Preparation for a Hurricane

Hurricane irene is crawling up the coast, claws digging away unmercilessly at homes and lives. Our town called for a mandatory evacuation 8am this morning. I packed diapers, wipes, favorite momentos; just in case our home gets blown to bits. We're bunkered down in Jay's father's basement. Beef jerkey, chips and pretzels in tow. Ive always preferred underground dwelling during big storms. Something about the muffled sounds of wind and rain; being hidden from the chaos happening out in the world. Predictions say this one is going to be a doozy; a first for the northeast. Hopefully our little home can brave the worst irene's got.
But us; weve got eachother, some dry clothes and a safe place to temporarily call home. Which really, are the things that matter most.

Good luck & stay safe.


Jackie

Random Ramblings

My computer was falling apart so we made the big decision {after weeks of contemplation} to get an ipad 2. This thing is awesome. It completely replaces my laptop, and is so gorgeous!
Ive been thinking about what id like to do once my sister moves out of the 3rd bedroom. Were planning on making it an office-type space, where we can go on our laptop/ipad and where jay can play his xbox games. Im planning on just getting a big comfy chair to sit in, drink my tea and read. I was previously thinking about getting or building a little desk, but i figured that wouldnt be very comfortable and a chair would be better.
I also want to make a little fort in noahs room in the corner. I found some cute ideas on pinterest and cant wait to build it.
Im still trying to exercise more and eat better. Coffee is now just an occasional drink i have maybe twice a week, so that will help. Ive started making pancakes in the morming with fruit or yogurt mixed it for noah and i. Keeps me feeling fuller longer.
Noah finally loves the sprinkler. He was afraid of it at first, but now he runs through it and even picks it up and soaks jay and i, haha. His favorite thing is the water. Whether its the pool, a bucket of water, washing his hands or bath time.
Im also still trying to wean him from nursing so much. Ive definitely cut down on the morning sessions, but late afternoon is hard. Thats when im getting worn out and noah is pretty inconsolable if he wants something he cant have.

Well thats it i think. Its almost 11pm and i cant sleep so i figured id just blab on here and update everyone on the random things going on in my life haha. Have a great week!

My Favorite Household Cleaners

Today I made a schedule of what days to clean what in my house.
I think having it written down and organized will help me keep track of this house easier.
Today is: clean the rooms, mop, clean windows, and laundry.
I already did the laundry sunday.. so today is a pretty easy day.

Now onto my favorite household cleaners...

We purchased a Haan Steam Mop and it is AMAZING. No chemicals, completely sanitizes, dries in seconds, and is super easy to use. This replaced my Libman Mop (so gross, and doesnt clean at all!) and my Swiffer Mop (not cost effective, leaves chemicals, doesn't clean deeply enough). I was looking for something that didn't need replacement pads, worked without chemicals (uses just water!), and can also be used on upholstery and rugs. Ta Da! I Love this thing!

I also purchased the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser. This beauty takes the place of thousands of sticky rollers that don't even work well. How freakin annoying is it cleaning the couch with one of those? and they're like 3.99 a roller. The Pet Hair Eraser has 2 nozzles; one is a flexible rubber which is good for pet hair, and the other is a hard plastic, great for spilled cat litter or Goldfish Cracker crumbs {ahem..}.

These two things have made my life so much easier.

Now if you will excuse me, I will be scrubbing my kitchen floor grout because it is apparently supposed to be white.. not brown.


Sidenote: I was not paid to talk about the aforementioned cleaners. Bissell and Haan don't know me and my little ol' blog. Just sharing my 2 cents. :)