I Love Spring, But Dread the Cleaning! {GIVEAWAY!}

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Well, here we are. Right on the cusp of Spring-Cleaning Season. It's still in the 30's and 40's here, but as soon as temperatures get into the upper 50's, I have no choice but to throw open the windows and start scrubbing. No, I'm not at all excited about this. I have a hard enough time getting the regular day-to-day cleaning done. With a disabled, bi-polar husband, I really can't plan ahead for him to watch Little Guy. This means that I can either wait until nap time and the middle of the night to ever-so-quietly clean, or I can have a "helper."

My oldest is pretty goof for both cleaning and babysitting. Unfortunately, that teen attitude has struck him recently, so I can only count on about forty-five minutes of either before he's through. A relatively simple job such as sweeping our wooden steps  will start out fine, but you can visibly see when he got tired of the task and started to slip up - half the stairway will look beautiful, while the other half is still full of dust and dirt. And, while plating with his little brother, he's figured out a great way to get out of it when he's had enough. He'll start teasing Little Guy a little at a time until he's hit full-blown tantrum and I have to come calm him down. My oldest quietly slips out of the room... ARGH!

Now, Don't get me wrong - I love having a helper when it comes to simple tasks (you can read about it HERE.) He gets such a great sense of pride out of a job well done. But, it can end up causing gigantic messes that will take me three times as long to clean up when the job is a big one that requires some bit of concentration.I guess I am going to have to do some careful planning this year if I want to get anything done. That includes finding jobs that are easy for him to do while I can work on a more complicated project next to him, making sure each task lasts no longer than his attention span, and using cleaning products that are 100% safe for him to touch and even ingest (he still likes tasting most things he comes into contact with - yuck!)

I think that, as long as I keep my sense of humor about me and remember that any cleaning job can be stopped at any point and left until I can return, everything will work out OK. It's the cleaning supplies that have me concerned. While I have managed to make the switch to safer and more environmentally-friendly supplies, some are still not safe for Little Guy to be working with. Borax, for instance, is a great cleaner for grimy messes. But it has a caustic effect on skin and is poisonous if swallowed. I can do the whole vinegar, baking soda, and water thing. But, that leaves me without that great smell of clean.

So, I think I may turn to Jenny of The Peaceful Housewife for my cleaning supplies this year.You can read my review of her products in my previous post, What's Under YOUR Sink? Her ingredients are safe and she adds some great scents to her products. Additionally, the cost of her products will end up being less than if I made my own!

And, guess what, she's offered one of my readers a $10 gift certificate to her store. Now, let me tell you something - $10 can get you about THREE of her products, so this is a great deal! And, you have another chance to win a nice product package from her, too, if you enter her Green Your Clean Giveaway. So, what do you think? Want to try out a few products from The Peaceful Housewife???

WIN!!!

One $10 Gift Certificate to The Peaceful Housewife's online store. This is a great deal since the majority of the items cost $2-$3. You could get FIVE things for free!!


Mandatory Entry:
Go to The Peaceful Housewife's store and have a look around. Comment with one product and scent that you would like to try most. **Leave you email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries:
For each extra entry, leave a separate comment. (If it says +2, leave two comments, etc.)

• +2 entries- Follow The Peaceful Housewife on GFC
• +2 entries - Like The Peaceful Housewife on Facebook
• +2 entries - Follow The Peaceful Housewife on Twitter (leave your Twitter name in comment)
• +2 entries - Subscribe AND CONFIRM to The Peaceful Housewife's emails (upper left sidebar)
• +5 entries - Enter The Peaceful Housewife's "Green Your Clean" giveaway(ends 4/8)
• +5 entries - Make a purchase from The Peaceful Housewife. Just let me know you did so and the First name, Last initial you used to order.
• +1 entries - Follow me on GFC - right sidebar
• +1 entries - Like me on Facebook - or right sidebar
• +1 entries - Follow me on Twitter
• +2 entries - Subscribe (& confirm) to my emails - right sidebar under, Networked Blogs

This giveaway will end on April 15, 2011, at 11:59 PM EDT. Winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Winner will be chosen by the Random.org widget I have embedded at the bottom of this page. GOOD LUCK!
**I have not been compensated for this post in any way.