It’s Time for Spring Cleaning!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was so excited when Dollar General gave me a kick in the pants to get started on my Spring Cleaning!  I had plenty that needed to be done around the house, and when they challenged me to shop for cleaning products and try them out in my house, I was happy to take them up on it.

Although I still have plenty of cleaning to do, here's what I got done in just a couple hours yesterday (a record for me since I usually get interrupted abot 4,682 times while I'm cleaning!)

The first thing I picked up at Dollar General was trash bags.  I do lots of purging while I'm spring cleaning, so I knew I would need lots of trash bags to remove trash, and to carry unused items up to the attic.

I honestly was a little bit skeptical of how the Dollar General trash bags would do.  I've purchased off-brand trash bags before and been pretty sorry about that decision.  But after I loaded up the baby's clothes that she has grown out of (sniff, sniff) into one of the bags, I realized that I would not regret buying the Dollar General bags.  Score #1 for Dollar General.

Next, I had quite a bit of scrubbing to do.  My daughter has been quite creative lately with the crayons, as you can see below.  The Dollar General super erasers took the lighter colors off without any effort.  The dark blue required me to scrub very hard, and I haven't fully removed it because my arm was killing me!  I'm not sure if the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers would take off the dark colors any easier than the Dollar General erasers did.  I think the best solution will be to make sure my little girl doesn't get ahold of crayons in her room again!

Then it was time for lunch.  While the kids were eating, I washed up a few dishes.  I had been using Ajax dish soap, which I hate, but my husband does the shopping for me, and he buys whatever is cheapest.  I like the Dollar General dish soap much better.  It was thicker and more sudsy.  It's not the best I've ever used, but it was much, much better than the Ajax, and still an inexpensive option.

After lunch, I headed to the bedroom to do some (long overdue) dusting.  I usually use a Swiffer duster because it makes the dusting go really quickly.  I actually thought the Dollar General duster worked better than the Swiffer brand!

We have a lot of laminate wood floors in the house, and many times the quickest way to get them clean is to run over them with the Swiffer sweeper dry cloths.  I found the Dollar General brand dry cloth refills while I was at the store, so I decided to give them a try.  They did the job, but I didn't feel that they worked quite as well as the Swiffer brand.  If price is an issue, they're a good alternative that will work almost as well.

Our bathroom gets that scummy pink gunk so quickly!  I just read the other day that it tends to be a lot worse if you have well water (which we do.)  That makes feel a little less like a disgusting slob.  I grabbed a canister of the Dollar General disinfectant wipes because they were a great price.  It's hard to see in the picture, but it removed the pink gunk very easily.  I like keeping these wipes under the bathroom sink for those “little boy messes” in the bathroom.  I thought the wipes were a great buy for a price. 

I had boiled over some potatoes on the stove (not that I do that very often), and the stains would not scrub off.  The Dollar General soap pads worked great!  I was kicking myself for not picking some up earlier.

Remember the pink gunk?  It shows up all the time in the toilet too.  Eww, gross, I know.  I tend to be a little unconventional with how I clean my toilet.  I don't normally buy toilet bowl cleaner; I just use whatever soap happens to be nearest to me.  I decided to give the dish soap a try.  I loved it!  It made the water so sudsy and gave me some good scrubbing action. 

And I often scrub the pink gunk on the tub the same way as the toilet – using whatever soap happens to be nearby.  The dish soap worked great on that too!

I have a lot more cleaning to do (with 4 little ones, it's pretty much never-ending), but I got a good start.  Seeing things clean motivates me to clean even more!

Have you started your spring cleaning yet?  What projects do you need to tackle?

Will You Say Yes?

This post was originally published in 2012.  Although the circumstances are different now,  I still need to be reminded of this.  I pray it will be a blessing to some of you as well.

I have a deep admiration for God's servants. When I see people who have given their whole life to Him to do whatever He asks, no matter how hard, I am motivated to be like that. I am so encouraged when I see people who are making sacrifices and living through difficult circumstances with a smile on their face.

