Day 30 - As I Go

I hear so many people say it, 

clean as you go.  

It never really hit me until I realized how much I hate doing the following:

Cleaning bath tubs (ugh!)

&

Doing laundry (gag!)

I hate cleaning tubs.  I don't enjoy cleaning toilets BUT at least I can have them sparkling in less than 5 minutes.  Something about slaving over this ring around this tub from activities like the pumpkin patch fun makes no sense to me.  

*Queue the angels singing... and the birds*

I found a clever idea that helps keep my tubs clean AS I GO!  Check it out:

The Dish Wand Tub Cleaner

1. Fill your wand with equal parts vinegar and dish soap.

2.  Place upright in shower (to avoid leaks) and use while you are in the shower everyday.
  

That's it!  It's really easy, right?  I just wipe everything down the last 2 minutes of my shower and the pain of scrubbing is gone...  

The shower is clean, I'm not burning my nose with cleaning products and I have more time to spend doing other things like... Laundry.  O hush, I'm serious!

Speaking of laundry, I'm on top of it and I reached this point by doing a little(1-2 loads) everyday.  It feels pretty awesome and, get this, I MAY be changing my opinion of laundry altogether... I said maybe, don't get excited.  

Islanders, I am bursting with excitement about the small changes we made over this past month.  My house, my marriage, my family have all changed for the better... I'll DEF keep this momentum going.  OOPS, I've said too much.  NEXT is the wrap-up post that sings this series' praises.  

MY BAD! 

MORE TO COME...

Day 29 - Pumpkin Patch, A Tradition

Every year, we take a trip to the pumpkin patch.  I usually drive 30+ minutes away to find one with all the bells and whistles (hay rides, ponies, etc.)... Well, I found one 10 minutes from our home and decided this weekend was the weekend for us to go...  $12 for adults and $8 for kids got us live music,  train rides, a cup of animal feed FOR THE LIVE ANIMALS:

A haunted town:

She was so scared daddy had to carry her through.

Hay rides:

Face painting:

Yes, Chazzy stopped by for the fun so Munch had to show her the ropes:

Now, back to what my money covered, lol.

Pony rides:

Big slides:

Train rides:

Can you see Chazzy's little wrist? The kid is rockin' rings and bangles... DIVA!

They signed the chalk wall (my kid writes her name in cursive now... I'm amazed, lol):

Cotton Candy Hugs:

A complimentary pumpkin was included in the price of admission.  It took them no time to find the perfect ones:

They had a decorating station and the girls had a blast.  On our way out, I got some cute pics (with my iPhone):

They had a blast (and their clothes were proof, lol).  We headed home for baths, UNO and a dance competition:

Happy fall, y'all!

Day 28 - Family Date Night

I don't know if I've told you about Hubbs' gym life.  My husband says that it is virtually impossible to get home before 8:00 p.m. WHY? He says that he MUST workout after work.  He keeps this schedule everyday (except Friday when it's Family date night and Saturday when it's our night and Sunday when it's football).  During wedding season, Friday nights I'm conducting rehearsals and Saturdays are wedding days...  Do you see where I'm going with all of this? When the season ends, I'm left wondering where is our time together...  I fuss about the gym (he does spend too much time there), I fuss about the football (he does watch it, play in a league and LET'S NOT EVEN MENTION the video games), I fuss about everything which pushes him away.  Needless to say, I'm so glad we took these last few weeks to figure out what works best for us...

I'm happy to report, FAMILY DATE NIGHT IS BACK!!

Friday, October 26, the Keese family went on a date! I planned for us to go to a Fright Light show at the area's planetarium BUT the road was blocked due to an accident which made us miss the show.  I was so upset - this was supposed to be our FAMILY NIGHT and it was ruined.  Luckily, Hubbs came up with a plan to take Munch shopping for her great week at school (she went up to blue *like* twice and has shown amazing reading and spelling progress).  Off to Toys 'R Us we went for Munch's great reward.  We walked around for an hour and can you guess what the kid chose as her prize?

A hello kitty notebook and pen.  

Yep, from a toy store.  WHAT?! Yes, the store had toys in it.  Yes, we offered all kinds of goodies... She wanted the notebook...The LITERALLY-squealed-when-she-saw-it kind of want.  

Hubbs didn't know what to do with his wallet himself so he bought two.  Then, took us for ice cream (I think he could tell I was bummed about the light show).  

The dark chocolate peppermight is back at Cold Stone!! I add marshmallow and brownie mix-ins for an amazing combination... This, along with the Starbucks red cups, mean only great things are to come!  Fall is upon us and Christmas is on her way :)

Can you see her happy face in the background? I was trying to document my chocolate yumminess and  captured that facial accidentally.  Speaking of happy facials:

Those two always order something with the cotton candy flavored ice cream.  The ice cream was so good that when Grandma Judy called, Munch refused to stop eating to talk.  Luckily, Hubbs had a free hand to hold the phone:

I love spending time with my loves and this series has provided me with some healthy reminders to MAKE time for family :)

What are you doing with your family this season?

Stay tuned for our annual pumpkin patch pics!

Day 27 - Holiday Decor V.3

Recently, on my way to clean our balcony for fall, I met Charlotte:

Let me put this ALL the way out there.  I do NOT like spiders.  I closed that door so fast and promised Charlotte she can stay out there without the worry of me bothering her ever again.  Seriously, islanders, that heffa is huge.

UH-UH. NO WAY. NEVER AGAIN.

In case you can't tell, I don't like spiders. Like, at all.

UNTIL...  The next day in Michael's I was looking for something ghoul-y to spice up our fall decor and ran into some large spiders that I just fell in love with!  They made the perfect additions to our entryway, check it out:

I consider them to be a tribute to Charlotte in the back... I figure, if I meet my big spider quota, Charlotte will have no reason to EVER come her big uglyself inside.

I hung the spiders before Munch came home. She squealed when she came in... Getting the house holiday ready is such a big deal for her that it keeps joy in our home.  Over the summer I missed finding ways to make memories.  There is, however, an undeniable happiness found in family traditions...  We have bunches of them and some might not understand but half of what makes our family special is being and enjoying and loving and having us.

O, before I forget... I surprised her with a few other Halloween decor items.  Check it out!

The wreath:

The table centerpiece:

The pumpkin candy basket (it's large and always full of candy):

We'll add more as we take down the Halloween stuff but don't worry, I'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop :)