New Years Irresolution

I have discovered, over and over, that it is important for me not to go above and beyond the things that make me, me.  Over the years, I've tried to change, but the results have not changed.

Once a year, I decide that I'm ready to be a real, responsible, healthy adult and it always ends terribly for me. But, I try anyway.  I sit myself down and tell myself how I'm going to do this.  Schedules are drafted.  Day-planners are purchased.  I stock up on fancy food because I'm planning on converting my entire family into healthier eating habits. I put away my daily yoga pants and pull out my nice jeans, skirts, heels and button down shirts. Yes, I prepare for my new life like some people prepare for the apocalypse.

The first day or two of my plans usually goes okay.

For a little while, I actually feel all grown-up and healthy!  I strut around with my ‘dressy’ clothes, looking everyone in the eye with that  glance that says "look at ME, I’m dressed up and responsible….just look at all my fancy groceries.”

At some point, I start feeling self-congratulatory.

This is a mistake.  

I begin to feel like I've accomplished my goals. I lose a few pounds, my nails are done, my hair is perfect, and I feel really good about myself. It's like I think a lifestyle change is something that can be earned like a trophy in one epic burst of effort and then coveted for the rest of my life.  

What usually ends up happening is that I completely wear myself out. Thinking that I've earned it, I give myself permission to slack off for a while. My fancy shoes, give m blisters (oh, how I miss my flip flops). I break out from wearing make-up everyday, and I get really tired of cooking every night!

Is it really that bad, if I wear my holed jeans while I run my errands? I’ll make sure to flat iron my hair and put on some lip gloss, this is acceptable, right? 

Well, I end up needing to take more recovery time than usual and this is when it all starts….

The longer I procrastinate, put on my yoga pants, and allow myself to drive thru Chic-fil-a for dinner, only leads to more and more irresolution.  

At some point in this endlessly spiraling disaster, I am forced to throw all of my energy into starting over again, just to dig myself out of the pit I've fallen into. The problem is that I start over, already burnt out from the last round. I won’t allow myself to fail. But,I do because it always ends the same way.  

And then I rebel.  

yummmm!

So, I’ve come to a new yearly resolution…..Do more of what makes me happy, fly by the seat of my pants, and laugh more! I’ll never fail at this one. 

Happy New Year, family and friends! 

Just Frozen.....

Everyone is talking about the winter storm that is making it’s way to the Dallas metroplex. My morning shows have been interrupted with constant weather updates....ughhh! 

Oh, and I made the mistake and went to the store. Target was overrun with people stocking up on ice scrapers, food, movies and beer…lots of BEER. People are rushing and running thru the isles to make sure they have enough spaghettios, potato chips, Tyson nuggets, or whatever else they need to get them through the cold weekend. Hot chocolate shelves are empty and the lines were super long. It was a madhouse, reminded me of my Florida days preparing for the next big hurricane!!! But this is not a hurricane, it's ice. All I wanted was to get some salad dressing for my antipasto salad and look for a new book to read, on my only day off. Boy, did I pick the wrong day. 

School will most likely be cancelled so, the only people who should be freaking out and running around in circles are the parents facing this inevitable snow day, home with the kids!!!

Fortunately and unfortunately for me, I will be working tomorrow. I will have the opportunity to drive 10 mph all the way to work behind some really bad drivers. Talk about chaos, the roads are going to be a mess!  

People, this is north Texas, we get ice every year!And even if we give it a catchy name like “Snowpocalypse” or “Arctic Blast”, it’s still just ice and snow. RELAX and be safe. :)

Sleepless in Scrubs

I missed another school event last night…because I had to work. I rolled into my front door at 9am because I had to stop and get groceries before I could go home. If I am fortunate, I will sleep like a rock, hard and solid. But, when the kids get home from school, they will be on their own again...struggling to stay quiet so I can sleep. When I finally awaken, I will stumble through a shower and make my way downstairs. I’ll attempt to listen to my kids tell me about their day, trying to retain what they are saying. Unfortunately a lot of it goes in one ear and out the other:(

Coffee. Where’s the coffee…

My husband gets home, I tell him what he needs to know about my day: I didn’t touch the laundry, I didn’t unload the dishwasher, dinner is not ready, and the kids just started on their homework…oh, and we need more coffee. He nods, gives me a hug and out the door I go.