I've watched a missionary family live with numerous health problems and deal with inconveniences like their water being turned off for nearly a week. I've watched a family proceed with multiple international adoptions in spite of the lack of finances and the emotional, physical, and spiritual toll it takes to parent adopted children. I saw another missionary family lose their 3 year old daughter in a tragic car accident, yet they are choosing to be thankful for the way God is using that accident for His glory. These are just a few examples. Everywhere I go I see people who have said “Yes” to God, no matter how hard a thing it is that He has asked them to do.

I have spent much time in prayer asking God what it is that He has for me. What hard thing is it that He wants me to do? I am determined to say “Yes”. I will trust him for the grace each day to do whatever He asks of me.

…Or will I?

Fast forward a few days, and in your imagination come join me in my home. I get up early, eager to tackle my lengthy to-do list. I have big plans for all that I am going to accomplish. I read my Bible and pray, then get up and start working on my list, humming as I go. I'm excited to face the day, determined to be a great mommy and homemaker. Several short minutes later, my well-laid plans are interrupted. I hear a baby crying. “He never wakes up this early,” I think. “Pleeease go back to sleep so I can get some work done.” After a couple more minutes, I decide that I'd better go get the little fella. I'm too late. My oldest boy, who shares a room with the baby, has already awakened, and there's no getting that one back to sleep once he's up. To top things off, he gets so lonely while I'm feeding the baby that he has to wake up his little sister so she can play with him.

Okay, I can adjust. I'll just go ahead and start working on the things I had planned to do after the kids were up. Then I'll get them down a little early for their naps and go back to working on what needs to be done while they're sleeping.

All 3 kids are cranky all morning from getting up so early. I'm stopping every few minutes to console a crying baby or try to thwart an emotional meltdown from my 2 year old. In between grouchy spells they're running around like little crazy people, getting into everything they're not supposed to get into. I'm trying to maintain some semblance of order, so I stop to deal with each issue that arises and clean up each mess. By lunchtime, I've accomplished the amazing feat of getting everyone dressed and fed. That's it. Oh! And I did throw in a load of laundry and make a loaf of bread. Well, I dumped the ingredients into the bread machine, if that counts. I'm eying the clock and eagerly anticipating naptime so I can at least get a little bit of work done. I'm hoping that everyone (including myself) will be in better spirits after a good afternoon rest.

Naptime, however, is delayed due to the fact that the timer on the bread machine says that the bread will be finished exactly one hour later than I thought it would be finished. I'm almost out of groceries, and that bread is about the only thing in the house that I have to feed the kids, so I'm stuck waiting for it to finish before we can eat lunch. Combine hungry grouchy with tired grouchy, and we have a house full of very grouchy people. And Mama is getting grouchier by the minute. I'm very close to surpassing the grouchiness of my children. Yes, that happy, humming mama that arose so excited about her day is acting like a child who is not getting her way.

But wait, it gets better.

Much to my relief, naptime finally arrives. I make sure the two older older children have gone potty, and get everyone tucked snugly into their beds.

For about fifteen minutes.

That's when I hear the footsteps in the hall. “Mommy, I have to go potty,” I hear a little two year old voice say. “You just went potty. Go back to bed,” I reply through gritted teeth, trying hard not to sound as irritated as I feel. As she turns to walk away, I see the little bulge in the back of her Pull-up. I roll my eyes, thinking to myself, “WHY does she have to go stinky during her nap every. single. day????!!” I change her Pull-up and put her back to bed.

For another fifteen minutes.

“Mommy, I have to go potty again.” I check the Pull-up. Stinky again. I change the Pull-up again and put her back to bed.

She's up and down several more times after that, not to go potty, but just the general two year old naptime avoidance tactics. By the time I finally get her to actually go to sleep, my oldest boy is up. He's actually taken a good nap, so I have no reason to make him go back to bed. I try to make him sit quietly and read books so I can have a few minutes of quiet. Yeah, right. Four year old boys and quiet don't belong together in the same sentence.

