Friday Things
1. Joseph turned 15 months old this week, what?! After spending most of his first year under the 10th percentile for height and under the 20th percentile for weight, he has skyrocketed to 52nd for height and 76th for weight! If someone had told me two years ago that I would find a little toddler so incredibly funny and so much fun, I would have never believed them. He’s the best :)
2. I’m still a ways out from this, but a great article on not raising bullies.
3. What’s your favorite store-bought salsa? GO!
4. I don’t think I have enough time to knock all of these off before I turn 40, but definitely saving this list! >> 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before 40.
5. Talk to me about Swiffers! Our entire first floor is hardwood/tile and we run a Roomba every night when we go to bed, so that helps keep the dog hair and any random dirt/crumbs at bay. I also steam mop, but probably not as often as I need to – it’s takes awhile to keep reloading the water, moving the power cord, etc. and I don’t like doing it while Joseph’s awake because I don’t want him to slip on the wet floors. So I’m wondering if a Swiffer that I could use quickly would help with the dust and little smudges in between steam mop sessions? Thoughts? Regular/wet-jet?
6. A question for those of you that use metric measurements… I’ve been trying to include metric measurements in my new recipes, but I’m curious how large amounts of liquids are typically reflected? For example, I have 1,183 mL – write it as is, round up/down, use liters, like 1.2 liters? Teach me :)
7. Cinco de Mayo is coming up in a couple of weeks! What’s your favorite Mexican food? I’ve been a sucker for tacos since I was super little, and always nachos, of course.
8. What recipes would you like to see for the summer? Lay ’em on me!
9. Hockey playoffs! Are you watching? The first round is always so much fun, so much hockey to see! I just hope we can get over the first round hurdle this year!
10. TGIF! Duke wishes you a sunshine-filled weekend!
Salsa: I find that any corn and black bean salsa tends to be muy delicioso!
Swiffer: I LOVE my Swiffer. It makes cleaning our apartment so much easier and they are easy to store. I like the Wet Jet myself.
Recipes: I would love to see some no-bake dessert recipes that don’t involve Cool Whip.
I’d love to see a recipe for deep dish pizza in a cast iron skillet! Love your blog!
That was a nice article about bullies. That lady is a smart mom. A lot of times parents don’t want to see and admit their own children are bullies and really I know some parents don’t even care as long as their own kid is doing well.
For the metric system, use litres. I don’t use the metric system for my cooking or baking but if its anything like science labs in college than you would use litres not in the thousands ml.
LOVE Mexican food!
Since you have mentioned that your boy has some food sensitivities, it would be cool if you included recipes for people with dietary restrictions for the summer. Stuff like dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, as well as the more popular now days gluten-free recipes.
Hello – I love your recipes – and thought I would comment on your request for metric help. I live in the netherlands – as an expat.
I use a mixture of measuring cups/spoons and weights when I bake. For dry goods, I prefer cups but If the quantities are larger I find it easier to use the scales than measure out 4,5,6 cups… For liquids, cups/spoons are easy, and somewhat more precise as not many measuring jugs have markings smaller 50ml. for sticky goods like butter, peanut butter, molasses, etc… I HATE cups and spoons (and butter sticks)! it’s a pain. then weighing is the way to go :D
I love SIRI – she is a great help in the kitchen – “how much is one stick of butter in gramms” and she will tell you :D
I don’t have any pets, but I do have a 2 year old and an area rug that sheds like crazy! My favorite mop is the O-Cedar ProMist mop because you can wash the mop pad or buy disposable ones which come in handy sometimes. If you’re not interested in the disposable pads, I like the Bona brand mop. (The Bona mop comes with a washable dusting pad that is meant to be used dry, and has the regular washable mop pad, so that is a nice bonus.)
I use Better Life floor cleaner because it is safe for kids – I love all of their cleaning products! http://www.cleanhappens.com/products/simply-floored-natural-floor-cleaner
I mop my hardwood polished floors with a mix of half hot water and half methylated spirits. Living in Australia, we use metric measurements and weigh dry ingredients. As I came from Canada 30 years ago, I had to get used to converting everything. As someone else said, weighing ingredients is important for baking. I think rounded off liquid measurements would be good because even though I’m a paediatric nurse and used to measuring meds to 0.05 ml, I wouldn’t be measuring to that accuracy for a recipe unless it was a teeny amount of an ingredient. 1.2L is close enough in the example above. We do use 5 ml for a tsp. so for 1/4 tsp it is 1.25 ml.
