Pinterest Challenge #15: Cleaning the Pack 'n Play

Third-trimester(!) nesting has meant a little cleaning-and-organizing twist to my Pinterest Challenge--tonight in particular it meant this crazy little pregnant woman tossed the pack 'n play in the bathtub.

15. Cleaning a Pack 'n Play
source: Mary Organizes
worth doing again: Yes

Okay. This was gross, but I'm glad I did it.

The original (presumably named Mary?) authoress used some mail-order green-cleaning stuff (which she also sells through her blog) to clean her pack 'n play. I opted out of the fancy cleaner but I followed the rest of her ideas.

I started by filling my beautiful shiny bathtub (poor thing didn't know what was coming) with warm water and some Kirkland laundry detergent.

I checked the mattress to make sure it wasn't filled with cardboard (apparently some of them are?) and once I'd assured myself that it wasn't, I plunked it and the rest of the pack 'n play into the bubbles and let it soak. (The mattress was surprisingly buoyant and kept floating up--I had to put the crib on top of it to keep it in the water!)

After about half an hour or 45 minutes, I flipped it over to make sure it got a good soak on each side.

Mary's water was BROWN when she pulled her pack 'n play out. Mine wasn't that bad, but the water was definitely icky/murky/gross. Look at the little floaty things. Gack.

And when I drained the tub, the retreating water left these nasty dirt trails. Ugh. So glad I washed this. I do not want baby girl sleeping in that.

The dirt tracks inspired me to rinse this thing again, so I filled the tub back up with warm water and let it soak some more to rinse, and drained it again.

And, because I'm thorough, I tried to ring the mattress out by walking across it over and over. Aaaaaand gross me out some more: the water that leached out of the double-soaked mattress was yellow. Not okay.

So I pulled the crib out to dry (it is just standing open on some towels in my bathroom to air dry) and ran another detergent bath for the mattress. Another rinse soak and some more stomping around on the mattress to ring it out, and I had a much cleaner pack 'n play for baby girl to sleep in. I am hoping it will dry out eventually, because right now it is pretty wet... and I think Steve may be displeased with a crib hanging around in the bathroom because I randomly decided to wash it... :)

This Year's Lifehacks, Part 2

Ready for lifehacks, part 2? Here we go.

• Breakfast = Daily scriptures & gratitude journal time. (And no computer before these things!) A few months back I mentioned to Suzi that I was having trouble keeping up my scripture study, and she shared her morning routine. It is simple. During breakfast, while you are stuck eating, read a little scripture, and write 5 things in your journal that you are grateful for. (It can't be the same things every day.) I've slipped up the last few weeks, but before that I read 5 verses aloud from the scriptures and talked to the kids about them. Then as I ate my cereal, I listed my 5 things. It had me writing in my journal almost every day, and gave a nice little snapshot of life. A few things I wrote down recently:
  
  
• weather cool enough to snuggle at night
• met a new friend at the park
• playing "Go Fish" with Gracie & Steve in a tent in the playroom for family night
• the closet that connects the kids' rooms (they love to play in there)
  
  
• Find a place for things you always lose. And always, always, always put that thing back in its place. Same concept as picking the same row to park your car, I guess. I have specified spots for my chapstick, keys, phone, checkbook, my currently-reading book, phone charger, Kindle charger, and glasses. I know this is a DUH. But it took me too long to figure out.
  
  
• Take a break. I take at least a 30 minute break for myself every day when the kids go down for nap. (Gracie doesn't nap anymore, but she still has to stay quietly in her room reading books. The downtime is good/calming for everyone.) I put them down at 1:30, and then have half an hour to scan Pinterest, eat my lunch, etc. Husbands need breaks, too, so let them have one.

• Make up things to look forward to. Some days are just hard. Maybe the kids wake up early from nap and I get frustrated. Maybe the hubs has a late night at work. Those days I try to give myself something to look forward to. Sometimes it is just a trip to window shop at Target with the kids. Target heals most wounds for me. :) Other times we get a special treat, do a craft, or pile pillows on the floor and watch a movie. Make a bad day good, in other words, by breaking your routine a little.

