Archive for category Household
Go All The Way Clean! (With Less Effort)
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Cleaning, Household on February 17, 2009
Recently one night I was on Twitter, telling people about how I was making Honey Oat Bread, and that I had just made Cinnamon Pumpkin bread.
(NOM NOM NOM FACEHOLE CRAMMING DELUXE NOM NOM)
And apparently, I was totally painting a picture of myself which is exceptionally inaccurate, because JenCaSea asked me if if I had a bread maker or if I was just that domestic.
And I had to laugh. And then snort. Choke on my spit. And then laugh some more.
Because, as I told her not long after… yes, I do have a bread maker, and NO I am not all that domestic: the reeking toilets, piles of dirty laundry, and sticky floors around here can attest to that. I just like bread, it appears.
I mean, I stay at home a lot, yes. I occupy the domicile.
But I occupy it in the manner of a Supah Slob. Ahhhh, yeah.
You know who helps? My husband and son.
And the dog.
See, we humans drop crumbs, lint, hair, food slime, and general filth.
Then the dog adorns it by spreading his little, tiny Chihuahua furs over it all. Like a million little eyebrow hairs of stink. He finishes it off by going outside, and then tracking dirt from the back yard lovingly into the house.
So we have crumby, linty, hairy, slimy, furry, dirt coated floors.
NICE.
I like to pretend it’s just not there. The filth, that is. Because my usual floor cleaning technique is broom and dust pan, then mop and bucket. Cause that’s nice and environmentally friendly.
Unfortunately, it’s not Lazy Slob Friendly.
Know what is? Swiffer.
Yep. Slap on a dry cleaning cloth for the dog hair, grime, and general filth. Instead of pushing the dirt around in piles with the broom, just let the MAGICAL SWIFFER PAD MAKE IT ALL BETTER.
Seriously. It’s magic. There is no other explanation. Yup. Do not attempt to talk me out of the existence of magic. (Just buy a Swiffer and shut up.)
If there isn’t magic, then how does all the crap on my floor go onto this MAGIC PAD?
Try not to gag. Trust me, the picture doesn’t even do it real justice. You are lucky.
When you’re done cleaning up the filth your family and ungrateful pet (what, just mine? cause, dude. he is.) have decorated the floor with, tackle the… sticky stuff.
I’m thinking week old pancake syrup splatters, dog drool, and random splurts of apple juice. YUM.
Swiffer Magic Reappears. Bad Floor go bye-bye. Well, Hello, Good, Pretty, Shiny Floor!
Really, it’s so easy. They are fast, tough, and easy to use. It’s perfect for the in-between cleanup that any mother or pet owner needs.
For the big jobs, the mega ones? I’m still going to keep my mop and bucket. I just believe in using those (at least 3 times a year). But the Swiffer (both dry and wet) is SUPER for the in-between stuff.
So instead of being a Supah Slob in-between my mop cleanings, I can go all the way clean with Swiffer. That’s right. No more half-assing for this momma. (My mother would be so proud. Do you know how many times she told me to stop half-assing things when I was a kid??? Not that I am traumatized or anything. *twitch*)
If you’d like to “go all the way clean with Swiffer,” Visit http://www.swiffer.com for more information and to save $2 on any one Swiffer® Sweeper Starter Kit!
My husband and son will probably be weirded out that the floors are all clean so much more often now. They are going to start expecting me to bathe regularly and clean the toilets.
That’ll be the day.
What’s your cleaning must have accessory or super-fantastic cleaning secret?
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Disclosure: Compensated review commissioned by Blogher. I received a swiffer stick, dry cloths, and wet cloths for review, free of charge.
For more reviews, visit here.
Olive Kids! Do You?
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Bedroom, Clothes, Coupon, Gift Certificate, Household, Kids, School on February 12, 2009
Congrats to the Winner! Secret Mom Thoughts
Towards the end of last year, John and I decided that it was time to move Braden from his crib to a toddler bed. Is it just me or is the room spinning a bit? Why is my chest so tight? Oh yeah, that’s that thing that happens when I’m reminded of HOW MUCH MY KID IS GROWING UP. *sniff* We found the perfect little bed and ordered it from JCPenny.com.
Isn’t it darling?
We really wanted to graduate him from the nursery sheets he was using too, and found some absolutely wonderful toddler bedsets at Olive Kids. In fact, Olive Kids carries all kinds of colorful and fun kids designs for all purposes. Many things can be personalized, and they are all incredibly cute and fun. I decided to let John make the final decision on the bedset design (and if you know anything about my control issues, you will know this is a big deal) and even though I really wanted the Wild Animals Set:
John chose the Planes, Trains, & Trucks Set:
And Pillow Sham:
And you know what? He CHOSE WELL. Braden loves it – he exclaims over the “Pwanes!” and “Twucks!” and “Twains!” And it is really adorable.
It’s made with bright, happy colors, and the material seems strong, yet nice and comfy. And he adjusted to his new bed, pillow, and bedset MUCH faster than I wanted him to had expected him to. I blame credit the soft sheets and warm, cuddly comforter. 
Would you like to sample a little Olive Kids fare? You would!? Well, okay! One winner will receive a personalized bookmark, placemat, and nametag in your design choice. Go check them out!
Make sure you check out all they have to offer and then come back here and leave a comment about what you like the best. Comments will be accepted through Tuesday, February 17th.
At the end of the comment period, one commenter will be randomly selected to win a personalized bookmark, placemat, and nametag! (Must have valid email and respond when contacted.) Good luck!
Disclosure: This is an uncompensated review. I received the Olive Kids Planes, Trains, & Trucks Toddler Bedset, Sham, & Comforter for review, free of charge.
Help for our loveable, snotty nosed brats.