Bona dry floor duster is amazing, will pick up everything fast and it’s washable. I have the BONA wet mop but it leaves a film so I go over with plain water after. Love your blog and Joseph is a total charmer!
Love that little face!
Wish I could just hug and love him up!
I’ll say the same thing I said about my children. He’s growing up too fast!
Swiffers do a pretty good job, I just don’t like that they are not eco-friendly and it can run into a lot of money.
If you get one, the first month figure out how much you used and then multiply by 12 to see how much you are paying out all year. And if you put that money every year into a college account how much it would be by the time Joseph is ready. Or for savings.
Just a thought.
Hope you and Hubby are doing well!
Joseph is so handsome and takes great pictures. I’m so glad he’s a happy child and can’t wait to see how he handles having a sibling. We use a Swiffer Wet Jet on the tile but I’m actually thinking of changing to something else so I’m looking around myself. As for the hardwood floors – we use the swiffer dry mop there and when it does need cleaning – we switch to a damp cloth they make for the dry mop. It works okay on the hardwood floor and dries super fast.
I use metric measurements a lot. I appreciate it when the recipe creator is familiar with using metric tools. A 1-cupmeasure is about 250 ml but it is not a completely accurate measure. I use a scale so that whatever I am making turns out and all I need to do push button to change to lbs. or metric! I have a list of metric conversion weights that I have kept over the years.
Toddler is fast, furious and fun. I enjoyed it. Go Joseph!
I’m with the reusable pad steam mop, wipe that spot by the sink and 50/50 vinegar and water solution people. In between, I use a dust mop, with a reusable head. In just minutes I can mop the entire house, shake dust into the universe to seed clouds and burn calories, all while not spending money. When my girl was that age I gave her a dust rag and her job was to wipe the furniture legs as I dusted. .
I also appreciate the move toward metric. It doesn’t matter in entrees, but makes such a huge difference in baking.
I can’t believe how big Joseph is – such a handsome boy! We have a cavalier King Charles spaniel and does she shed. I do. swifter first ( I bought Lysol pads for swifter on clearance at lowes and they are great I spay a little water on the pad to catch all the fur) I had terrible luck with shark steamer did not last.then vacuum to catch all her fur. Also I use a mop with washable pads and Method has the best hardwood cleaner it smells great is chemical free and leaves a nice shine on floors. Our hardwood needs to be redone and this stuff does a great job.
Love tacos we use el Plato ( duck sauce) in Mexican food isle they also have a jalapeño version that is deadly it’s inexpensive you can customize it and comes in smaller cans so it doesn’t get wasted. I’m Mexican American and I grew up on the stuff. My mom spices hers up with extra chile and spices. Have a wonderful weekend!
When I was baking more and also professionally and in culinary school all my recipes were metric and I preferred it that way and would even convert recipes I found online to metric. I do it in ML and I leave it the number it is. I weigh all my liquids when baking because it’s fast and accurate so having odd numbers isn’t an issue. Plus the scale stays in ML so it’s not an issue that way.
I use a regular Swiffer all the time, but I don’t buy their cloths. I either attach a microfiber cloth which is reusable. Sometimes I even wet it so more dirt is picked up. Makes it very cheap to use also
A dry swiffer is a must for us. We have stained concrete and hardwood floors, 2 toddlers, and a cat. I swiffer several times a day, esp after meals, and mop when I have time! You won’t believe all the swiffer can pick up.
As another reader from Canada noted, though we have had metric recipes for decades (late1970s), most recipes published now have returned to mainly imperial/standard measures. I did actually work in the early conversion era! I did find this conversion chart for you http://cooking-conversion-chart.blogspot.ca/2008/08/cooking-conversion-chart-cooking.html To note is that you convert to the actual *measure* size, eg metric measures (not measuring *cups* ) are in the mL – it should be mL not ml, or at least that was the original intent – of the measure eg 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 25 (I note 25 is not shown on this chart but I am sure that is accurate) for dry measures and for wet (eg Pyrex measures) it would be eg my Pyrex measure has 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225 and 250 mL markings. (metric on one side, standard on the other) The conversions to metric are not intended to be an exact conversion eg 1 cup becomes 250 mL. For most recipes, the number to use can be what is closest as it will not make a difference, but for some baking, recipes *should* also be tested using metric measures to ensure accuracy. For your 1183 ml, go to the largest (1L) plus probably 175 or 200 mL, rather than the decimal 1.2 as that is not a standard recipe measurement in North America. I have looked up a recipe with a large volume, for bread – and they show the full amount 1375 mL – but the point is to make it an actual measurement ending in 0 or 5. http://www.robinhood.ca/Recipes/Breads-Rolls/White-Breads/Basic-White-Bread This recipe is not in the format standard originally used – more useful format is to have eg 5 1/2 cups flour 1 375 mL (there really should be a space between also if my brain still recalls.)
