How To Do Laundry

Housekeeping Tips : How to Clean Electric Stove Tops

As you know, it's easy to spill things in the drip pans while creating our little masterpieces. These little spills can cause big messes.  It's important to stay on top of these for both the health and beauty of your home.  I chose this video because it looks just like our stove.  Two things:

• I've never put the eyes of the stove in water.
• The stove knobs come off easily so you can clean behind them.

Vacuuming

You are already vacuuming on a daily basis which is an excellent habit to maintain if you have pets and/or children....or live in your home lol.  It's not just about making things look good but also about removing dust and allergens.  Here are some other things you need to know about the task.

• As you can see from the photo (ridiculous as it appears), vacuuming is not just for carpets.  You can and should also vacuum lamp shades, sofas, chairs, pillows, air vents, air return vents,  and walls...yes, walls.  Grandma did this everyday for my allergies. How often you need to do this depends on your lifestyle, health, and tolerance for germs.
• Vacuum lint bins need to be emptied EVERY time you use the vacuum.  In order for the machine to have good suction, it needs to be emptied.
• You have long, thick hair.  Your children and husband will likely have hair.  Pets have hair.  All this means that you will frequently have to clean the hair off the roller brush on the bottom of the vacuum.  This is a nasty job and can be arduous, but it is a necessary evil.  The more often you perform this task, the easier it is; the less often you do this, the harder it is to remove said hair.
• It's not all about the big middle of the carpet.  Much of life is about the little details.  Baseboards need to be vacuumed as do the under bits of carpet underneath furniture and in closets.  These areas seem to be dust magnets.  You can be vacuuming the big middle everyday, but if you have an inch of dust bunnies under your bed, you will still get a sinus headache.
• Vacuuming should be typically done after you dust, as dust from the table often flies to the floor in the process....unless of course, you're not dusting; in which case, go ahead and vacuum rather than wait lol.
• Vacuums have different settings for different types of floors for a reason...
• It's never a good idea to vacuum up loose thread or strings; pick them up and dispose of them by hand.  These items merely wrap around the roller brush and often cause the vacuum to smoke....and we all know smoking is bad for everyone's health.
• The price for a good vacuum is a good investment.

Trash

When I started this little blog you were a young teen, and now you have grown into a lovely young woman.  Time has flown by and this blog has been sorely neglected.  So why bother posting now when you already know most of what I will say?  I'm sure there is much I've neglected to tell you and here will be a record of it for posterity. :)





Last week your little Muffin got into some rat poison which resulted in large vet bills for you, so I thought now would be a good time to discuss the importance of emptying the trash daily.  That seems like such a trivial thing, but as you now know, it can have devastating results if neglected.  You are the type of person that will always have pets or children afoot, so emptying all waste baskets on a daily basis will be key.  So many things that we toss in the trash are harmful to pets and/or children if ingested.  Broken glass, razors blades and other sharp items really should be carried to the outside trash immediately.  Plastic liners for small waste baskets are great for keeping the can clean and free of gum that a thoughtless person may just toss in the can without first wrapping it in something, but these bags are notorious as choking hazards.  With that in mind, sanitizing your waste baskets will also be an ongoing project.  Why am I telling you this now?  If you get in the habit of taking about one minute of each day to empty each of the trash cans, you won't even have to think to remember it when you have a place of your own; it will be a natural part of your daily rhythms and routines.  Start today ;)

Dear Daughter,

Do you remember when you were little how jealous you were of children who "got" to go to after school care? What you saw was children playing on the playground or doing art projects while you had to just go home. What you did not see is how absent the parents of those children were or how willing those children would be to trade places with you and have a mother available to them. It seems as though you have always been afraid that you are missing out on something that other kids are enjoying. Open your eyes and see their pain. Carefully examine the true lives of some of the kids you have gotten to know. I believe they would trade places with you in a New York Minute. Read their blogs carefully and see the emptiness and loneliness of their hearts and lives. Remember that you are where God placed you. He will bring into your life what is best for you. God will withhold no good thing from you. Don't miss out on God's gifts for you because you are busy looking at what others have.

Love,

Momma

 
 

The Common Room: Home Ec, Laundry 101

Dear Daughter,

Below is a link for doing laundry the proper way. I hope you enjoy it.

Love,

Momma

The Common Room: Home Ec, Laundry 101

Dear Daughter,

Today is the first day of fall. Soon (we hope) the air will be cool and crisp, and we will feel invigorated and alive. Fall is generally a time of detailed cleaning for homemakers and preparing for the winter months through stockpiling of foods and by bringing out of storage winter clothes and linens.

For you this year, it will be an exercise in crafts and decorating as you work on your fall wreaths and decorations. I hope this will be a fun and stimulating time for you. As is my tradition, on this first day of fall, I have a few fall pieces for your hope chest. :) You can find them on top of your hope chest. Enjoy!

Love,
Momma