So I feel a bit like after my last post about the project I began with the newspaper column that I “disappeared”…and thought that I should explain my exploits over these past couple of weeks =)
For whatever reason — perhaps related to the column I started because I feel like I have an outlet “in place” now for utilizing and challenging my academic side — I ended up shifting my day-to-day focus towards some more domesticated pursuits.
It started with a day of baking — I hired one of my friend’s teenage sons (she has 4 amazing boys!) to come and show me and my girls how to bake macarons, which she had posted on her Facebook page. Typically, my baking is limited to cake mix out of a box, or chocolate chip cookies that don’t always turn out quite right — but I have had this desire to want to expand my baking repertoire (and skills!) for quite some time now, and just hadn’t figured out how to make the time or find the right opportunity. As this friend’s son is not working this summer and happens to be great with my kids as well, I made a morning activity out of it and had a lot of fun AND learned how to make my first meringue ever… We did experience a slight mishap with my hand mixer (holding it wrong with one of my girls) and it wouldn’t continuously mix without holding down a button, so I spent an hour later that day attempting to fix my mixer. Tomorrow will be our second “baking lesson” (making pretzels!) so I will get to see if my fixing was successful.
That same day, my first order for these cleaning products by Norwex were delivered to me at around 5 pm.
I had attended a friend’s party the Thursday before quite reluctantly, as purchasing cleaning products was the last thing on my mind this year following all my family stuff and my new writing project and the fact that summer had started which meant more work/energy/time needed for keeping my kids busy. But when I discovered at the party that this wasn’t about trying a different cleaning spray, but rather the possibility of replacing a lot of my cleaning sprays with water, my interest was piqued.
And then when my products came, which I couldn’t wait to try out, I went on a cleaning spree the rest of the evening, and then the whole next day.
I got my basic envirocloth and window cloth, as well as dusting mitt and “dusting” Enviro Wand as a kit (the Household Plus Package), as well as a Superior Mop System (whose telescopic mop handle can be combined with my Enviro Wand to reach all of my ceiling fans!). Also ordered the mattress cleaner spray, which I desperately wanted to try on my mattress, pillows and fabric headboard.
As a bonus, my friend somehow read my mind and had the sales rep give me her sample pack of the laundry detergent to try out as well (I washed all my pillows 2 at a time, and two loads of laundry the next day using 1 tsp. per load!). =)
What I was most curious–and then excited--about was the window cloth’s ability to clean my mirrors (and glass table and glass doors, and windows) to a streak-free shine using just water — so no more Windex or Windex-like sprays and fumes that needed to be aired out for me! Also, my envirocloth, which is their basic cleaning cloth, wipes up and picks up pretty much everything around my house using water too — my counters, my walls, my doors, my kids’ toys… (in case you’re interested, here’s a Youtube mirror demo I have been sharing with friends)
Eventually, I decided to allow my daughters to join in on the fun after I had gotten to test out everything to my satisfaction first. I had nothing to lose (and everything to gain–if my daughters are wanting to clean!) because it was just water. No potentially dangerous chemicals or fumes, and no worries about them wasting my cleaning solution cause I can just get more from the tap.
So I let Amee try first with one of the doors.
Then she pleaded to be allowed to wash the other door:
Then of course Olivia started wondering when she would get a turn, but Amee wasn’t ready to give up her cloths and water spray bottle, so I let Olivia try out the wet mop (mopping with water too!):
And when her sister was finally finished with the cloth (after washing one side of a white door I had not gotten to yet), she went to work on toys in the playroom:
I apologize for sounding so much like an infomercial in this last bit — but I honestly just got so super excited, it became all I wanted to really think about and research following those days of cleaning. And so I figured if I was going to think about and research and talk about these products, I might as well look into signing up as an Independent Sales Consultant… and so that is what I did =)
I am thinking of this as joining in on the mission to reduce the use of chemicals in household cleaning, especially washroom/bathroom mirrors =)
It has been a bit tricky, wrapping my brain around what it means to be running a home-based business while continuing to remain as engaged as possible in life as a mom of three, and how to be assertive and proactive in sharing with people I think would like my cloths without stepping on toes and becoming this annoying salesperson…
I have not fully figured all this out, but so far am enjoying the challenge. Just need to more than ever stay on top of remembering to take care of myself, especially physically (making sure I get good sleep, which has been more challenging when thoughts and plans and ideas are spinning through my mind), cause no matter how excited I am about the day ahead, when I’m sleepy it’s just difficult to really enjoy anything.
Other quick (but also exciting and significant) updates include (1) starting to play an online Star Wars game with my husband and older brother in California — which was the original reason for replacing my laptop with a desktop, (2) starting my third round of Intro to Christianity classes at my Church (because of smaller class size, I am enjoying getting to go deeper and to be more personal/personalized this round), and of course, (3) my eldest daughter’s 7th birthday was yesterday =)
Was pondering last night how 7 years ago was when we first became parents… and just how grateful I am to have a daughter who reminds me so much of myself, but for whom I (and my husband) have the privilege of helping along her way as she discovers and navigates all of what her life has in store for her, one year, one day, one moment at a time.
- MY NORWEX WEBSITE (Browse catalogue & shop online)
- Norwex Chicken Demo (Explaining Norwex Microfiber)
- Mirror Demo (Envirocloth & Window Cloth)
- Norwex Cloths Remove Butter… STREAK-FREE! (Envirocloth & Window Cloth)
- 8-minute Norwex in a Nutshell “Cleaning Essentials”
- Norwex Mop System Demo
- Body Cloth Demo (wash off make-up with water!)