A Trash Can A Day...Or...Lighten The Load

 I made a new goal for the past two weeks. I purposed to fill my big black trash can full or at least half full everyday. I went from room to room or attacked a problem area with can close by. I didn't know if I could really do it, but as I started going through all my wonderful junk, I found that it wasn't all that difficult. Actually, once I got going, it was down right exhilarating!
Why would I get the crazy idea to do this, and why now?
I am recognizing more everyday that I am in a season of life that demands much. I have 5 children, 2 of whom are Littles, 3 and 13 months, and the Bigs are 10 and under. Still not very big, but getting there. I am homeschooling the older 3 with one of the younger Littles begging for 'school', too.I am also helping my husband manage parts of our business. Spring is almost upon us and I am hoping for a successful garden this year. This requires me to be on top of planting, planning, watering, etc. Summer will follow hard on the heels of spring and with it, Lord willing, will be peach season. Peach season is very busy for me. And then there are church related things. Outreach. Fellowship. Ministry.
My life is very full.
I don't have room for clutter and non-essentials. I don't have space for stuff I am not using. Not even good stuff for someday if it is slowing me down. Cute stuff. Broken stuff. Free stuff.
I was born in Oregon, and my ancestors came to Oregon by wagon. They left everything behind except what they could fit in their wagon and headed toward a new life, a new world. The people who traveled the Oregon Trail were people who had big ideas, hopes and dreams, and were well acquainted with sacrifice to get there. As they journeyed, they came to places along the Trail that demanded sacrifice or die. The evidence of their choices lay scattered along the Trail. Chairs, tables, books, beans, wheels, clothes, cradles, and other non-essentials were tossed out to lighten the load. To hang on to those things would have endangered their purpose, their mission. It was all good stuff. Stuff they needed when they got there.
We don't really live in the relm of river crossings, mud, and mountain passes being things we fight everyday in a wagon with all our worldy possessions at our side. We don't physically come to those type of crisis moments where we see the choices before us as black and white. Keep the stuff and die, or at least, lose everything, or dump what can be dumped and move on. But I see in my life that sometimes all this stuff I am hauling around is hindering me more than I realize. I don't get as far as I could because I am dragging a wagon that is too heavy for the terrain I am on at the time. Even if it wasn't too much 100 miles ago, it is now.
So, I am lightening the load. Some may seem drastic to others or feel drastic and nutty to me. Too bad. Gotta get where I am going and a wagon that it too full for me to manage won't make it.
I've left a pile on the trail the last few weeks. And more will join them.
Fabric stash. Mending pile. Broken toys, toys with a jillion pieces that are scattered from here to there. Good empty containers. Good empty boxes. Old wool sweaters to make diaper covers out of. Clothes that don't fit. Clothes I don't like. Things I don't want to admit to keeping. Etc...Etc...Etc.......
So, if you see me in the next few weeks and I seem to have a strange compulsion to hover close to a big black trash can, you'll know why. =)

A Sh-What?

I got a birthday present!

I really like it and just have to share it with the blog world....

First, a small rant.

I have been amazed at the effectiveness of marketing. Tell women that cleaning their floors is too hard unless they use______ product, and they hop out and buy the gadget mop. Never mind that the refill for the thing will cost them a fortune.

Here is an example.



The Swiffer Wet Jet. To buy this mop, it costs $24.99 at Drugstore.com

It comes with

• 1 Power Mop
• 2 Disposable Cleaning Pads
• 1 Bottle of Multi-Purpose Cleaning Solution (16.9 fl oz) Note: This is a smaller amount than the refill size.
• 1 Scrubbing Strip

The two AA batteries required are not included.

When you run out of cleaning pads, which will be pretty quick if you have a floor of any size, you will have to replace them. A box of 24 cleaning pads costs $12.79 from, again, drugstore.com

They claim that the cleaning pads cleans 2 large rooms or 323 sq ft. After using one, I would have to ask, how do they come up with this figure? The rooms I cleaned were not that dirty, and yet, to really get them clean, I used almost a whole box of cleaning pads. (It was a large living room and moderate sized kitchen...)