My drive to work consists of some kind of caffeine drinking and clearing the fog from my head. What will be in store for me tonight? A high census? Call-ins? I stress myself out before I even get to work…..

Where am I going with this: well, I write this post as a tribute to the night nurses that I have had the pleasure to work with. Although I am jokingly called a traitor for accepting a day position, I can’t help but feel a bit sad for leaving such a great group of nurses, some of whom I can call my friends.

The conversations that go on at night are unforgettable.

At night, we get the crazies, the spontaneous labors, the A.M. scheduled c-sections in labor. Everything is a surprise. We are sleepy, but we are working hard. We are overlooked, but we are faithful. We are lonely, but united. We are irritable, but knowledgeable. We are independent, but deeply depend on each other. We work in the dark, but our humors are light. Our stomachs are bloated and our bladders are full. Life goes on without us, and we go on when life settles. We function in darkness, even in the daylight. We have found ourselves driving into our driveways with no memory of ever driving home.

Night shift friends, you’ve made me laugh when I’ve been at my very worst and helped me transition into the nurse that I am. When I see you, at change of shift, please know that I am forever grateful for you. XOXO 

Chalk Paint Challenge: Day One

So, I started painting my table today......
I can't tell you how many times I had to stop and check Pinterest for tips and tutorials, again and again! This chalk paint stuff is not as 'fool proof' as I thought, at least for me. Or maybe I shouldn't have assumed that it would be extremely easy.
I am painting an antique white table to an Old White color, easy right? not. The two white colors seem to be fighting with each other and I couldn't seem to completely cover the original paint. After about half an hour of freaking out, I figured that I would just apply a second coat afterwards, and that should take care of it. Well....it worked but then I was having trouble with streaking and dripping and because the paint dries so fast, my second coat was painted on with a half hardened-bristle brush.
*note to self: buy more than one paint brush!!!
I went ahead and finished the second coat and put my only paintbrush to soak.
I'm done for today, I need to pick up a few things from the Home Depot tonight and hopefully finish by the end of the weekend.
Right now, my table legs are painted and appear very 'chalky' but the streaks are less noticeable and I finally got the original paint color covered up. The clear wax should seal the paint and make it look less powdery (is that even a word?).  I'm still not 100% happy with this project but, hoping for better results tomorrow.

Tips from me:
~this paint is easier to use if you want a distressed look
~get good brushes and more than ONE
~be careful painting on a thick coat, dripped paint dries so fast and you'll have to chip it off or sand it down to fix it.
~it looks so much better after it dries
~the paint will chip and scratch very easily until you seal it with wax
~do more research than I did, before you start ;)

Adventures in Painting....

I do not like to paint.

Now repeat another 100 times and you may be a bit closer to understanding the depths that I will go to NOT paint anything, especially furniture.

I have had bad experiences with painting in the past. Don't get me wrong, I love a good paint job but, those paint swatches that you choose from are not so accurate once they are painted on the wall, and in the right lighting can be very scary!!! I’m still having nightmares from a purple bedroom I had growing up :(

Now with that being said, I have also painted furniture before. I had an old wood farmhouse table that (three kids later) was in dire need of a good re-staining or paint job. I decided that I would just paint it because re-staining it would be much harder, or so I thought.

Oh Em Gee!!! Was I wrong! I had only started sanding it to find that what seemed like such a great idea, was more work than I had anticipated (remember I had three little ones and NO time for this). So it was then that I stopped the sanding and just started painting (mistake# 1). When it was finished, I loved it!!! It's rich black color gave the entire room a whole new look. And I was so proud that we did this ourselves.

Forward less than two years ahead….that poor un-sanded, unsealed paint job was still beautiful over-all but started to look like a hot mess. It had been used for many dinners, crafts, and kids coloring & painting and was showing its use. For a long time I just threw a table cloth over it and tried to ignore the horrible scratched up, worn paint that was hiding underneath (obviously, from a bad paint job). 

After much controversy, we decided to get rid of it and replace it with a beautiful glass top large round elegantly carved table with leather seats (mistake #2). It was beautiful and had the most comfortable chairs I've ever sat in. I loved it…..as long as I spent every waking minute wiping off the glass! Table cloths became my purchase of choice once again.....ughhhh!

