Busy

I am pretty much checked out for the entire week. However, since I installed the link within on my blog, I have been reviewing some of my family's past. And laughing. So since I can't grace you with new stuff, I will be re-posting some of my personal favorites this week. If you have a Favorite Freeman Family Post, lemme know! Just cause I like to hear what you enjoy from my rambling.

That's What I Get For Asking...

Originally posted July 27, 2007

Yeah, I hadda open my mouth and wonder what I was supposed to do with myself now that Harry Potter is collecting dust. I can never leave well enough alone. You'd think I'd've learned by now, eh?

No.

Now, where to start...

How 'bout 11:30 last night? When Sarah Grace fell out of her bed. The first time. Then again at about 12:15. This is abnormal, since she has slept in a twin size bed for about nine months now. But last night, two thumps, two sets of cries, one bruised ear. We had headed to bed about 9:30 last night, completely wiped out. Even through my sweet slumber, though, I heard the thumps.

Weird how that works. It's like your brain or ears are anticipating your child falling out of bed. I hear the thud every time. I know they have fallen, and I can usually guess who before the inevitable startled cry that issues forth. In my 'sleep'. What is that about? Joshua, my beloved hero, takes the night time cries. I spook easily, so he does the night time happenings. Then...

Peace. Silence. Sweet sleep. Except for the monstrous beast that had the audacity to woof at our window. WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! The deep, resonant woof that lets you know this ain't an ankle biter yapping to be let in someone's house. Oh, noooo, this was a large dog. And he didn't seem deterred at all when I rapped at the window. There were less than 5 feet between Doggy and my hand knocking on that window, and he bowed up like he was planning on coming right through the window to get me.

Up comes the hero again. On go our robes, and we start looking for 'weapons' to use against this mad beast, who had apparently cornered something in the bushes just below our bedroom window. I started out the front door, armed with a broom.

Sounds like a cartoon, doesn't it? Me in my bathrobe sporting a broom and a nasty case of bed head tramping out the front door to 'git that dawg'. My wise husband held me back. He suggested we go out the back door so as to have a fence between us and the Doggy's teeth. Smart man, that one.

Doggy seemed interested in the two silly humans who were standing on the other side of the fence. I personally think Doggy could have cleared that fence. And he was still barking and growling. Rabid beast. (If your bad at reading between the lines, let me just clarify that I am not a dog fan. Especially dogs that are not in their own yard at 1 am.) We stood there, probably taunting it more than inspiring it to leave, for several minutes before Joshua remembered his sling shot. This may sound silly, but we he really didn't want to kill the thing. Just make it leave so we could sleep.

I had visions of David and Goliath.

I had visions of Kujo.

I stepped back inside to grab a shotgun, so if this mutt did attack my husband, at least I could make enough noise to wake the neighbors, if not scare Doggy off. As we stood there prepping to defend our home, Doggy decided we weren't worth the trouble and that the thing in the bush could die another day. He trotted off down the road.

Sweet little Doggy. Now he decides to respect our sleep. Now he decides to go home. Now that my adrenaline is pumping 90 to nothing. We came back in the house and crawled up into the bed.

And I lay there.

And tossed.

And turned.

I couldn't breath. My head was stuffy and my nose was runny. Why does it work that way? How can a nose be so runny while the head feels like it is clogged with cotton? I journeyed to the bathroom (5 feet away from my side of the bed) to find some decongestant. 3 am, mind you. I found some Tylenol Cold PM. Tells you how exhausted I had to be. I took a PM medication at 3am.

I could breath and lay down and sleep. I was happy. The next thing I really remember was Joshua's alarm clock going off. Then I remember talking to him. Actually, I don't remember that. But he says I did. The next thing I remember all on my own, it was 7 am, and the kids were awake and in the living room. Were they stayed tuned into whatever PBS showed for nearly two and a half hours while Mommy tried to emerge from her drug induced stupor.

But wait! There is more. I did get up! I fed the kids breakfast, or brunch, since it was 9:30. I managed to get everyone dressed and loaded into the truck and we struck out for the furniture store that was having a great sale on mattress sets, where we got a full size bed for the girls newly decorated room. Then we went on out to my Mom's house to get Elizabeth's crib. All this without incident.

