And the verdict is in!

I finally got to use my new Black & Decker steam mop this morning...WOW!  Love it- did a fantastic job of getting the dirt up and it was super easy to use.  Gotta love that ;o )

Sorry for the serious lack of posting.  School is officially in and 17 hour days are beating me up!  I slept 12 hours last night with a three hour nap this afternoon.  The first weekend after the first week back is always rough.  Things should get better from here.  I have a great group of kids & parents this year and I am very excited for all the learning we will do.

On the homefront, Travis has a long change week coming up, so we should be able to begin on some of our house  "to-do's " soon...

Black and Decker Steam Mop...

I just ordered one of these...hoping it is all that and a bag of chips : o )

I'll let you know once it gets here and I tackle these wood floors with it!

A room with a view...

My Principal informed me last week that the district would be using my classroom on Monday and Tuesday to hold professional development meetings in. That means that teachers from all over the district will be sitting in my room. Have I mentioned that it's a bit dusty in there?
I get a lot of compliments on my room from the old leather reading chair to the simple denim and bandana curtains I made for the windows. I also incorporated some Andrew Wyeth prints that I had framed back in college. It is a homey kind of room.
Y'all know me though. All I can think about is how I should probably pack up my Kirby and Mrs.Meyer's cleaning supplies and head up there and get ready for company.

Maybe I should leave some cookies and iced coffee in the mini-fridge.

Because I'm just Southern like that.

*Keepin' it clean...

I get asked a lot about what cleaning products I prefer. Let me preface this with how much of a cleaning fanatic I am.

3:00 am this morning found me: Up, awake, and cleaning my wood floors. By hand.

Enough said.

It's a sickness. My Grandma Gross had the same sickness. My Mother however, does not. Apparently it skips a generation. I know this for a fact, because our youngest daughter Annie is a slob. And I say that in the nicest "Bless her little heart" kind of way.

I get excited at the prospect of cleaning something. I like the challenge. The build-up (getting the supplies out, running the warm water, sudsy cleaning bubbles foaming...) as well as the ultimate feeling of satisfaction when I sit back and see how sparkly the house looks. When the house is clean I feel in control, like somehow I have my life in order just because all of my baseboards are squeaky clean. Delusion? Probably, but hey, whatever works- right?

So, as to what products I prefer....

Surfaces: I am big on Method cleaners, but only some of them. My one favorite is their Good for Wood. It smells like Almond Biscotti, and quite frankly, why would you NOT want to clean with something that smells so delicious?? I also use the Spray way products. The stainless cleaner is the best I have used so far, as well as their glass and granite cleaners. Plus the cute 1950's picture of a woman cleaning and smiling on the bottle helps me to channel my inner June Cleaver.
I also use the Mrs.Meyer's cleaning products. I haven't tried the shower cleaner yet, still using soft scrub for that, but I love the counter top, hand soap, air freshener, and everyday cleaners. All of these come in choices of fragrance, lemon lime verbena is my favorite with Basil in the kitchen. These products are easy on the hands and green. Plus, it's my maiden name. Kismet, no?

Floors: I'm half German, maybe that explains the love of clean, but to me floors should be cleaned by hand. Don't get me wrong, I do use a micro-fiber sweep to go over my floors every other day, but to do any real cleaning- well, I believe in getting down and dirty. I use Murphy's Wood Soap for this.

Cleaning Rags: I use surgical rags. You know, the kind to sop up blood and gore during surgery? Turns out that they are wonderful for cleaning too. I get my supply from a friend of mine who is a nurse. I haven't been able to find them in the medical supplies stores around here...but if you hear of any available elsewhere let me know!

So there you have it. How I am *keepin' it clean!

*play on the phrase: Keepin' it real. Because for me keepin' it clean is keepin' it real!