A new home and money saved to redecorate, I realized it was time to let go of the glass top once and for all and do this breakfast room right.

It was then that I remembered how much I loved my solid sturdy farmhouse table that suffered the bad, rushed paint job.

Well folks, I did decide to attempt this painting furniture thing again. I sold my glass top table (thank goodness) on craigslist and bought an old strong and sturdy farmhouse table and chairs that need some TLC in the painting area. I’m not sure if I am keeping the chairs but if I find ones I like, they will most likely have to be painted, too.

All I keep hearing about is this chalk paint stuff that is supposed to be fool proof and can be used on anything, including furniture. And there are many different versions of it. I am very nervous about messing this up again so I am taking my chances with the good stuff, the expensive Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White (possibly mistake # 3). I am hoping it is as easy as everyone says.

Wish me luck…I will keep you posted :)

Please follow my adventures in painting as I am sure it will be, if anything, a funny story.

labor dads are funny

A couple weeks ago, I had to laugh. When I left my newly delivered mom and baby “skin to skin” everything was fine. I walked out of her room for ten minutes to catch upon some charting and empty my two hours of pushing bladder. When I came back to the labor room, I saw that the dad, had stripped down to only pants and had the baby skin to skin on his chest…his very hairy chest.

First of all, honestly, unless you’re Channing Tatum, we don’t really want to see that. Second, isn’t this a little overboard? There’s really nothing about a man’s bare chest that would interest a baby. Third, it's out of place. You are not a patient, keep your clothes on!!! 

A Wild Pair

I'll start off by saying that I am such a plane Jane when it comes to clothes. I try really hard to spruce up my wardrobe but mostly find my comfort in solid T's, hoodies, and yoga pants, that is when I am not wearing solid colored scrubs to work. I feel like such a rebel when I wear funky patterned socks with my scrubs....haha! I know, I am pathetic and I will get to the point now.....
Last week, the inside heel on one of my solid black, nicely worn in Dansko clogs broke (yes, I wear those silly nurses clogs....and not only to work). I tried for a few days to keep wearing them but it got to the point where it actually was painful.
Anyhow, I knew that if I took them back to Nordstrom, I could replace them. My first intention was to exchange them for another solid black pair but, being that I am trying to venture out of my comfort zone...I decided that I should order a funky pair like some of the nurses that I work with. I kept going back and forth with getting another black pair but, after almost an hour in Nordstrom I finally picked a  blue/black marbled pair and went with it. Not very funky but definitely a step in the right direction.

My size was not in stock so I had to place an order and wait for them to be shipped. Ughhh!
I don't usually order shoes online but being that I had already seen them in person and tried on another pair in my size at the store, what could go wrong???!


After three days of checking the mail...they came!

OH NO!!!! What is this?! So, NOT what I ordered! Is this a true sign that I need to be more adventurous? Can my personality pull these off? I tried them on.....nope, not liking them at all.

Back to Nordstrom they go and back to basic black I go! :(

My First 5K

Let me start off by saying that I am surrounded by active runners and athletes.  I live in prime runners community. When I first moved into my neighborhood, I wondered what all those water coolers were doing on the benches that surrounded my neighboring communities. At any time during the day, my commute down Stonebridge Drive has runners of all ages and all paces. I kept reading facebook posts of people posting their 'time' and training for their next race (because they do this all the time….oh whatever!). I got a little jealous, to say the least and finally put my mind to it and decided to sign up for the Hot Chocolate Dallas race with my oldest daughter, Sydney. I didn't even know how to get started so I just continued to work out and add running into my workouts.

When I first started running (or attempted to run, rather), I read people's running stories….thinking how that didn’t interest me and I didn’t see myself ever officially running a race. But the more I read and the more posts I saw on facebook, the more I became interested and wondered if that was something I could actually do. I've been on a health kick since boot camp, so I was looking for a way to keep in shape and get the same energy and strong legs, for that matter, that all my running friends have!

