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30min vs 2+hours

August 17, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

One of the things I hate to do it clean my cleaning supplies or tools!
Why can't I just buy new, clean, pretty, high-tech, non-ghetto ones?

I have found that if I clean them often the they last longer and do their job better...MAN! I know, duh, right?

A little over a year ago we moved into a 2 story house and I bought a cheap vacuum to leave upstairs so I didn't have to hike one up and down. Shortly after I got ride of the 'nicer' bag vacuum and just had the light weight bagless one. I'd been using it for a few months and it clogged. I took that entire joker apart. Every screw that I found or snapped piece I disassembled! Pieces everywhere, screws in a pile, filters piled in the sink; my husband thought I'd lost my mind! After 2 hours of deep cleaning and a day and 1/2 of drying filters all over the kitchen counter my vacuum sucked as if it were brand new! I was so proud of myself. I vacuumed everything, everywhere, every inch of my house!

Then...yep, 3 weeks later it didn't suck anymore, well, at least not like new anymore. Boo!

I don't have 2 hours I can afford to devote to cleaning a cleaning tool every week. Since this craziness I've decided not to expect my vacuum to work as new but I do clean some part of it once a month.

The Supplies Needed:
Wire hanger bend straight
Scissors
Flashlight
Screwdrivers (type dependant on kind of screws your vacuum has) *not pictured ;o)
Trash Can
Sink, Water, and preferably a kitchen sink sprayer (that is its technical term)
Big strainer or towel to dry pieces in/on
Wet washclothe

The New Routine (monthly):
1.Unscrewed the bottom and the back to expose the bottom hose that goes from floor to detachable hose (that then leads to the holding compartment)
2.Shove the handy-dandy wire hanger through the hose to push out debris and unclog. Use the flashlight to check to ensure you got everything out.
3.Dump holding container (this should be done on an as-needed basis)
4.Dust and/or wipe down vacuum with wet clothe

Additional Routine (every 2-3 months):
1.Shove the handy-dandy wire hanger through the detachable hose to push out debris and unclog. (note: avoid rinsing hose. They take forever to dry given their crinkly make and therefore moister makes the sucked up dirt clump and clog faster- yep...experienced!)
2.Take out the 2 filters (in my case) and rinsed them (using the kitchen sink sprayer pushes gunk out faster) It's amazing how much cleaner they were having only let the dirt build up for 3-4 weeks instead of multiple months.
3.Rinse all plastic pieces as you go (in sink or with washclothe)

Much faster~15min (each)! Pretty sure this will be my quick fix routine from now on!

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What cleaning supplies/tools have you found a way to manage? PLEASE SHARE! I need all the help I can get.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tagged With: clean out, tools, Vacuum, Vacuum cleaner

Homemaker’s Challenge

August 16, 2011 by Jules 1 Comment

Yay, it's almost time! I mentioned a while back that I was being given the opportunity to be a contributing blogger and now it's here!

Christin, of http://joyfulmothering.net/, is giving me the opportunity to share and challenge other homemakers. I am a bit intimidated by my fellow contributors who seem much more seasoned in the blogging realm but I'm taking the challenge from Sarah Mae's newest post, "The thing I'm not going to say anymore", where she explains that we often "disqualify ourself" by claiming we aren't _____ {whatever the case may be} and encourages us to "...do the thing, and be the thing, and not be afraid to say it? You are."

So, I guess I'm a...blogger!

Join me on this new-found adventure in sharing my blogging outside my homey little site over at http://homemakerschallenge.com.

We are kicking off the new site with a series on 31 Days to Clean {author Sarah Mae}. This series is about the book 31 Days to Clean Having a Martha house the Mary way. The book walks you through 31 days of encouragement and challenges both for the heart and taskful cleaning. Click the buttons on my side bar to find your way easily to the new site of the homemaker's challenge.

Buy the book here or {use the button on my side bar} to get ready for a challenging and fun-filled month of September:

If you are unfamiliar with who the Martha and Mary the book is referring to you can find a good picture of them in book of Luke:

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42

Leave a comment and let me know if you plan to join the 31-days-to-clean community so we can support one another! Follow the challenges on twitter as well by using the hashtag #31daystoclean!

