Cleaning Play Doh Sucks!

My mother, admittedly, is no Martha Stewart. It's not that she doesn't try she just isn't the best when it comes to all of the homemaker things as due to being a single mother she was usually working. Then again, after being a "single mom" myself for a year while my husband was deployed to Korea, and over a few other deployments and training separations I can see how that comes about, with little time to even breathe let alone think about cleaning and organizing your house. Regardless, I have had to teach myself a number of  things that other suburb dwelling girls turned mothers might have learned from watching their mothers who were homemakers doing. Today's  lesson is one such example learned through having toddlers and Play Doh in the same house or even 10 mile vicinity of one another. Here in base housing, thankfully, our floors are linoleum. Something I rue when my feet are sore and all I want is a nice warm cushy rug to sink my toes into, but even more so something I adore when it comes to cleaning. I have been through a blue million ideas for cleaning up those little devious blobs that stick themselves to your floor after a round of play doh building, refusing to give up their new homes. Of course, there is this cleaner or that cleaner that can remove the problem " in the wink of an eye" but I try to avoid those types of things as much as possible, choosing the more natural, less chemical laden option. Let's face it, even the most mundane things these days are pumped with so many chemicals one can only imagine how many dangerous things are in all of the cleaners that we all take for granted. Eventually I hope to find a good recipe for natural cleaners, a project I've been working on for a little while now, but it seems that they all seem to call for Borax... which is poisonous! Seems a bit counter productive, and not all_that_natural if you ask me.... so my search continues, but that's a whole other story. So back to the matter at hand and the cleaning of the tenacious Doh. All I have to say on that matter, to a point ( something I have issues getting to on occasion as you can see lol), is that vacuum attachments are your friend. I had tried sweeping it up with a broom for a while, but that did little as it was usually all stuck to the floor. Then came the vacuum.. hmm, seemed to just squish it down more. Then the light bulb came on finally. The brush attachment... Genius! Just enough to loosen the material enough to suck it up and away. Of course, I'm sure there are other methods but this one seems to be the best I have found so far... it does involve cleaning the attachment afterward of course, but that is something I do anyway with all of the dog hair and dander coming from my furry little mess factories. I know what you're thiking.. common sesnse lol. I felt quite a fool for not thinking of this sooner, as I'm sure most have but like I said, things like this just don't seem to click as easily for me as some people.  Perhaps when I finally decide to buy carpets for my house I'll have to find a whole new method but for now, this has been my saving grace having 2 kids that love their Play Doh but don't yet quite understand the concept of *not making a mess* unfortunately. Do you have a tried and true method for this? Please let me know, I'm always open for new ideas lol.

Adventures in Babysitting

So I got to babysit the new kid on the block today while his parents were doing all the fun in-processing that comes to moving to Kadena. Generally I avoid babysitting. Not that I don't like kids, in fact I love kids they crack me up more than any adult could, I think we come programmed with a sense of humor that we lose bit by bit as we mature. I just feel almost scared to watch *someone else's kid*... the added responsibility of not knowing them as well as my own. It's strange I know but I just worry more when it's not my own kids. I suppose I've learned well that my kids don't break if they fall down or get a boo boo but other kids might? Who knows lol.

Through today's adventure however, I have learned the unfortunate fact that my son is indeed a wiener kid lol. Several times he was owned through what most would call *typical boy play* army guys, hulk smash gloves, and general rambunctiousness. My husband has always told me that I baby him too much and that he is becoming a mama's boy but it had never quite sank in until today. I always liked the fact that he was my quiet little thinker that was happier playing quietly with his cars. I'm not sure how to take this. Should I encourage him to be " more of a little boy"?  Of course, personalities are different. From a young age he has always been more of a thinker, a problem solver, and more inquisitive than his sister. Perhaps he is just meant to be a "nerd".. it would certainly follow suit with his parents lol.

I suppose with him starting preschool this year he will come into his own more, perhaps be a little less shy and quiet and really find his niche in the crazy world of childhood. Maybe not all boys need to be the typical "little boy". I certainly see nothing wrong with my little guy who would rather stay inside flipping through a comic book than go out and get muddy with the neighborhood kids. He's a great kid the way he is even if he is a little more meek than other boys his age.. I guess like most things it will all sort itself out in the end.