As Sydney and I ran each week, I experienced some easy days, but also harder days. Becoming frustrated is simply an understatement on how I felt at times….even 3 days before race day I didn’t think I could do it.  The more I huffed and puffed and ended up walking more than running, the more I thought “what in the world am I thinking?” or “there is no way I can do this”. The more this happened the angrier at myself and at running itself I became.  It seemed I could hit the 2 mile mark and simply give out and have to stop and walk. I wanted to run a 5K, not walk it. And that was what I was determined to do. As far as “training” for my first 5K, I’m not sure if that’s what I should call it. I mean, it sounds so official-like…but, I’m just a girl who runs….with her kids….on a paved road…thru neighborhoods. I’ve never called myself a runner before and it seems to me that I’m just running a 5K; it’s not like it’s a marathon or anything like that.

On race day....I was freaking out!!!! Again, thoughts flooded my mind, seriously, I had never run in front of anybody, what if I fall? What if I can't finish the race? What am I doing this for...on this freezing cold morning?' Okay, breathe….I had a plan and I would stick with it. Race was to begin at 8:00 and we wanted to arrive by 7. I had picked up my race packet two days before. I had my clothes laid out and my alarm was set for 5:00.  I wanted plenty of time for my morning coffee and breakfast: my anytime snack of peanut butter toast with a sliced banana. It’s filling and full of protein and carbs...it's just what I needed! As we took to the starting line,  I was already breathing heavy and trying to calm myself down and focus. Slow and steady wins the became my mantra.  I repeated it over and over to myself.  I looked over at Sydney, gave her a hug, and wished her a good race. And so we began.

As everybody quickly ran out of site, I tried to keep my pace steady and stay focused.  It wasn’t long before I began to pass other runners who were starting to slow down.  I soon began to tune all of that out and just concentrate on my own pace and remember that I was doing this for me and for me only. The first mile actually went pretty smoothly.  My pace was steady and I felt good.  I was having fun. The second mile, I slowed down abit, but tried to keep my pace steady. I was fearful of tiring too quickly and I seriously wanted to run across that finish line! By the third mile, the adrenaline kicked in even more and my pace became faster. Did I mention that Sydney was way ahead of me and out of my sight at this point. My official time was 41 min 11 seconds…slow compared to others, but it was actually a personal best for me. I feel pretty good about my finish. I know this is all pretty silly and sounds like I should have been preparing for and running a marathon, but I suppose to me, in my little neck of the woods, it was. And now, I can say I DID IT!!!

I can do this!!!!

I have been blessed with the ability to juggle the things in life that matter to me. Yes, it is possible to be a working mother, soccer mom, PTA mom, domestic housewife (yes, I clean my own house) and still have a social life. One of the things I struggle with most, is guilt. I think that having a job outside the home adds another layer to the guilt that every mom feels.
 I have really struggled with is finding a true mentor in my current work place - someone who I look at and think that I want to be exactly like her. In the field of nursing, that can be quite challenging but, at least I do know the type of woman that I want to be...she's not perfect, but she works hard. She is a good nurse, wife and mother. She honors the Lord in all she does and raises her kids with dignity and love. All of this comes with sacrifice.
I find it quite comical that people often approach me and ask me ‘how I do it all?’ I find it funny because a lot of people see the ‘calm, cool, collected’ me that has it all together when it comes to balancing motherhood and being a somewhat workaholic. How can people think that I do this so easily? Only my husband sees some of the frantic episodes that occur more frequently than you think. So I'm going to burst your bubble...I can’t always ‘do it all’, but instead I have found what works for me. Fulfilling my dreams to become a nurse came with many sacrifices. Some sacrifices were not a big deal and others were painful.
 How did I become OK with that you might ask? A lot of prayer! I am the first to admit that I can be one of the world's worst about taking things into my own hands instead of waiting for God's direction. I recently had one of these times...I leaned heavily on my own abilities and ended up frustrated. I did finally come to a point where I came on my knees to God, asking for his path for my life. I'll admit that the answer I got wasn't exactly what I expected, but God granted me with a true peace about it.
So when you see me working double shifts, getting up for boot camp at 0500am, volunteering at the kids school and rushing home to have dinner with my family…know that I am grateful for every minute of it.