Filed Under: Cleaning, The Ones about Homemaker's Challenge Tagged With: 31 days to clean, blogger, contributing blogger, homemakers challenge, joyfulmothering, sarah mae

Mix-n-Chop

July 21, 2011 by Jules 2 Comments

I usually don't do expensive kitchen stuff...or anything for that matter...but my mom-in-love gave me a Pampered Chef Mix and Chop and I use it at least 4 times a week.

I love this tool. I use it to chop ground beef. It makes it quick and easy. Without must effort at all it help you ground your beef into tiny bits. A few of the meals I use this tool for are: Baked Ziti, Taco Soup, spaghetti, enchiladas, Beefy Cheese Dip, and Mexican Trifold.

I have bought one of these (and the other pampered chef tools I love) off eBay for my mom. Love'm

*Note: I am not being paid for these recommendations/reviews but if you know how I can- bring it!

Filed Under: Baking and Cooking Tagged With: chop, cooking, ground beef, mix, pampered chef, stir

{Fry-less} Stir Fry

July 7, 2011 by Jules Leave a Comment

I love this meal because it is a 'well rounded meal': meat, veggies, rice! This is also a meal we as a family eat at least once a month. We chop everything small so it's a quick kid-friendly meal. They eat it up every time. It's also easy to let kids help: if little like mine they can scoop chopped items and put them in the pan (before heated) and if they are older they can use that knife themselves, stir, or even measure water and rice!

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~3 Boneless, Skinless Chx Breast
1 Red Pepper
1 Orange Pepper
1 Green Pepper
~1/2 Cup Baby Carrot
{We've also tried frozen bags of 'stir fry' veggies that had snow peas, or adding broccoli- yummy}
1 btl Kikkoman Stir Fry Sauce
2 Cups Rice

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*Cook chx breast (I like to bake an entire bag of frozen chx breast all at once and then put them back- fridge/freezer- for later meals) and slice or cube
*Cook rice (we do ~2 cups which feeds our family of 2 adults, a preschooler, and toddler) and set aside
*Chop peppers, carrots, and any other veggies you enjoy
*Mix all meat and veggies in a large frying pan, coat with stir fry sauce and continually stir until everything is covered and heated well (I do ~5-10 minutes depending on how much time I have before the family naws off their own fingers)
*I serve a spoon full of the meat, veggie, and sauce mixture over a spoon full of rice. Salt and pepper to taste.

{The stir fry bottle also has a yummy sounding recipe on the back using beef!}

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Comment and let me know if you try this recipe or if you have a “tweaked” favorite recipe of your own!

Filed Under: Baking and Cooking

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

June 29, 2011 by Jules 9 Comments

Are you finding a trend? Original recipe, tweaked, kid-friendly...

2 tbs butter/marg. melted
2 tbs milk
1 tbs chopped chives or parsley (I use parsley flakes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic pwd
2 cups cornflakes cereal= 1 cup crushed (I pre-crush and store in pantries)
3 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
6 boneless, skinless chx breast halves (1 3/4lbs) (I pre-cube and refrigerate after baking an entire bag)
2 tbs butter/margarine, melted

(original receipt found on page 291 of the Betty Crocker's Cookbook- The BIG RED Cookbook)

My tweaked version:

If serving/not freezing: Heat oven to 425'. Grease an 8x8ish glass casserole dish
Melt butter, stir in seasonings, add cereal, then add cubed/chopped chx, mix everything! If you mixed in a separate bowl (which I recommend so the stuff slopped up the sides doesn't burn and look gross when you're serving it), scoop everything into your casserole dish and freeze for later or bake for 20-30 min. (from freezer double baking time).

Love this meal! The tweaked version was an accident: I didn't read the recipe close enough when making it for the second time and added everything together before I remembered they were supposed to be in separate dished and i should be doing a coating method. Couldn't go back so I baked it like it was and everyone ate it up and for my preschooler and toddler it ended up being easier than trying to cut up their meat for them after served.

Comment and let me know if you try this recipe or if you have a "tweaked" favorite recipe of your own!