I finally give up and go to the kitchen to start supper. My husband walks in the door, and is greeted with what is by this time a very grouchy wife. I start complaining to him about my day, how I'm so tired, and how I didn't get anything done today and that I barely have enough strength to make supper. (Which is true. I'm still nursing the baby, and I hadn't had enough to eat throughout the day.) He just smiles at me and goes to play with the kids. I sit down with my head in my hands and wish that supper would make itself. There's not even anything that I can eat for a quick snack to give myself an energy boost. I get up and manage to pull together some chicken and pasta, and while I'm cooking, the Holy Spirit speaks to me in His still, small voice.

“Didn't you tell me that you would do whatever I asked of you? And that you would do it cheerfully? Do you know what I've asked of you today? I've asked you to love your husband and to love your children, and to have a good attitude even when your day doesn't go the way you planned it.”

I confess to the Lord my selfishness, and for the rest of the evening I choose to be joyful. I choose to say “Yes” to God, although I wish I had obeyed a whole lot earlier.

What about you? What is God asking you to do? We all have different life circumstances, and the thing that He asks you to do will be different from what He's asked me to do. Maybe, like me, you haven't even stopped to recognize what it is that He's asking of you. Will you take the time to realize what it is? Then, will you say “Yes” to Him?

N.C. Transportation Museum Spring Kick Off Event

If you're one of my local readers, you may be interested in this event!  My family and I are hoping to attend!

Here's the official invitation:

Join the N.C. Transportation Museum for a Spring Kick Off on March 15, 2014! This event is a way of welcoming back warmer weather and gearing up for our busiest seasons of the year. Two trains will be available, including the steam powered caboose train.

NCTM Passenger Train: The N.C. Transportation Museum's passenger train is pulled by a vintage diesel engine, with visitors riding in 1950s-era passenger cars. The newly restored Clinchfield 100 will be in the consist for visitors to ride. About 25 minutes long, the ride provides a “from the tracks” view of the town of Spencer and the N.C. Transportation Museum's historic buildings.

Steam Engine Caboose Train: A special offering for this event, the Lehigh Valley #126 will be pulling five of the museum's colorful cabooses for a different view from the rails. The Lehigh Valley #126 is an authentic steam engine, built in 1931. After a long career of working in the coal industry, primarily in Pennsylvania, the engine was nearly lost to a scrap yard. It was purchased by the Gramling Locomotive Works, restored and now tours the country appearing at events like the Spring Kick Off. There is nothing like the sound of a steam engine chugging down the tracks. And since everyone's favorite rail car is the caboose, we give you a train full of them. Ride along in the cupola for an “above the rails” view of the N.C. Transportation Museum.

Clinchfield 100 Passenger Car and Activities: Those on the museum's Passenger Train will be able to ride along in the Clinchfield 100. This newly restored rail car represents the history of the Clinchfield Railroad. Started in 1902, the passenger and freight train line ran from Virginia to South Carolina, with a popular stop at the Little Switzerland resort in the North Carolina Mountains. The railroad is also remembered for it's “Santa Clause Special” that started in 1943 and ran the lenth of the railroad's main line, from Elkhorn City to Spartanburg, handing out gifts for children along the way.

Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society Whistle Machine The Whistle Machine is a self-contained trailer featuring a collection of unique, historically significant whistles from the steam locomotive era and the means to blow them. Steam locomotive train whistles were the sound of an era, more musical than modern horns. Engineers also often had a distinctive way they would sound their whistles as the steam engine moved down the track. The Whistle Machine offers an opportunity for all ages to hear to distinctive sound and to create their own signature whistle sound.

NASCAR Field of Honor Race Car: This NASCAR car, decked out in red, white and blue, serves as an attention getting and fund-raiser for the Carolina Field of Honor at Triad Park. A joint venture of Forsyth and Guilford Counties, the park will commemorate and honor those who fought in the nation's battles, creating a timeline from Iwo Jima and Germany to Iraq and Afghanistan. A project of the War Memorial Foundation, more information on the construction plans for the park can be found at www.ncwmf.org.

History In Person: Across the museum grounds, visitors will find figures from the past. Figures include the hobos at the box car telling their tales, the milk man and his Divco milk truck in the Bumper to Bumper exhibit (with milk and cookies for guests!), the railroad shop worker in the Roundhouse, Wright Brothers' sister Kate Wright at the Wright Brothers Flyer, and the soldier in the Back Shop near by the Deuce and a half army truck. All will provide visitors a unique look at transportation history, from their perspective.