The other refill you have to purchase for this mop is the cleaning solution. It is $6.49 for 33.8 fl oz at drugstore.com

So, total cost for this mop system is

• $24.99 for starter kit
• $12.79 for cleaning pad refills, which go in a hurry
• $6.49 for cleaning solution
• $44.27
  

Now, just say you had to buy a box of pads, oh, every month or so. Just say you ended up buying 10 boxes over the course of the year.

10 X $12.79 = $127.90

And just say you only had to buy 10 cleaning solution refills in the year.

10 X $6.49 = $64.90

So, not including the AA batteries that you will have to furnish and replace, or the scrubbing pad if it needs replaced, your total cost for the year for the awesome Swiffer Wet Jet will be only

• $44.27 Start up
  
• $127.90 Cleaning Pads
  
• $64.90 Cleaning Solution
  
• $237.07 Total Cost for the year.

The next year your cost would go down since you wouldn't have to buy the mop again. So in the second year you owned your Wet Jet, you would only pay $192.80 to keep your floors clean.

Added together, the cost of operating the Swiffer Wet Jet for a mere 2 years would be an astronomical $429.87.

That, my friends, is some expensive mop water.

So, back to my birthday present.

After looking at several options, I asked David for a Sh-Mop for my birthday.

What is a Sh-Mop?

Here is the product info from the Clean Team website:

The Sh-Mop sh-cleans your sh-floors in record time.

Escape the tedium of mopping! The Sh-Mop isn't another TV wonder gadget. It's a professionally designed tool with terry cloth Sh-Wipes that cleans in a fraction of the time required for standard string or sponge mops. Our customers love it and our cleaning teams won't live without it. You'll be hooked too. The Sh Mop starts with a sturdy, extra-big, 8" x 15" plastic base called, what else, a Sh-Base. Unlike ordinary mops, the Sh-Base has a very low profile and pivots in any direction to allow you to quickly and easily clean into corners, along tough angles, and underneath tight spots. It's covered with a replaceable 8" x 15" white scrub pad. Then, a thick, 100% cotton terry cloth cover (called a Sh-Wipe, of course) slips over this frame. The scrubbing and absorbing properties of reusable cotton Sh-Wipes make short work of dirty floors. When one Sh-Wipe gets soiled, just pop it off and pop on a fresh one.

• New 22" of molded foam on handle provides unparalleled user comfort.
• Ideal for virtually any hard floor: vinyl, urethane-finished wood, tile, marble.
• Use it on walls, windows, ceilings, cabinets.
• Rugged design lasts and lasts.
• Large surface area quickly covers more territory than conventional mops.
• Cleans without streaking.
• Sh-Wipes can be machine washed and sanitized after every use. It's like having a new, sparkling clean mop every time you clean.
• No need for a bucket.

The cost of this:

The Sh-Mop
(Including base, extension Versapole, and 3 Sh-Wipes) $26.95

Or you can get the kit that includes cleaner:

The Sh-Mop Kit
(The above plus a bottle of our popular, gentle, neutral floor Cleaner- Sh-Clean. Regularly $36.90 Save $7.95.) $28.95

Replacement Sh-Wipes (3 pack)
$12.95

So, the total cost for this system is:

• $28.95 for Sh-Mop Kit
• $12.95 optional, replacement Sh-Wipes
• $41.90 Total Start up cost

This figure is assuming you buy extra Sh-Wipes. Most people wouldn't need more than the 3 that come with the Sh-Mop.

In the first year, there should really be no need to buy more Sh-Wipes, unless you need more on hand. So, your total cost for the year would be $41.90, not including the cost of ammonia, vinegar, or whatever you choose to mop with.

In your second year of ownership, you might choose to replace some wipes, and may need to replace the scrubber pad. Your cost could be:

• $12.95 Replacement wipes
• $5.95 Replacement Scrubber Pad and 4 clips
• $18.90 Total Estimated Cost for Second Year (This is assuming that you would even need to replace the wipes or the pad...)
  