Congratulations to the Winner: Walking With Scissors!
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If you’re a Mommy or Daddy you have had to (or will, eventually) deal with a sick child. And nothing breaks your heart more than the pathetic way they cry and cling when they are not feeling well. You want to do the best for them, and take away that miserable feeling.
Braden is much too young to take any cold medicines, so I usually just give him tea, baby acetaminophen for pain and fever, and lots of hugs (I kind of like the extra hugs, shhh).
And a zinc lollipop never hurts.
Lollies somehow make everything better for a little while, right?
But if your little one is older, you have a whole other set of worries to deal with. A big one involves when it’s a good idea to send them to school, and when you should keep them home. Luckily, the National Association of School Nurses recently partnered with Triaminic to create “Sick Day Guidelines: Making the Right Call When Your Child Has a Cold.“ This is a great resource for parents of school-aged children (or day care goers!) and I’m going to keep it bookmarked for future reference.
Now, if your child is old enough, there are also children’s medicines that you can get over-the-counter to help alleviate the worst of the symptoms that are making them miserable.
Triaminic has a line of such Children’s cold medicines, in the form of “thin-strips” and “soft chews.” Note that these medicines are only for children aged 4 and up, and it is very important to follow the label directions exactly for the safety of the child.
The Triaminic Thin Strips are pretty cool because they are thin and melt right on the child’s tongue (easy administration). Each strip provides pre-measured dose of medicine so you know your kiddo is receiving the intended dose, every time.
If you’d like to try them, anyone who wants to click here to go to a page where you can download a coupon for $1.50 off the Thin Strips. I love finding deals like this, especially right now when everyone is trying to save a little money anywhere they can.
Also, leave a comment here anytime before 11:59PM CST Wednesday, February 4th and you have a chance at a free sample. If I draw your name on Thursday, I’ll have a free sample of the Triaminic Thin Strips sent to you.
Good luck! I hope all your babies/kiddos are feeling well. When they aren’t, I hope this information helps. 
Disclosure: This is an uncompensated review. Posted for reader information, help to parents, and the opportunity for someone to receive free samples.
Mr. Clean – Muscle 4 Your Messes!
Posted by Sarcastic Mom, aka Lotus in Cleaning, Household, Kitchen on September 18, 2008
The wonderful people at Procter and Gamble and Blogher offered to let me do a paid review of one of their products recently, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
I have actually had so many women recommend this product to me, that it’s crazy I hadn’t tried it previously. Ok, ok, I’m just lazy. I never went and picked it up, even though I have a situation that could really use some magic. Or an act of God. You know, whatever, no big deal.
You see, I let my toddler son, Braden, play with chalk in the back yard. He LOVES the chalk. He draws ALL OVER with the chalk.
We have a plastic organizer bin and some plastic chairs out there. There’s also his plastic playhouse and car. He draws on all of that stuff with the chalk. And I figure, it will wash off, no biggie… choose your battles, right? Besides, while he’s content drawing on stuff, I can doze off in the hammock, er… I mean… uh, sit there and watch him carefully like a good mother. *cough*
What I had not counted on was how much he likes to draw with wet chalk. So if it has rained and, say, a bucket collects water? He dunks his chalk in the water and draws with his Wet Chalk Stick.
Oh yeah, guess what? WET CHALK IS LIKE PAINT. And it sinks right into any semi-porous surface and sticks.
Still, I figure, so what? Just plastic stuff, no big deal, right?
Unfortunately, while I’m dozing… er, when I’m being a good mother but a bug flies in my eye, blocking my vision for a few minutes… he also draws on the vinyl siding on the side of the house.
The house we RENT.
OH, NO.
I tried scrubbing with other cleaners, and they took the top layer off, but not what had leeched into the material. Same thing for the playhouse door he practically repainted.
OY. *Panic*
MR. CLEAN TO THE RESCUE!
I received the product and immediately took out a sponge, wet it, squeezed it three times, and got to work on the side of the house.
See for yourself:
Vinyl Siding Before:
Vinyl Siding After:
Back Door Before:
Back Door After:
It worked just as well on the playhouse door.
Me Cleaning Playhouse Door:
Playhouse Door Before:
Playhouse Door After:
I am seriously impressed, people. Really.
I reported to my husband about it. He said, and I quote, “All Hail the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!”
Indeed.
But that’s not all. I decided to try it out on a regular household cleaning task.
Witness the disgusting mess that is my dirty, neglected stove.
Several days of buildup there! What can I say, when you live the fast-paced life of a glamorous Blogger, always on the run, *coughsputtercough* you don’t have time to clean stove tops!
Please just let me fantasize.
Here’s a close-up of a specific bad spot…
Here’s after 2 wipes…
And this was after the 3rd, and final, wipe…
After just a few passes, the monster was gleaming.
The only thing I did other than using the Magic Eraser was wipe up a few deposited suds when I was done. It took little effort to get the crud off with the Magic Eraser, and I was, again, impressed. It smelled fruity and nice, too. I like that! What can I say, I’m allowed to be girly sometimes, too!
I did find out that you have to be gentle with it… apparently I poke my fingernails into sponges when I use them.
Aw, Mr. Clean is sensitive! *hardeehar*
All in all, I’d definitely recommend using the Magic Eraser for everything from run-of-the-mill cleaning tasks to those “special” jobs (that are most of the time the fault of either your kids or husband. Just sayin.).
And you know me. I would TELL you if it sucked.
But if you don’t believe me, go read other Blogher Reviewer Posts about it!
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As always, you can see my opinions and ponderings about everything under the sun at Sarcastic Mom, 7 Days a Week.
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Disclosure: This is a compensated review. I received a 2-pack of Mr.Clean Magic Erasers for review, free of charge.
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