At Mom's house, the first thing the kids wanted to do was play pool. The pool table is on the basement level, next to the laundry room and, therefore, a natural collector of Mom's folded laundry. As I moved everything off the pool table, the kids were already rolling the balls towards holes. This is how they play pool. Hey, they'll be 2 & 3 next month. What more do you want from them? Anyway, I was trotting back up the steps when I looked down at them, and then I saw IT. The spider. As big as my hand, no kidding.

Now, I am prone to exaggerate when I am talking about the size of a spider. This time, however, I am not exaggerating. It. Was. As. Big. As. My. Hand. My hands are not small. I am 5 foot 7 inches, so imagine hands to fit that size body. Then imagine a spider the size of that hand. And there you have it, friends. IT.

One more crucial piece of information you need to know about me: I detest spiders and am afraid of them. Any size, any kind, p-e-t-r-i-f-i-e-d. Got that? Skeert to death.

I shot back down the steps, grabbed a kid under each arm, and bolted back up the steps, my poor kids crying to 'pway pool'. We got to the top of the steps, I slammed the door closed, and only then did I tell my confused children what was going on. They didn't get it. All they understood was that Mommy said they could play pool, then she hauled them away from the table. I sidetracked them by telling them I would make them some lunch and they headed outside. (Certainly there could be no spiders out there! They were all inside hiding under IT.) Really, I was waiting for my Mommy to get home so she could blast IT and get rid of the body. Had IT been in my house, I would have packed up my kids, gone somewhere else, called my realtor and told her to put the house on the market now.

But that's just me.

I was about halfway through making peanut butter sandwiches for everyone when my Grandmother came inside carrying Elizabeth and told me (all too calmly) that Thomas was rolling down the driveway.

You need some explanation here. My parents house sits on a hill and their driveway is a steep grade down to the road where the residential traffic cannot see the entrance coming from one direction. We are all terrified of the kids finding out the hard way that things roll down hill easily.

So, I dashed out, and there was my Thomas, in a Flintsone's car (cozy coup) a little over half way down the drive. I was running in my flip flops, waiting to flop on my face, towards him as fast as I could. The kid was gripping the concrete with his toes, tears streaming down his face, crying "pwease, pwease". My Mommy's heart was breaking for him, and my head was quickly sending up prayers of thanks that he had managed to brake mingled with prayers of 'Please don't let him slide any further down!" I got to him, grabbed the car and towed my little man to safety. And my heart hurts just thinking about it.

As I was walking back inside after calming my poor boy, I saw what was about to happen, and could only watch, being too far away to help. Sarah Grace started falling down the steps leading into the yard. Why did I name that child Grace? It was like sentencing her to a life of bruises. I got to her, kissed the bumps, was grateful for no blood, and soothed her tears. And figured my blood pressure was Kilimanjaro high.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I kept a check on IT, to make sure he didn't come lumbering up the steps to eat us all, finished the lunch stuff, and made a bottle for Elizabeth. I don't even think I managed to say Hi to my Mom. I just sent her off down the stairs to deal with IT. And she did.

We expect for Mommy's to be hero's to their toddlers. Well, folks, my Mommy is still my hero. She took care of IT, trashed his remains, managed to eat her food, say hi to the kids, get spit up on by Elizabeth, and scuttle back off to work. All in a day's work for Super Mom.

Thanks, Mom. Your awesome!

The kids and I loaded back up into the truck, crib and new bed in tow, drove back to Huntsville, and they are now sleeping soundly. That brings you up to the minute with us.

I will think again before I ask the question, 'Now What?'. In fact, I may never utter that phrase again.

Cheers!

We did up Valentine's Day in all the style I could muster. I wanted to post last week about it, but our Photoshop kept crashing. It was dreadful. So dreadful that Joshua upgraded up us! Yeah! New things to learn and play with!

Not that I have done that yet. I am growing a baby and it just saps the wherewithal right out of me.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

So, Valentine's Day, right? I usually let little holidays like that sneak right on by me with just candy or a balloon for the kiddos.

But we had us a Valentine's Day Tea this year. Yes siree. (And a bit of Valentine's Day Potty Training, too! Isn't she adorable in that get up? She'll despise it in years to come, I am sure.)


The kids worked hard helping to put together our feast of foods we <3 heart="" in="" p="" shapes.="">

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Stain glass window cookies. Fruit and marshmallows on skewers. Veggies, which are distinctly not Valentine's in color or shape, but were devoured nonetheless. And pink lemonade!


The cookies were poetic. Life can't be complete without a broken heart or two, right?