How To Be Cool In A Minivan

It wasn’t until I traded in my minivan for the big SUV that I kept hearing people say….they will never, ever drive a minivan. Secretly, it was the single best decision we’ve made since the birth of our three children. Well crap, after 10 minivan driving years, I felt the same way and upgraded to a large SUV but, sad to say that I miss it.
Before the big SUV: there I was, lined up in the school parking lot, alarms going off, automatic doors opening … anything I could do to locate my silver dodge caravan in a line of 20 others just like it. But I loved it. The convenience, the leg room and all the ‘happy’ kid features.

When I had my van, it’s true…I felt like such a “MOM” but I was proud of that. My kiddos needed the room for all their sports equipment, folding chairs, and many different toys. I can’t even tell you how much I miss the trunk that keeps groceries from rolling all over the back seat. It could be the next best thing to sleeping in late or getting all the laundry done.

I realized that it is NOT the minivan itself rather than some of us mommy-van drivers that have given it such a bad name.
So, in honor of my minivan and other minivan mommys out there, I have come up with some things, that can help the ‘coolness’ of the minivan come back.
1. Get a sunroof, if you can. They automatically make the van more appealing….at least for the driver. 2. A van, car, SUV…whatever….please stop putting stickers on the car, including “My kid is an honor roll student,” the acronym stickers with black letters on the white oval to indicate your favorite beach or school, or the sport stickers—including, but not limited to the ones that look like a ball has broken your window and you chose to leave it there.
3. Keep your van clean, nothing is worse than opening that sliding door and having juice cups, snacks and toys fall out…yep I’m guilty of that one.
4. Under no circumstances is it ok to sing and dance to loud music in the van…so not cool. I’m guilty of that one too! Heehee
5. Do anything you can to have date night with your husband, or a girls’ night with friends, and NOT drive the van. Your cool factor goes right out the window when you step out of the minivan with your new hairdo and high heels.

That being said, it doesn’t matter what you drive. Any car can be cool if you want it to be. A minivan is a minivan no matter how often they change the body style or come out with new colors….and if you ever have the chance to own one, you would see why they are sooo cool!

Coffee Break

I have to say that my night shift experience has been a great one. At night, your fellow coworkers are your only resource and it's amazing how strong a relationship can be when you are helping each other get through a very long, sleepless night. It was nice to be home during the day, sleep in late, and be home when the kids came home from school. Fresh coffee at 0200am, getting silly at 0400am and eating dinner for breakfast have become daily traditions but, a "normal" sleep schedule will be very beneficial. After over ten years of sleeping all day, juggling moods, becoming addicted to caffeine and trying to balance my bowel patterns......I am officially on day shift and I could not be any happier! I look forward to many new adventures and SLEEP!

I'm a soccer mom, hear me whine

No one asks to be a soccer mom When people ask you what you want to be when you grow up, few little girls respond with ‘soccer mom’.
This year my son has begun his 7th soccer season in rec league. Do you know what this means? I’ve been a soccer mom for over four years!!! I love it but, it’s a new indoor soccer season at the moment, so here I am again with the soccer mom talk and yes, I’d love some cheese with this whine.
As Ethan’s biggest fan, we take soccer seriously now. No more joking around with the juice boxes and the snack sign-up sheets and let’s not keep score out loud so it doesn’t hurt the kids feelings, people. No more reading Cosmo on the sidelines. (Or wait, was that just me?)
Soccer means war. Stuff like,other teams with names and numbers embroidered on custom-made backpacks, and wearing matching shoes.....there is like body-checking, and slide kicking and jersey-grabbing and it’s apparently all legal and I’m just waiting for them to poke eyes out and go all “Three Stooges” on each other!
I'm scared. I’m the reluctant soccer mom, who’d rather be weeding the garden than sitting on a sideline trying to think of something to yell to my poor kid, who’s getting pushed around for two 20 minutes halfs on this big, big field.
Just SHOOT me!

A Thankful Moment

There are days when you just know that it is a good day, when your family is healthy, your friends make you laugh, and you have a warmth in your heart. Yeah, I know that i sound pretty cheesy but I am living in this moment.....and I must brag, for just a moment.
At this time: my family is healthy and happy, I have a beautiful home, wonderful neighbors, I am loving my job, my patients are loving me and I was offered a day shift position at work. Only a nurse that has worked 12 hour night shifts can truly appreciate this. It is a wonderful opportunity and it's my time.
ahhh, that's it now it's time to enjoy the rest of my day with my happy little family. ;)

Decaffeinated

I had a long list of things that I was giving up for Lent this year. Amongst those few things were coffee, coke, and wine. With the headaches that I suffered in the beginning and those everlasting days, I somehow managed to wean myself off of caffeine.....for good.

