cleaning

5 Eco-Friendly (and Realistic) Spring Cleaning Tips for Busy Moms

April 7, 2017 by Rachel 24 Comments

Since becoming a mom two things have become very clear to me: First, is that in order to best protect my children I want to limit the amount of chemicals they are exposed to; the Second, is that my house will never truly be clean — there will simply always be toys and clothes and whatnot.

So I’m sharing the (very realistic, busy mom,) eco-friendly tips I use for cleaning our home:

Use cloths instead of paper towels and sponges. Sponges hold in all kinds of bacteria; and paper towels are just wasteful. So over the last year we’ve opted for EnviroCloths. They’re environmentally friendly and they don’t hold on to germs like sponges.

Open those windows! As soon as the weather breaks, I air our house out from all of the stale air of the Winter months. It’s inevitable that at some point over the Winter we’re all sick (and this year it was a lot of the stomach bug — ugh!). So it helps to just air everything out.
We clean with Bona free & simple products. They are specially formulated to be both effective and safe. I recently used the Bona free & simple Hardwood Floor Cleaner to help a dear friend clean the floors of her brand new home. The hypoallergenic formula is certified allergy and asthma friendly (and safe for their new puppy!) and removes of 93.3% of allergens from the surface of the floor.

Declutter one tiny space at a time. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to clean every space of your home in one day, one week, or heck, even one month! Declutter, sort, and create piles for organizing, piles for donation, and piles for trash.
Keep your home smelling fresh naturally. We use essential oils and diffusers in nearly every room. It’s easy, cost-effective, and safe for everyone!
Bonus tip! I try to schedule mini-“purge” sessions throughout the year by going through a room every few months and deciding if what occupies it is truly necessary — that goes for clothes, toys, kitchen items (like those awful plastic cups!), and more!

Tell me — what’s your favorite way to Spring clean? And then head on over to the Bona website to sign up for a $3 off coupon so you can clean your house safe and effectively, too!

And remember, life is meant to be enjoyed. So don’t stress over the toys — they will only be little for a short period of time. Let them play in the organized chaos that is life.

life lately //

November 22, 2015 by Rachel 2 Comments

I swear even when we have “nothing going on,” we have nonstop stuff to do! Does anyone else feel that way!? Well, it’s clear we’ve definitely been plenty busy with doctor appointments and hospital visits, etc. Blah! We’ve had our fill of all of that.

But besides that, we have had a little bit of other stuff going on, too!

Playing outside. We’ve had an unusually warm November. Sure, we’ve had spurts of ‘normal,’ cold weather; but we’ve also had several 70+ degree days… in a row… in November… in OHIO. Amazing! So we’ve been hitting up the local parks and playgrounds. And Ari has been begging to ride his new bicycle! So we’ve done plenty of that, too! [I was totally afraid that he wouldn’t be able to use it until next Spring!]

Cooking class. Chad gave me the gift of cooking for my birthday! And it took me a little while to get a class scheduled at the Western Reserve School of Cooking, but when I finally did, it was awesome! I rarely cook (mostly because my husband is such an awesome cook, so I feel intimidated), so pending my upcoming maternity leave, I decided “quick dinners” would be a good match!

The Quick Dinners class almost got off to a rocky start… the owner of WRSOC seemed a bit pushy and not-at-all welcoming, which was very off-putting for someone who: a.) isn’t feeling well; and b.) is there by themselves. However, I pushed through and had a super enjoyable experience with the chef and other students! Plus? I learned a TON and ate lots of amazing food!

Watching lots of movies in “mommies bed.” It’s seriously the only place that Ari wants to watch movies. And, honestly? It’s totally fine with me. It’s much more comfortable for me to lie in bed and watch a movie than to sit on the couch. And Ari can be such a snuggle-bunny, so it’s super nice to get this time in with him.

The LEGO store. Want to keep a kid entertained by simply going to the mall? Visit the LEGO Store. It will be impossible to get your kid to leave. Luckily, we’ve had a couple of gift cards to use [from Ari’s birthday], so we’ve actually left with items, too! Ha! But mostly he just likes to play with all of the cool LEGO stuff he doesn’t have at home! Why is it that toys, even toys that are much like the ones you have at home, at the store, are WAY more fun!? But seriously. The Lego store is awesome.

Chick-fil-a craft night. Our local Chick-fil-a partners with Michael’s Stores to host Tuesday night family craft nights! I’m not sure if every Chick-fil-a does this, or if just some do, but it’s wonderful! Ari loves doing crafts and he loves Chick-fayyy, so this is a win-win for us!

