Checklists Anyone!?!

UGH! I sometimes detest doing certain jobs...mostly because some jobs are dirty!

Cleaning is one such icky.

However, there are lots of great blogs and lists available to help you organize this particular part of your life. Some of them can help you achieve the kind of transformation I found on the web shown below.















Here are a few of my favorite:

www.cleanmama.net

www.aslobcomesclean.com

happycleaning.blogspot.com

Each of these ladies shares her tried and true methods and even a few funnies along the way.

As far as my checklist for you is concerned:

1. Pick some cleaning supplies that you really like. Don't go overboard getting 15 different things, get multipurpose items that you are going to use. The more things you have when you open the cabinet, the less likely you are to do your cleaning.

2. Make a small cleaning caddy and put it in each bathroom, laundry area, kitchen area, etc of your house. If you have to walk all the way to another end or another floor of your house to get things done, you are less likely to do it. (You know I'm telling the truth...)

3. Make it as brainless as possible. For example, if you don't like to clean the shower, put a command hook in there and hang up a bottle of your shower cleaner. Once you are clean, spray down the shower and go on with your life. You've gotten some cleaning done at the same time you did your Olympic stretch to get that little spot beside your ankle.

4. Don't tackle the whole house all at once. You are not going to clean the whole house in one day. It's just not going to happen. (Face the facts.) However, you may get one bathroom done and the hallway vacuumed and your bed made! Make each day's goals reasonable. Rotate the big things. For example, make one room the major focus for a month, on week 1 do the base boards, on week 2 do the molding, on week 3 do the heavy dusting and furniture rearranging, on week 4 do the "goodwill cleanout" as you keep doing that your home will continue to get better and better and you will not feel overwhelmed in the process.

Enjoy your home and find a way to enjoy cleaning it!!!

As a side note, let me just say that today's Memphis Tigers game versus St. Mary's was one for the record books! I prefer my wins a little more clear, but they managed to eek that one out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Go Tigers!

Checklist Thursday: The Everything Sewing Box

For Hanukkah, I got my daughter a complete sewing kit. Most people would probably just go to JoAnn's or Hancock Fabrics, find a ready-made kit and be on their way....but not me!

Sew, here it is, my checklist for the perfect Sewing Box...(for an 11 year old)

1. A box. My mother and grandmother had those really cool, old school wicker baskets...that no one makes anymore. I bought a curvy padded sewing basket from JoAnn Fabric and Gifts. Here's a link to a similar basket.

2. Scissors. And not just any scissors. At a minimum, there will be 3 different kinds.
Fabric scissors or dressmaker shears: These are good for cutting large amounts of fabric, stabilizer for applique and other fabric needs. They will quickly become dull however, if you allow them to be used for other things. Typically the blade is longer  (4-5" or more) and the handles are angled so that the blades stay flat on the table or cutting surface.

Embroidery scissors: These are very small and very sharp. They are best used for cutting small threads or little pieces of fabric in an applique. It is important that these scissors are strong and that they are kept sharp.

Rotary cutter: This is a circular blade on a wheel with a handle. It is designed so that you can cut a consistent, straight line without stopping. Again, the blade needs to be kept sharp and the rotary cutter should be stored safely away from small children, as it is easier than the other two scissor types, to cut yourself.

3. Needles. There are three kinds of needles that should be stored in a sewing box to call it a basic sewing box.

Machine needles: There are lots of brands and lots of sizes of machine needles out there. It is important that if your machine only uses a particular brand of sewing machine needle that you get that brand. Otherwise, I prefer the singer brand sewing machine needles. In terms of what size needle to get, that depends on your fabric/project. The project determines the needle size. this means that with lighter weight fabrics you will use a finer needle gauge and with heavier fabrics, you will use a larger needle gauge.

Hand sewing needles: These also come in different sizes, different guages and different lengths, they are all intended for different projects, fabrics and threads.

Head needles or straight pins, whatever name you want to use, either way, these are the straight needs that you use to pin your fabric as you work. It is a tedious and annoying part of any project, but oh, so necessary. 

4. Thread; comes in as many colors and thicknesses as you can imagine!

5. Cutting board, any style will do. But make sure you include one. These are very useful when using a rotary cutter. Most are self-healing, which means you can use them over and over again without them loosing their shape. It's handy to have so that the rotary cutter does not cut the table or some other surface.

If I think of other things, I will be sure to come back and add them.

If you think I left something out, feel free to add it to the comments!

Happy Sewing

Checklist Thursday: baby Things

Since I like writing lists so much, I decided from now on, every thursday would be "Checklist Thursday". Everyone needs a good list and it's always fun when it's a useful thing. I happen to be really good at making lists, and I enjoy hearing about the things that people add to my lists and even lists that other people make.