I never thought the day existed that I would ever pass up a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

Are you kidding me??? This is ridiculous.

Mike has been off of caffeine for almost two years now and he says that it is the best thing that he has ever done. He was my biggest support during this time, he kept me well supplied with headache medication, massages, and would not let me give in.

So, after I discovered that coffee was no longer a yummy drink, I went out and bought myself a Starbucks latte (because we all know that those lattes are irresistible) and still, YUCK!

I am amazed that this has happened. But, in a way, I am impressed that I have been able to do without it for all this time and that I feel good, very healthy. wow, and just think of the money that I will save by not going to Starbucks all the time.

I've decided to home school

I was informed a few of months ago that my sweet young son was struggling with reading.  After meeting with his teacher, and hearing her recommendations, I held it all together, smiled, and left.

The closer I got to the car…the tears filled my eyes and I completely lost it when I closed the car door. My little boy…..struggling…WHY? HOW? His older sisters are series book readers and have never been behind in any subject. Where did I go wrong with him? Was it because we moved schools? Was it because I went to nursing school? I felt a lot of guilt, and at that very moment I decided that I needed to do something. And I did.

I ordered home school materials and talked to all my friends. In just a few weeks of working with him, he improved so much! I won't lie and say that it was easy (for me) but, I CAN do this, I WILL do this, for my kids. Ethan is now reading chapter books and testing two grade levels higher in math (at times I feel like he is teaching me math…LOL!).

I’m not sure if the one-to-one instruction is just what he needed or if he is not getting the help that he needs at school but, whatever it is....it's working. 

I have enjoyed our teaching times and am considering to home school all the kids next year.  It will be a challenge but, I am looking forward to it. 

No meat, no problem

Over the years of celebrating the Lenten season, I have found ways to be creative with Friday night dinners.
At first, the thought of not eating meat was crazy.....how was I supposed to make dinner without meat? let alone all meals of the day and keep my kids satisfied.
But, I think I have mastered it.
My kids have remembered not to eat meat all on their own and they look forward to some creative but, very common meals such as pancakes, vegetable lasagna, and shrimp kabobs.
One of our favorite Friday night dinners is plain ole' cheese pizza. Although, pizza is already a Friday night tradition it is nice to see my family happily give up pepperoni and sausage. The kids have even picked it off their pizza at school.
Pinterest has been wonderful this year with helping me plan some of these meals that it has become a regular Friday occurrence.

Something that I thought was so difficult has become a great experience.

40 days and 40 nights.....

Lent is a special time when you can share the concepts of prayer and giving with everyone around you. Taking time each day to offer devotional prayers, helping others in need by giving of your time or resources. Even as young children, my kids have enjoyed participating in this process.
As a mother, I carve out time in my busy day for special prayer time and recalling on lessons learned.
Some things that I have done differently for Lent are suggestions I have gotten from Dr Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Catholic theologian and speaker. He has come up with many great ideas for making the most out of the Lenten season.
He says:
Spend some focused time with your spouse, strengthening your marriage.
Start praying together, or make praying together a more frequent occurrence.
Spend some focused time together with each of your children. Take time to listen. Pray and maybe even have fun.
When Easter comes, don’t drop the new practice you’ve begun during the Season Lent!
Make a permanent feature of a deeper Christian life!
Family values are a big part of the Tubiolo house and with every passing year, I can see where our faith and family has grown stronger.

FaT tUeSdAy

Today is going to be a good day.....it is Fat Tuesday, ya know!

Not only will I feast with my family but, we will figure out what we need to leave behind for the next 40 days.....

I view Lent as a minor sacrifice. I have been truly blessed and if giving up chocolate, coffee, Facebook is a way to show my God that I am grateful...then I gladly will.

