Kitchen greenification
I’m doing pretty well so far with my new routines & task list. One benefit of that? I’m actually cleaning up the supper mess before leaving the kitchen in the evening. And my counters are actually getting cleared off on a regular basis. Did you think I always had a nice clean kitchen? Oh, no, you’d be sadly mistaken about that. They’re messy these days more often than they’re not, so having them cleared-off regularly is a bit of a novelty for me. And having them free of debris means I can get in there and clean them properly.
My usual method? A few spritzes of all-purpose cleanser and a paper towel. But I want to rely less on chemicals and disposable items around here. I have a pile of wash cloths that I’d bought for a project that never panned out, and I’ve decided I’d like to clean the kitchen with them, whenever it’s practical to do so. But I’m feeling somewhat clueless about the cleaning agent I should use:
- I’m thinking I can just use water by itself most times - is that true?
- And if the mess is stubborn, then what?
- Would a Windex-like cleanser like I usually use be a good idea on a wash cloth?
- Is there a good homemade substitute?
- And if so, do I need to rinse it off the counter when I’m done?
Told you. Clueless. I’ve been so happy with the way cloth napkins have worked out for us for the past year, though, that I really think it shouldn’t be too painful to take another step or two in a green direction. I just need some common sense guidance from people to whom cleaning comes more naturally than it does to me. Hopefully one or more of those people is reading this. We can’t all be slobs who hate to clean up after ourselves and who rely on bottles of heavy duty cleansers we buy in the supermarket when we do finally get around to scrubbing something, can we? Gosh, I hope not.
So, please educate me. How can I build upon my success with cloth napkins and further greenify my kitchen? More specifically, how can I clean it in a more earth-friendly way?
Thank you in advance for wowing me with your wealth of knowledge 
Splash of color
It’s been a gray day, with splashes of color. Rainy days are like that. It started with me packing & shipping orders in my pajamas, and ended with me geeking-out on my laptop in my pajamas. I the middle I did a lot more geeking, a small handful of boring household tasks, and a movie night with the boys. All in my pj’s of course. There was a lot of pajama time around here today.
Tomorrow is Sunday and I’ll need to get dressed. I still have a handful of school supplies to hunt down, the boys need new shoes, and, frankly, one pajama day at a time is plenty for me anyway.
How about you? Do anything interesting in your pajamas this weekend?
School daze
You may recall my comment sometime during the summer, that when the time came for me to put my baby on the bus to Kindergarten, I would either be clinging to his ankles, begging him not to leave me, or skipping down the driveway, celebrating my freedom. I’m happy to report that I did not succumb to either extreme. No, when he crawled up those bus steps (because, I suppose, it’s more fun than walking), stood up at the top, turned around, waved excitedly and yelled, “BYE MOM!” with a big smile on his face, I experienced the appropriate misty-eyed-but-composed response. And I continued to experience it all the way down the driveway walking back into the house, in the kitchen brewing my tea, at my desk logging onto my computer, and at this very moment writing this paragraph.
Ok. I’m good now. Mist gone. 
I’m not going to think too hard about this being the end of baby, toddler, preschoolerness around here. That might send me to the ankle-clinging extreme that I’ve so deftly avoided to this point. Instead it would probably be best to consider what good things will come from putting two children on the bus at 8:30, and not seeing one of them again until 12:30. That’s four hours of quality blogging time, folks. Ok, I’m kidding about that, but I do think I’m going to do my blogging in the morning now.
My goal is to let this new freedom inspire a productivity that has eluded me these last months. I spent nearly all day yesterday getting my calendar & task list in order, and making sure I could access it from any electronic device I needed to.
And today, I’ve inaugurated this new era of Getting Things Done, by kicking back with a muffin, a cup of tea, and my blog, hoping to emerge refreshed and ready to tackle the items on that to-do list.
I know this can backfire on me. It’s entirely possible that after spending my first few hours doing fun, personal, social-networky stuff, there will be a little devil on my shoulder, trying to convince me that a day spent online is way more fun than a day spent unloading dishwashers, making beds, and packing orders.
Right as that little devil may be, I’m hoping the little angel counterpart is there on my other shoulder to point out the feeling of satisfaction that comes from checking things off of the list and not squandering away the time. Please be there, little angel. My house and business are depending on it!
