Cracking down

Finally really cracking down on organizing the house and getting rid of excess and clutter. I have a really pretty set of crystal-ware that Philip got from a house he was cleaning out for a former landlord (it was headed to the dump when he "saved" it!). I also got a set of real silver silverware from that same place. THAT I'm keeping. The crystal? So far, it's been unboxed, washed, and collected dust. We're just not a crystal sort of family. We're more mason-jar and plastic cups. I've had delusions of us becoming a more fancy-pants sort of household, but I've finally accepted that my tastes, and his, are more earthy and tuned for stuff that can be used daily. If someone wants to judge us for lacking fine china and such, then we don't need those people in our lives. I don't foresee either of us ever holding fancy dinner parties for work colleagues, etc either.
  So I'm starting my "crusade" on a double-front. One front is clothing/laundry. Getting all laundry caught up, sorting out unused and outgrown clothing, and organizing dressers and closets. The kids' room is done, and I'm working with the kids to make sure they are putting their clothes away correctly and keeping them neat. Jeans are hanging (Need to get more hangars!), shorts, t-shirts, and everything else in the dresser is being rolled military-style. Rolling is neat and conserves space. I'm not gonna go all "boot-camp" mom on my kids, but before I hit their room, they had clothes ALL OVER their room... in the toybox, under the bed, stuffed in drawers. Now, everything in the room fits them, fits in a set spot, and is neatly put away. I put everything away the first time, making them both watch. The second time clothes needed put away, I watched them each put their clothes away. This last time, I let them put them away all on their own. They SEEM excited to put them away all neat and tidy, but I don't see that lasting long. I'll have to keep double-checking for awhile, I'm sure.
  The second "front" I'm hitting is the kitchen/dining area. In all honesty, that room is fairly hopeless in being "done" until we put in new cabinets, flooring, etc. What I'm doing for now is sorting out stuff we don't use, or have an excess of. Quesadilla-maker? Keep! We actually do use it, and love it. Second set of pots? Gone. We do use them, but that ends up meaning we have a HUGE pile of dishes to wash. Time to cut back I have 2 sets of mixing bowls: glass, and plastic. The plastic will probably get moved to the "craft" stuff or sold. Haven't decided yet.
  I've been finding a lot of stuff that I just don't know why I've been carting it around. Time to get rid of it! I know we have at least one more major move in our future. Regardless of whether that lands us in Texas or Nevada, I refuse to need a 26' Uhaul ever again!

Lice!

So... since I'm dealing with it right now (for the 3rd or 4th time...), I thought I'd share how I deal with lice. I tried following what the box kits say to do, and after a couple hundred dollars spent on that crap, let me say it's not overly effective.
Needed:

• metal-toothed lice/nit comb. NOT plastic. Those are crap.
• Conditioner. Just buy a cheap bottle of anything. I use Coconut Suave conditioner.
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV) and a pitcher or large cup.

Day 1: Shampoo hair... Use a lice-killing shampoo if you want, or Dawn, or regular shampoo... Whatever. Slather on a handful or so of conditioner (depending on length of hair! Shorter hair won't need that much.) Brush it out, to get all the tangles out, then section it off into halves or quarters. Use the nit/lice comb, and comb carefully from scalp to tip of the hair. Rinse OFTEN. I do this with my daughter sitting in the tub. If any of the damn things get caught in the teeth, use a pin or needle to clear them out. Carefully comb the entire head. Rinse thoroughly, then rinse with the ACV. I have a pitcher that I fill with water, then add a splash of ACV. I pour it over my daughter's head, let it sit for a bit, then lightly rinse with plain water.
Repeat this at LEAST every 2 days. I suggest every other day, though.
Why this works better than the kits and shampoos: The chemical method is repeated every 7 days. They warn against doing it more frequently. The reproductive cycle of a louse is 3 days. That means, in 7 days, the lice have gone through 2 reproductive cycles. Yikes! My way catches them before they lay more eggs, assuming you miss any nits in your combing. And you will, it's no big deal, it doesn't mean you did a bad job.   The conditioner method works in 2 ways: the conditioner makes the hair easier to comb, AND its so thick that the lice can't move. They're trapped for the comb to scrape them out of the hair. By doing it at least every 2 days, you catch the newly hatched lice before they lay eggs.
Why the ACV? My aunt and grandma swear an ACV rinse will prevent you from getting lice. It worked last year, but my daughter whined so much about the smell (which goes away when the hair dries) that I slacked on it. Other people claim it works for repelling lice as well. Whether it's true, or just coincidence, I do it anyways.

So that works for the hair. Now what about bedding, toys, etc? Now, I've read the hysterical responses that  are suggested by the "lice industry" and many other people. I vacuum the carpet. Bedding gets washed and dried (probably needed it anyways, right?) and stuffed animals get run through the drier. That's it. No insane cleaning spree. In the many times my daughter has come home with lice, I've gotten them once. Heck, this last time, she slept in my bed with me before I realized she had them, and my head's still "safe". I do check everyone's head, and my husband checks mine. I just realized that there's no use in freaking. Adult lice will die within 2 days without a food source.

And that's how I deal with it. Keep calm, and lice comb on! lol