I forgot to add another part to metric recipes – pre-prepared ingredients.. Packaged items vary in Canada – I checked my cupboard for a couple of examples. Canned items, eg canned beans, are in 19 fl. oz or 14 fl oz cans, with the metric measure beside ie 540 mL and 398 mL, so if you use that in a recipe, you would put 1 can (540 mL) and not round off, as that is the way it is packaged. This is probably due to the packaging equipment and the cost of converting the equipment. But some items have had packaging changed, eg cooking oil is in mL or L, dry pasta is in g (eg 450 g), dry cereal is in g. Some packages could have metric weight, eg 454 g (which would have been a 1 lb. – and still is).
Just to make things easy, and standard!
I have a Swiffer vacuum…I love it…much better than just the Swiffer. It wipes up and picks up stuff with the vacuum that may not be picked up with the Swiffer cloth…..we have 2 pugs and a lab!
Good luck
I’ve heard that the chemicals in the wet jet formula is harmful for dogs. You may want to check it out.
Herdez salsa, medium, is the best store bought, in my opinion.
When our hardwoods were new, Bona was the product suggested by installers. It was not readily available at that time. Now it is everywhere. It is the best. Use 2 mop heads–one dry to dust, the other with the spray product. It dries quickly. After a fire and some work on the floors, Bona was again recommended. I lost a plastic bolt from the mop, contacted the company for another and they graciously sent a whole new mop handle etc. Very good products and great folks!
I have an 80-year-old home with 100% hard wood on main floor and upstairs…as well as two shedding Labs. I have used dry and wet swiffer (not jet just regular) for many years and think it works great. My cleaning lady uses mop with Bona once a week and said she never sees a build up from the swiffer. For the record my dogs constantly lick the floor and have had no issues with gettimg sick…maybe breed of dog is a factor?
I have been pondering the Roomba…do you recommend?!
Hi Julie, I absolutely, positively recommend the Roomba if you have hard floors and dogs who shed! We came from a home with mostly carpet and were in shock when we moved in here with all hard floors – so much flying dog hair! Sigh. We were vacuuming at least every other day, which was just such a pain in the butt. You can set the Roobma to run on a schedule, so we have it run downstairs every night after we go to bed. You can’t hear it and the floors just need a quick touch up with the vacuum attachments to get the corners, under end tables, etc. once or twice a week.
Thanks so much for the info! I am sold. Great Mother’s Day gift…
I love that 50 books for every woman to read list. Great collection!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I am not a fan of Swiffers. I like the e-cloth Deep Clean Mop which comes with a microfiber type damp mop pad. I also recommend getting the dust mop head (sold separately) as well. Let us know what you decide to get!
http://www.amazon.com/E-Cloth-10620-e-cloth-Deep-Clean/dp/B003WKSTJY?ie=UTF8&keywords=ecloth%20mop&qid=1461357127&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
How do they turn from babies to boys so fast? Joseph is officially a little man!
Hockey: Go Blues!!
I know!! It seemed to happen overnight! Rooting for your Blues tonight!!
I use a regular swifter, sometimes paired with bona or another safe hardwood floor spray. I bought reusable microfiber cloths on amazon and can’t recommend them enough. I got them years ago when my oldest was a toddler because you can take the middle sections out of the swifter handle and make it toddler sized. I loved letting him help clean, but choked at the cost of him using the swifter cloths.
I had a Swiffer, but I really didn’t like the idea of using more chemicals so I quit and just use my steam mop. Maybe not all steam mops are the same, but it literally only takes about a minute, two tops, for the floor to dry after I use it. I know toddlers can be crazy fast, but it shouldn’t be that difficult to contain your son for a minute or two. Have your husband take him for a walk outside or up to his bedroom for a few minutes!
