true boy tales: shortcuts

Thursday, January 7, 2010

shortcuts

I got a cordless stick vac for Christmas and just used it for the first time (Yes- I'm a dork and wanted a vacuum for Christmas. And yes...its Jan. 7th. Which means my kitchen floor hasn't been swept or vacuumed for 13 days. I have a couple friends in mind who may be passing out after reading that. Unfortunately, that's pretty good for me!) Anyway...back to the vac. I just had to write about how amazing this little guy is. My regular cleaning routine for my hardwood floors in my kitchen area involved hunching over with my dust buster for 10 minutes or so to suck up all the crumbs so I didn't have to haul my beastly vacuum out. And using the Swiffer spray and mop once a month or so (that's actually quite an exaggeration but I'm afraid some people wouldn't ever come over again...at least without a HAZMAT suit on, if I fessed up to how many times I've actually pulled out that Swiffer since moving into our house almost a year ago). I digress.

So when I vacuumed those two weeks worth of crumbs from my kitchen floor, I was amazed at how incredibly lightweight, yet powerful this thing is! It picked up everything and I seriously felt like I was cheating somehow--it was just way too easy. I even did the rug in our living room and it worked great there too. I highly recommend it...I think they're only 30 or 40 bucks. Worth every penny.

I thought I'd share one other little miracle worker I can't live without. This little guy costs $0.99 at Target or Wal Mart in the travel size bottle section.

This has completely replaced my iron. I repeat...since I started using this a couple years ago, I haven't touched an iron. Granted, I'm not ironing collared shirts for my husband, but besides that, I think it could handle just about any clothing item. Put it on the mist setting, and while your shirt is still on the hanger, spray it a few times, wipe at the wrinkles with your hand, and POOF. Perfectly smooth shirts. Its brilliant to travel with...no more creases in your khakis on vacation (and works much better than a hair straightener, which I've also used when there was no iron around!). It even works on jeans and heavy khaki shorts (I refuse to let my husband out of the house with a huge crease in his pants!). Just spray it before you get in the shower and it'll be dry when you get dressed. And I guarantee its easier on your clothes than the heat from an iron. I think its hilarious that my friends and I fell for the marketing ploy of Downy Wrinkle Release spray when we were in college. It worked wonders!! Who knew water did the exact same thing?!

Feel free to post your own Mom Tips in the comment box. And if you want to hear everyone else's, be sure to click the "email follow-up comments to:" box.

2 comments:

mandaJanuary 7, 2010 at 1:47 PM
Nice!! Thanks for the tips!! We have an "electric broom" but I never use it. It is too cumbersome. I have reverted back to a regular broom and dust pan. And we iron every morning! I will have to get myself one of those water bottles!
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i'm B.January 7, 2010 at 2:28 PM
oh man, i think i need one of those stick vacs. asking for a vaccuum for a birthday is probably just as lame as asking for one for christmas :)
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.