. AND that is not the point. I tried to explain that my in laws help us out a lot and I enjoy being able to provide them with dinner and even clean up afterwards, it is an opportunity for me to give back to them. My niece on the other hand lives with them free of charge, has meals provided for her at the cost of washing a lousy dish and will not do it. Am I being unreasonable?

`On the plus side negative energy is still energy it's amazing how much scrubbing gets done after dinner.