• Do one load of laundry, start to finish, every day. Two years ago I had a laundry day. I did laundry all day. It was terrible. I was kind of stuck home to do it. Now I do one load every day. Toss it in when I wake up, move it to the dryer when the kids are occupied with Sesame Street or lunch (it is in the basement so they can't come down--steep awful stairs), and fold/put away later. When I stay on top of this, it is amazing. When I don't, it is the same mess it was when I had a laundry day. I highly recommend this if you are hating on laundry day. :)
  
  
• The 15 Minute Cleaning Solution! I found this on Pinterest, and it changed my life. Don't be fooled by the cheesy layout of the page; this info was GOLD for me. After reading this, I have two lists that I typed up, printed out, and posted on my fridge:
  
  
• Things to clean every day (like making my bed, wiping down the kitchen counters, doing one load of laundry, etc.), and
• A list of each room with all the things that need cleaned in it.
  
  Then you just do all the things on list one (easy, stuff you should do anyway) and take 15 minutes (all together or in chunks of 2 or 3 minutes when your kids are playing--this is what I do) to work on ONE room. Cross off what you finish, and the rest waits for next week. Our house is a little bigger than I'm used to, so I actually attack one room every-other-week. I still pick up clutter, obviously, but the real cleaning stuff is on the list.
  
  You don't have to have lists. I just feel really good when I cross things off. I make them JUST for that feeling. :) Happy to share these, too, if you are interested.

• Enlist helpers. Gracie is now officially old enough for chores. Every morning she gets up, makes her bed, gets dressed, pours her own milk and cereal (from special Gracie-size containers), and unloads the kid dishes from the dishwasher. Those she has to do. When I remember, I ask her to do other things, like put away her clothes. She gets stickers on a sticker chart for the bed making and the dishwasher, as well as any additional chores except stuff that is just part of cleaning up after yourself (putting clothes in a hamper, clearing your place at the table, etc.). When her chart fills up, she gets a Frosty at Wendy's. Sweet.
  
  I also encourage them to help me clean. They often fight over a turn with the vacuum, and Gracie has her own spray bottle (filled with water) to clean the table with. I usually have to clean up after these things, but they are getting used to contributing to the house, and that is worthwhile.
  
  
• Do one thing. I learned from The Happiness Project that when you're feeling down/overwhelmed, to just do one thing. The author, Gretchen Rubin, suggests tackling a "nagging task" (one of those things that just niggles at your brain but you always avoid because you don't HAVE to do it now... like changing your cable contract, or rolling over your IRA, or whatever...).
  
  It also works when you are intimidated. Like maybe you move somewhere new and need to make all new friends. So start by saying hi. Or maybe you're trying to write a book, and that is kind of crazy. Just write for one or two hours a day, when you have a moment.
  
  
• Read books AND know how to use your library. If you, like me, don't have time to casually, luxuriously wander the aisles at the library because YOUR KIDS DON'T WANT TO! then stop trying to. Peruse Goodreads (see what I'm reading here) or Your Next Read for ideas, and then set up a hold list at your favorite library. They will call you when your book is available, and you just walk in, pick up the stack just for you, and check out. I've done this even with books that are readily available at my library, just to reduce the hassle. (Holds are FREE out here! Some places they cost a tiny fee--still worth it, most times, if you ask me.) My father in law calls the hold system his "library sherpa." :)
  
  And if you have an e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.) check out the digital loan offerings! I love borrowing library books on my Kindle. I don't even have to return them when I'm done--they return themselves!
  
  Reading books is amazing, because you can get lost in a great story in front of your kids, and it is considered GOOD parenting, as opposed to getting absorbed in a TV show, which is sometimes less entertaining, and is considered BAD parenting. Sweet. Read some books.

I know that was uber long. I partially do these lists for myself, to kind of track my progress, and to remind myself if I later forget something that really helped with life around Casa Walton. (We do not actually call it that.)

