Friday, March 9, 2012

(Fake) Cleaning

So I just read randomly found this blog post, written by Anna over at mylifeandkids.com, and thought it was HILARIOUS so I had to share it with you.

http://mylifeandkids.com/2012/02/how-to-fake-clean-cook-and-iron/

If you are a stay at home wife or mom, I bet you can relate. I cracked up the whole time as I read what other women do right before their husband walks in the door to make him think they cleaned all day. I know I have been guilty of some of my own "fake cleaning" episodes before, and I am so glad that many others are as well!

My husband is NOT a clean freak, and if our house is a slight mess it doesn't really bother him. He likes the dishes done, the toys picked up, and at least a plan for dinner ready (if not dinner in progress). All VERY doable, easy things. Unfortunately, they don't always get done before he is home. It is very difficult to keep toys put up with a 1.5 year old taking them right back out again. Also, I hate dishes. If I could choose one chore to have someone else do all the time, it would be dishes. Hands down. On the flip side, I HATE dirty dishes. Really, truly, despise having dishes sitting in the sink or the counter. My two hates really pull at me - the desire to just get it over with, and the desire to avoid at all costs.

For the most part, those 3 things are done every day. It is everything else that gets "fake cleaned" before Brad walks in the door. Fabreze is my best friend. I love how it smells like I really cleaned. Unfortunately, it just doesn't last that long. Pledge lasts longer - and if I pledge my coffee table just a minute or two before he walks in the door, it smells up the whole living room and lasts for quite awhile. Plus, it takes like 30 seconds to spray and wipe a coffee table. (I suppose this is real cleaning, with a fake intent. I want him to think I cleaned everything - not just the coffee table).

Another thing I rush to do right before Brad comes home is to fold the throw blankets in the living room, and straighten all the couch pillows. It makes a HUGE difference in the way our living room looks if those two things are done, even if there are toys scattered about.

My husband knows I fake clean. I have told him, and honestly he appreciates the small effort to make him feel more comfortable. What a sweetie, right?

But, I have decided this isn't enough for me. I need my house to BE clean - not just FEEL clean. Confession: I vacuumed my whole house today, and realized it had probably been a week since the last time I had done this. One week may not be a long time for most families, but for our family, vacuuming really needs to be an every other day event. We have a pomeranian, a cat, a daddy who wears combat boots, and  little boy who LOVES to play outside. Once a week doesn't cut it for us, especially for the amount of time we spend playing on the floor.

So I need to make a "chore chart" - and STICK TO IT. That is my goal for this weekend - create one. Start it Sunday.

I think the place where I may fail is the sticking to it. Creating one is easy peasy - following it is not.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes - I'll post the schedule when it's done, and (hopefully) keep you up-dated on how I am doing on it.

So, dear friends, how do YOU keep your house clean? Do you fake clean? Are there chores that don't get done often enough? Is your house perfect all of the time? Do you clean as you see something that needs done? Or do you clean before it needs done - because that's the day you're supposed to do it?

Do you ever feel like you're in a losing battle with your house?

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Crock-Pot Chicken Tostadas

Be prepared to be hungry. The other day, I was craving some Mexican - something fierce. So I spent some time googling recipes on Pinterest that would satisfy my craving and use things we happened to have on hand. I combined a recipe or two or three (or more) and this is we had for dinner:

Crock Pot Chicken Tostadas!

Seriously ya'll.. it was so easy and so delicious. Even Colton liked his, and Brad and I may have each eaten 3 tostadas. (THREE TOSTADAS! Can you say preggers?!)

So I would love to show you what I did, just in case ya'll get a craving for some Mexican, but no desire to change out of your yoga pants. 

Let's start with the chicken. Here is what you'll need:
-1or 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1/2 jar of salsa

And here is what you'll do:
-Throw all ingredients into crock pot. Set on Low for 6-8 hours.
-After 6-8 hours, take chicken out and shred on plate. Really you just need to do a little stirring on the plate, as it will be so tender it will just fall apart. Add some of the remaining juice from the crock pot on top and stir in, until all chicken pieces look nice and juicy. Feel free to sneak a few pieces to taste, and get excited for your meal. 

And now onto the tostadas. Here is what you'll need:
-1 pack tortillas. The small size works better on a cookie sheet, but whatever you have works fine. We used the small, extra thick flour ones, because I am not a huge fan of corn tortillas.
-pepper jack cheese
-Chicken (from above recipe)
-And your favorite toppings. We used tomatoes, baby spinach, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Here is what you'll do:
-Lay tortillas out on cookie sheet. Top each with pepper-jack cheese. Bake at 400* for about 10 minutes.
-Take out of oven, and top with shredded chicken. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until tortilla is golden and crispy, and meat is hot.
-Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
This was taken on the cookie sheet, before putting back in the oven.

The delicious finished product! I do not add sour cream or salsa to mine, but my husband does. 

Feel free to send any recipes my way, friends. I am always on the look-out for new, delicious meals to try!

With Love,
Jessica

Friday, March 2, 2012

Slide climbing

Apparently crocs have great traction for climbing up our slide.. Who knew! He tried and tried to make it to the top but kept slipping and sliding back down. He loved the sliding though, so I am not so convinced he wasn't trying to slide :)