The best store bought salsa I’ve had is called La Mexicana. I love it because it’s fresh and not jarred. It’s in the refrigerated produce section at my grocery store, and they have mild, medium and hot.
I LOVE pico de gallo. Guac, too, but I couldn’t live without pico de gallo. My favorite dish is any kind of enchiladas.
I just got an ice cream maker a month ago and have really been pumping out ice cream recipes. I have the custard for David Leibovitz’ mint ice cream with stracciatella (made with mint leaves that were steeped for an hour and not an extract) in the fridge right now, in fact! So obviously, I’m most excited for more ice cream recipes this summer. :)
Joseph is getting so big, and he’s going to be an awesome big brother. My fave store bought salsa is the one from Costco. Something about it makes it so yummy and so much better than the stuff at the traditional grocery stores. Swiffers are great at cleaning but I stopped using mine several years ago when it came out that the solution was toxic to animals. I don’t know if the story is true or not, but i decided to not take the chance. I switched to the system from Bona. I found the laminate system at Ace Hardware, but the hardwood floor on is at Target. It makes my floor look amazing and it cleans up the dog hair and foot prints quick and it dries fast.
Please stay away from the Swiffer with having dogs! My mother knows a woman who’s dog licked the floor and it eventually poisoned her dog! Check out a product line called Norwex instead!
I like Green Mountain Gringo Salsa, for a really good “jar” type. I also use a regular Swiffer dry mop for everyday dusting on my wood & tile floors. I use the wet pads on it for quick mop-ups….pretty simple & easy to grab! I don’t have any small children around, but have one very spoiled Black Lab who leaves a trail of hair! Lol!
Joseph is so adorable!
The best salsa out there, IMHO, is Newman’s own peach salsa. So so good!
I am a big fan of the Swiffer dry sweeper but not the wet version. The floors end up with a coating over time and really don’t look or feel clean.
I loved the article about bullying. As a former, long time kindergarten teacher, I used to see the seeds of bullying developing more often than I would ever have imagined. I learned to be aware of the subtle signs and used every opportunity I could to address issues before they got out of hand. I had a serious addiction to children’s picture books and accumulated a good collection that I used to open up discussions about kindness, acceptance, honesty, inclusivity and tolerance. There is nothing like a great book to get kids talking.
That said, I have come across two adult books recently that you might want to keep on you list for future “child rearing” reads. The first is “You Are Not the Boss of Me” by Betsy Brown Braun. It addresses “brat proofing” your child. I hate the term “brat” but essentially Ms. Braun speaks to raising kids that are respectful, grateful, generous and have a positive, healthy sense of self. The second is “The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money”. In a world in which many kids have no sense about money other than you can get it from a machine by pushing a few buttons, this book addresses how to raise children who are less greedy and materialistic and more grounded and generous.
I have two German Shepherds so I also vacuum daily. I found the Swiffer to be to small to do the wood floors quickly so I purchased a Rubbermaid commercial floor mop, it’s twice as wide as the Swiffer. It has two mop heads that attach by Velcro. One mop head is for dry floors and one is for wet. I got tired of changing the mop heads so I bought another mop so I have one mop for dry floors and one for wet. I use a spray bottle of plain water and touch up where the floor needs it. The mop heads are machine washable.
I would like to get a Roomba, do your dogs leave it alone?
Hi Beth, With the Roomba model that we have, you can schedule it to run at certain times every day, so it’s set to run downstairs at midnight every single night (after we go to bed). So we don’t have to deal with dogs or a toddler trying to chase it or pick it up :)
I use the Rubbermaid Reveal. A couple squirts of Method dish soap and water and away I go! The heads are washable, so there is no need to buy refills. But do buy a couple to get you through the week before you do laundry.
Joseph looks so happy and healthy – he’s adorable.
iRobot also has the Braava which is the mopping version of the roomba. I’d get one if we had less carpet.
I love our roomba! My 20 month old loves to chase it around and “oomba” was one of his first words, lol.
Loved the article on bullying! And also added some must-read books to my list! (The ones I had already read on that list were all great so I knew if must be a good list.) Thx!
