Losing My Touch

I don't know if you find this too. Gosh I hope you do. It would be really rotten if it were only me. You see, I'm very much losing my touch.

I'm a Capricorn. And a control freak. I have always been in control. On top of my world. The one you could count on to get something done, and done well. In time and under budget. Clean house and healthy food on the table.

WHERE THE HELL DID THAT GAL GO???

image from dreamstime.com

Since becoming a mom, it's like I can't stay on top of ANYTHING. My house is a mess. Our diet is embarrassing. I'm constantly forgetting things and making excuses for lateness. I can't even get a birthday card in the mail on time anymore. Geesh.

I can blame part of it on lack of time. Working outside the home and spending a couple hours in the car every day certainly does take its toll on personal productivity. But I think it has more to do with lack of sleep and a frazzled mind. Having another little human to worry about and fuss over adds a lot to the mental activity of a day. Or night. And the multi-tasking involved in keeping all my boys content and feeling appreciated is phenomenal. (That includes the cat, by the way.) I get distracted easily and often forget what exactly it was I was meaning to do.

Some days it feels like just as I'm starting to get on top of a task, like washing the floors let's say, someone calls out because they need something. Desperately need something, naturally. Maybe directions to our bathroom? So I go tend to them, then get distracted on the way back to the mop and start, say, cleaning the litter box. Which leads to a trip to the green bin. Which has been upended by raccoons, leaving a mass of bones and rotting tomatoes all over the driveway. Shovel time. When I finally get back to the mop, it's now time to make lunch. Which requires more cleaning up after.

Two days later that mop and bucket of cold, filthy water are still there.

Is any of this sounding familiar? What's a mom to do? I'd love to hear how you cope. Or if you have a recommendation for a good, trustworthy cleaning lady in the Scarborough area, that would be cool too. At least I could something scratched off my list of to-dos.

Phineas & Ferb: The Perry Files (Giveaway!!)

You know we're a big Disney fan family, and Disney movies and TV are a staple in our household. One show that Little Boo really enjoys, but I don't know so well (yet) is Phineas and Ferb. I asked him what he likes most about the series and he said "It's really funny!" Not really a profound answer, but truthful I'm sure. I've seen a couple of episodes and will admit to some out loud laughter on my part.

One of my fave parts of the series is the secret life of Perry the Platypus as a secret agent. These sub-plots are always fun and somehow tie in to what's going on in the main story.

Well, Disney is excited to announce that Perry the Platypus (Agent P) has his own DVD coming out next week! Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files will be released on June 5th as a DVD with Digital Copy, accompanied by a Perry Activity Pack.

                                               

"Join Perry the Platypus–a.k.a. Agent P.–on his most exciting adventures as he thwarts his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, at every turn. With groovy gadgets, mad skills and his trademark brown fedora, this semi-aquatic, egg-layin’ mammal of action is unstoppable! Experience the hilarious havoc as he defends the Tristate Area against Doof’s “inators,” battles rogue agent “Dennis the Bunny,” and much more. When it comes to secret agents, Perry’s not only the real deal, he’s real teal!"

This DVD has some special bonus features as well:
Nerves of Teal: Do you have nerves of teal? Then OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) wants you! See if you have what it takes to become like Agent P in this spy recruiting video.
Platypus Tour: Take a look inside the Platybus, the traveling Phineas and Ferb exhibit that toured North America.

I will be posting a review of the DVD next week, but in the meantime, how about entering to win a copy of your own?? I have THREE copies of this DVD set to give away to 3 lucky readers of Raising My Boys. Entry is via the Raffelcopter widget below. The contest is open to Canadian residents only (excluding Quebec) and entries will be accepted until midnight EDT, June 8.

Good luck!!

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Dishwasher Dilemmas Solved with Finish Quantum

Full disclosure - I love my dishwasher. I can't imagine living without one. The convenience and time-saving is huge.

Also? We put pretty much everything in there. Including our crystal and our cooking pots. Sometimes at the same time. We like to live on the wild side. I used to pre-rinse really messy stuff, but since switching to Finish Quantum, I have given up on that. Pre-rinsing has become totally unnecessary now, even egg yolk, mashed potatoes or dried on syrups. (I think my mother-in-law would perish if she saw how we load our dishwasher, but that's a story for another day - her dishes are clean before they go in there. I think she uses it just for sanitizing.)

A little while back Mom Central provided a special webinar for the #FinishRevolution bloggers, put on by Finish's North American dishwasher technician trainer, Diane Hoffman. The webinar provided a wealth of information on dishwashers and their detergents, how they work, and how to make them work better.

Given my experiences with my mother-in-law, and her entirely different approach to the dishwasher, I was very pleased to hear in this webinar that it is completely ok to put my pots and pans in there.  You just need to make sure they are placed properly and you are using a good detergent. My machine does have a special pots & pans setting, but I tend to just put them in with my regular dishes, with good results. I used to keep certain messier ones out, but have found the the Finish Quantum does a great job on those as well. So, assuming there is room, in they go. (Check out my experiment with a cheesy, messy baking dish.)


I learned a lot from the webinar, some of it pretty technical. But here are some key, practical takeaways for you, to help you get the most out of your dishwasher.


1. Load properly. This is one the Teen would do well to remember. The water has to be able to get to the dishes in your machine. If you have spoons nesting into each other, knives lying against each other, or bowls covered by a pot - surfaces can't be reached and you will be left with food residue.
2. Use hot water. Dishwashers are designed for use with hot water. They typically need 120 degree water temperature, which is pretty standard. If you have your hot water boiler turned down, your water may not be hot enough to get your dishes clean.
3. Check the labels. If you are unsure whether or not an item is dishwasher safe, check for a label or imprinted instructions. Most "questionable" items will say. 
4. Use a rinse agent. Why? According to our webinar, "it makes water wetter." Basically, the rinse agent lowers the surface tension of the water droplets, so they more easily slide off your dishes, providing less opportunity to leave a water stain or food particles behind. Cool, hey?
5. Clean your dishwasher. You'd think with all that detergent and water flowing through there, your machine would be naturally clean, right? Not so much. Build-ups can happen in the body of the machine and the sprayer arm, as well as in the hoses. Finish recommends using their cleaner once a month to prevent build-up. Yucky odours can build-up too. I have to say that I found an amazing difference in my machine, its efficiency, and its smell once I used the cleaner!

Would you like to try Finish Quantum for yourself? Finish Canada has brought back it's 50,000 free sample giveaway on Facebook. And/Or you can enter here to win 2 full-sized packages of Finish Quantum from Raising My Boys. Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below, open to Canadian residents only, and contest closes at midnight EDT, Sunday, June 3.


Good luck! And happy dishwashing :)

Disclosure: I am part of the Finish Blogger Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

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