Laugh at yourself. Or me.

My mom has always taught me that you have to be able to laugh at your own mistakes. With time I’m getting better at it.

Today I had one baby with me at the store. She was particularly a handful today and I had a lot on my mind. Now those may sound like excuses for the story I’m about to tell you…. because they are! LOL!

I was in Meijers putting my groceries on the conveyor when Tim called. He asked me to go to the bank and withdraw $200. As I hung up the phone the cashier told me that my bill came to 60 some dollars.

Now in my mind I was trying to save time and I thought to myself I would just ask for cashback and that way I would not have to make a trip to the bank.

Makes sense right?

I handed the cashier $60 and I asked him for $200 cash back.

We both just stared at each other.

I know his mind was thinking what an idiot I was! At that moment I could choose to be embarrassed or I could choose to laugh at my own mistake. I chose the laughter! And then I said to the guy “oh sheesh I thought I was using my debit card” and we both laughed and I was on my way.

My tired brain makes a lot of these kind of mistakes. Maybe yours does too. So laugh at yourself. And if you don’t make these kind of mistakes then you can just laugh at me!

Tired brained momma,

Sal.

Poison ivy

If I even say the “p” word I start itching. The stuff just makes me miserable. I get it every single year from cleaning brush and from hauling hay and firewood. Last summer it spread all over my entire body. I finally went to the dr for some help. He gave me a shot but also told me an at home remedy which has proven to be on the miracle level for me.

When I know that poison ivy and I have crossed paths, I start taking Zan-Tac. Yes, the medicine for heartburn. Lol! I take it every day until the rash is gone. This last round of poison ivy did not get bigger than the size of a quarter! I also use hydrocortisone to help, IF, it itches. Somehow the Zan-Tac helps it to not even itch. So there you have it. Get outside and do some spring cleaning. And then buy some Zan-Tac!

Bacteria lab

We all know the smell of that nasty dish rag that gets discovered at the bottom of the sink. Or the towel that’s been soaking wet all weekend long and hidden under a teenagers bed. The smell is enough to make you gag. Sometimes tossing these bacteria labs into the washing machine isn’t enough to kill whatever is lurking in their depths.

I know I can’t be the only one to grab a towel after a nice hot shower and sink my face into its softness only to gag on the smell of it. Man I hate that!

Well.

I’ve ended that in my house. And it’s so cheap. So easy. I can’t imagine why I haven’t done it sooner!

Wash all of your towels together. Use the hottest water and your normal soap. In the softener dispenser add a cup full of vinegar. It really debunks the ickies that hide in the fibers of your towels and wash rags. Your towels will come out of the dryer so fluffy and so clean smelling! And no, they won’t smell like vinegar. Not only that! The vinegar rinses down your washer at the same time and leaves it smelling so clean!

Happy laundry duty to you! ❤️

Please share my blog on your fb page.

Snowmageddon

Here in Michigan we been told that we are going to get really hard with snow. We woke up to a few inches. 🙄 I was really hoping for some grand pile up! The kind where you have to shovel your way to your mailbox. Like the storm of 78! That woulda been sooo awesome!!!!! But for now, I’ll be tickled with a few inches of the pretty stuff that we got and hope for more.

My desire for deep snow comes from living in Alaska. Deep snow always meant – everyone stays home. It meant warm bread and soup and friends to stay up late with. Those memories are sweet.

The year before we left Alaska we got 196″ of snow that winter. It doesn’t snow 1/4″ at a time up there. It snows half and whole feet! Because of the amount we had to shovel our rooftops several times. If you can imagine…..all the snow falling off the garage piled up so high that it touched the roof. So the kids could easily climb the snow pile and play on top of the garage. What a year that was. It was almost like a going away gift from the Lord.

Each of us have special memories that stick in our minds. Alaska is one for me. The Lord did so much in my heart in the years that we lived there. We lived on the side of a mountain that overlooked the ocean and more mountains. The place is as gorgeous as can be. Ohhh the memories. The eagles. The bears. The sharks. The fishing and hunting and hiking. The friends. The lessons we learned. It’s all tucked away in my heart. And today, on this beautiful snow day, I’m reminded of it all.

Please share my blog on your fb page. ❤️

Feb 14 is on Wednesday! ❤️

Soooo Valentines Day is coming up this next week! For your married folks, this is a great opportunity to throw some spice in your marriage!

Maybe you’ve always given your spouse a card but never a gift. Maybe you’ve always given your spouse flowers but never told them how much they truly mean to you. Whatever the case, get prepared. The day is coming and if you wait until the night before you’re bound to be in trouble.

Here are some ideas that won’t cost you anything or very little:

• Offer your spouse a massage with candles and soft music.
• Make them a special dinner that doesn’t include the kids.
• Dance
• Sit and talk
• Reread old love notes to each other
• Read Song of Solomon together

💃😳💃😳💃😳💃😳💃😳💃😳

Now if you wanna spend your money that’s alright. But loving your spouse doesn’t need to include cash. Just helping them to know how much they are valued and appreciated is what they’re prolly looking for. Just don’t wait until the last minute. That never goes over well. 🙂 There are tons of ideas online if you’re struggling to come up with the right idea.

We all love to be loved.

Please share my blog on your fb.