Lots “Spring Cleaning” and organizing. I wouldn’t call it ‘nesting,’ because, truly, I am not at all energized. But I have been knocking some semi-major things off my house/chores to-do list. Like washing the carpets. Or moving things around.

Sure, things aren’t exactly ‘glamorous,’ but it’s real life! 🙂 And I wouldn’t change it for the world!

#FreeToBe A Busy Mom //

May 25, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

My main life-goal for the last couple of years has been to find as much balance in life as possible. Not just with work and home, but with all the other “to-dos” that creep up on us on the daily. However, family is the most important; family trumps everything else. So I have to find a delicate balance between the real world and real life. It hasn’t always been easy, and I’m often looking for tips and tricks from friends and family. So I thought I’d share a few of the things that keep me on track. It’s not so much a schedule, but a way of keeping my life in the present moment. Sure that means scheduling a few things, but it also means cutting myself some slack as needed so that I’m #FreeToBe whomever I need to be in that moment.

Cleaning the house. //

I have tried and tried to create a “cleaning calendar” for myself. But I just can’t. Inevitably, the days when the bathroom needs most cleaned are not days when it is scheduled. Dishes are in constant rotation. And what’s the point of doing the dishes and not cleaning the whole kitchen? And once the kitchen counters are cleaned, OF COURSE I have to vaccuum! … you can see where this is headed. When I “clean,” I clean everything. That doesn’t mean our house is spotless, but it does mean I try to keep some order to it.

It often is accompanied by a glass of wine right after Moosh goes down for bed. I just hurry and clean everything, pick up all the toys, vacuum real fast, and done (for now)! But I’m free to focus on my husband for the rest of the evening!

Keeping playtime about play. //

I’ve learned over the last two and a half years that ‘scheduled play’ is a lot less fun that just free play time. Sure, I’ll still bring Moosh to the art museum for some culture and play; but letting him turn empty paper towel rolls into swords is a lot more fun for everyone. During these moments I try and give him as much of my attention as possible.

I have to admit, this can still be a struggle. It’s hard to not want to ‘pick up’ as he’s playing. But most of the time I refrain. Hey – it’s a balance, am I right?

Managing a laundry schedule. //

The one chore I *do* schedule is laundry. We have enough clothes between the three of us for a constant rotation. Loads of laundry are done 4 days a week (hey, that’s better than everyday!). I clean the towels, sheets, and any area rugs on Sunday, so that everything is fresh for the week.

We are an all free clear laundry detergent household so that Moosh can live free from sensitive skin worries! I suffered from skin irritations as a kid and Moosh does as well, so we try and limit the exposure he has to irritants. And we wouldn’t want his “Blankie Tom” (his Thomas the Train blanket) that he snuggles with all night (and all day) to irritate him now would we!?

Making my husband a priority. //

This is the reason I try and keep my chores like cleaning and laundry to specific days and times. Because when all is said and done, at the end of the day, I want a few minutes alone with my husband. We can be so busy with taking care of the house, working, and raising our little family that we “forget” to make one another a priority. So we schedule time for just us. Even if that means getting a sitter so we can go to dinner or lunch alone!

We’ve learned over time that we operate better as a team. Sure, we’re both great at flying solo; but when it comes to our life as we know it now? Well, we just compliment each others strengths and weaknesses.

Meal planning. //

I have to admit – I’m a terrible meal planner. However, I am getting better. One of the ways I have “gotten better” at meal-planning is by cleaning out our refrigerator once a week — the evening before trash pickup day! That way I can (shamefully) toss the leftovers we have let expire and see what we have upcoming for the week that needs to be used. Doing so, along with regularly assessing the contents of our pantry, helps me to get ideas for the upcoming week. If I’m missing an ingredient for something, I simply add it to my to-do list to pick up the next time I’m at the store.

I’ll admit it — sometimes life goes off the rails a bit… but that’s the beauty of it — you can get right back on track! Just cut yourself some slack and give yourself space so you can be #FreeToBe a busy mom!

Because Kids Outgrow Diapers, Not Messes //

May 17, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

I’ve been kind of quiet about it around here, but we are pretty much completely out of diapers these days. You would think that means that we are not buying wipes anymore. But no. That is definitely not the case. Because toddlers are messy. Incredibly messy. It turns out kids outgrow diapers, not messes.

Moosh is constantly getting into things that he shouldn’t. For instance, he can now open the refrigerator. Which means he now has access to all of the chocolate milk he can muster up the appetite for (without asking). Sigh. In addition to weekly mopping of the floors, I’m constantly doing “spot-cleaning” with Huggies wipes.