Sewiffer has a try me free rebate, so you can’t go wrong with that. http://swiffer.com/en-us/our-commitment-to-clean/swiffer-money-back-guarantee
My daughter, in her preteen and teen years, would do my cleaning and that is what she would use. Worked great for ME! :D She would use wetjet.
My favorite brand of store bought salsa is Herdez.
Beware of the Swiffer wetjet. I have heard that it is not really safe for pets!
I grew up in Canada with metric and I can tell you that almost all of my friends and relatives still bake with imperial measurements. So unless people have been begging you to do the conversion, I honestly wouldn’t bother with it. Just my 2 cents!!
I have been doing the battle of the hardwood for years. Everything I used left a film. I spoke with the woman who sold me the flooring and she said that you really don’t want to mop it very often. A dry Swiffer is fine for the most part. But every so often you need something more and she said only use warm water. And that has worked the best for me as far as not leaving a film behind. I have several Swiffer and Swiffer-type contraptions, but will often use the Swiffer wetjet but dumped out the solution and just replaced it with warm water. I will also use one of those heavy duty squirt bottles with warm water and use the Swiffer pad to dry it.
We have hardwood floors and I use a basic Swiffer mop. I didn’t want anything but a basic mop because, at least for me, the more features a product has the more there is to go wrong. Buying the Swiffer refills is a waste of money. When I bought the mop, I also bought a supply of very cheap washcloths (because they are thin which works better). I keep a spray bottle of 50/50 water and white vinegar with the mop and spray it on the washcloth before I mop. After mopping, the pad comes off and goes in the laundry. I recently read a tip that using generic wet wipes works well for replacement pads and I may try that. We have both cats and dogs and this works well for corralling the hair and dirt.
For metric measurements we use Deciliters in Sweden for (DL) there are 10 DL in a L and then once you hit over 10DL you switch to L.
I would use a flat mop and a rag that you tie around it and just vinegar/water for cleaning floors. You don’t want the toxins that comes with a swiffer as you have an infant. The rags you can wash. Vinegar is cheap.
I have 18 month old twins, two dog,s and a cat, so I really understand the floor cleaning issue. I tried the swiffer products a month or two ago, and I was not impressed at all. I finally purchased a Hoover cordless vacuum, and it is the absolute BEST! It obviously doesn’t handle any mopping, but I buzz around the house with it almost every single night and it keeps the floors perfectly clean. I LOVE it and highly recommend it!
I have wood floors and one cat. I swear by Bona wood floor cleaner and the Bona spray mop with the washable pads. As for salsa I absolutely love Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde! I’m half Mexican and I LOVE carne asada soft tacos and Posole with all the toppings ( sliced radishes, shreddred cabbage and lime squeezed on top.) Your sweet son, Joseph, is just so cute! Enjoy each day a they grow up so quickly. This coming from the mother of three daughters and six grandchildren ❤️
My favorite salsa is Trader Joe’s Salsa Autenica, followed closely by their Tomatillo Salsa. Favorite Mexican food? Well, if that’s based on what I make (and eat) most often, it would have to be guacamole. I like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, Mexican rice, refried beans — all accompanied by guacamole.
Joseph is so adorable…those toes look too cute not to nibble a bit. ;) Swiffers are the bomb. I use the dry and wet ones. Great on hardwood, tile or vinyl. Enjoy these precious days.
I have hardwoods though also and have a dog. I bought the Swiffer wet jet thinking it would be a game changer, but I am sad to say it leaves residue everywhere. We have lots of windows and the sun is always telling on me as far how clean your floor is. So instead of using the Swiffer wet jet, I use a Norwex dry/wet mop. Its a non-chemical base product. The dry is used as a broom, collects the dust without dropping it everywhere. You only use water to wet the mop head. Throw it in the wash once a week and you are good to go to use again, Simple! My floors have never looked better and I don’t have to waste money on buying refills on Swiffer products. Let me know if you would like more info about the mop. :)
Big fan of Swiffer dry. (Disclaimer: husand and I are both retired from Procter & Gamble) We’ve been using a Swiffer since my husband first got to try it before it hit the market years ago. When we had both a dog, cat and two boys, we had plenty of dirt, dusy and hair on our hardwood floors. Vacuuming leaves behind some dust and dander (as do Roombas). We vacuum, then Swiffer. I have taken a slightly damp washcloth, wrapped it around the Swiffer and used it in a pinch. Works great and into the wash it goes. We are not fans of Swiffer Wet, however. Our steam mop does a much better job and the floors are streak free.