We'll be trying that recipe again. Delicious, fun, but we didn't have parchment paper to cook on. Now I know that it's pretty pertinent to getting those jewels off the cookie sheet! Live and learn, yes?

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!! And hey, did you read this Valentine's Day post? My favorite!

A Birthday for Daddy

The tall one up there? It's his birthday! I would love to say we had a better picture of him, but I found in looking through the picture catalog that almost all of the pictures of him or me are taken from a three foot tall perspective and generally more than a little blurry.

He's not blurry, y'all. He my sweetheart and I am thankful for this day in history where we can celebrate his life and his role in our lives.

We love you, Joshua!

This Child

The laughter of children is infectious; a sound to be cherished. It warms my heart to hear my children laughing wildly, uncontrollably, carefree. Uninhibited.

But this child?


If I could bottle up the sound of his unbridled laughter, I would purchase jars and jars and jars to store it in. In years to come, I would savor each sprinkle as I gently shook out some of the captured happiness.

For now, I will hug him up tight and beg my arms to never forget the feel of him nestled up in my lap. I will instruct my heart to treasure the moment and my mind to forever emblazon the experience in my memory, to be recalled freshly and vividly one day.

One day when he is older and doesn't ask to sit in my lap anymore. One day when his laughter is more controlled.

For he is growing up altogether too quickly. These days of laughter, and even tears, are slipping through my fingers like water through a sieve. I can't stop the marching on of Time.

But I can slow down my days to better linger here in the Present and laugh with my children. As they are today.

Keeping It Clean - The Rest

The final installment. The Charts. The Cleaners. The Attitudes.

This isn't the first time I have posted about how to (try to) keep a clean house. It is a perpetual issue I have. I want a clean house, I want happy children, I want love and peace to rule our home, and I really want it all to just to happen. Even when I'm not looking.

But it doesn't work that way, folks. Recently, in talking with a friend, she remarked about how clean my house stayed. I snorted out my thanks as I looked at the applesauce the kids had somehow flung on the wall and glossed over her kind comment. She went on to tell me how she had moved a lot as a child and had never learned to take care of a home. She now has four children and is homeschooling and is overwhelmed by the idea of the effort it takes to do all these things.

I can identify.

I can't remember if I've ever talked about it on this blog, and I am too lazy to cull through the posts to check, but for me, becoming a stay at home Mom was just about the furtherest thing away from a natural transition ever. I was nothing short of miserable after the first couple of weeks. I had never learned to manage a home, and now that I was staying there all the time, the place got messy. I had more 'time' in the house, but somehow, it took every ounce of that time just to keep things going at a jagged and haphazard pace. Plus, I missed the jam-packed days of teaching preschool kids...you know, where the kids went home at the end of the day. And so did I! The slower paced days of just having my two oldest (then 1 year and newborn) caused a crazy and restlessness that took it's toll in every aspect of my life.

And the house was unreal. I had no idea how to truly keep things functioning along so that this area or that area didn't start stacking up.

Then some kind-hearted soul introduced me to Motivated Moms. I have sung the praises of this system a time or two. I have recommended it to friends. I have even given it as a Christmas Gift a few times. It's not just a huge deal, except that it outlines each and every single day what your tasks are. And it breaks those tasks down into such bite-size portions that you don't ever get overwhelmed. Miss a day? It's okay! The house won't fall down around your ears. Motivated Moms baby stepped me into an appreciation of home-making. It took the hardest part and broke it down for me.

I've been using Motivated Moms for around five years now. It flows seamlessly into my life. And I have branched out and taken on things like menu making, bread baking, sewing, crafts of various sorts, and still run a business in the midst of it all.

Motivated Moms, along with my Daily Docket, reside in my Household Notebook. In all honesty, it does NOT take both for a normal person. But I like lists. I find that I can look at the Motivated Moms list for the day, and dole out some of those tasks to my underlings children. I can also add in items such as appointments, dance or music classes, people I need to call or e-mail, little things here and there to make the day run more smoothly because I have it all written down in one place.

