Showing posts with label Homemaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homemaking. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

WFMW - Window Cleaner without Vinegar

Everyone is in love with vinegar these days. For good reason. But I'm not a fan of vinegar-based window cleaners. I love my tried and true Beverly Nye window cleaner recipe.

It takes rubbing alcohol and ammonia. *gasp*

I know, I know. It's harsher. But let me tell you what I have washed off my windows...and walls...and stove...and refrigerator with this stuff.

Finger grime, crayon, food, snot, grease, face prints, and unnamed substances I did not care to know their origin.

Eeewww.

And so I'll stick by my window cleaner and say..."It Works for Me!!"

Beverly Nye's Window Cleaner

1 pint water
4 tbsp. rubbing alcohol
4 tbsp. sudsy ammonia
squirt of food coloring if desired.

Mix and pour into a spray bottle.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Frugal Alternatives for Day Planners

It's that time of year. I'm ready to shell out money for the coolest looking planner on the market. Those pink covers with brown polka-dots might hold the answer to my organizational woes!

This temptation besets me every New Year. Finally, I've grown more discerning. There are three facts I know about myself and about Day Planners. I now extended grace to my psyche and admit these facts...without guilt.
  1. I am visual, so visual that I think a pretty calendar will instantly transform me. Memo to self: a pink cover with brown polka dots won't keep my sink clear of dirty dishes.

  2. I am fickle, so fickle that in a month I will be bored of the calendar. But, empty planner pages will not conquer my Mt. Laundry.

  3. I struggle with inner voices of guilt. In a month that expensive, pink and brown polka dotted calendar will scream failure.

So, what do I do with this urge for a Day Planner? And the desire to get organized...again.

Well, I plan to make use of it before it flits away. I am going to try to get organized. I do plan to use some type of planner. But I am committed to make my planner simple, small, and free.

In a month or so, I will give myself any needed grace if the little planner is collecting dust. Life is too short for guilt. Period.

If you're like me, then you may enjoy these links. Each will take you to a site that has some type of free, printable calendar or planner.

Warning: some of these options are very detailed. Be kind to yourself. Keep it simple.

Weekly Planner and To Do Lists
DIY Planner
Household Notebook
Homeschool & Organizer Planner (most of these pages are not specifically homeschool)
Kristen's Guide Calendars & Planners (scroll down past the ads)