The estimated cost for 2 years of ownership of the Sh-Mop would be a whopping $60.80.

Swiffer Wet Jet cost of operation for 2 years $429.87
Sh-Mop cost of operation for 2 years $60.80

Oh, and just in case it seems like my figures are off, just say you use half as much "stuff" for the Wet Jet.

That is still a little over $200 for 2 years.....

Yep, marketing has done a good job.

And, thank you, David and kids, for my birthday present. What do you think we could use that extra $350+ for?

House Labors....

Well, I have had a productive week. Last week, I got quite a list of projects accomplished. Still have more to do, but I am pleased with my progress.

I got our library set up, meaning I organized our books and labeled shelves. This was really fun.
I am looking forward to this coming week when I plan to do some focused training with my kids. Lots of new things have been set up and I want to give each one individualized training. I plan to take each kid by themselves for a day through the training course, =) and carefully communicate and train exactly what is needed and expected.

I am really looking forward to starting this year's school. I have had fun getting things found and bought for the year ahead. Still have a few little things here and there to pick up, but for the most part, I am ready. And since I have bought everything used, I have gotten a lot more mileage out of my money. =)

Charge!

This week I am planning a major cleanup/organizing adventure. All prayers will be appreciated! I have a lot to do, and hope to be fully done by Friday.

I am hoping that Travis will cooperate, which this morning doesn't seem to be happening.....But things change quickly around here! So, I anticipate being able to get a move on soon......

My to-do list today....
Bull-doze Jakin's room. (It has gotten cluttered up with the 'I'll get to that later' stuff.....)
Clear off my desk (Into the box, everybody!)
Juice Lemons (Yes, for lemonade, but I bought a case, meaning 235 lemons, meaning a bushel of lemons. I need to juice and freeze them, or at least part of them.)
Put away the laundry. (That job that never ends, but is so needed and a blessing to the family...)

Off I go, charging into the fray! =)

Okay, So I Am Not Superwoman.

I failed. I didn’t get anything except the dishwasher run and supper made yesterday.

I did get some baby-building done, but what about that multi-tasking thing?!

I did do a few other misc. things, like got David registered for the conference coming up, took a LONG nap and things like that. But I wanted to do more. Oh, well. Here I am. I am hoping to do some today.

Pray for me when you read this? J

Onto The Front Half...

I have conquered the back half of my house and am hoping to conquer the front half today. Or maybe half of the front half… J

I have quite a list to get done, but am going to give it a shot.

I am superwoman. Why wouldn’t I be able to do it?

 

 

Charge!

Today I got some things done, in spite of swollen feet and a belly in the way! (I rested my feet…see,… I have them propped up right now.)

First, I attacked my bedroom. It was still clean really but the floor needed sweeping and a few things put in order. Then I swept the girl’s room and then Jakin’s room. THEN, I plunged in on the hall. Yeah, the one that was piled with stuff that I had thrown out of my room when I cleaned it up before, along with other misc. items. So, the back half of my house looks great right now. I am happy for now. I got some other misc. things done as well this morning…

Now if I could borrow a snow shovel from someone for the front half of my house…

BTW, I have some awesome helpers. They can make some awesome messes, but when it is time to clean up, I have a crew that can get in and get it done. I feel very blessed. And hopeful. With a new baby on the way, having big helpers can be very encouraging to think about! Thanks, guys!

Good morning!
Today is windy and cool, and thankfully we have a woodstove and a warm house. I think about how nice it is to have a house in weather like this. Most of us take that as a normal fact, but some people don't have the privilige or luxury of having a place that is warm and dry. I am thankful for my warm bed and dry house to take care of my family in.

Today is my big cleaning day. Today I get to go through the house cleaning everything up. And today I am going shopping. Online, that is. And I'm planning to get my coop order together.

Keilah's birthday is coming up soon. She will be 5. Wow. It seems like just a short time ago she was a baby. Now she is half way to 10.

Well, on to the other items of the day!