The Uncleaners (Sorry this one is kinda long but good)

"Insanity is hereditary.  You can get it form your children" -Sam Levenson

Many women find the effort spent in trying to motivate a family to do their part of the household chores is often more energy-draining and tiring than doing them ourselves.  It is a major cleaning problem in most women's lives, and the only way it can be handled is with psychological muscles.

Oh how we wished that there really was a little man who rowed around in the toilet tank.  We would instruct him to scream at the little ones as they were leaving the bathroom,  "Don't forget to flush!" That giant sized, bald headed jinni in the liquid cleaner commercials could have come in handy to to pop in every morning and intimidate the kids into making their beds.  But most of all, think of having a ssparkling knight on a white charger always trotting down the street to remind your husband that if you stumble over those cast iron work boots in the front room one more time, there is an alternative (Of course, it would be worse to run off with the knight. Can you imagine polishing that gold plated armor, everyday, scrubbing down a mangy horse, and bleaching his mud splattered doublet and hose: The grass isn't always greener on the other side, especially if horse droppings are doing the fertilizing.)

"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing, is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing"- Phyllis Diller

Like so many other mothers, I peeked in at my sleeping children at nap time and thought how peaceful and angelic they looked while they slept.  I had to run over to the neighbors to return a borrowed item, so I quietly slipped out of the house for a few moments.  When I returned there was a layer of extra small Styrofoam balls cover the family room.  I ran in a panic.  The little balls were stuck to every everything and you couldn't even wipe them off because of the static electricity.

As I was tryings to stay calm I said "What are you doing?"

The boys answered we just wanted it to snow.

Come to find out what those little balls were our of was a neck pillow that they cut open.

Instead of screaming and yelling at the boys I was furious at this point because I spent all day cleaning house, I call my poor husband at work.  He answered and before he could say anything, I said I am going to yell at you but you didn't do anything wrong, it is best I take it out on your instead of beating your kids.  After I talked to him I calmed down and dealt with the kids. It took me a good 2 hours to clean it up. This was about 2 years ago and I am still finding those little balls when we move the couches and stuff they just fall out.  Now that I look back on it, I wish that I had allowed myself a little chuckle. Cursing or laughing, I still had to clean it up.

I have not found anyway to prevent children from having those "creative accidents," but I learned one thing that made me feel better about them.   Almost every cleaning disaster is humorous after a little time passes. 

"Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories" -Lord Rochester (1647-1680)

The messes that our children make are not the only challenge for a parent.  I hope it is an obvious fact that children need to learn how to work when they are very young.  It not only takes some of the burden from the household chores, but it makes children feel needed and important.  If a child is having trouble in school, on of the first things a wise teacher or psychologist will ask is, "Do you give him/her responsibilities at home?"

"The person hardest to convince they're at the retirement are are children at bedtime." Shannon Fife

David O. McKay once said, "Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success" Children need this gift to be successful and happy.  Parents can help them obtain it by whistling, singing, and smiling when they are doing their own work; inventing little games and rewards for their children on work day, and giving each child a job that he or she can accomplish with pride.

Some parents keep a job chart.  One of my friend's daughters has a job dart board.  The children throw the darts and whatever chore it hits is theirs for the day.  Another friend has a candy store in her bedroom.  Each chore is worth a certain number of points. When her children have finished their work, they can use their points to go shopping in the candy store. 

Rewards and games are fun, but remember that work has its own built in prizes as well.  Straightening Mom and Dad's shoes teaches a child to find pairs. Helping sort out the dirty laundry is a good time to learn colors.  While setting the table, a child learns to count.  Folding towels help exercise fine hand coordination, and vacuuming and sweeping builds up large motor coordination.  Children take pride in these skills as well as in their work.

"By the time the youngest children have learned to keep the place tidy, the oldest grandchildren are on hand to tear it to pieces again." Christopher Morley

There are always favorite chores and chores that children consider nasty.  Most children love to dust or to spray windows and mirrors and wipe fingerprints away.  These tasks hold a kind of magic for children of the "now you see it, now you don't" variety.  Cleaning the bedroom, however, seems to be the most tedious and hated job for any child.  Clothes never land in the hamper if it has a lid.  Try using a new tall round garbage pail for dirty clothes.  Make a game of throwing the clothes like a basketball or football into the target.  If you or your husband are handy, you could even install a hoop above the hamper. Both boys and girls really go for this. 