Enter Huggies Simply Clean Triple Layer wipes. They are stockpiled throughout various places in our house and each time I leave the house, I grab a pack for the road. They are the only brand with TripleClean™ technology and clean better than other national brand’s sensitive wipes. These new and improved wipes have Triple Clean layers, are perfect for not only gently wiping up Ari’s face when he’s gotten into the chocolate (WHY do we keep it on the bottom shelf of our pantry!?), but also for tackling the bigger messes he creates like when he decided to play in the backyard. He managed to find the only muddy hole in the yard and go to town. Unfortunately we were just about to head out, so no time for a proper bath. Saved by the wipes!

Huggies® Wipes come in a variety of cool, convenient packaging, from Designer Tubs to Refill packs, great for on-the-go or stashing them up at home. Look for Huggies Natural Care ®, Huggies ® One & Done ® or Huggies ® Simply Clean ® and find out what works best for you.

And Walmart not only has all of these wipes, but they also have five cute videos on their site to let you know that you’re not alone in your quest to tackle kid messes! Go check them out, snag few smiles, and then raise your wipes pack in solidarity with all the other parents out there.

Grab the wipes, friends, Because Kids Outgrow Diapers, Not Messes*!

****Many thanks to Huggies for sponsoring today’s story and encouraging me to purchase Huggies® Wipes at Walmart!****

Tea Tree Oil // Review + Giveaway

March 31, 2015 by Rachel 12 Comments

Over the last several months we’ve begun to delve into the world of essential oils. It started with friend giving us a sample of an essential oil used to treat coughs and respiratory issues when Ari was diagnosed with some breathing issues last fall.

I recently started using tea tree oil to treat some skin issues. Tea tree oil, known as Melaleuca alternifolia, is an essential oil native to Australia that is catching on with increasing popularity because of its incredible healing benefits.

I’ve had some sort of dry skin and eczema since I was a kid. My recent skin woes have been from running. Here’s a secret: running destroys the skin on the bottom of your feet. Blah. My feet are rough and calloused and just … not pretty. So I started using tea tree oil on the bottoms of my feet, mixed in a 4:1 ratio with coconut oil. What do ya know — my feet are feeling softer!

Tea tree oil is known for its topical antiseptic and anti-fungal treatment or infection-reducing benefits. It also has antibiotic properties and helps aid against aliments such as skin infections, rashes, burns, dandruff and much more! It’s not limited to it’s skin remedies — it can also be used as an all purpose cleaner (bonus for my yogi friends? it’s safe to use to clean your yoga mat when mixed with water!)!

Apothecary Extract Tea Tree Oil is 100% pure Australian pharmaceutical grade and never diluted. Also? — check out the label. No preservatives; No artificial colors; No fragrance; No parabens; No mineral oil; No petroleum; AND No chemical solvents!

Every large 4 ounce bottle of Apothecary Extracts (which retails at $24.99 with free shipping on Amazon), comes with a free 100 page guide on all the ways to use tea tree oil to improve your life, and replace harmful cleaners around the house.

About Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil:

Our Australian tea tree plantation has received awards for its industry-leading, conservation farming practices. They have the smallest carbon footprint of any producer of pure and natural Tea Tree Oil. The Australian Parliament has invited them to represent farming operators at a Carbon Farming Incentive forum. They were one of the first producers to be accredited under the Australian Tea Tree Industry Association Code of Practice. The nutrition program for the Tea Tree plants is based on organic fertilizers. When using pesticides (a necessity to ensure the health of the plants) they employ a shield sprayer to minimize any contact with the plant. Whenever possible natural crop protection products are used.

Enter to win a bottle of your own using the rafflecopter widget below!

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Disclosure: I was selected to receive a bottle of Australian Tea Tree Oil for my honest opinion and review of this product. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Thank you to Apothecary Extracts and Tomoson for sponsoring this post.

the brightside of weekends.

August 16, 2010 by Rachel 5 Comments

weekends. in general. they rock.

sleeping in.

not having to pay for my coffee Friday morning because there was a man buying everyone’s coffee. incredible and inspiring.

although she is not having her best moment, the vet confirmed Saturday that Pepper is in great health. you know, except for that whole she’s-not-really-spayed thing.

watching a total of 3 movies this weekend: Sex and the City 2, The Other Guys, and When in Rome. {for the record, not at all impressed with SATC2.. except for the Aiden scenes cause I love him; The Other Guys was hilarious; and When in Rome was way better than expected!}

getting life organized. i not only did tons of laundry, but was able to clean, transfer over files from my sony laptop to my macbook, and prepare for the week to come.

finishing up week 7 of the couch 2 5k program. feeling incredible.

**don’t forget :: still have time to enter the Starbucks giftcard and mug giveaway here!**