But also because I find other people's ideas really inspiring, and if I share mine then maybe you will share yours? Yes? Pretty please? What do you do that makes your life easier?

This Year's Lifehacks, Part 1

Productivity? Let me google that for you, Mom...

About once a year a do a post on my "lifehacks," those simple little things that revolutionize your entire life. In the past I've shared that I:

• Precook all (or most) of my meat for the week,
  
• Use plastic dollar store baskets in my fridge, freezer, and pantry (this is one of my favorite things EVER),
  
• Use a vinegar/water solution to clean most of my kitchen surfaces, from the floor to the counters to the wood tabletop,
  
• Attach my keys outside my purse with a carabiner so they don't get lost in the depths when I have a kid on my hip and groceries in my hands, and...
  
• Pick a parking aisle at each store (Target, grocery store, Costco, etc.) and park in that same aisle EVERY time I go, so I can never lose my car. It is always SOMEWHERE in that row! I would not like to mention how many times I lost my car before I figured that out.

There are a few more things if you peek at the previous posts, but those are my favorites, and things that I still do, and love, on a regular basis. Looking back, I'm relieved to say I am impressed at how far I have come as a wife/mom/housekeeper. I'm still not good at it, but after 4 years of being at home, I finally feel like I am beginning to get the hang of this.

Here are my hacks from this year. I hope you will share your tricks with me in the comments! I have gotten some in past years that really changed the way I work around here. :)

• Use a laundry basket to carry in groceries. Steve thought of this. It makes our Costco hauls much easier to get inside. Not bad if you're climbing flights of stairs to an apartment, either. Less trips = better.
  
• Finish what you start. Simple. I didn't realize why I never got anything done until I realized I would start cleaning something and then peter out halfway through because cleaning sucks. :/ So, when you get bored or something starts to suck, finish it anyway, and the end result should make you feel pretty good about that. (Hint: This applies to most things in life, not just cleaning.)
  
• Run the dishwasher every night, unload & reload every morning. Now that there are four of us, we go through a lot of dishes. Two years ago--okay, even one year ago--our kitchen was like a permanent disaster zone; I was always one full load of dishes behind. So now I start the D/W before bed, and unload it in the morning.

• Do stuff while the kids eat!!! The only time I can be sure my kids will be still, quiet, and happy, is when they are eating. They are physically pinned in their chairs, and since they are genetically similar to me, food makes them really happy. Dinner we try to eat together, but I get a TON of things done while they eat breakfast and lunch (most of it is in/near the kitchen so we can still talk/chat).
• During their breakfast I:
• unload the dishwasher,
• start/move a load of laundry in the basement,
• pack up whatever we need for our morning outings,
• make my bed (if I haven't already), and
• get dressed (for outings or the gym).
• During their lunch I:
• prepare my lunch for later,
• prep anything I can for dinner (cook chicken, chop veggies, etc.),
• clean up any leftover dishes, and
• sometimes move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.
  
  This is also when I do my interviews with the kiddos! Every 6 months or so I just set up the video camera on them while they eat (or sit down with my computer to type) and ask them a bunch of questions. It is one of my favorite things to look back on how they spoke, what they loved, etc. in those intervals--and if its lunchtime, they're stuck in one spot to actually respond to the questions!
  
• Have a (loose-but-scheduled) daily routine. Six months ago I realized that I was wasting a lot of time, and missing out on a lot of things I really wanted to do. Around that same time I got a copy of Organized Simplicity (by Tsh of Simple Mom) for free on my Kindle. Kismet! Tsh suggested making 3 lists: one of things you ACTUALLY do every day, one of things you HAVE to do everyday, and one of things you WANT to do. Then you look at the things you actually do, and cut out the fat so you can fit in the things you want to do. I did it, and then I made a big, big schedule change.
  
