I LOVE THE MAGIC ERASER

That's basically the thought of the day.

Today was Sweep and Mop day. It's when I, obviously, sweep and mop the kitchen and bathroom. I do have a small broom for my small kitchen and bathroom, but when it comes to mopping I just use the Swiffer Sweeper. It's perfect for lazy housekeepers like me! Actually, I'm not all that lazy, but the Swiffer really does fit our lifestyle. We have no kids and no big, messy pets so I don't need any heavy-duty mops and buckets. Plus, the rooms are small enough that one Swiffer wet sheet is enough to clean up the kitchen and bathroom floors. And, the velcro edge is great for scraping off bits of dinner.

However, there are times when a bit of grime is lodged inside the small pits in the linoleum. That's when my Wonder Tool comes in- Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. It's not that expensive (about $3 for 2) and really does seem to magically erase any dirt my Swiffer can't get at! It also takes care of any pot scratches on the tile counter. I also used it to attack the grout on the floor of our 1950's bathroom tiled floor. Only 5 minutes and PRESTO the grout was white and beautiful!


Really, whenever I get a chance to whip it out, I go looking for more places to use it. The Magic Eraser is fantastic against the dirt and stuff left from your fingers on doors, kitchen cabinets, the 'fridge, and light switches.
Oh, the Magic Eraser puts me in such a good mood!!!

To Market, to Market

You know how the line to your favorite ride at Disneyland or where ever is so long? And you just stand and wait in it for 2 hours (or more)? And then you finally board the ride and it's all over in about 2 minutes?

Yeah, the farmers market is kinda like that for me.

I wait all day for it to start. I make a list of all the tasty, fresh fruits and veggies I'm going to buy. I go the the ATM so that I've got cashish. I drive around a bit to find parking.

And when I finally get there it's all over in 10 minutes. Not only did I spend all my money, but I also go a little over because there's ALWAYS something special to buy that I hadn't planned on. This new I went to had rotisserie chicken! With rosemary potatoes! It was $12, just for the chicken!! There were also kettle corn and tamales.

I'll have to bring more money with me next week. :-)

In My House

The title for this blogpost just popped into my head, along with the rest of the chorus of the 80s song and an image of the band the Mary Jane Girls. Man, I remember singing along to this song, blissfully ignorant of all the sexual and drug references. Gee, I was so naive back in jr. high.

Anyway, yes, after a week in New England I am finally home! (*Note- New England doesn't refer to every northern state on the East Coast. As far as I can tell, it's just the ones from Massachusetts on northward. Huh, whaddya know, I learned something!) Oh, it feels so good to be in my own kitchen again, washing dishes for two instead of a whole houseful of people. Being the good Stepford Daughter/Sister-in-Law of course I did the dishes without being asked. And, really, I didn't mind so much. After all, it's family and it helped out everyone else. But it's nice to be back washing only two of everything.

It's also nice knowing what there is and isn't in the kitchen, where things go and don't go, and what to cook and not to cook.

It's also nice to have my own computer again! (oh, how I've missed you my little PC with the large screen!) I packed my husband's Eee which was helpful, but not as nice as a full-sized computer.

With the In-Laws

Fortunately for this Stepford Wife, my in-laws and I get along quite well. By in-laws I mean father-, mother, sister-, sister-, and brother-in-law. (Well, my husband's sister is my sister-in-law, fer shure, and her husband is my hubby's BIL so I assume he's my BIL, too. Is that right?)

Anyway, being the good wife that I am, I've washed and put away dishes while staying in my in-laws' RV, as well as packing up the sofa bed each morning. At my sister-in-law's place, I made lunch and done more dishes. Sheesh! Seems like it's all about the dishes!!

I was going to offer to help neaten up the place, but looks like SIL and BIL beat me to it. :-)

Of course, I'll be doing lots of child-sitting. My 7 year-old niece can't wait to play games with me. It's nice, definitely, but I am so glad the household instituted "quiet hour" in the afternoons. The Stepford Wife needs her "me" time!

The Stepford Wife Accepts Defeat

*sigh*
I have met my match in this new apartment. This foe met me head-on in my personal sanctuary- the kitchen. My cute,little, pink-tiled kitchen. This evil has taken the shape of skid marks from my pots and pans, horribly defacing my ceramic 1950s sink.

Being a part-time Stepford Wife, my arsenal is small, but these pan-scratchings have bested them all: scour sponge, nylon scourer, steel pad, soap, hot water, even vinegar. It breaks my heart every time I wash dishes, seeing those dark, irregular lines. All I've managed to do is blur a few.
They sit there, looking so smug, daring me to run out and buy some Comet.

So, if that's the way the game is played, then all I have to say is, "Game On, Mofo!!"