One of our favorite Mexican at home meals is Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas from Kevin & Amanda. I’ve added onions (cooked) or extra green chiles, used different cheeses and it always turns out great. It’s quick, easy and requested by the grandchildren which makes it a winner! http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/salsa-verde-chicken-enchiladas.html
I just love all the photos of Joseph. I have two grandsons about the same age and they are precious at that age (well, grandchildren are precious at any age). I have hardwood floors throughout the first floor of my home and I use a Bona floor mop (similar to a wetjet) with Bona Wood Floor Cleaner. It’s the best product to use on your wood floors and doesn’t make them too slippery and it’s so quick and easy.
I really didn’t care for the Swifter Wet Jet, floor felt tacky after using. I do like the dry one though for my hardwood floors. I do the steamer, but can see your point with Joseph slipping. I do not have little ones around so this is not a problem. My steamer has a rather long cord, so only need to switch out twice.
Karla
I have a Swiffer Wet Jet on standby with their hardwood floor cleaner, just for quick accidents (dog, kid, people). If I need to clean the entire floor between regular cleanings, I prefer to use Bruce’s hardwood cleaner. It’s the only one I’ve found that doesn’t leave streak marks on hardwood.
As far as favorite Mexican food, arroz con pollo and quesadillas are up there for me. Emiliano’s has a great arroz con pollo, and quesadillas are a once a week staple in my family. I make them with leftovers all of the time…just change up the cheeses and fillings (this week was leftover pulled pork and monterey jack cheese).
Giant Eagle Thick n Chunky salsa (Mild, Med, & Hot) when I don’t have a batch of your homemade version around!
Hubby is old school…vacuum first, mop after…no pets in the house (sigh) so no shedding issues. Thanks for the photo updates on Joseph, what a lovely boy! I am also so “heart-fed” by the pictures of your kind, gentle and wise doggies. You can just see the “old souls” in them, the caretakers.
Wild Oats Organic Salsa , found at Walmart
I’m a grandma of girls and I always look forward Joseph’s weekly pictures!! Can’t wait to meet the new baby too!! you have an adorable family!!
Look into 7 layer salad. I had it many years ago and loved it,great for a summer party, and serves many
I also dog sit and am a seamstress…so lots of fur and threads. I love a dust mop and My red devil stick vac. It weighs so little and pulls up hair and dust rapidly.Got it on Amazon for about $20 use it al most daily.
Hands down Tomatillo Salsa from Trader Joe’s.
Oy with the crumbs! I have used the Swiffer before, but we started using the Bona mop since we moved into this house, and I like it better. It has two mop pads that are machine washable, one for dust and crumbs (dry mop) and one terry cloth one for wet mopping. It has the same spray trigger like the Swiffer, but I like the washable pads.
Joseph is a charmer….his photos ooze happiness! I would love to see recipes this summer using fresh “from the garden” and using herbs to freshen up flavors. The last few years I started growing herbs in pots, and the flavors of fresh herbs change everything. Love your blog.
Oh my goodness! Joseph is adorable! There’s a salsa I buy and totally can’t remember the name of it, but it has habanero peppers in there so it’s super spicy and delish! That reminds me, I need to buy more salsa :) Have a great weekend!
I use the o-cedar line that I picked up at the grocery store (Publix). They have washable pads and different types. You can use them wet or dry.
My absolute favorite salsa is Paul Newman’s Peach Salsa.
Favorite salsa? – Jack’s in the refrigerated section at Wegmans, unbelievably delicious!!!!! Joseph is so adorable! He’s getting so big! Have a wonderful weekend!
I’m a metric girl myself used to converting recipes, and I find it easier to round up measurements :) 1.2L is way easier to measure than 1.18L and there is no difference in the resulting bake!
We also have hard wood floors. We use a Swiffer in between using the steam cleaner which we also don’t do enough. Life is too short to constantly steam clean. We just use a regular Swiffer dust mop. You would be shocked at how much it picks uplease.
As for salsa, do you have Garden Fresh Gormet near you? It is made near me so I am familiar with it. Very high quality and fresh. The smell alone is intoxicating.
I love my swiffer, I use both wet and dry on our tile and wood floors in between deep cleans. Great price at Costco.
