Palmolive Fresh Infusions Dish Soap

Washing dishes is not my favorite chore. I suppose that's a no-brainer - who enjoys washing dishes? Even though I have a dishwasher, I still find myself washing several items by hand almost daily, and more often several times a day. We only have so many pots and pans, and those darn kids just keep expecting me to provide them with meals. So I dutifully scrub away, day after day.

A few weeks ago I was surprised and delighted to receive a package in the mail from Influenster. I opened it up and found the three prettiest bottles of dish soap I had ever laid eyes upon. No, really! See? Take a look at these Palmolive Fresh infusions I received.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions - I told you they were pretty!

Since that day, I have had all three bottles on my kitchen counter. I just can't bear to stash them under the sink. Can you blame me? If anything can help brighten up a mundane chore, it's these! That might sound silly, but I can't help but be happy when I reach for a bottle of Palmolive Fresh Infusions.

The naturally inspired Palmolive Fresh Infusions come in three different scents: Ginger White Tea, Lime Basil, and Lemon Thyme. All three smell great, look pretty, and work well. What more could I possibly expect from a dish soap? I think my favorite is the Ginger White Tea scent, because it smells like spring to me, and it's a unique scent for this type of product. My mom surprised me and washed dishes one night while she was babysitting, and I think she is partial to the Lime Basil scent.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions can be found at Walmart. Give them a try, they might make you smile when you're faced with a sink full of dirty dishes!

I received this product free of charge from Influenster. All opinions are my own.

ENDED Giveaway: Purex Triple Action Detergent

Is laundry the bane of your existence, or is it just me? Sometimes I feel like we should all become nudists simply because I am seriously so tired of the endless cycle of laundry around here. Probably not all that practical in Michigan, but that's just one more tally mark in the "move to beach hut" column. Last month we got a new, fancy washer and dryer, and that does help somewhat because I still get a special thrill when I push those pretty little buttons. My goal is to get that laundry room cleaned up and beautiful, and then maybe I will LOVE doing laundry! A girl can dream, right?

To help get you (and me) pumped up about laundry, I am really excited to be offering 2 lucky winners a FREE bottle of Purex Triple Action detergent! Woo hoo! You'll feel much better about this endless chore if you win something!

I am going to try Purex Natural Elements, because I like my cleaning products to be as natural as possible and some of us have really sensitive skin in my house. I love that it's hypoallergenic and dye-free, but that it also contains natural fragrance extracts. We end up using a lot of unscented products, but I really like my fresh clean laundry to smell good (instead of just neutral, like it does when we use unscented stuff). Plus it works in ALL washing machines, including my new fancy schmancy high efficiency unit.

So here's the deal. The contest is open to U.S. residents only, and the prize will come in the form of a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex Triple Action detergent of the winners' choosing, up to a $6.00 value. Just use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

I received the prizes for this giveaway courtesy of Purex Insiders, but they are mine to do with as I choose, and I am not obligated to offer them in a giveaway.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Step Closer To Domestic Bliss

Sunday afternoon, Chris and I sat the kids down and had a talk about chores. We've done this before. Generally it involves us lecturing them about doing more around the house while they stare at us blankly and sprint from the room the moment we stop talking. But this time we were prepared - he and I had made a list and taken notes and had a (semi) plan in place. So we gave them each their jobs, both daily and weekly, and explained in detail what we expect from them. I want to make some kind of chart with a way for them to check jobs off as they finish them, but I haven't figured out in my mind how I want it to look yet. I need to do it soon before this whole scheme loses steam. Four days into it and they are doing pretty well. They're needing lots of reminders and lots of me following them around telling them exactly how to do their jobs, but all in all our house seems to be tidier and I'm less overwhelmed. Because, in case you were wondering, four kids make lots of messes. And I really don't enjoy cleaning. I especially really don't enjoy cleaning up their crap that they literally leave everywhere, anywhere. Littlest Pet Shops in the bathroom? We got 'em. Crayons under the dining room table? Yep, those too. Dirty socks under the couch? You betcha. Jewelry and hair do-dads on the piano? But of course. Drawings and other art projects on every available horizontal surface? Duh. So hopefully this new chore routine sticks and I won't have to run around like a total lunatic every time we're having company, trying to clean everything at once. Well I'm sure I'll still do that, but at least maybe I won't be quite so frenzied.

This is what we've got so far:

Bethany     Daily:   Straighten up 2nd floor bathroom (including minor cleaning if needed), straighten up and vacuum family room, help unload & load the dishwasher as needed
                Weekly: Thoroughly clean 2nd floor bathroom, vacuum and straighten up play room
Connor     Daily: Straighten up 1st floor bathroom (including minor cleaning if needed), straighten up living room, vacuum rug by front door, help unload and load dishwasher as needed
                Weekly: Thoroughly clean 1st floor bathroom, mop kitchen, dining room and living room floors
Lucy         Daily: Wipe off the dining room table, help unload dishwasher as needed
                Weekly: Clean fronts of kitchen appliances, clean desk top in family room, dust living room and family room
Mattie         Daily: Refrain from kicking, biting, hitting, head butting, screeching like a banshee, throwing food on the floor, drawing on anything and everything, and so on and so forth
                Weekly: See "Daily"

More chores will be added gradually, but we thought it best not to throw their systems too much into upheaval all at once. The ultimate goal is to turn over all of the household chores to the kids, leaving me with more time to dedicate to soap operas and bon-bons. Can't wait...