Thursday Tip

With 3 boys in the house, I do a lot, make that a ton of laundry every week.

Especially when it starts getting warmer outside and they have to change their clothes each time they come in the house. Not because they are prima donnas, but because I'm trying to cut down on the dirt they track into the house.

My boys have a knack for getting grease spots on their shirts and I found a fantastic, easy way to get rid of them.

All you do is spray the spot with those scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner. Rub it in a little with a toothbrush and let it sit for a day or so. Then wash it as you normally would.

This will not bleach out the colors but it will remove your greasy spot. I've even used it on our Life is Good t-shirts that you can't use stain remover on for fear of bleaching out the color without any problems....

411

411....everyone uses it - to find a phone number, get an address. Just dial it and there's someone on the other end of the line to help you out.

Here's a thought - wouldn't it be nice if there were a 411 moms could call when they need to find something? The phone, the car keys, the lone shoe, the binky, the blankets that our children cannot sleep without, so-and-so's sippy cup full of milk that will soon curdle and start to stink....
I have wasted more time than I'd like to admit looking for things that are lost or things that we THINK are lost.

Friday, I was frantically running around attempting to get myself packed for a well-deserved girls' weekend getaway to the beach while also trying to get the boys' lunch, keep them from killing one another, and write down any pertinent information Mark might need while I was gone. Ryan sweetly brings me a magnetic clip that we use to keep chip & pretzel bags airtight - JUST the clip. So, I ask him where the bag is that the clip was attached to - he tells me (in his 2 year old language) "the pay-oom" (playroom). I run in the playroom, do a quick glance around, and can't find the bag of Pirate Booty I was eating last night (weak PMS moment). After asking Ryan several more times where the bag is and running back and forth between our family room and playroom to see if I can find it, I give up and figure Mark will come across it after I'm gone.

While all this is transpiring, Mark asks me to call the car dealership to see if our car is finished being inspected. "SURE, I don't have ANYTHING else to do," I lovingly answered....

Can't find the number in the phone book, get frustrated at yet another thing I CAN'T FIND and tell Mark I give up. He suggests I call 411 to get the number. Easy as pie. As I'm dialing the dealership, it dawns on me how valuable such a service would be for mothers such as myself who waste lots of time looking for "lost" items. IF ONLY....

Never did find that bag of Pirate Booty - come to find out that Mark finished the bag after I went to bed and left the magnetic clip in the family room....gotta love it!