There's something really wonderful to me about making a list and being able to check things off...Don't ask me why, it's just something I really enjoy. (And yes, I have been known to add things that get done that weren't on my "to do" list, just so I can check them off!)

For my first, Checklist Thursday, I am posting my baby checklist. This is my list, other people have a different list when it comes to baby. But, this is how I operated with the 4 babies I've had. The brands have short explanations if I picked one. My choices were primarily based on functionality and really not much else. Feel free to comment or message me if you think of a list you'd like me to make and share!

Functional (AKA the Bare) Necessities: Feed 'em, change 'em, clean 'em

Diapers: here's the real info.....if they are cheap...they are cheap. Suck it up and either get Pampers or Huggies. They're honestly about the same. Huggies do slightly better overnight, if the baby sleeps through the night.

Diaper Wipes: the gentler the better. IF the ingredients include alcohol, do not buy it. If your baby has the slightest diaper rash and you use alcohol wipes, well, you should know what will happen. (Think lemon juice on a paper cut)

Diaper Rash Cream: Desitin is what we grew up on in my family...it's not bad. A&D Ointment is oily and sticky and (my opinion) smells bad. Boudreax's Butt Paste....it pretty much ROCKS!

Bottles: I prefer the Avent bottles because they have a wide opening and I find them easier to clean.

Nipples: I used the clear plastic ones because I could see if they were clean. (This becomes valuable when you find a bottle buried in the couch, your bed, the car, wherever it fell.)

Pacifiers: This is totally up to you. But FYI, once you get the baby hooked, you are not going back for a while....Lissy Jane uses Avent Orthodontic pacifiers and Dilly uses the Avent Soother Pacifiers. This is only because we needed them to have different ones so that no one would get them confused. We tried just using different colors and LissyJane would take them from Dilly.

Soap: We use Aveeno Baby Shampoo and Conditioner for actual "cleaning baths" and we also use the Aveeno Comfort Lavender bath for "snuggle" baths.

Bibs: I never use them. Naked baby for feeding solves the laundry issue. :)

Food: All things Gerber! (A note on this; if you wouldn't personally eat whatever you are about to feed your child, don't feed it to them. In our house, we NEVER fed them meat products from a jar, or other baby food packaging. We don't eat jarred or canned meat at our house as "big people" so we don't feed it to the baby..)

Sippy Cups: We LOVE the Nuby cups! All shapes and sizes! And they just started making snack cups with the lids the kids can reach in and pull snacks out. They have a great shape for little kiddos' little hands. LOVE!!!!

Diaper bag: We use a monogrammed Medium Boat and Tote Bag from LL Bean. Annie still has hers from when she was an infant and uses it now as a regular bag. I wish I had gotten zipper top, but either way, it's durable, it's a reasonable size and IT ROCKS. (And yes, some people will judge you if you have a monstrous bag that is bigger than your carseat, this is not.)

Extras:
1. Changing tables: only if you need one. We change the kids on the floor with a blanket if we need to....and we NEVER walked to the changing table for every single diaper.
2. Baby Bath Tubs....we don't use them. Sinks work just as well...and I (we) prefer to get into the tub with the babies.
3. Special Towels....regular ones work just as well.
4. Baby Washcloths....we didn't use them. 
5. Diaper Pail.....why buy an extra trash can???

Big Things: Just the Necessities: Car Seat, Stroller, Somewhere for Baby to Sleep (Even if it's a box)

Car Seat: We used Graco Infant Car Seats for Anna and Jonas and after some research we used Baby Trend Infant Car Seats for MelissaJane and Lillian. Here's the link to the most similar on target's website. I really like their system and you can get extra bases on the target website.

Convertible Car Seat: we use this once the kiddos get big enough for it; around age 1, depending on size.  We buy the black Evenflo brand one.

Stroller: We usually have purchased our car seat and stroller as a "travel system" initially. It saves a little bit of money and the carseat fits into the stroller. (And if you are into the matchiness, which I am, it all matches!)

Crib versus Co-sleeper versus In your bed: This is entirely up to you. Our babies sleep in our bed until they are about 2. The first few months my shoulders hurt because they're in the crook of my arm. After that they are next to me. This is really a personal thing.

Extras:
1. Car seat stroller....it's a frame that the car seat sits in....I had one as a gift. used it 4 times? I think I might still have it, but rarely used it.
2. Umbrella stroller, this is rather handy once the kiddo is around 1.5-2, it's much more light-weight and easy to use for when they "don't want to walk" and you don't want to carry them.
3. Extra base: SOOOO Handy

In the house extra items:
Toys: whatever you are comfortable with, go for it.
Kick Gyms: Be reasonable, 1 or 2 is more than enough!
Swings: if you have the space, they are definitely handy for not having to hold baby all the time and you have a way to comfort without your arms falling off
Rockers: We never bought one, but they seemed nice in the store...