Piedmont Airlines DC-3 Restoration: Special tours will be available as part of your ticket price, including a walk through the Back Shop to get an up close look at the Piedmont Airlines DC-3. The airplane is undergoing a restoration. Former Piedmont and US Air pilot Captain Bill Wilkerson will provide his expertise. Tours happen at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Visitors will gather at the Master Mechanic's Office (near the caboose train boarding) at the appointed times to take advantage of these tours.

Kids Crafts, Storytelling: In the Wagon's, Wheels & Wings exhibit area, crafts will be available (at no extra fee) while Barbie LeBrun will tell children's stories to the gathered kids.

Gold Panning: Our Historic Site partners at Reed Gold Mine will provide their gold panning activity. See how gold was found in the days of the first gold rush and pan for gold yourself! NOTE: Gold panning requires an additional $2 fee.

Fire Truck Displays: See a great display of antique fire trucks on the museum grounds from a private collection. Plus, the museum's own 1929 Ford Model AA Fire Truck will also be displayed.

Rowan Areo Modelers: The Rowan Areo Modelers will be flying their ultra-cool model airplanes from the museum's lower parking lot. See the models on the ground and in flight and talk with the model pilots. Find more at www.rams-fly.com.

MORE!: Events and activities are still being added for what promises to be a huge day of fun at the N.C. Transportation Museum. Purchase tickets now online!

Help for Disorganized People (Part 2)

As we continue our series on Time Management and Organization for the Disorganized Procrastinator (read part 1 here), let's take a look at some common reasons for procrastination.

Pretty much everyone suffers from procrastination tendencies in at least one aspect of their lives, whether it's getting work done, doing household chores, or exercising.  (Wouldn't it be great if we procrastinated about eating that delicious chocolate brownie as much as we do about exercising?)

When you procrastinate on certain things, you're getting some sort of payoff for the behavior. You're avoiding the pain of doing the task right now. Maybe you realize that it may cause you pain later, but you put that out of your mind. What you're concerned with right now is avoiding the pain now. Pain felt later is not real yet.

So what are some of the reasons we procrastinate?

1. Fear of Failure

This is the most obvious reason people procrastinate. The fear that you won't succeed is so strong that you'd rather not try at all. Your mind tells you that you're not a failure because you didn't do it yet. Many people who fear failure have perfectionist tendencies. Perfectionism is really just a cover and an excuse for not ever finishing anything due to the fear of failure.

2. Fear of Success

Believe it or not, some people procrastinate due to a fear of success, the inverse of fear of failure. If you have an innate feeling that you don't deserve success and lack confidence in your ability to continue being successful, you will procrastinate. Once you are on top, it's harder to stay on top, so why get to the top at all? Fear of being able to repeat success can block you from ever experiencing success in the first place.

3. Addiction to the Rush

This is something that often happens to college students or people who work with deadlines. They wait until the last minute and the extra adrenaline that is produced makes them feel good. They get addicted to the adrenaline and seek reasons to flood their body with it again, and again. Adrenaline junkies often believe they do better work at the last minute, which could not be further from the truth. If you perform at a high level at the last minute, imagine how well you would do with a real plan of action?

4. Lack of Interest

Some things you put off because you simply don't like to do them.  That could be cleaning out the oven or the fridge, matching socks, or working on a report for work or school. Those things are boring, so you procrastinate because you simply do not want to do it to start with. You wait until the very last moment to do it.  Maybe you're even late with it or don't do it at all.

5. You Need Training

Some people procrastinate because they really aren't sure how to do something. They need someone to train them how to do it right. It doesn't matter if it's household organizing, work related tasks, or something else entirely — if you tend to procrastinate about something, ask yourself if you are procrastinating because you don't know how to do it.

6. You Don't Like to Say No

By putting off doing things you've committed to do, it's your way of saying no without saying no. If you're a person who doesn't like to say no just because you're trying to be nice, but then you put off doing what you've agreed to do — I hate to tell you, but you're not being nice!  Just be honest and don't commit to things with which you cannot follow through.

