Update on Previous Posts

I was just browsing some of my previous posts and realize that I should probably put some updates up...

1.)  My brother-in-law was wait listed for the plumbing position in Maine.  I don't think he'll take it because it's a step-down in pay from his current position, which was since started giving him more hours in an attempt to not lose him.  Good for him, bad for the rest of the family that is stuck dealing with his wife still.

Speaking of his wife, no change on her attitude problem or behavioral issues.  She is still nasty towards everyone with the last name she worked so hard to get.  Seriously, I don't understand why you would baby trap someone who lives with his parents if you can't stand his family... that makes no sense to me, but whatever.  Then again, you can't be very intelligent to baby trap someone in the first place, so maybe she really just wasn't capable of thinking the entire plan through.  In terms of behavior, she still tries to come on to anything with a Y chromosome.  I overheard her say she thinks of herself as a MILF.  I nearly peed my pants.

On a somewhat unrelated topic, they appear to be attempting to get financing in order to buy/build a house.  These are the same people who consistently don't pay their $200/month rent payments to my husband's family because they "don't have the money".  They may be in for a rude awakening when they not only have to pay an actual mortgage on a monthly basis, but must also pay for their utilities as well.

2.)  I did hear back from the job.  They liked me, but because of procedural issues I have to begin the interview process again from a larger pool of candidates.  Awesome.  I'm not sure if I'm still interested in being part of a system that is so badly broken.

3.)  I found some amazingly cute Christmas dishes on Craigslist for $40!  It's service for 12!  I will post pictures after I get them.

House Cleaning Challenge Day ??

Sorry that I haven't been keeping up with my housecleaning challenge blog.  Things have been really crazy lately, so I haven't been able to write updates.

Here's where I'm at:

I've made my weekly schedule and I'm doing my best to keep with it.  If I miss a day, I try to make up for it the following day so nothing gets too out of hand.  In theory, it's a great system, but in practice I think that I need to clean certain things more than once a week.  Here's my schedule so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about:

Daily:
-Pick up clutter
-sweep (we have hardwood floors)
-dishes
-wipe down kitchen counters
-clean the sink
-clean the litter box

Monday:
-Do regular laundry (clothes)
-Focus on the kitchen and mudroom (clean appliances, clean the stove top burner pans, wipe down outlets and switches, mop the floor)
-water houseplants

Tuesday:
-Focus on the bathrooms.  (counters, toilets, floors, tub & shower, mirrors, refill everything, wash floor mats) I hate cleaning the bathrooms the most, so these get their own day...

Wednesday:
-Focus on kid's bedrooms (pick up & organize toys, dust furniture, organize books, etc.)  My kids are little, so they can't really clean their own rooms themselves yet.
-Wash sheets

Thursday:
-Focus on the dining room and our bedroom (dust furniture, sort & shred mail, put shoes away, etc.)
-Water plants
-clean out fridge (I do this on Thursday because my husband hates seeing me throw out leftovers and sometimes he works from home on Friday.)

Friday:
-Focus on the living room (vacuum, dust furniture, vacuum couches, clean glass door, organize and put away kid's toys & movies, etc.)
-wash regular laundry
-Lightly clean bathrooms (counters, sinks, sweep floors)

What I like and don't like about this schedule:
I like that everything gets cleaned, but I don't like how things I clean on Monday need to be re-done by Friday if I'm having company over for the weekend.  I also don't like how the house is never completely clean all at once.

So the schedule is going to need some additional tweaking...  I think it would work for someone with older kids, but my oldest isn't even 3 yet, so it's going to be a while before I don't have to worry about tiny mess makers.

Day-Three

Today is day three of my self-imposed house cleaning challenge.  Fail.  I am so unmotivated today it's not funny... not to mention that I didn't do anything yesterday because I was too busy with work, so today's list is super long and intimidating.

To top it all off, my husband changed his work-from home day from today to Friday, so that's messing with things.  I'll be lucky if the house gets picked up at all...

I blame my lack of vigor on two things: giving up coffee and completing the writing project from you know where.  I have been typing my little heart out and I just want to relax. We'll see how I feel later this afternoon since cleaning when both kids are awake and husband is home is pointless.

House Cleaning Challenge - Day 2

Today is day 2 of my house cleaning challenge.  Yesterday, I made my list and managed to stick to it even though I felt like I didn't have enough time.  Today, my mother-in-law called to chat about her latest crisis, which as put me way behind schedule in terms of work.

I have to put work ahead of the cleaning, because work is what helps pay the bills.  I hope I have time leftover today to tackle the bathrooms, which is my Tuesday goal.  I also need to pick up the house really quickly before the hubby gets home, read some materials for a meeting on Monday and start writing out my daughter's birthday invitations.  Great, I have 3 days worth of things to do in less than 12 hours.  Challenge on!

House Cleaning Challenge - Day 1

Like a lot of people, cleaning my house can be overwhelming.  I feel the need for everything to be perfect every day, and sadly most of the time that just doesn't happen. It leaves me feeling inadequate.  I don't have a cleaning schedule or really a set routine, so most cleaning I do is surface cleaning.  I rarely clean the windows, vacuum under furniture or any of that other stuff.

Well, I decided I need to change how I clean, so I can have a better looking home in less time.  I'm sick of finding mess after mess and putting things on my "to-do" list that never get done.  So with that in mind, I'm working to challenge myself to create a house cleaning schedule that will work for me.  One that I can stick with.

This week my goal is to create a functioning weekly cleaning schedule.  I made a list of what needs to be cleaned every day and then I set aside one day a week for "deep cleaning" certain rooms in my home.  For example, on Mondays I will focus on the kitchen and clean out the fridge, the pantry, mop the floors, and wipe down the cabinets.

Once I have a functioning weekly cleaning schedule, I plan to expand and add in bi-weekly or monthly chores.  After that, bi-yearly or yearly chores.  Eventually, I would like to have a working cleaning routine that suits my needs.  My house isn't a complete mess, but it's not quite up to the standards I would like either, so hopefully this self-challenge helps me get it in shape. 

Stay tuned for updates on how things are progressing.

**Image credit http://www.123rf.com

Double Standards

I am sick of double standards.

Really, when will everyone wake up and realize what a bunch of hypocrites they all are?

You've probably heard of all the recent drama regarding Chick-Fil-A and you probably have friends and family that feel strongly about the owners opinion on gay marriage.  That's fine.  My problem is with the people who are JUDGING and BOYCOTTING an entire business based on the beliefs of one individual.

Dear Chick-Fil-A haters, please do not JUDGE Chick-Fil-A because one individual within the corporation thinks differently of you.  You are upset that he is judging all homosexuals based on the beliefs of one (God), yet you are doing the EXACT SAME THING to Chick-Fil-A.

But he owns Chick-Fil-A, so by judging them we are returning judgement to him.

Wrong.  By judging Chick-Fil-A harshly, you are painting all employees, patrons, and Christians with the same brush you painted the person who made the statement.  You are making broad assumptions and judgements about all based on the words of one.  Kind of like how the Chick-Fil-A guy made broad assumptions about all based on the words of the Bible.

That my friends is called hypocrisy.

So before you dismiss the world of delicious chicken sandwiches from your life, think about all of the pro-gay marriage employees your boycott effects.  Think about how you're impacting the employees at coca-cola (which supplies drinks for Chick-Fil-A) and the employees at the companies that provide the bags and cups for food, or the gloves and uniforms for the employees.

Instead of shouting insults and inundating their Facebook page with the hatred you pretend to object, why not reach out a loving and supportive hand to show him the good side of the LGBT community?