Tips for Mom — Page 2

Finding Balance in the Mom Life #InspireGaiamTV

“Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself.” – Jessye Norman

This quote describes motherhood perfectly. When we become moms, suddenly there is out own heart out there, walking around in the world. Infants are so tiny and need so much care, there really isn’t much choice whether we put off our own needs for awhile, to give them the 24 hour care that they need. It seems like we have a hard time realizing that we can let go a little bit as they get bigger. You seldom hear men talk about not getting enough “me” time, right? So why do we have such a tough time realizing that while ensuring that our kids are safe, healthy, and happy is indeed our goals as moms – we still need to remember that we’re a person too! You’re not just a mom, your a chick who needs a life too.

“Balance your thoughts with action. If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” – Bruce Lee

You’re tired. You’re grumpy. You’re just totally lacking motivation. You feel like you’re always running a little behind – but don’t know how to catch up. You’re not enjoying yourself each day – but you’re too busy to slow down and figure out how to enjoy things. Any of that sound familiar? If so – You, my friend, are unbalanced. But as always, I’ve found another “Busy Mom Solution” to help! Let me introduce Gaiam TV!

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

Gaiam is a company that totally understand this challenge – and is focused on helping you become balanced again. From their amazing work out videos {their maternity yoga videos were my very favorite, even after Abby was born} – to their inspirational documentaries, they are all about motivating you to think positively, finding easy solutions for healthy living, and sharing ways to renew your spirit. Pretty much, they’re like that one totally amazing girlfriend who always knows the right thing to say to keep you moving on a positive path in life.

What Inspires Me: No matter what they say, you can’t ever really do it all. But you can do it better. So my motivational motto is “Do your best, and forget the rest!”

They’ve always offered amazing videos and tools for wellness – and now they’ve put together a whole online television channel, devoted to YOU!

What Will You Find on Gaiam TV?

You’ll find so many things to get you rockin’ a balanced life again – from Inspirational Movies to booty-shakin’ workout videos, there’s something for every mom, every lifestyle, and every need.

Try Gaiam TV for FREE! Sign up for a 10-day, totally free trial today!

Gaiam TV streams to you anywhere – on your laptop, iPad, or smartphone. No more buying new workout videos all the time – just try a new one whenever your in the mood, at the touch of a button. There are no commercials, you can watch as much as you want with no limits, and there is no way you won’t see a difference in your life after bringing Gaiam TV into it!

Want to WIN your own awesome subscription? I’m giving one of you lucky readers a full 3-month free subsciption – Enter here today! {Until 3/9/2012}

{Disclosure: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. All prizing for MSM giveaways is handled by a third party unless otherwise noted. For this reason, prize fulfillment can take up to 90 days after the winners information is received.}

Busy Mom Solution: 5 Secrets to Cleaner Dishes

“I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again.” – Joan Rivers

It’s hard keeping up with housework when you’re a busy mom. There are a lot of solutions that you can use to help – Chore Charts for the kids, a daily or weekly routine for yourself – and I’ll be sharing some tips next week for setting up both of these ideas! But one thing that anyone can do to make things easier is to take a few easy steps to make sure that you’re doing things as efficiently as possible. Let’s start with your dishwasher – when your dishwasher works well, it is one of the BIGGEST time-savers in your kitchen! So I’m going to share 5 great secrets that I use in my home to make sure my dishwasher gets dishes as clean as possible.

5 Secrets to Cleaner Dishes

1. Make sure that your water is hot enough– Many people lower their water heater temp’s make it safer for babies, or to save on their energy bills. But if your water is not hot enough, the dishwasher can’t properly clean or kill germs on your dishes! Most manufacturers recommend at least 120 degrees to clean your dishes, and 155 to sanitize and disinfect your dishware. If your water isn’t hot enough to kill germs, then you’re not getting clean dishes!

2. Rinse before loading – Your dishwasher has trouble handling big pieces of food or junk, so rinse well before loading. You don’t want to have food bits getting stuck in your dishwashers drain – it’ll give you problems, trust me! No need to “clean” dishes first, just rinse them well. Easy peasy.
3. Load properly – While my boyfriend insists that it doesn’t matter how you throw it all in, it gets clean no matter what – it just isn’t true, lol. Here are a few tips – cups and glasses on the top row, bottoms up. Plates on the bottom, facing the same way. I’m an organizer, and like all forks, spoons, and knives in separate bins – if you do this too, make sure you put some facing up and some down, so they move around well. Proper loading ensures that water can get in between each dish to clean well, and makes putting them away easier too!
4. Use the right detergent – Detergents really do work differently in different homes. There are a lot of variables, such as type of dishwasher, hard water or soft, etc. I prefer to use the All-In-One Tab style detergent, because it’s super easy for even the kids to just drop one in, and start a load. A couple of tips here – if you use powder detergent, and see clumps left over after a load, it’s probably because moisture has gotten into your container. The moisture can cause the crystals to stick together, and not dissolve properly in the dishwasher. So make sure to keep it stored in a dry place, closed tightly!
5. An often missed trick – Rinse agent! So many of my friends skip this step, thinking that it doesn’t really do anything, or isn’t worth the extra few bucks. But it is key to getting sparkling dishes! Here’s why – when you use detergents alone, food and yucky residue can redeposit on dishes during the rinse cycle. But a rinse agent helps the water run off of the dishes faster – so no yucky spots or scum, and they dry faster!

FINISH® JET-DRY® Rinse Agent

What do you think?

Do you have any helpful tips to add? If you do – share them in the comments! I’ll pick one of your great comments on January 7th, and reward it with a FREE package of my favorite secret weapon – a bottle of Finish Jet-Dry – so you can see for yourself what a HUGE difference it will make in your dish washing routine!

“If you have to dry the dishes
(Such an awful boring chore)
If you have to dry the dishes
(‘Stead of going to the store)
If you have to dry the dishes
And you drop one on the floor
Maybe they won’t let you
Dry the dishes anymore”
― Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Finish and received a Finish Jet-Dry product sample to facilitate my review, a sample to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. Photo credit: JohnMooreServices.com.}