7. You're Overwhelmed

It's not uncommon to start putting things off when you simply get in over your head. Due to poor organizational ability, you simply bit off more than you could chew. Plus, you lack the training to chunk together actionable steps to beat the feeling of overwhelm. When you're overwhelmed, it seems easier to just ignore anything that needs to be done.

8. You're a Dreamer & a Talker

Many people who are otherwise great people tend to love to talk about doing, rather than actually doing. The problem with this is that if you never follow up with doing what you're talking about, you'll never achieve success. You'll always just be a talker and a dreamer. Spending time making vision boards on Pinterest feels productive, but if you don't back that up with some action, you're not productive. You're all talk and no action.

9.Inability to Visualize Success

Some procrastinators have serious problems with creating a picture in their minds of future success. You let your past inform your future too much. You just cannot see yourself being successful at anything, so you put off trying and put off doing your best because you just can't see yourself beyond where you are right now.

Next week, we'll talk about how to overcome these roadblocks.

But for this week's challenge, I want you to identify:

1. One thing that you've been putting off.
2. The reason you've been procrastinating.

Leave a comment and let me know what you determined!

Gluten Free Pancakes

Sometimes running out of your normal ingredients provides the opportunity to create new recipes.  That's what happened the other night when I came up with these gluten free and protein-packed pancakes.

I've posted the recipe for these gluten free pancakes over at the Grain Mill Wagon.

What You Need to Know about Oral Health

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Waterpik.

If you've been reading here for any length of time, you know that I am interested in healthy living.  I am always reading, and always trying to learn how to help myself and my family be more healthy.

This is the only body I'll ever have, so I'd better take good care of it. (Click here to tweet this!)

Some of the most recent reading I've been doing is on the topic of oral health.  Up until now I have been focusing mainly on diet, sleep, and stress management to strengthen my health.  I know I need to exercise more, and I am slowly working on that and getting better little by little.

But a topic that I have not paid much attention to is my oral health.

(If you can't read the infographic, you can click to enlarge.)

I could spend quite a while writing about how oral health affects the health of the entire body, but I'll try to condense it way down into a nutshell version.

When your gums become infested with bacteria due to improper brushing, poor diet, and failure to floss, the bacteria can then move into the bloodstream.  These bacteria destroy tissue and white blood cells, dump toxins into the bloodstream, and create inflammation as the body tries to resist.  However, this chronic inflammation sets the stage for much worse disease such as heart disease and cancer.

Now, I don't believe that oral health is the only thing that causes disease, but since it can play such a big part I think it's important that it be addressed!

How do you know if you have gum disease?

• Your gums are swollen, puffy, or tender
• Your gums bleed when you brush or floss
• You have receding gums
• Your gums are separating from your teeth, creating pockets
• You have constant bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth

How can you take care of your teeth and gums?

Brush and floss regularly to remove the bacteria from your teeth and gums.

I'll be honest.  I have always hated to floss.  And sadly, I have not taken very good care of my gums.

My gums are sensitive, and they bleed when I floss.

When I was asked if I wanted to try out a Waterpik Aquarius Professional Water Flosser, I was more than happy to do so.  I know I need to take better care of my gums, and I wanted to see if using the Waterpik would be easier than flossing.

The Waterpik Aquarius Professional Water Flosser is clinically proven to improve gum health vs. string floss.

I liked that it didn't hurt my gums or make them bleed like floss does.

It has 7 different tips that you can use based on your personal needs, and you can set it to a higher or lower setting depending on what is comfortable for you.

It also switches between “floss” mode, where the water pulsates, and “massage” mode, to help stimulate circulation.

The switch is right on the handle, making it easy to turn on and off.

So far I have been happy with flossing this way, and I think it's great that the Waterpik gets down underneath the gumline where traditional brushing and flossing cannot reach.

Waterpik is offering free shipping on any product through March 31st with the coupon code FREESHIPWP660. 

The Waterpik Aquarius Professional Water Flosser comes with a money-back guarantee as well as a 3 year warranty.

How is your oral health?  Do you need to work on keeping those bacteria at bay so they cannot move on to other parts of your body?  Do you think a Waterpik would make it easier for you to floss regularly?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Waterpik.