My Household Notebook also has a Menu section that includes the current week's menu, recipes that I have pulled from here or there, and blank sticky notes so I can make quick grocery item lists. There is a section for Gifts where I keep track of gifts we have given and ideas for gifts to give for different occasions to different people, as well as a running list of what I have in the 'gift box', a place I stash little odds and ends I pick up (mostly for birthday parties or small rewards for my own children). There is a tab for the Budget, where I print out one of my beloved Excel files I have created to help us keep our finances under control. There is a small section for my Business in which I keep up with upcoming events, appointments that are actually coming to my home, and a list of items I might be in need of at any given time. There is a Contact List, naming off all the kids doctors, mine and Joshua's doctors, birth-dates, and insurance information. This puts all that information in one place so that should we need to leave it for a baby sitter, it's easy as pie. Lastly, there is a tab for School, where I jot down ideas for things to do, curriculum I am interested in, supplies we need, or crafts we can do.

In other words, that Household Notebook is the bulk of my brain.

The children have chore charts. I couldn't run this house if they didn't understand that it takes all hands to keep up with it. We started instilling in them very young the importance of helping. As soon as they learn to walk, it is their responsibility to take their diapers to the trash can or the diaper pail (depending on if we are using disposable or cloth at that time). By eighteen months, they are expected to help with the nightly routine of walking around and picking up all the toys. And so it goes. I have pretty strong ideas about having the children take on responsibility. But we'll save that for sometime when I am feeling soap-boxy, mmm-kay?

With the progression of this pregnancy, I have adopted another list. I call it the Bare Minimum. I literally went through a couple of weeks thinking, if I only do three things on any given day of the week, what would those three things be? For our family, laundry and school aren't even options. So I couldn't write those down on the Bare Minimum. It's like breathing. If you don't do it, things get really uncomfortable. No, my Bare Minimum on Mondays is to spend 15 minutes straightening up downstairs, bathe two kids, and lesson plan for the following week. It's not much, but if I do those three things, then I have accomplished something. Each day of the week, the Bare Minimum changes, ensuring that several things will be swiped at during the week, even if none of them are totally 'Done'. It keeps things from falling completely apart on those days when I just can't force myself to be uber-productive.

It is my goal to keep the living room guest ready at all times. Even if the rest of the house is in shambles, if I can just offer our guests a place to sit, then I feel as if I have achieved a hostessing coup. I mean, really, four kids in and out and all over the place and there is a chair with no stuff in it? That is Gold Star material right there, people. Two if the coffee table is discernible!

I think this wraps up everything. If you have any comments or tips to share, shout 'em out! I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Keeping It Clean - The Attitudes

...carrying on from The Charts (part 1) and The Cleaners (part 2)...

My husband has an attitude. It greatly effects the environment in our home. It impacts our ability to function.

You see, Joshua is the heaviest hitter in my cleaning artillery. He comes in the door in the evenings and, after greeting us all, he offers to assist as needed with dinner preparations. Sometimes that means he gathers up the kids and takes them outside to play or to the couch for reading time or to the living room for some 'rasslin'. Sometimes that means he takes over so I can sit on the couch. Sometimes it means he directs the children in setting the table. But he never flinches. He walks in and pitches in.

On the flip side, if he walks in at the end of his work day and the living room is in shambles, dinner is but a far-off-idea, the kids are going haywire, and I am curled up in a corner sucking down chocolate as fast as I can get it out of the wrapper, he doesn't flinch (much) either. He still walks in, helps to put things to rights, never accuses, and we just do what we need to do.

We decided early on in our marriage that there wouldn't be quibbling about who does what, so long as it gets done. His willingness to just help get things done so that we have more time to enjoy life impacts the entire family. I'm not prone to get resentful because I feel like my day never ends. The kids really believe us when we say it takes the whole family to care for our home.

Now that we have established my nomination for his sainthood...

The fact is, there are four (soon to be five!!!) children aged six and under living in this house. Independence is just blossoming, dependence on Mommy is still high, and love must rule. While I would love to have a magazine worthy home at all times, it's just not practical. We live here, we school here, we play here, we are infirm here. The place gets trashed.

I had to learn that 'clutter' does not equate 'dirty'. It's a pretty recent discovery. And it changed my attitude towards housekeeping. I learned to send up arrow prayers when things were overwhelming me. I learned to prioritize, covering the most necessary bases with the house, releasing the rest, and making more time for my kids. I learned that some days you just have to throw the household to do list out the window and restore fellowship with the kids.

Because relationships are so much more important than having to step over the blocks scattered about the floor or having to move a pile of books off a chair in order to sit down.