Bad News

*sniff* I cannot find my copy of How the Queen Cleans Everything. I've unpacked every box and carton but it's not there. I was hoping it would tell me how to clean the scuff marks off the kitchen sink. :-(

He Went There

Dear Friends,

So nice to be home again! I just came back from a short visit to my mother. My sisters and I drove down together. Of course, we had a nice visit which included us good Stepford Daughters cleaning my mother's house! That meant washing dishes, scrubbing the kitchen, disinfecting the bathrooms (ugh, they both totally needed it) and vacuuming the downstairs, all 3 bedrooms upstairs, and the stairs themselves. My mother asked me if I work that hard in my own home and the answer was, "No way!" First of all it's just my husband and I whereas my mother's house is home to 5 adults and 3 children. Second of all it's a 4 bedroom two-story house, much bigger than my two bedroom apartment.

All was well and after driving all night and a quick and much-needed snuggle with hubby I awoke and happily returned to my own routine and small, cute kitchen. Obviously, hubby was home alone these past two days and while he is entirely capable of taking care of himself I know he is no housekeeper. So, I was totally expecting the (slight, really) mess in my kitchen: a few unwashed dishes, crusty chocolate milk glass, dirty stovetop. No problem. However, as I was preparing my morning coffee I noticed that hubby had taken it upon himself to rearrange things. in. my. kitchen. Yes, MY KITCHEN. He moved the measuring spoons from one drawer to another! He changed up my pot arrangement on the potrack! He put a whole bag of onions on the wrong shelf in the pantry!

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it totally put me out of my groove. What else did he do in there?

Anyway, at least I get to put it all to rights today.

I <3 Mondays

It must be Monday. It must, because hubby had to go to work today after sitting around here at home for a couple of days. This morning he kissed me, then said, "bleh, I have to go to work today."

*snort* Like he understands what work really is. At least he gets weekends off. Do I? No. Even though he has two scheduled days a week to play video games or sit in front of the computer, what do I get? Nothing. I still have to cook. And clean. And go grocery shopping. And clean.

Can I get a break here?

Where was I? Oh, yes. MONDAY. Well, while he's off working I'm here housekeeping. For the Stepford Wife, Monday is LAUNDRY DAY: washing, drying, folding, and even ironing! In this day-and-age I'm ironing, can-you-believe-it. (Ooooooh, hypens!) Today is also another trip to the grocery store (why-oh-why can't I get it right, and just go once or twice a week instead of 5 times?), a trip to Target for more hangers (why? so that I can hang up HIS stuff, that's why. *harumph*), a stop at the Salvation Army to drop off a bunch of stuff (basically, clothes that mysteriously have gotten smaller and no longer fit me. *sigh*). Oh! and I get to buy a dish-drying rack. Big Whoop.

And, of course, there is the never-ending cycle of cleaning that needs to be done. Ask hubby to help out, you ask? *gasp* Never! Honestly, I couldn't. Not after a long day being at work.

Defining ME

Good Morning, Sunshine!

That is how everyone should greet the day, the bright, new day, full of promise and possibilities of happiness and contentment.

The day may not end that way. It might even become a deep, dark, empty place before lunch, but the possibility is always there at the beginning nevertheless. (God, that is such a great word! I love how all three words just run together to make that one word. Another word I love: passerby. Isn't it just so descriptive?)

So, who am I? Well, I call myself a Stepford wife for lack of a better term (gosh, grammar is just so....neat? awesome? fun??). According to the Urban Dictionary, the term is derogatory. Can you believe that? I guess how it's defined it would be. I don't consider myself spineless at all. However, I do try to make my husband happy. Is that wrong? I guess I started this blog as a way to explore the probability of being a happy housewife in this modern, 21st century world.

*************

OK- I'll be honest with you. After all, if I can't be honest with you, then how can I be honest with myself (forget being honest with my husband)? For most of the year I am a hard-working school teacher. Hey, I teach junior high. How many of you have the brass cajones to do that, huh? But, once school lets out for summer and my classroom is all put away, hibernating as it were, some sort of change takes over me. All of a sudden I become little Miss Happy Housewife. The Stepford Wife, if you will (will what? will accept, will believe, whatever). I think it all starts out for the best reasons. I mean, I am home all day. Luckily, hubby makes enough money so that I don't have to work summer school. (Thank. God.) So I figure I've got the time to keep the home neat and tidy. And to do the shopping. And the cooking. Not just cooking, but making all of hubby's favorite meals, the ones I certainly don't have time to put together for 9 months of the year.

So, the purpose of this blog is to share with someone my real, honest feelings about all this. About being an independent Woman for 9 months a year and shape-shifting into this other woman. The Stepford Wife.

In other words (gee, it is all about words, isn't it?), in this day and age, can One Woman have it both ways?