Dishes Not Getting Cleaned? Clean Your Dishwasher!

Did you know that older dishwashers need to be disassembled and cleaned biannually? Now, I don't know about newer models-I don't have one-but if you have never cleaned your dishwasher, it may be time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. Over the last several weeks I started noticing that my dishes were not getting clean in my dishwasher. Even pre-rinsed glasses sand bowls were coming out with a sandy grit plastered to the inside.
 

As much as I have been pining for a new dishwasher (I have a beautiful, energy efficient black model in mind), we simply cannot afford to buy a new appliance right now if we don't absolutely need it. So, I got to work.  I disassembled the sprayer parts and soaked them in a sink half-full of water and vinegar.  After scrubbing the parts and dishwasher bottom with steel wool and an old toothbrush, I put everything back together and ran a cleaning cycle using the hottest water I could and 2 cups of vinegar.  Once the cycle was about half-way through, stopped the cycle and wiped out the bottom with a clean rag.  My dishwasher went from this:

to this:
 

 

If you haven't guessed, your homemaking challenge is to clean that dishwasher, and while you have your vinegar out, soak and scrub your glasses and silverware as well.     

 

 

The glass on the left is cloudy and full of water spots.  The glass on the right has been soak in vinegar and water and lightly scrubbed with steel wool. It looks just like new!  

 

My silverware was dull and dingy looking.  I soaked them in vinegar-water, lightly scrubbed them with steel wool and now...

  

They are shiny and bright.  Beautiful!

 

 

Going forward, add cleaning your silverware, glasses and yes. your dishwasher to your fall and spring cleaning lists.  I have written a detailed guide with lots of pictures about cleaning your dishwasher at

http://modernhousewife.hubpages.com/hub/Dishes-Not-Getting-Clean-Clean-Your-Dishwasher

 

 

Happy Homemaking!

 

Sarah

Homemaking Challenge: Start a Garden

Spring is here and the florwers in Indiana are in full bloom.  Unfortunately, Indiana weather has us covering up the tender annuals every other night in anticipation of frost. The Garden beds are tilled and most of my veggies that I started indoors are growing nicely.   Finally. 

It took me three years of trying to start seeds indoors before I finally got a tray full of vegetables growing nicely.  The first few years I ended up trashing most of the pots and buying plants from the store.  Even then, my plants haven't been the best producers, but every year my gardens get more beautiful, more productive, more rewarding.  

Over the past few years I have learned that gardening isn't as simple as plant a seed and watch it grow.  It takes time to become a "gardener," time to learn proper plant placement, pruning techniques, propagation techniques.  It takes a litte dedication to keep those little plants well-watered, well-picked, and well-weeded.   These skill do not grow over night, and often, it can take several growing seasons before we really become successful gardeners. 

Maybe you have always wanted to start a small vegetable garden, but have no clue where to begin.  I want to encourage you to just give it a shot this year.  Learn as you go, and start small so you do not overwhelm yourself.  Your garden may be super successful, or a complete flop.  Either way, the lessons you will learn along the way are what is important. 

Maybe you are an inexperienced gardener and, like me, you have already experienced a few flops.  Don't give up!  The little failures you saw last year have taught you important lessons that will make this year's garden more successful.


 You see, these first few years of gardening are not really about replacing our store bought produce with home-grown, (although that is what we are secretely hoping for, right?).  It's all about the process.  Learning about the plants you want to grow, learning about yourself, learning about nature, it takes time. 

In our society, we have become so far removed from art of growing our ow food, that we really take our food for granted, but there is something so magical about planting a seed in the ground, and watching it grow from a tiny seedling to a giant plant. Picking the vegetables off it's stems and putting them on your family table.  That connection to our food, connection to nature, to God, we are missing that in so much of America.

My homemaking challenge to you this month, is to take your gardening to the next level.  Grow something new this year, add mroe gardening space. Start your first small garden.  Live in an apartment? Start a container garden, grow one plant in one container, whatever. Just start somewhere, as always, share your experiences with us in the comment section below.
All New Square Foot Gardening
Happy Homemaking and God Bless!

Sarah


     

Make Mealtime Matter: Set Your Table

        My Granny sets her table for every meal. Nothing extravagant, just plates, silverware, napkins, glasses, and serving dishes. Eating at her house, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner is an event, not a rushed interference to the rest of their busy day, but an event worthy of a well-set table. In her day, that was a normal routine and to this day, to not put the food in serving dishes makes her feel a little wild or lazy, I'm not sure which.

Today, many families are lucky if they can pull themselves away from the TV to get to the dinner table, let alone use serving dishes and proper place settings. I admit, although I have sat through several "dinner etiquette" classes, I still have trouble remembering which side the forks go on, and my husband cannot understand for the life of him why I would ever consider making more work for myself by transferring our food from pots and pans to serving dishes. 

      This week's making mealtimes matter challenge is to set your dinner table, and your lunch table, and your breakfast table, as often as you can.  Pull out your serving dishes (or use plates and bowls) and get your food out of the pans and onto the table. 
      