"Bachelors' wives and old maids' children are always perfect."  S.R.N. Chamfort

Beds should be as simple as possible to make.  The fancy, frilly coverlet is really not all that necessary at first. In the summer, a single sheet has to be pulled over the pillow is quite sufficient.  In winter an added quilt isn't too difficult even for a preschooler to manage.  At first, it may not look as good as you would like it to, but remember that a child is proud of any little accomplishment. Don't shatter their world by doing it over for them or by being critical of their efforts. 

With luck, you can get your children motivated by work charts, games, and humor.  When these things do not move them, however, I still believe that at times a child to be raised "from the bottom up."

"To bring a child up in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while." Josh Billings

Putting Housework in its place

Don't make a clean house more important than you.  A housewife should take time for herself everyday and do something that the kids, the dog, and the husband cannot undo.  That is why I do this blog.  It is more for me to just do something I love beside being a mom and a wife.  Read good book, take a walk, enjoy a hobby-don't feel guilty about it.  A short period of mental or physical recreation is as refreshing as a vacation (sometimes it is even more refreshing because you don't have to spend a week in a small car with screaming kids.)  Do not save your life for that day in the distant future when you will have the time.  The savings that are deposited in a time bank are not insured against sickness, disaster, or death. 

"The time that you enjoy wasting is not wasted time" Laurence J. Peter



And finally, never a structure of wood and brick take priority over people.  Enjoy a good laugh when your toddler escapes from the bathtub and runs through the house naked, even if he is dripping water on your newly mopped floor.  Don't be afraid of messing up the kitchen to prepare your husband's favorite foods or bake cookies for the kids.  Greet your unexpected company with open arms and big smiles and forget about the dirty underwear festooning the bathroom.  Wring every moment out of these times and hundreds more like them.  Long after the fun and laughter have died down and the dinner table is quiet (a blessing every mother hopes for, but doesn't enjoy all that much when it is a permanent guest), the housework will still be there-always beckoning, calling, demanding.

"Never hurry and don't worry. You're here for just a short visit, so don't forget to stop and smell the flowers."

New Website

I was on the Internet the other day and found a great new website, it is soap.com.  It is really great. If you guys are like me I hate having to buy laundry soap, cleaning supplies and makeup, because they are SO expensive. This website has great deals on lots of different things.  Everything from pest control, to organic products.  They have reasonable prices.  They also have quick delivery.  They off free shipping if you spend a very little and it is here in 1 to 2 business days.  It is great.  Go check it out.

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts
Bag of Baby Spinach
About 2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
4 Green onions, sliced
2 Cloves garlic, minced
Mozzarella Cheese

In a pan heat some extra virgin olive oil put mushrooms, garlic, and green onions in a pan. Don't salt and pepper yet. If you season the mushrooms before they are browned, it will pulll the juices out and just not brown.  After the mushrooms are browned, wilt the spinach in. 

Butterfly the chicken breasts salt and pepper the inside.  Fill the chicken with the filling and sprinkle with cheese, fold over and season again.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 375* until juice run clear. 

I served it will Stove Top Stuffing, which is my favorite.  Enjoy!!!

Cheese Meat

Tonight I cooked cheese meat for dinner.  It is a recipe I got from my husband's mom.  It is really simple and you can either cook it in the oven or in a crock pot.

Ingredients:
1 package round steaks, cut into small pieces like 4 inch pieces
3 Cans cream of mushroom soup
Cheddar cheese shredded

In a pan or a crock pot place round steaks in the bottom.  In a bowl combine soup, cheese and a splash of milk.  Mix it all together and dump on top of the meat.  Cook it on low in the crock pot or on 300* for 2 hours. 

I cook baked potatoes with it and the cheese sauce with the meat, we put it on top of the potatoes and serve with a biscuit. 

It is really good and easy to make. 

More Food Tips

Sorry everyone I have been on vacation and haven't been able to update it. 

·         When cooking oatmeal, coat the kettle with nonstick cooking spray.  It keeps the oatmeal from boiling over and sticking to the kettle.

·         Before party guest arrive, scoop ice cream into muffin tins lined with cupcake liners and refreeze.  You won’t have to fuss later when serving cake.

·         Pour cool broth from meat or poultry into a glass jar with a secure lid; refrigerate upside down.  The fat will harden and remain in the jar when you pour out the liquid to use in recipes.

·         To keep marshmallows from turning hard, store them in the freezer.  When thawed, they’re like fresh.

·         To thinly slice meat, first partially freeze meat.  Then use a sharp knife to cut across the grain.

·         When selecting fresh pork, look for bright pink color and choose meat that has a high proportion of meat to fat.  Avoid fresh pork that appears grace in color.

