busy busy busy!

>Just here to mention that in the last two days I have spent nearly 4 hours cleaning the kitchen. For the first time ever I invested in SOS pads and OMG they have become my cleaning lifesaver! I have scrubbed the inside and outside of the stove, oven, and stove tops and it sparkles pretty like. Also, the microwave, outsides of cabinets and fridge are done. Tonight I plan to accomplish boxing up all of the dry foods we will not be needing until we're at my parents house (ha! more on that later), box all of our books, and scrub the bathtubs. By the time I'm finished it will be more than bed time.

I'd also like to note for more of a personal record that I took an anxiety pill tonight. I've been doing great all along until this week hit and I am a frantic, panicky mess. Bless B, he has been so much help and done everything I've asked. He is currently scrubbing mold spots off the walls in our bathroom. I'm so blessed! On that note, I feel mildly drunk so I may have to go back and check my work tomorrow.

Peace out lovies! Only a few more days until our move!

Spring Cleaning and Packing

>Update: LOTS of things accomplished. :)

Well, we still don't have a closing date for our house but I have a very sneaky feeling that we are going to get that phone call soon and I will be rushing to pack and clean everything. So rather than packing random things together and being totally lost and confused when unpacking, I am going to start the process slowly and one room at a time. Not to mention our home is a total mess right now. TOO MUCH STUFF!! Either that or our tiny apartment just cannot handle what we've got. We're bursting at the seams and our move cannot come soon enough! So here is a rough schedule of how I plan to tackle all the cleaning and packing. I will try and add before/after pics, mostly just for fun.

Day One: Living/Family/Dining/Play Room

Yes, one "room" contains all those elements. I figure that because this is the room where we hang out and guests see (if we have guests) that I should do this room first.

• Go through old toys and pack
• Disinfect all toys
• Pack stuffed animals
• Pack books
• Disassemble the exersaucer stand up toy, disinfect, and pack
• Dust all surfaces including picture frames, tables, lamps, TV, shelves, and knick-knacks
• Pack all knick-knacks and protect 
• Dust and pack DVDs
• Water plants
• Sell dining table and chairs on craigslist 
• Fix drawer in coffee table
• Clean out couch and vacuum
• Use hose to vacuum corners, baseboards, tile and air returns
• Mop tile and wash walls
• Clean and disinfect high chair
• Clean out entry closet, vacuum, donate unused winter clothing
• Wash windows and sliding door
• Dust blinds
• Pack pictures

Day Two: Kitchen and Pantry

I figure this is the next most used room in the entire apartment and may take the longest to organize and pack.

• Clean and disinfect all surfaces and appliances
• Clean out microwave
• Clean out fridge
• Clean out under sink
• Clean out dog dishes
• Sweep and mop floor
• Pack coffee mugs and glasses, leave just enough to get by
• Clean out pantry: throw out expired items, organize dry foods, spices, and baby items, clean and pack appliances (blender, cuisinart, juicer), pack shopping bags and dog items
• Clean out fish tank
• Organize mail and file

Day Three: Patio

Our patio has become a catch-all for old baby items, packing boxes and other randomness. 

• Donate old or broken baby items
• Sell old jogger
• Go through storage closet and trash or donate unneeded items
• Sweep and wash patio floor

Day Four: 2nd Bathroom and Laundry Area

I tackled the laundry area a few weeks ago. Just need to pack everything up.

• Clean bathtub, toilet, and sink
• Pack all bathroom items (lotions, body sprays, meds)
• Pack everything under the sink (towels, first aid kit, other items)
• Wash mirror, walls and floor

Day Five: Master Bath

Oy this is such a cluttered bathroom!

• Clean bathtub, toilet and sink
• Scrub mold spots on walls (how the heck do I get rid of these?!)
• Throw away old hair products
• Pack all bathroom items and towels
• Wash mirror, walls and floor
• Dust out cabinets
• Throw away expired meds
• Pack CD player

Day Six: Master Bedroom and Closet

Our room is very roomy considering we have a 2 bed 2 bath apartment that is under 850 square feet. There are a lot of places to put things which makes it a catch-all sometimes!

• Organize dresser drawers and throw away or donate unused or holey items
• My Dresser
• B's Dresser
• Clear off window sill, dust and wash windows
• Pack books and donate book shelf (just donated a ton of books to a local book store and the shelves are falling apart so I don't feel right asking someone to pay me for it)
• Pack knick-knacks and picture frames after a thorough dusting
• Clean out drawers of end tables
• Wash dog beds and insides of kennels
• Clean out closet, donate clothes, and pack away seasonal clothing
• Do one load of laundry a day to keep things clean and put away
• Iron B's work clothes

Day Seven: Logan's Room and Closet

Logan's room is not just for his things. His closet and a space above his crib have become extra storage places. We don't have an office or desk so the inside of his closet is a make shift filing cabinet and mini office!

• Disinfect crib rails and top of dresser (changing area)
• Dust shelves above changing table
• Clean and dust window sill and blinds
• Dust and pack knick-knacks on on display shelves
• Go through Logan's clothes and ensure all clothes in drawers currently fit him, pack away the ones which don't
• Clean out closet of old boxes, toys, and random items
• Clean out and pack all items stored above Logan's crib
• Pack up any other items not being used

Other General Things:

• Shampoo spots in carpet and schedule a good shampooing with apartment management
• Clean out all sink and tub drains (YUCK--I get the maintenance men to do this one too)
• Vacuum all corners and baseboards, moving furniture around

WOWOWOWOWOWWWW!!! Can you believe it? I could have everything clean, organized and packed up in SEVEN days! Anyone wanna come over and help me? ;) I imagine that unless we get a call about the house next week that this project will take me several weeks to complete. My steam for cleaning usually only lasts a good 2-3 hours before I am exhausted and ready to relax again. I figure that breaking everything up will allow me to utilize my down time to get these things done and only a few things require B to help (ie: the patio area). 

PLEASE recommend any of your favorite cleaning supplies. I have the Clorox version of a Swiffer, disinfectant wipes, scrubbing bubbles for the bathrooms, and windex. What are you favorite go to items when it comes to serious cleaning??

The Day After Christmas

>I'm busy rearranging our tiny apartment. We have accumulated a lot of new fun toys for Logan and well, we barely have 800 square feet for all of us and our things, oh yeah and the dogs too. ;) But guess what? That's gonna change reallllllly soon! More on that later...

I'm having a hard time writing something decent. We had a great Christmas weekend, but our evening did not end how I would have liked and sadly, I'm still trying to run that conversation through my head without feeling bitter about it. We were able to wake up Christmas morning with my parents and B's mom at her place. We had yummy French Bread and sipped on hot coffee. It was lovely. We Logan waited patiently to open his presents and boy is he spoiled! I only had to return two things today, one which had a crack in the wood and another which we already had. After Logan went down for a nap and all the morning festivities came to a close, I took a nap. It felt great! Then B and I went to the movies and saw Black Swan. It was AWESOME! Logan got to spend some quality one on one time with his Grandma and I know they both loved that. Then we headed up to my parents house for Christmas dinner. Dinner was super yummy and my mom made excellent green bean casserole, my fav! Later we watched The Big Lebowski. Aside from a sour conversation I had, we did exactly what we wanted on our first Christmas together.

FYI Logan's cough is still hanging around. Not getting better, not really getting worse either. It's frustrating.