  Last week I found myself in the same rut: lots I was missing out on, messy, disorganized days. So I sat down, made more lists, and rebooted my days. I have a loose schedule of things we do everyday, so I can be conscious that cleaning at 10am when the kids are stir-crazy is a bad idea, but at 1, after they've eaten, I have a golden 30 minutes while they play. Stuff like that. I type it up and stick it on the fridge to keep me dialed in. I would be happy to share my schedule if you care to see exactly what I mean. It has made me SO MUCH calmer.

I actually have a few more things to share, but I think I'll break here for now. Please, please tell me your tips and tricks in the comments! We're all in this together, right?

Lifehacks Part 2 & Asking the Audience (That's You)

Last spring I asked you for your lifehacks and shared some of mine. I am still loving my vinegar/water solution (best grease cutter EVER), google calendaring and syncing with Steve's gcalendar, meal planning, enjoying the handiness of baskets (especially for optimizing space in our too-small freezer) and trying to keep to my laundry days.

I loved hearing what everyone had to say about their lifehacks, so I thought it might be time to ask (and share) again. Here are mine; don't forget to share yours.

• Jarred and Bottled Ingredients. Oh my word. How much do I hate trying to "mince" garlic (and how your hands always smell like garlic afterward), remember to buy limes, and keep a basil plant alive? So much. Which is why these little guys are my kitchen BFFs. Way less perishable, more convenient, and easy to have on hand just in case. LOVE THEM.

• Coupons. Who would have ever thought that I would get in to coupons? I have occasionally looked at blog posts where women go in to six different stores and come out with tons of free food--this has TERRIFIED me for years. How on earth to get to that many stores with that many coupons with kids in tow? But I decided to simplify. I only coupon at one store (our local Harris Teeter), and I use a very helpful blog (Southern Savers) that details which coupons to use with which sale items. I occasionally even find some good deals on my own. I am starting slow, but its pretty fun. And I can usually find cereal for $1, which is great because we eat a ton of that stuff.
  .
• Baskets and Boxes. Still love these. Our bookcases all have a ton of boxes and baskets, because we have a lot of junk (see next lifehack....). So Gracie's toys in the family room? Get tossed in a basket. Steve's video games? Basket. Shoes by the door? Bills to be paid? Mail? Diapers? Yes. All hidden in baskets and/or boxes.
  .
• Purging. Steve and I have been married for less than five years. We have lived in 5 different homes. And that means we have packed a LOT, and I know just how much STUFF we have. So, though my nature tends more towards pack-rat-ism, I am now boldly trying to embrace the philosophy that if I have no use for it, I throw it away. Even with sentimental stuff. If it is taking up space and never gets used, we take a picture of it and give it to Goodwill or toss it. Obviously there are some things we can't toss (baby hats, wedding dress, etc.) but lots of other things have been kissed goodbye. That said, I still keep WAY too much stuff. This is a work in progress.
  .
• Baby Wipes. Not just for bums. These things are great for cleaning any surface, at home or abroad.
  .
• Compartmentalized Purse. Most diaper bags are ugly or bulky. Mine was cute but huge, and I got tired of lugging it around. I got a cute purse at Target with three compartments--the middle one has a zipper. Diapers, wipes, changing pad, and Charlie's emergency change of clothes go in the zipper pocket. Usable things like hand sanitizer, wallet, and phone in the front, and less used stuff (a book, umbrella, whatever the day requires) in the compartment in the back.
  .
• Keys on a Carabiner. This is my number one mommy-sanity-saver. I was CONSTANTLY losing my keys in my purse and trying to dig through it to find them with a child on my hip. NO MORE. I put my keys on a carabiner and clip it to either one of the rings on the strap of my purse or, if I'm unloading kids/groceries/whatever, I clip them to my belt loop. Easy access, I can see them at all times, and no more delving to the depths of my bag to retrieve them.
  .
• One at a Time. Though I do constantly walk through the house gathering things, I only really try to get one room really clean at a time. I work on the kitchen, do all the dishes, etc. and THEN move on to something else. So that at least one room looks nice even if the rest are still works in progress.
  .
• Keeping Up Appearances. And on that same vein, guess what? People who are home all day? Their houses get messy. (That's right!!! You're not the only one! I only just figured this out.) Our house gets especially thrashed on the weekend. Because mama takes a day off from cleaning. :) So if you come over, and you think, WOW! THEIR LIVING ROOM LOOKS SPOTLESS!!! it is because I have either (1) enlisted the troops for a real house cleaning or (more likely) (2) cleaned up only that room because I knew you were coming. :)
  .
• Picking a Parking Spot. When I had Grace, I became incapable of finding my car in a parking lot. So I now park in the same row every time I go to a store. I have a row at Marshall's, Target, Harris Teeter, and anywhere else I frequent. So I just walk down that aisle and eventually I run into my car. :)

