This child totally cracks me up! He’s literally driving me crazy, but I love him!

He’s been getting into more and more trouble the older he gets lol, which I know goes with the territory. I was looking back over some of the old trouble he used to get into like taking off with my cell phone…throwing things in the bathroom to “go get them” because he knows he isn’t allowed in the bathroom. To getting diapers from the basket and throwing them all over the living room and decorating with diaper wipes. He was especially bad with this stuff when I first started with nursing Jenavieve. He’s been so much better at that, but now he’s really testing his will. He’s so cute and funny though. Today he actually took his diaper off right after I put it on him and was getting his clothes to get dressed and he peed on my floor. Couldn’t believe he did that, but yes he did. I feel like everything I’ve said to do or not do today he’s done or not done just to test me to see “what are You gonna do about it Mom?!”. He’s gotten a quick lesson of what I am going to do about it today. But it’s so hard to pick your battles and not loose it! Another reason that God’s love just amazes me! I read a little quote today that said

“The human heart is selfish, prefers its own way, fights being molded by God, and doesn’t want to give in when we don’t get what is “rightfully ours”. We’re stubborn, prideful, and strong-willed and these unbecoming characteristic are mostly starkly revealed in our relationships. Isn’t it a comfort to know that God’s love is never miserly, never punishing of our secret, doubt-plagued thoughts? He will never pelt us in anger. He will never leave us, even when we whine and throw our tantrums in our frustrations over what we don’t like or don’t understand. After all, He knows that we are just candy-tossing toddlers at heart.” (From the book Managing Your Moods)

All I could think when I was reading this during Bensen’s MUCH needed nap today how true of my own heart that is. And just simply how blessed I am by God’s love and grace! I need it so badly with my children! I pray that I can teach Ben and Jena that even though I “loose it” on them and mess up all the time…that simply I am just like them and that God is the perfect parent. He loves us so deeply I can’t even begin to comprehend it!

I wonder how God laughs at me and shakes his head when I throw my fits? I wonder if He finds it cute when I make my pooch lip faces like Bensen and thinks, you silly child Megan, i know what’s best. You’re fine, just keep going the way i want you to! I wonder if He ever laughs at the “new stunts” I learn to pull?

Anyway, I guess thats really all I have to say about it! I’m just a dirty rotten cute little sinner, just like my kids! It’s great how God gives us these different relationships ot understand Him better isnt it!?

Ok, so I thought I would just make a quick note post today about home cleaners I’ve been making. LOVE it! I honestly can’t believe how well some of them clean! I’ve gotten some really great results, and it’s great on the wallet and for the lungs! I found several great websites out there that have given me great tips on recipes for making my own homemade cleaners. Mostly I use vinegar, lemon juice, borax and essential oils. I cleaned out my entire refrigerator today and it took all the sticky greasy molding grossy stuff right off the shelves and in the crevasses. Anyway, I’m really loving making them and I’m happy with the benefits. I’ll probably post some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned later…but for now…I will leave this website as a resource for what I’ve been doing!
http://natural-healthy-home-cleaning-tips.com
Just thought I’d share!

Ok so I have a little more time to sit down and write, so.
I have found homemade cleaners to be awesome! Vinegar does have a smell to it, but I think I figured out the secret for masking it. I’m using 10 drops of pure lavender essential oils, and 2-3 drops of lemon essential oils and a little bit of the lemon peel. So far it’s worked great. I use that with 1/2 cup vinegar 2 tbsp of borax and 16 oz of heated distilled water. I started using distilled water only recently and it’s made a very big difference in streaking/residue!

I’m also loving using baking soda in my washing machine!!! It has literally removed stains without prewashing them or stains that I thought where pretty set in. Now I’ve only really used it on my baby clothes for diaper leak stains, but it’s worked awesome! I’ve also used a little vinegar in the washing machine already, I’m not crazy about the results, and really don’t know how to work getting the smell from the clothes? So I’m personally not a fan…BUT I did use it on a run that had stains of mold/mildew, and that my friend is the trick there! As far as that smell goes, once it was washed, I used several dryer sheets sprinkled with baking soda, and that was fine for that. I just don’t want my baby smelling vinegar fresh! lol (And again, just to mention, DO NOT USE VINEGAR WITH ANY BLEACH! THE COMBINATION IS TOXIC!)

Dishwashers: Oh the fun of hard water!!!! I seem to get dirty dishes out of the dishwasher than when I first put them in! NOW…I’m using Vinegar in the “jet dry” rinse area and I’m mixing a teaspoon or so of baking soda with my dishwasher soap and I’m getting much better results. I also used just vinegar to clean the dishwasher and that removed a lot of the build up and grossness inside of the dishwasher. Very pleased with results.

Bring those stainless steal sinks to an ultra shine! Ok, so if your sink gets gunked and funked like mine does, try this! I LOVED how it worked on my sink. Start by plugging your drain and pour in 1 1/2 cups on Lemon Juice and turn on the hot water and add in 3/4 cups of baking soda, you’ll get a few fizzes that will dissipate as the water continues to run. Fill the sink to the tippy top with the hot water and let it sit for at least one hour. Not only are you killing all kinds of nasty germs/bacteria in the sink, when you drain out the water you can use a SOS pad or some sorta of scratch free pad and the rest of the goop and gunk will wipe away, rinse out with hot water and clean with a tooth brush around the faucets and handles and you should be good to go with a shiny bright stainless sink! And the best part is, all natural!

How about those bathtubs?! We live in a really old house, so old of a bathtub that the sealant on the porcelain is virtually non existent, so this is my new bi-weekly cleaning (I do other wipes downs in between of the tub, but for the heavy duty work, here’s what I do)
Plug the tub, add 5 Cups of vinegar (I know I know), 2 cups of lemon juice and get that hot water pouring in. I add 1 cup of baking soda and use gloves and reach my hands in and swirl it all up. Fill the tub to just about that nasty ring that once in a while builds up. Leave the tub be while you wipe down floors, toilets or whatever else you want to get done (usually an hour or two) return and drain the water. Use baking soda on a moist paper towel to clean out the rest of the tub and wipe it all down with a final rinse. Cleaned and ready for the next load of kids to be bathed!

Something my mom used to do, and now I’m doing from time to time is, (especially when I’m using vinegar to do a thorough cleaning) I’m making a simmer on the stove for an air freshener! In a normal 1 qt pan, boiling some water, a few apple slices, some orange skins with a little squeeze of the juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. (I find its great after feeding Ben lunch and he hasn’t eaten all his fruit) Just let is simmer for awhile. It fills the house with a wonderful scent. But be careful, when your hubby comes home and wants fresh apple pie or something! lol