Otherwise We Get Ants

My house smells like vinegar. See, I read somewhere that you can clean hardwood floors with a mixture of water and vinegar, so I did, and now it stinks in here. Maybe I used too much vinegar? Maybe whoever wrote that was joking and seeing if anybody would be gullible enough to do it? (If so, ha-ha, good one.) I suppose I could break out the bucket and wash the floors again to get rid of the vinegar smell, but I just washed them and am morally opposed to cleaning anything I just cleaned. Actually, I’m opposed to cleaning anything in the first place. Most of the time I just suck it up and do it and tell myself that being home with Mia was worth giving up the cleaning lady, but there are some days (such as the days that my house smells like vinegar) when I am not so sure.

I am also morally opposed to something I just cleaned getting dirty. Ideally, it should never get dirty again, but at the very least I like to have at least a 24 hour window where it remains fairly clean. This mild obsession explains why I felt the need to sweep up the kitchen floor in the middle of dinner. What? Mia had just finished scattering shredded cheese (she’s eating cheese! Hooray!) all over my clean floor, it had to be done. Possibly you should not take housekeeping tips from me.

Oh, I have a really good tip though! If you use those toilet drop-in things you should get the bleach ones because then they make the whole bathroom smell bleachy and people will think you just cleaned. Have I mentioned that from October to February I cleaned our master bathroom once? I could have used some bleachy smell.

Enough about cleaning though, because today is my day off. I’ve been doing pretty well so far on this whole “me time” campaign. The first week, I watched a movie while Mia napped. The next two weeks, I started catching up on an entire season of West Wing that has been cluttering my Tivo for months. Today, Chris is off work, so I’m thinking I will expand this concept to non-napping hours and head off for a pedicure and leave him in charge.

And so, the burning question of the day is, what color should I paint my toes?

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I didn't mean to imply in yesterday's post that I have anything other than respect and admiration for Mia's hair.  In fact, I am told I had the same hair myself.  It is hard to prove though, because my mom admits she was obsessed with slicking down my sticky-outy hair.  However, I did find a picture of me at nine months which is admittedly very poor quality, but if you look closely you can see where my hair is starting to thwart my mother's best efforts.  It was the best I could do on short notice, I'll try to find better documentation.

Comments

[Laurie]

A very girly pink for those cute flip-flops you know you're dying to wear. :) Now don't go all glittery or neon. Just a nice subtle pink so you feel pretty. Heck, I might even go get one tomorrow to join you. Enjoy!!

[Karen]

Ok.. no help on the vinegar thing cause I've never heard that, but do they look nice?

Also, no advice on the toe color. Have fun though!

Oh my, she gets her hair from you. No denying that one.

[Kate the Shrew]

Good for you, getting a pedicure. I'm partial to a nice sparkly berry color, myself. (Little sparklies, not like Wet & Wild circa 1983.)

Thanks for the picture, Beth. So cute, and your hair really was just like Mia's.

[Kate the Shrew]

Oh, and the vinegar thing? I tried it at my mom's, and it really does work. BUT, you can just wipe it on around the baseboards, or wherever it is they're coming in, and at least that way you cut down on the amount of vinegar you have to use.

[Jessica]

Beth you were a supercute baby!

Chalk works for ants- they cannot and will not cross over a trail of it.

Forget the vinegar on wood. Get a hardwood floor cleaner, its worth it. Wood needs conditioning, vinegar is so acidic....

=)

[speckledpup]

I love Mia's sticky outtie hair. I also love love love her ponytail. If you make two pony tails on either side of her head the cuteness will overwhelm you.

Happy Pedi....later tater.

[Jodi]

Mia looks just like you did!

[haley-o]

so cute! I love the overalls!
sorry your house smells like vinegar. We use Murphy's Oil. Not as environmentally friendly (which is very unfortunate), but it smells really clean--and you only need to use a little.
Have a great pedicure!

[Three Sons and A Princess]

Thanks for the great idea. I think I will blog about housecleaning tips tomorrow. Can I link to your blog?

[erika]

Cute baby photo! Fabulous hair! I loathe cleaning the bathroom. I love the advice about making it smell like it has recently been cleaned and I plan on using this new knowledge to full advantage. Happy day off!

[Linda S.]

Did you happen to read Augusten Burroughs' "Magical Thinking" where he describes his apartment as smelling like a giant douche after the cleaning lady uses vinegar?

Never mind. I heard vinegar works great. The hippie cleaning person at my all-wood-everywhere office uses it, and I can attest that the smell dissipates after a few hours.

HOT TIP I JUST LEARNED: use crumpled newspaper to clean glass/mirrors instead of paper towels. Seriously. It's farking amazing.

[Jaycie]

Hmmm...your sticky-up hair matches my middle kid's. She ended up with a beautiful, THICK head of hair. I think Mia got yours plus some!

Orange is the new pink this season. Orange toes are good...well, toenails at least.

And be careful with those bleachy toilet things. If you leave the door closed in a small bathroom the fumes will about knock you on your butt when you enter the room.

[Melissa]

For some reason I love bright orange toenails in the summer time.

You were a very cute baby. Love the spiky hair.

[Missie]

Hot Sexy Pink to go with your Hot Sexy Husband. Just my 2 cents.

Also, the hair? Loooove the hair on the Mia. Too cute that baby is. (why am I channeling Yoda?)

[Maribeth]

I'm amazed at how much you and Mia look alike! (Why is this so?) Anyway, very cute!
PS: My mom babysat my AManda and at 2 years old when this poor child still had almost no hair, she cute it all off!
PSS: No I do not speak to her any more.

[Shrinkingmom]

Red.

No, wait. Hot pink.

[Heather]

The internet told me to use vinegar on a sunburn, and because it was so.damn.itchy, I did. It really, really stung. But then it was less itchy. So, kind of a catch twenty-two?
And I vote for pink. I have pink toenails right now, and it makes me smile.
BUT. Since you're Beth? I'm actually going to vote for some shade of purple. :-)

[ann adams]

Heloise swears by vinegar for everything.

You were so cute!!

[Gavin]

Wait a minute, I just made the connection.

You cleaned your bathroom once in a five-month period and you were worried about *public* restrooms? O_o

[RachelS]

I have been painting my toes electric blue for the past two months. Not as trendy, but I'm big into being a non-conformist.

I use the bleach toilet drop in things too, and lysol wipes. They clean pretty well, you can just through them away and they make the bathroom smell purdy.

[Laura]

just so you know.. the ratio for the vinegar is one cup vinegar for every gallon of water. :) My mom told me... I do that because I'm too cheap to buy a Swiffer. (And poor. College Student Working at Minimum Wage poor.) Hope it helps for next time!

[Traci]

Hey - I'm late with this advice, but I just read that ants hate mint. So planting mint around your house will repel them. You can also mix one quart of water with one teaspoon of peppermint oil and spritz it on windowsills, doorsills, etc. to keep them out.