Lysol

Tis the season to soak yourself in Lysol! It’s my new perfume these days. (Just kidding. Don’t spray it on yourself, for those of you who are very literal.)

As moms, we use the Lysol wipes, the Lysol multi purpose, the Lysol shower and the Lysol perfume on every surface known to man, as the flu hits this time of the year, right?

This week I bought a scent that’s new to me.

I use this on all my kitchen counters, light switches, door knobs, my kitchen table and benches, bathroom sinks and faucets etc. My fav place to use this is in the kitchen sink! After I do my dishes and wash the sink out, I spray my white, enamel coated, sink with this cherry blossom and pomegranate spray. The bleach keeps my sink white and sparkly. I loooove that the spray continues smelling when I reuse the sink! This smell is not eye burning. It’s very pleasant.

So, do your part to ward off that nasty flu bug. Pick up some Lysol!

Burned on

If you have a glass top oven, this is for you. And don’t worry, there’s no butter involved in this blog, AMANDA! 😂

I don’t take the time to clean my glass top nearly as often as I should. I wipe it down sixty three times a day. But it’s still dirty with burned on crusties.

I went to Meijer’s and picked up some cleaner in hopes to remove the gunk. I squeezed the white magic onto the rings of my glass top…..

Then I used a sponge to wipe it all over….

I let it set for a few minutes while I switched over my laundry. Then I put some elbow grease behind my sponge and, wha-la!…..

My oven is far cleaner! I do still have some more work to do on the top. You can see that not every spot came off…

But I’ll give it a second cleaning soon. I have another large cleaning project beckoning me – the baby room. 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

I’m using my self cleaning feature for the inside of my oven today as well. By the end of the day, it’ll be clean as a whistle!

So, for today, run to your local grocery store and grab some

Weiman Glasstop Polish and sparkle up your oven!

Please share my blog on your fb!

Go big or go home

Packing lunches for our large family can be time consuming, as you can imagine. To cut my time down, I make a slew of samiches at one time. I label them in ziplocks and make a row of them in the fridge.

This cuts my time down considerably in the mornings.

Do you have any large family, time saving hacks that I need to know? Drop me a line. ❤️

Please share my blog on your fb.

Speed cleaning

As moms, our biggest responsibilities are cleaning the house, along with feeding and rounding up the herd of children.

I don’t love cleaning.

I don’t love Monday’s.

When the kids all left for school and Tim was out the door for work, I looked around and instantly felt overwhelmed.

The weekends destroy our house. Food, games, movies, sleepovers – they’re everywhere!

I decided to watch some of the speed cleaning vids on YouTube. I watched two and was instantly annoyed. These ladies each had one kid. Their homes looked perfect BEFORE they started cleaning. 🙄

So I decided to try my own style of speed cleaning. I sent my two littlest, that aren’t in school, to the other room to watch a movie. I took my before pics, set my stopwatch and started in. I set out my cleaning supplies first.

Next, I started in the kitchen – picking up counters and wiping them. Once the counters were done I moved on to the dining room table. Then the living room, and entry way, vacuuming as I went. I tried to stay focused on one room at a time until it was done. I saved the dishes for last – because I hate them the most. When it was all said and done it took me ninety minutes.

Once my main areas were cleaned I moved on to bathrooms, laundry and bedrooms.

I don’t have cleaning perfected by any means whatsoever. So please skip on the hate mail. Yes I do have the help of seven children and a hubs. I also have the messes of seven children and a hubs.

Like I said, my house isn’t perfect, but it’s clean enough for friends to stop by for coffee. So stop over!

<<<<<
great Monday friends! ❤️

A secret that I have

My secret won’t really be a secret after today. Lol! I’ve shared this with a few of my friends and I love hearing back from them when they put my lil dirty secret to use.

All of us wives know that our men come home hungry.

Hunger = crankiness.

Hunger + the smell of food = a man that has hopes taller than the Eiffel Tower!

Our men love walking into a home with the smell of food on the stove. The floors can be piled high with toys. The dishes can be stacked on every counter. The laundry piles can hide every piece of furniture. But when they smell good food none of those other messes even matter. As moms, we just have some crazy days in our week and our giant messes don’t even move, so it seems. So while I encourage you to try your best to keep a tidy home, remember my little dark secret….

When you’ve just completely run out of time, and you know that hunk of a man of yours is about to walk through the door, but you haven’t even thought of what to make for dinner…..just get out an onion and some butter.

Give those babies a minute on high and the whole house will smell like you’re the Queen of the kitchen.

While they are smelling up the house, take a quick sec and meet your sweetie at the door. Smooch his face and encourage him to put his feet up.

Now run back to the kitchen! Quickly assess the staple foods you have on hand. (Keep in mind after this to never let yourself run out of onions and butter!!!!!)

I am the master of cooking “I don’t know”. My kids ask “whatchya making mom?” And I answer them “I have no clue.” I mean it. I start with the onions and butter and roll from there. Next I will choose a pasta or rice. And then some sort of sauce to mix it all together – spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt… you get the picture. Toss in a vegetable as well. Now throw it in a 9 x 13, crumble some Ritz crackers or bread crumbs on top and toss it in the oven. While it is browning set your table and whaah la…..another marriage has been saved.

❤️

Please share my blog on your Facebook page.