I blow it. Regularly. My attitude falls apart some days when I look around and can't see anything but messy floors and piles on the couch and color pencils scattered here and yon. There are several things I have learned to help me cope with these attacks.

I try to remember to breath deeply and call to mind Scripture.

I frequently go to my list of phrases (I literally have a notebook of wisdom I have gleaned and am still gleaning!) that mentors have shared with me concerning parenting. (Two of my favorites are "What is the most right thing, the most God honoring thing I can do in this moment?" and "If you know what you know, then you have to live what you know." I know. They say the same thing. God's way, not your way!)

I call a Total Time Out. Everyone is assigned a seat, given a Bible of some sort, and the kids read or look at pictures while Mommy concentrates on her Source of All Peace.

I reach for the CD player. There's nothing like a few rounds of dancing to "I'm Walking On Sunshine" or "Cotton Eye Joe" to help find your sense of humor and re-engage the kids in a positive way.

The point here is to shift focus. From 'stuff' to 'relationship'. To be the kind and loving voice in a hateful world, to make your home a refuge from the crazy world.

Even if it has to be a less than neat home.

The Babe - Who Will It Be?

Y'all know I like games. And we haven't done this one in a while...

So, here are the stats on the other kiddos, just in case you want to make a more 'educated' guess.

Thomas - 7lb 11oz, 21 inches long (two weeks early)

Sarah Grace - 6lb, 9 oz, 20 inches long (three weeks early)

Elizabeth - 7lb, 9oz, 20 inches long (four weeks early)

Anna - 8lb, 1oz, 19 inches long (three weeks early)

Now, the official due date is May 9th. I am complication free. And I want to know your guess as to what we are having!!

Go now!

Password is BabeFreeman

The name of the game is BabeFreeman (one word). I'm starting a little early, but I think we need a little bit of fun here in the middle of February's Funk. Happy guessing!!

Closest guess will win one bag of HopeSuds!!

Weekend Snapshots

The real identity of this blog is a Record Of Our Family. Not this stuff I have been tossing out there lately. In an effort to make-up for my being off track recently, I am tossing out a handful of cuteness in hopes that you won't abandon all hope.



The peanut butter smeared across Elizabeth's face fades fast away as she smiles her now gap-toothed sunshiney smile.


All three of our lovely little ladies. Note the bangs on Sarah Grace. I was trimming her hair Saturday night when she asked me is she could have 'some of those little hairs that go on your front head'. I blinked several times before my thoughts started back up and then asked if she meant 'bangs'? 'Yeah! Can I have some of doze?'


Saturday, I laid out mini-marshmallows and tooth-picks on the table for the kids 'snack'. Then I showed them how to build. Joshua joined in on the fun, and an hour later, the marshmallows were finally eaten all gone. An hour! Y'all, try this at home.


There were some pretty cool structures built. Joshua taught the older two how to make a ball that actually stood up to being tossed around a bit.


Anna opted to eat rather than bother with the whole building bit. She scarfed down her allotted white, sugary goodness, then waltzed around with two tooth-picks announcing 'I did it!'

Nevermind That Its COLD Outside

My kids want water-pops. Recently, they poured water into small plastic cups, stuck a spoon in them, and jammed them into the freezer.

The day was spent in excited chatter about how yummy the water-pops would be and how they couldn't wait to enjoy them! I smiled and nodded my head as I wondered why an ice-cube wouldn't suffice.

It's all about being on a stick spoon.



They pretty well put a dent in those big ol' hunks of ice.

It mystifies my that this would be their snack of choice on, literally, a FREEZING COLD day. But hey, who can argue with the happiness of a child merrily slurping on water?

Making Time For Him

As I sat down on the couch and heaved a huge sigh of exhaustion and thanks that the kids were tucked in for the night, I was struck by the profound statement this image made to me.



That's my day planner sitting on top of my Bible.

I had spent the day running to and fro, working to accomplish all the multitude of tasks that are on my Daily Docket. The kids had been schooled, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner had been served, the kitchen was cleaned up, the laundry had been processed, books had been read, squabbles had been put to rest, toys had been played with and put away, boo-boos had been kissed, cuddles had been cherished, eyes had been rolled (mine), diapers had been changed, pajamas had been discarded for day clothes, day clothes had been tossed over for pajamas, noses had been wiped, fingers had been counted, ironing had been done, beds had been made, personal hygiene had been seen to (theirs and mine), questions, questions, questions, questions, questions had been answered... until, at last, bedtime prayers had been heard.