Big House......Clean House

I was always one of those people that said "the bigger the house, the more to clean" but, I was wrong.
A year and a half ago, our family moved, again. I never would have imagined having a 3,000+ square foot house for half the price of what we sold our 1,700sf, 15 year old fixer upper in Fla. so, six years ago, we jumped at the opportunity to get the biggest house we could find. HUGE mistake.
So, we moved……but, somehow I managed to gain two extra bathrooms, an extra bedroom, and an enormous yard. Although, the neighborhood, schools, yard, and front porch was just what we were looking for, one problem still remained…..How am I going to keep this house clean?
While I love the idea of a clean house, I’d rather spend the day sewing, chatting on Facebook or searching Pinterst than start cleaning my bathrooms……all five of them!
So, how did I do it???

I made myself a schedule.....Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

Daily:
Morning:
Laundry
Make beds
Dishes
Vacuum

Evening:
Wipe down counters/toilets in bathrooms
Dishes/Counters/Kitchen table/Stove
Vacuum/sweep & mop floors
Put away toys, mail, etc.
Dining room table cleared and cleaned

Weekly (i try to spend less than an hour on these)
Monday: living room/play room clean and dust
Tuesday: run errands/grocery shopping, de clutter pantry
Wednesday: Kitchen: clean oven, microwave, fridge
Thursday: clean bathrooms/ showers/bedrooms/closets
Fridays: Catch up on any chores not done
Saturday: Clean out purse and car/plan my coupon and grocery lists

Monthly:
Dust blinds
Wash windows
Yard work
Baseboards
Reorganize closets

I am somewhat of a natural housekeeper anyway, but I have three active children and a nursing career, and I refuse to spend my days cleaning. There are lots of great advice out there and I was determined to be one of those moms that could keep a clean house in less than an hour a day. I’ve read books and taken suggestions from Pinterest to get myself to a happy medium and decided to see how much I could get done in 60 min. It was a struggle in the beginning. I was so happy today, to be getting it done before the timer went off.
I do have to give credit where credit is due: I say a prayer daily to keep me focused on being a good mom and housekeeper. And I can’t do it without the constant help from my wonderful husband and children for helping me daily by picking up after themselves.

Cleaning Tips You Haven't Heard Before

• The best way to dust blinds: Close them, then wipe up and down with an old dryer sheet. It'll create an antistatic barrier that helps prevent dust from building up again.Vinegar and water is a great deodorizer for a musty bathroom. Spray your shower down as you're getting out. It really absorbs the odors, and the smell of vinegar goes away in an hour.
• The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is your friend. It will cut your cleaning time in half for bathtubs, sinks, countertops, and dirty walls.
• To clean glass and mirrors, use coffee filters, not paper towels. They leave no streaks or lint — and they're cheap.
• Vacuuming bathroom mats is a nightmare. Toss them in the wash every week or two instead.
• A wet pumice stone will clean a dirty oven faster than any spray-on product.
• To damp-mop wood floors, use plain water or a water-based floor cleaner like Bona. Don't use vinegar. The acid in it will pit your polyurethane finish, can void your warranty, and may reduce shine over time.
• Seventh Generation dish liquid diluted with water is a great nontoxic all-purpose cleanser. Just put two squirts in a spray bottle and fill it with water.
• Our biggest secret weapon? A powdered product called Bar Keepers Friend. Use it on everything. Its active ingredient is rhubarb powder, which really cuts through grit and grime. It cleans glass-top stoves, counters, toilets, porcelain and more. Your sink will never be shinier.
• To clean your microwave oven, microwave a cup of water with some baking soda in it until it's boiling. That eliminates odors and makes it super easy to wipe away all that stuck-on stuff.
• Clean cobwebs with a yardstick covered by a tube sock. That also works for cleaning under stoves and refrigerators.
• Shine your bathroom tiles with lemon oil. It also helps prevent mold and mildew.
• To eliminate that ring in your toilet, drop in a bubbling denture tablet, and leave it for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The stain will come off with just a few swishes of the brush.

Sources: Torrey Shannon, former maid service owner in Westcliffe, Colorado; Lynette Haugen, owner of True Blue Maids of Pasadena; Tangela Ekhoff, a housecleaner in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Theresa Peterson, owner of Quality Cleaning "Maid to Order" in Fremont, California; Dee Strickland, owner of A Zing Zap Cleaning Service in Minneola, Florida.