For my fellow homemakers who, like me,  may have trouble remembering the proper way, here is a quick how-to on setting your table. On the left hand side of the plate go the salad fork and dinner fork. To the right, the knife, sharp end toward the plate, then spoon. Napkin should go on the plate or under or to the left the forks.

 

 

I have found that setting my table properly really does help me to slow down and enjoy mealtimes with my family.  My children love using the "good" plates like mommy, and our mealtimes really do feel more important.

 

 

Next Meal Time Matters Challenge: Invite God to the meal

Living Life on Purpose

What are your values and priorities in life?  Could others look at your daily life and get a good sense of your "V's" and "P's"?  We know generally what we value, and what we believe our priorities are,  but we have to take the next step and apply that knowledge to our daily lives. 

 Unless and until we clearly define our values and priorities for ourselves, we run the risk of wondering aimlessly through life, until finally we look back and realize that we didn’t live out our values and priorities the way we had intended. Sadly, by then it is often too late. The damage has been done and is irreversible. A life without a plan is a life wasted.

Shiny Sink

This week's challange: Shine your sink!
Okay homemakers, time to look at your sink.  Is it empty, clean, and dry? No?? Then get ready for this week's challenge.  I want you to go shine your sink and keep it empty, clean and dry every day for the next week.  This is a trick I learned from my Granny to keep my sink looking as new as possible. To my suprise, when my sink is shiny, my kitchen stays cleaner!   

Create a Morning Routine

As a stay-at-home mom to an 6 month old, I don't leave my house everyday, and I'll admit that on those days (Okay, and sometimes even when I know I'll be leaving) its hard to get out of my pjs. The idea of putting on my jeans feels restricting. Honestly, what is the harm in being comfy all day? I am so tired and so busy with my daughter that I have a hard time finding time for a shower, let alone getting dressed Besides, when you spend the majority of your day cleaning, cooking, and getting spit up on, what is the point? I am embarrassed to admit that I have gone to the store with my husband, he, having just returned from work, dressed in black slacks and a polo shirt, and I, having been home all day, dressed in my Victoria Secret sweats and a tank top. I justify this by reminding myself that I still look cute--Victoria Secret is not for the Frumpy!
I suppose I have continued on this way for so long because it is "normal." I see other stay-at-home-moms in the grocery store wearing jumpsuits and sweat pant outfits, and mom's on Dr. Phil who berate their husbands for actually suggesting that they be dressed up and looking good for them--and when during the day while taking care of their house and their children would they like her to do this?? Even my own husband never complains--the fact that I am wearing Victoria Secret, and that he can hardly manage to watch our daughter for more than an hour most likely keeps him from speaking up.
Then I began to notice something. I got a lot more accomplished during my day when I was dressed! I watched less television, and I felt like working, plus I got compliments from my dear hubby when I was dressed with hair and make up done. I thought about my Granny, the most productive housewife I know, who is always dressed and wearing shoes before anyone else is up for the day. She would never spend the day in sweats, kitchen sink full of dishes, laundry piling up. She gets up in the morning, makes her bed, and gets herself ready from her hair down to her shoes. Her house is always neat and orderly, surfaces cleared of clutter, dishes done after every meal. She has time to garden, time to golf, time to relax. She is a great example today of the 1950's era housewife.
I want that.
So I issued my self a challenge.



The challenge: Create a morning Routine

• Set your alarm clock: Pick a time to get up and stick to it, within a half an hour. You will get so much more done during the day with those extra morning hours than you ever get accomplished at night. Turn of the television an hour earlier at night and use that extra hour in the morning being productive!
• Make your bed: Make your bed and take dirty clothes to the laundry, so that you start your day with at least one clean, de-cluttered room that you can retreat to for a moment of clarity. As a bonus, getting into a freshly made bed is one of my favorite things!
• Get dressed-hair to shoes: Take a shower if you are a morning shower person, do your hair and makeup, get dressed and put on shoes. Getting dressed will tell your body that rest time is over that it is time to work. Dont let your carpet be an excuse--designate yourself a pair of "in-the-house shoes" and put them on every morning.

That''s it. Three things. You can add more to your routine as time goes on, but we are starting with manageable and realistic goals. Stick to this schedule Monday-Friday and remember that you although you are not "not working" you are "working at home."   More importantly, you may be one the few homemakers that the people you come across know--make those encounters count.  Your example could help other women to be better homemakers or even change someone's mind about homemaking.    


Questions for Reflection

1. What would you like to get accomplished during the day that you simply cannot find time for? Could you get up an hour earlier to give yourself more time?
2. What do you find to be the hardest part of this new routine? Why? What can you do to make this part easier for yourself?
3. How has getting "dressed to shoes" (Thank you flylady for that phrase) changed your mindset during the day?

Please feel free to leave share your experience in the comment section.

Friday-Date Night

      You and your hubby fell in love over dinner dates, movie nights and fun nights out, and those are exactly what will keep you together.  So, pick a night (We do Friday Nights) put the kiddos to bed early, send them to grandmas, or just send them off to play in another room.  Friday night is date night for you and your wonderful hubby!