www.31daystoclean.com

The next thing on my reading list. Wait. What's a reading list? The only kind of list I have is a "to-do list." A to-do list of things that never seem to make it to the "done" list.

Well. Maybe THIS is what I need to get a DONE LIST to replace every one of my TO-DO LISTS.

Except for learning how to clean your house, I have no idea what this book is about. And no, that was not just a disjointed disclaimer. Or was it?

But since it was FREE (if I blogged about it) and my house is pretty much anything but clean and the subtitle says, "Have a Martha house the Mary way" and my blog subtitle talks something about Martha and Mary (you know, that Bible verse up there? Yeah. You know what I mean) and my house is pretty much anything but clean and I'm pretty much a Mary-wanna-be but stuck in a Martha mode and my house is anything but clean, I thought all 27 of those reasons were good enough to advertise this book on my blog despite the fact that I have yet to read it.

Okay. THAT was a disjointed disclaimer.

Ahem.

Have I mentioned my house is pretty much anything but clean?

I do supper dishes after 11:00pm.

I fold laundry only to put it in a basket and leave it there because that's the exact amount of time I have to do laundry.

I clean my bathroom because government officials would start making visits to my house if I let the bathroom go one more week day.

I mop the kitchen floor only because the dog was sick all over it.

I don't take pregnancy tests because not puking while mopping up a kitchen floor that had a sick dog on it proves that I am not pregnant.

(okay, that last reason was random.)

I have never scrubbed my diningroom floor. Ever. My MIL did it once when she was visiting. That was 4 months ago though. So I guess it's time.

I still haven't written all my "Thank You" cards for people who so kindly shared gifts with us when Korynne was born. I've only written 2. Oh wait. Make that 3 thank you cards successfully written. That dining room floor that got scrubbed once? Yeah....

I only scrub the shower after I bathe the dog anymore.

I've only bathed our 4 year old dog once.

I grow science experiments in my fridge.

As if I didn't have enough laundry to do, I decided to cloth diaper my baby. Which has been a wonderful choice. Actually. I'll tell you about that later. Maybe. IF I get my to-do list done....

And last but not least, I NEVER blog. Ever. Anymore. At all.

So maybe if I had a clean house, I'd have more time. To blog and write thank you's and stuff.

I'm the type of person that if you dropped in on me and my house was a mess, I wouldn't be able to sit and casually visit until I at least got the living room picked up. But since I know that might make my guest feel bad for stopping in unannounced, I ignore the impulse to tidy the room. And then with all the courage and strength and will power that I have left after 4 natural and unmedicated child births (please don't ask why I did that), I force myself to SIT. But I HATE sitting when the room I'm sitting in that I'm responsible for, is a mess.

I would love to be able to relax and be stress free in a messy house that's mine. I pray that God would make me content with clutter and messes. But He refuses to answer my prayers in this department.

So I guess I'm gonna give THIS book a try. You should check it out too. :)

When Brushing Your Teeth Backfires

We all know we should change our tooth brushes every 3 months, right? Or, immediately following a cold or illness, right? Or, if the bristles become slightly over used, right? Or, if a stranger breaks into your bathroom and helps himself to your toothbrush, right? You knew all that, didn't you? (In case you didn't, now you know.)

Anyway, I learned recently that even if you follow the above Toothbrush Rule, there still can be one more guideline that up until now has been unknown to mankind and has never been mentioned in toothbrush etiquette books. Reason Number Five To Replace Toothbrush Is:
Brown, stinky slime that adheres to the back of the toothbrush.

And when you find it, don't use the toothbrush like I did. Your mouth will taste the way a musty basement smells and it will take several days to feel clean again.

The best way I can find to stay up-to-date on the condition of your toothbrush is to avoid using toothpaste for random brushings on random days. Kinda like your smoke alarm battery... you don't wait until there's a fire to test out your smoke alarm battery, you just change that battery when you re-set your clocks. (the only thing DST is good for in my opinion.)

So, skip the paste for once tonight and just make sure your toothbrush is in good working order. If everything tastes good to you, resume normal brushing habits in the next day or two and hope that the slime doesn't appear between brushings.

On second thought, maybe you should just visually examine your toothbrush before you brush your teeth the next time. And if you see the brown gooey stuff, just throw the tooth brush out and don't try to taste it. I can assure you it is not a good thing to try.