This is your Martha Stewart section. Share tips for the home. Got a great recipe? Need a quick recipe? Vent about housework or ask for laundry secrets. Share holiday craft ideas and why you love gardening so much.
With three kids under age 5 I struggle to keep the house clean, but I have found a great site to keep me organized. It is a great system for stay at home moms. I love flylady.net
I also love the flylady website. I "shined" my sink the first night I saw the website, which was Thursday. It is still shiny and has no dishes in it. DH says he likes the website, too! He likes for the house to be clean and if the website helps, then he's all for it!
A great way I've found to keep my dishes washed up (if the dishwasher is full!) is to get one of those sponges that has a handle on it that you put dishwashing liquid into. It makes it so easy and fast to wash the few dishes that might be in the sink. Also, regarding laundry. With 3 children I find it handy to have a laundry basket for each kid. When the dryer goes off, and as I'm folding, I put each kids clothes in their own basket. It's easier to take to their rooms and unload.
My laundry room is off the family room in the basement. We spend most of our time down there. It has the TV and toys and a small kitchen. Although the laundry room is quite ugly--cement floor, exposed ceiling joists, etc.--I have converted it into our family closet. I hung hanging poles all around and purchased wire basket shelving (still a work in progress, as I cannot find enough baskets to fill the units yet. It keeps all the clothes in one area. When the clothes come out of the dryer, I can put them away immediately--theorheticaly. At night, or prior to bathtime, my kids gather up what they will need and go take them upstairs. It is a good system and with teenagers, it HELPS (not foolproof)keep their rooms from being covered with a mix of clean and dirty clothes. At least I know that what's up there is dirty and there's no guessing game as to "is this clean or not?". This way, the small closets in their rooms can be used as storage.
Raw egg cracks open and goes on the counter or floor: Sprinkle with salt. Let sit a few minutes, then clean it up.
Cooking starchy foods? To easily get rid of the starch residue in a pan: If the pan is hot after you remove the food, fill it with cold water. Let sit a couple of minutes, wash pan. If the pan has cooled off, fill with HOT water, let sit 2 or 3 minutes. Pour off hot, add cold, again let it sit, then wash. Cold water breaks up the starch.
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About TuscMoms.com
TuscMoms.com Editor Kristi Palma is an award-winning journalist with a Master's Degree from Northeastern. But she's first and foremost a stay-at-home mom to Jack, a blue-eyed banana-lovin' little boy born in November '06.
Contact her at kristi.palma@tuscmoms.com.
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