My day was done. I was done. I had checked things off the list and done my best to be a good Mommy to the Munchkin Brigade. And yet...

Though, I had done Bible reading with the kids, I hadn't taken any time for myself. To breath in a few passages and dwell on them.

Being a Mom of Many can be so demanding and overwhelming that we forget our own needs. We get so caught up nourishing those around us that we neglect our own soul nourishment. Often it's not until we're banging our head against a wall in total burn-out that we realize what is at stake when we don't spend time seeking God, listening for the still small voice that get trampled by our small people with voices.

I encourage you to do whatever it takes to set a time aside for yourself and God's word each day. Get up earlier, go to bed later. Plop the Littles in front of a short movie. I have taken to giving each child their Bible and curling up with my own. I demand quiet from them. This exercise is encouraging for us all. Mommy gets her much needed Bible and prayer time, the children are learning to set aside a time for Bible reading, and they are seeing Mommy make time for her relationship with Him. This is so win-win-win!

How do you handle Bible time or having a quiet time with all your Munchkins underfoot?

Keeping It Clean - The Cleaners

...continuing from last week's discussion...

We use almost nothing but home made cleaners. When I first made this leap, I flipped out. How could my house be getting really clean if there weren't a pile of chemicals killing off the yuck? How could germ killers smell so good??

Four years later, I don't bat an eye. My house is clean. I mean, when it's clean, it's clean. When it's messy, it's still mostly clean. You just have to trust that under the piles of toys and clothes and kids are clean spots.

Real quick, there are a few products that are not 'all natural' or home made in our house. The dishwasher? Still using commercial soaps. I haven't found a happy alternative, and those cute little gel packs? Super easy for the kids to handle.

I also still use a stain remover that is not considered all natural. Again, I haven't found a happy alternative and sometimes, you just need some extra oomph. I don't feel guilty about these things.

Now, for the fun stuff.

A few years ago, I attended a conference type thing where I was introduced to this book. I flipped through it and decided it was a must have for our home. My oldest child was getting old enough to get into things, and I was extremely fearful of his ingesting some deadly chemical.

I started off just learning to clean things with baking soda or vinegar. Those two little items take care of a multitude. A multitude, I tell you. I opted to keep Chlorox wipes around for wiping down the sinks, counters, and potties.

Then we found out how badly my son and his sensitive skin reacted to the wipes. They became a thing of the past.

For a while, my friend Lora made and sold her yummy smelling 'Barefoot Home Essentials', mama made cleaners that kept our house clean and pleasingly scented. Alas, she came out of the business. (Nowadays, Lora and her family sell HopeSuds laundry detergent. Have you heard me rave about it? Seriously, Do Laundry. Save Orphans.)

I had to learn to make my own cleaners. It's not hard. The recipes are right there in the book. I have tweaked over the last couple of years, working to combine the essential oils in combinations that make me happy.

We have a spray cleaner for the kitchen counters, sinks, table, and other surfaces that need some TLC or disinfectant. We have a spray cleaner for the potty and bathroom sink. We have spray bottles to take the place of lys0l as a germ killer for surfaces and in the air. There are spray bottles that are filled for occasions when someone gets some kind of bodily fluid on a fabric or carpet covered area.

We clean the bathtubs with baking soda or simply shampoo. Baking soda is also a good stain remover, a wonderful deodorizer, and is a great non-abrasive scourer for pots and pans, ovens, and countertops.

Plain white vinegar is also a necessary part of your natural cleaning artillery. It may smell pickle-ish, but the smell dissipates quickly. Pour it in your laundry to neutralize the smell of cloth diapers or 'accident' laundry. I use it to clean my tile and laminate flooring, my windows, mirrors, the front of my oven and fridge. Occasionally I will even pour some in the rinse agent reservoir in our dishwasher.

Borax is also one of our go to guys. Not only do I use it in several of my home made cleaners, but I use it in my laundry as a bleach alternative.

Some of the essential oils we couldn't live without: cinnamon, lavender, tea tree, clove, sweet orange, and eucalyptus. There are several others in my collection, but these guys are my heave hitters.

My kids can use these cleaners. This give me such peace of mind when they are working on their chores. It makes me happy to know that they can be learning to keep house without me having anxiety attacks left and right over what cleaner is in their hands!

What cleaning tips do you have to share? Do your kids help with the house keeping?