My husband and I are wimps and don’t like spicy so we like Jack’s salsa which we used to get the big one at Costco and they don’t have it anymore :( so now we have to buy it weekly at Kroger. I like Swiffer for in between or quick clean up of the dog hair it sticks to them great. The wet ones are also good for quick clean up on the tile but I mostly use them for our hardwoods. We have one dog with black hair that doesn’t seem to shed its our Chihuahua with golden hair that is EVERYWHERE! I saw a sign yesterday that sums it up, Our dogs hair sticks to everything but the dog!!!! And my husband is a Dallas Stars fan so ya….hockey is on! I sent him to a game as a surprise with his brother for his birthday in December, so glad they made the playoffs! BRISKET TACOS! YUM!!
I’ve always found the Swiffer products to be junk. They’re pretty cheaply made and do a very spotty job, plus the cleaning chemicals leave residue on every floor I’ve used them on — wood, laminate, and tile. I bought a Wet Jet years ago, and right out of the box only 1 of the spray nozzles worked. xD That went right back to the store, and I swear by my Shark Steam Mop now. To be honest, my go-to in between floor moppings (which are sadly few and far between, LOL) is just to take a sponge or Lysol wipe and spot clean the floor. Or at least, whatever the dog doesn’t take care of. ;) No one wants to break out the mop for a small spill, so I just end up cleaning 1 square foot at a time, though often it’s the same square foot in front of the sink or stove or fridge over and over again, haha.
Pace salsa! Always and forever <3
I have two dogs and use no chemicals on my floors. My favorite mop is Rubbermaid reveal. Washable heads and I use 1/2 & 1/2 vinegar and water in
the dispenser. My other floor saver is my Soggy Doggy mats. Amazing how much dirt they trap even off sneakers.
Joseph is so adorable. Don’t they grow up way too fast?
As for this summer, I just found out I have gastritis so I would love some recipes that would be kind of bland. I can’t have spicy or tomatoes. Is this a challenge or what!!!?
Love your recipes.
Joseph is so cute and adorable !!!!!
Just remember the Derby is coming up and there might be some parties
out there but then it might be an occasion to have a get together !!!
Happy Day everyone !!!!!
Tell me about your steam mop. What brand, do you like it, is it effective, is it heavy, etc. I have 3 pets and my house is tile throughout.
I have a Bissell PowerFresh steam mop. I think it does an amazing job and like it a lot. My only issue is that since our downstairs has so much hardwood, I need to refill the water a couple of times and switch outlets more than a handful of times to get the job done and it’s become increasingly difficult to get it finished while Joseph naps. If I weren’t trying to clean around a toddler’s sleep schedule I would have no issues with it whatsoever! :)
Joseph is just precious! He will be a loving big brother! His smile tells me that, it’s priceless! I like Top Crop salsa. It’s delicious and fresh. Have a good weekend!
Joseph looks so grown up!
For the metric measurements, I would always use litres and round it to the nearest 25 or 50 ml, so 1183ml would be 1.175L or 1.2L.
Great answer, Alice! I ditto this comment all the way. I cook with metric measurements all the time and was trying to figure out how to answer Michelle’s really good question. (Thanks, Michelle, for going to task so earnestly on this for us on the other side of the Atlantic! :-)
This is a great solution, and one that is easy to implement with metric measuring cups.
You take such adorable pictures of your family! My granddaughter is 3 months older then your son and remember when she was his age. Speaking of 3 months older, we are expecting another grandchild 3 months before you.
As far as recipes, I enjoy one pot/pan meals and salads that are meals.
OMG those shorts,that shirt, that smile and those little feet!!! He’s looks like a little man :) I could squish him.
I have 2 cats and one small Boston Terrier. I recommend a regular swifter. I use that after I mop to remove cats hairs moslty and a few dog hairs. I noticed my cats are the ones that she’d the most. I’ve been using them on my floor ever since I got my 3 fur babies. Seems to do the trick.
Although I’m Latina, not a fan of Tacos. More of a rice and beans kinda of girl.
Hugs and kisses to your fur babies. Enjoy your day.
Transitioning kitties to a wet food diet instead of dry kibble helps a bunch on the shedding issue.
Oh those precious feet. Nothing like baby toes! Your baby is adorable.
Mateo’s! So good and different!
My favorite store-bought salsa is Trader Joe’s Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa.