Spring Cleaning

I know, it's only Febuary. I've already started. Having lots of messy kids that don't like to clean up after themselves tends to teach you things.

Snow Shovels make GREAT high-capacity dust-pans!
Carpeting is evil! Tile/hardwood is much easier to clean!
Those "grabber" thingies that allow you to pick things up without bending over ARE A GODSEND! Give me my grabber, a couple baskets for clothes, a container for toys, and the trashcan, and I can work wonders in minutes!
My God! I found an actual DUSTMOP at Wally World today! Hopefully sweeping the floors just got faster!

Now, if I can just get PeppA off her laptop and start sorting through the twelve different totes/laundry baskets and decide what she wants to keep, and what needs to get donated, I can clear out a bunch of stuff!

I'm gonna havta figure out WHAT'S in the garage that is getting into the trash. I'm thinking it's a squirrel. I'm praying it isn't a rat. I think I know where it's nest is, so that will have to get ripped apart and chucked to evict the beastie.

You've inspired me, Allen! There is a lot of stuff piled up in different rooms around my house for the same reason it's in your house - kids! I've been eyeing it without much enthusiasm for cleaning it up. Cold weather makes me lazy. But it would make me feel way better to get this crap cleaned up.

I love the tip about those grabber thingies. I even have one from my brother. He was in a wheelchair so it was invaluable to him. I am going to put it to good use now.

I have jealously guarded mine for years. PeppA's Mom gave it to me while we were still up in MI. It's the kind that looks like a lobster claw?? It had a metal "screw" on the top side that was magnetic, so you could get lightweight ferrous objects with it. Or, just use the part that stuck out as a lever to flip "whatever" over. There was a rubber piece that was held in place by the screw, which made grabbing dishes, plates, and paper really easy.

Well, the "screw" thingie came out over a year ago. I had to glue the rubber piece in. IT CAME OUT LAST WEEK! I'm HACKED! I have a hard time picking things up with it now. I'm hoping to find that little rubber piece, but, I probably swept it up with the rest of the trash. I wonder if I can find something else that will work and glue it in?

I've used the "Gopher Grabber" that Billy Mays marketed. I wasn't that thrilled with it, compared to the one I had.

Maybe I need to go to the stores that sell stuff to sick folks, and see if they have any.

Is it like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/36-INCH-PICK-UP...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c532161d5

The one I have is like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pick-Reaching-T...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4ceda406c5

I'll have to take a pic of it. Neither one of the two you posted is similar to the one I have. The second one is the "Gopher Grabber" that you can get at Wally World for about $8.

Well, I am now one of the sick ones. I woke up during the night, bloated and burping a foul taste. Yup, I've got it. I went and dumped out the mop bucket, and put that beside the bed. An hour and a half later, up it comes.

Oh no! There is nothing worse that being the sick parent of sick kids! Is PeppA sick, too? Here's to it being a bug of the 24 hour variety, Allen. Get well soon.

The only person that isn't sick, is the one who brought it home with her, our daughter, Ellie. Everyone else is sick, although a couple of the boys are showing improvement.

Well, I ended up taking about a 2 1/2 hour nap. I wasn't solidly asleep, kept waking up, even finally moved from the couch to the bedroom when PeppA got up. I'm feeling much better. I've been keeping fluids down, and even a candy bar. Lets see if I can hold dinner down, or I will have wasted A LOT of money today!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you and the others are on the mend now. Puking is worse than anything.