·         When preparing pasta salads always remember to rinse the cooked pasta under cool running water to prevent it from becoming gummy.  But for hot pastas that are served with sauces, then sauce will cling better if you don’t rinse the cooked pasta.

·         If dried bean soup recipe calls for tomato, lemon juice, or vinegar, add it after the beans are tender.  Otherwise, acid  in those ingredients will delay softening of the beans.

·         Keep a quart size freezer container handy for leftover vegetables.  Add them layer by layer and store in the freezer until ready to make homemade vegetable soup.  Its amazing how quickly

these “useless” bits will add up to make a delicious soup.

·         Goof-Proof Gelatin, when layer gelatin, refrigerate each layer until the gelatin is set, but no firm, before adding the next layer.  An easy way to add the next flavor of gelatin without disturbing the previous layer is to gently spoon rather than pour, each layer onto the previous layer of gelatin.

·         How to Caramelize Onions

Slice root and top off onion; cut in half.  Peel and slice.  Use a large heavy skillet so the onions are not crowded.  Heat oil in the pan over medium heat; add the onions and stir to coat. 

Cook onions, stirring occasionally from the bottom every 5 minutes. Once onions begin to brown, reduce heat.  Continue cooking 20-30 minutes, stirring every 2-5 minutes until onions are golden brown, adding more oil if needed.

When onions reach their desired color, remove from heat to stop cooking. Sprinkle onions with salt, pepper and sugar to enhance flavors if desired.

·         Make extra caramelized onions to keep on hand in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks or freezer up to 3 months to dress up soups, salads, sandwiches and dips in a flash.

·         Proofing Yeast:  To make sure active dry yeast (not quick rise yeast) is alive and active, you may first want to proof it.

Here’s how:

Dissolve one package of yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in ¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees) Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.  If the mixture foams up, the yeast mixture can be used because it’s active.  If it doesn’t foam, the yeast should be discarded, and you’ll need to proof another package.

Spring and Fall Cleaning

A time seems to come in every woman's life when she gets an uncontrollable urge to giver her house a thorough cleaning.  Heaven help her, because no one else usually will!  Many women still follow the old fashioned spring and fall schedule.  Spring cleaning was unavoidable many years ago when coal stoves were used all winter long, coating everything with a thick, greasy dirt.  Fall cleaning had to be taken on because the windows were open all summer long, letting the dust sift and settle throughout the house.  They both could have been abandoned when air conditioners and central heating were installed.  This tradition is especially a burden to women who work outside the home.  There just isn't enough time to tackle this HUGE job, unless you use your vacation days. 
A modern woman alternative is to clean one room thoroughly at least once a month.  It is easier to remember to do this if the same day is scheduled for cleaning.
Rooms with a stove or fireplace should still be cleaned in the spring.  The kitchen is the biggest job and usually takes two days to do.  It needs to be cleaned about every 6 months because cooking spreads greasy dirt on everything.  Bathrooms may also need to be thoroughly cleaned every 6 months if there is a problem with mold and mildew.
You can use an ancient method to determine what room to clean each month.  You look around the house and decide which room is absolutely driving you crazy, then start tearing it apart.

"Women's minds are cleaner than men's- they change them more often." -Oliver Herford

Start with closet and throw away or give away clutter.  Wash the shelves and then reorganize the remaining contents.  If you are working in a bedroom, pull off the blankets, mattress pads, and pillows and run them through the dryer on the air fluff cycle.  Turn over the mattress.  Regardless of where you are cleaning, move all the furniture to one side of the room, then work on the empty side.   Vacuum the curtains, blinds or sheer curtains or put them in the dryer.  Some types of sheers should be washed.  While the curtains are down, scrub the walls and mop boards.  Use the crevice tool on the vacuum cleaner to clean the edges of the carpet and the baseboard, then vacuum or sweep the floor.  I don't scrub the portions of the carpets that have been under heavy furniture because they are protected from traffic and dirt.  The only exception to this is a dirty ring on the carpet around the heat or air vent.  If the room is uncarpeted, the floors should be washed. 
When the floor is dry, move all the furniture to the clean side of the room and repeat the process.
After the furniture is back in order, vacuum the couches and chairs thoroughly.  If the seat cushions or back cushions are removable, vacuum the tops, bottoms and sides and the area under the cushions.  Use the crevice tool to vacuum around the upholstery buttons and tucks and down in the crevices.
Give all the wood furniture a good cleaning.  Pull out the drawers and vacuum or dust the casing.  These dark corners make luxurious nests for spider families.
Wash the chandeliers, light fixtures, and windows and finally scrub the middle of the floor.