Today

I had a good day today.

Got up and everyone ready and out the door by 9:15 to head to a doctor's appt. for Kier. It went well...very nice, thorough pediatrician...more on that another time.

Then, stopped in for a quick bite and coffee at a local diner called Troy's Diner. Not my favorite spot for atmosphere or cuisine, but nice to just relax for a half hour with my hubby and kids. Dashed out quickly when Cait realized it'd been 4 hours since she'd last eaten.

Came home. Fed Cait. And hung out with older two, asking them 'brain teasers' that they had got from Grampy. Smart kids.

The kids then got dressed up and played outside for an hour and a half.
Cute part: Kier bangs on kitchen patio door, and when I open it he says, 'Mommy, we're having alot of fun.' Then walks away.
Cute/eventually annoying part: Rory stands on front step yelling things to her brother...who is in the backyard. After listening for a couple minutes to her yell stuff and him reply with a huge 'WHAT?!!?', I suggest (strongly) to Rory to go to the backyard and talk to her brother there...which gets the reply, 'Oh. Ok, mommy.'

While the kids are outside and my baby sleeps (oh ya...did I mention I put her down and she cried for 9 minutes, then fell and stayed asleep for TWO HOURS!!?...I actually just tried it again and she only cried for 5 minutes and is sleeping again...not a routine quite yet, but made for a nice afternoon for mommy)...where was I? Oh ya...kids playing, baby sleeping, and mommy....CLEANING! But, I was actually very happy to be cleaning. You know what it's like when you haven't given anything a really good cleaning in a long time....well, I was able to start laundry, wash both my kitchen and living room floors (to fully appreciate that one, re-read my post from January 31st), and clean ALL 3 bathrooms! May not sound like alot, but it felt great!

So, seeing as I have cleaning on the brain, I was inspired to compile a list of my favorite cleaning tips I've learned over the years (mostly from one friend, who shall remain nameless):

1. A mop isn't the enemy I once thought it was. I used to hate using mops...until I had hardwood floors covering 3/4 of my downstairs and the need to clean them every coupld days (at least!). So, my friend tried several 'gadgety items' that promised sparkling floors, but to no avail. Then, with the combination of hot, hot water, a dash of vinegar, a sponge mop, and a small towel, our back-breaking days were over. Now, don't get me wrong...I still get on my hands and knees for all the other non-carpeted floors, and of course, those baseboards in my living room/entryway don't clean themselves, but I am so happy to have a relatively easy way to clean my floors, that doesn't take long, and doesn't kill my back and knees every time!

2. Toilets--my nameless friend called me excited about two years ago with what I thought wasn't the most exciting news: "Did you know you can take the whole toilet seat OFF and pull it all apart?!" But, since that call, I have been cleaning my toilets this way, and love how clean it gets 'em. Especially with two boys. (now, don't get me wrong...both my boys are very clean and careful, but no one's perfect...ok...too much info...sorry). I just pulled all three toilet seats off and cleached and scrubbed until I could've almost served dinner off of 'em. Almost.

3. Electrosol Dishwasher Tabs: I used to buy Cascade powder, and swore by it, even though it was pricey, but since we tried these tabs 3 1/2 months ago, I'm hooked. There's no messy powder flying everywhere...no wondering if you put enough detergent in...no annoying little detergent flecks all over your cupboard. Just clean dishes, no hassle, and a good deal. We bought a big tin of them for $15 in November and I just ran out two days ago! And, I run my dishwasher almost every day! So, my sis just picked us up two more canisters at Costco--and they were on sale for $10 each! I love a good deal!!

Speaking of good deals, wait till I post about some of the great deals I got Value Village/Goodwill shopping yesterday with Sarah. But, that's another day.

So, hope you all had a good day as well. And let me know what some of your favorite cleaning tips/shortcuts are...we gotta stick together girls!