Catching Up at the End of Summer

We are enjoying the last sunny days of summer here! After an unusually warm August, September is shaping up to be warm as well.

Bradley had his first sleepover last weekend with a friend from school! Charles is one of the first friends Brad made when we he started 3rd grade here in Albion, and they've stayed friends through the years. Now in 7th grade, they are also in Cross Country together.

The weather was perfect for camping in the backyard! I got to finally put up my new 4 person tent and it was just the right size for their bedding and some games (and snacks!).

I'm sure they had fun late into the night, and Bradley like it so much he slept out there by himself again the next night!

Nick went to his final car show of the summer here in Albion. Jacob is his car show buddy, so they spent the afternoon together.

My preteen boy has been complaining about his "mustache" and so Nick finally showed him how to shave this week. It was a fun bonding experience, and we'll see how long it takes to grow back!

For my crazy fun, I got a new mop!! It's an O'Cedar spin mop that came highly reviewed for hardwood floors. I have always hated mopping, and this house has a TON of floors to mop. For the last few years I've gotten by just using a Swiffer mop but honestly it wasn't getting the job done well, and I won't admit how infrequently I was mopping.....I knew something had to be done!!

I looked up some DIY solutions to make and ended up using a splash of my citrus-infused vinegar, a drop of dish soap, and a squirt of peppermint oil (it wards off spiders!!) for a nice fresh smell. And because I'm extra....I started off with cleaning ALL of the baseboards, cobwebs, and crown moulding downstairs before I got to the floors. Man they were dusty!! You don't realize how dusty and dirty this things get until you clean them. When you have 10ft ceilings it's easy to ignore the corners. And in this 120 year old house, there's lots of great woodwork but that also means lots of nooks and crannies to clean. I was quickly impressed with how easily it cleaned everything, and my impression was increased once I started on the floors!!

Mopped and drying underneath where a large rug was.

One of the dirtiest spots in the house all fresh and clean--the front entryway!

All dry, just look at that shine! No streaks.

I was very happy with the performance of the mop, and every time I dumped the bucket of dirty water I felt like I was really making a difference. My only complaints with the mop are that the mop head can unscrew pretty easily so you have to make a conscience effort to keep it screwed on while using; also it is hard to get into corners, so those didn't get super clean but I at least made a dent.

Now I just have to wash the mop head and we'll see how much fun I can have doing the second floor!

Check back soon, I'm off for another hiking trip this weekend!