Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

My Daily List

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I have used lists to keep me on track for years. I prefer to use routines, instead of a schedule. I have learned that is is next to impossible to follow a timed schedule. A list of tasks to finish sometime in the morning or afternoon is much more achievable for me, and for my children. The four youngest that I am homeschooling (the older 2 already graduated from our homeschool) have their own morning and afternoon lists. Morning list are supposed to be done before school starts, and afternoon lists are done right after lunch.
Every so often, I go through my lists and update them. For example, I don’t need  “test the pool” cluttering up my list in the winter. The change of seasons is a good time to update my lists.
Here is my current daily list:

MORNING
 Make my bed
 Pick up master bed, bath
 Take dinner out of freezer
 Breakfast
 Vitamins
 wash dishes
 desk duty
 School

 Clear Hot Spots:
 computer desks
 washing machine
 LR-TV
 tables- school room, living room
 piano

 AFTERNOON
 Lunch        
 Vitamins
 wash dishes      
 Check school work                  
 Put away School stuff
 Start dinner
 weeklies
 monthlies

EVENING
 Dinner
 Vitamins
 wash dishes

Clear hot spots:
 computer desks
 washing machine
 LR-TV
 tables – schoolroom, living room
 piano

A hot spot is a place that everyone dumps their stuff. The places that would be piled sky high if not dealt with on a regular basis. You know the spots I’m talking about, every house has them.

Now, my list probably will look quite different from yours. My kids have a lot of the daily tasks on their lists.

They set the table, clear the table, take out the trash, do pick-ups of all the rooms, do the daily vacuuming. I believe in training the kids (boys and girls) to do housework so when they move out, they are equipped to take care of their own houses.

Housework is the responsibility of ALL the people that live in the home. Not just the girls. My boys hate it when I say that. lol

You’ve probably also noticed that laundry is not on the list. The kids are responsible for their own laundry. Since my youngest is 10, I just have to supervise the laundry process, which includes hanging the laundry on the clothesline outside.

Next week, I’ll share my weekly cleaning list.

For more homemaking ideas, visit
Homemaker Monday

Tackle it Tuesday

How to Remove Gum from Clothing

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This morning I was greeted by “Mom, I don’t know where it came from, but there’s gum on my apron!”
So, I used this opportunity to teach her how to remove gum from clothing. This is the easiest way that I know. Freeze it off. You can take the clothing item, and put it directly in the freezer. Or you can do what I did, I choose to show her how to do it with ice packs.

See the dreaded gum?!

We put one ice pack under the apron.

We then put another ice pack on top of the gum. This happens to be my homemade ice pack.

 

I let it sit for about 10 minutes, then the gum popped right off. If there is a stubborn spot that doesn’t want to come off, put the ice back on and try again in a few minutes.

My daughter then washed the apron, and all traces are gone.

So if your kids end up with gum on their clothes, the freezing method is the easiest way to remove it. It’s so easy, the kids can do it themselves.

Hey, if they can get gum on their clothes, they certainly can learn to get it off!

Crocheted Dust Mitt

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I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, that I was going to make a Crocheted Dust Mitt.

Well, I finished it, and I love it! Here’s the top of the mitt.

 

 

 

I don’t use furniture spray when I dust, I normally just use a damp cloth. But when I saw the pattern for the Crocheted Dust Mitt I knew I wanted to make one.

This is the bottom of the mitt, the dusting side, laying flat.

 

Crocheted Dust Mitt

 

 

 

I find it very easy to use on all surfaces, from flat surfaces to computer keyboards to house plants. Now, it doesn’t get all the way down in between the keys on the keyboard, but it does get partway.

Here’s the mitt all fluffed up:

 

 

It collected the dust without using any spray or evening dampening it. I take it outside when I can see a lot of dust on it, and give it a good shake. I imagine after a few weeks, it will need to be washed. In which case, I will through it in the washer with the towels and line dry it. You could put it in the dryer, but I line dry everything.

I’m glad I made this, even though attaching all those little pieces of yarn was tedious.

 

 

Displaying Puzzles

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We love to work puzzles together as a family. My kids worked to put together a puzzle last week. This time, they wanted to hang it up, instead of taking it apart.

I remember gluing puzzles together when I was a kid, so I thought it would be fun for them. I told them we couldn’t yet, though, because we didn’t have the right kind of glue.

My 15 yo son found a picture frame that we weren’t using and slipped it in there without gluing. Then brought it to me to see.

displaying puzzles gluing framing

It worked great! We have it hanging up, enjoying it. Because it is a snug fit between the glass and the backing, it has stayed in place, even while hanging. When they get tired of it, we can take it apart. Much better than gluing it, now we can take it apart to share it when they are finished with it.

 

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

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I absolutely love making my own laundry detergent. I have been doing it for several years now. It’s probably safe to say that I’ve saved hundreds of dollars on laundry detergent. Especially since we bought our new front loading washing machine. The special laundry detergent for these machines is expensive!

Here’s the original recipe that I used forHomemade Liquid Laundry Detergent.

Then in my ever changing quest to make my life simpler, I changed the original recipe to make it easier, by eliminating keeping it in the bucket for 24 hours, and pouring straight into the bottles. It sure saved on time.

Homemade Powdered laundry Detergent

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

For almost a year now, I have been making powdered laundry detergent.

I grate a bar of Fels Naptha soap, add one cup each of washing soda and borax. I store it in a quart canning jar.

I keep a measuring tablespoon in the jar, and add 1 tablespoon per load. I use 2 tablespoons with my husbands work clothes.

I love using the powder over the liquid. No more large bottles of laundry detergent sitting in my teeny, tiny laundry room. Just one quart canning jar that actually looks nice sitting on top of my washer.

We do a lot of laundry, and this recipe usually lasts us for 5 weeks. At around $2 a recipe, it’s a big money saver.

 

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