So tell me, what do YOU do to stay sane?

Ask the Audience: What are Your "Life Hacks"?

Yes, this is staged.

I have been going absolutely crazy over trying to keep our house tidy, stay on top of work, spend as little as possible on groceries, and still get a minute to read a book. Over time I've come up with a few time-savers (a.k.a. "life hacks;" there are "parenting hacks," too), so I'll share mine with you, but I'm wondering--what little things do you do that help you keep your life in order? I am especially desperate to know how people keep their kitchens clean when there is an endless pile of dishes.

And as promised, here are some of my life hacks, for your enjoyment. :)

• Vinegar. I use it for everything. It is a disinfectant, but it's natural. It cleans my floor, softens and disinfects gross laundry, washes the counters. It's an awesome de-greaser. The only downside is that it doesn't smell so pretty, but once it dries the scent fades. Plus because it is basically food, you can use it when your pregnant without worrying about fumes. Just to be super safe about the disinfecting, though, I still use a 1/100 bleach solution for the nastiest parts of the bathroom or if we have had eggs or raw meat on the kitchen counter. I hear you can use it as a rinse for your hair, too--haven't tried that yet.
  .
• Automated bill pay. No postage, no forgotten bills. Enough said.
  .
• Precooking. We cook chicken and/or ground beef once a week, then refrigerate it (only up to 5 days, though). It gets reheated (and sometimes seasoned a bit more) to go in pasta, tacos, and salads. I pre-make a double batch of pizza dough every two weeks (we have it every Tuesday) and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. I ball those up and freeze them so they can get popped into the oven whenever, or bake them and freeze so they just need a minute of toaster oven time for delicious goodness.
  .
• Meal planning. I just can't get into the groove of collecting a million coupons, so I've altered my shopping habits instead. I do a big grocery trip only twice a month, hitting a grocery store and Costco. Because our produce is usually gone or no good by the second week, we eat canned or frozen fruits and veggies with our meals (smoothies, frozen veggies, etc.). I've just started doing this, and it is nuts. It saves us money because there's less impulse buying and we are more careful with what we have because we've got a rule that about when the next shopping day is. We get creative. Plus we always know what's for dinner. I usually only plan two weeks (and I plan meals that can use leftover portions, like if we have stir fry one night I make extra rice for a meal a few days away and freeze it). Last month I planned the whole month, and it felt a little insane but worked really well.
  .
• Baskets + snap-top boxes. They quell the tide of toys in Gracie's room and the living room, they hold in my baking goods, they manage the mess of extra cords that want to devour our closet, and they keep my freezer from exploding.
  .
• Laundry days. Monday is clothing laundry day (+ clean-up-from-the-weekend day). I do only two kinds of loads--lights and darks. I only do a dedicated white load if something needs bleached. Gracie has her own load. I fold stuff as it comes out of the dryer, right into our basket, otherwise piles of clothes sit on our couch for days. Tuesday is for the linens--sheets and towels. I do blankets every few weeks.
  .
• Google Calendar. I have it synced with our email in the sidebar so we always know what the other one is up to when we are trying to plan stuff. We also have a regular calendar in the kitchen.

Okay, so help!!! What else can I do so my house doesn't look like it exploded all the time?!