Military IDs and prepping for COT

Last week the hubs took a long lunch and we drove to Dobbins to get his ID so we could get his uniforms before COT. I'm glad he was able to take a long lunch because the process took closer to two hours with the drive.

There were lots of retirees and people in uniform getting their new cards and several children in the waiting area.

Once our name was called it was a pretty quick process. We were only expecting to get his ID but she asked if I had two IDs and the marriage license. We did so I got one too!

My ID is red and I have no idea what access I am allowed with it. Hubs was listed as a reservist and I think they will issue a card of a different color after the start of COT. Not 100% sure.

(I'll post about buying his uniforms in my next blog.)

I've been picking up a few toiletry items each time I go to the store and I think I've got him stocked for the duration of COT and JASOC. He'll probably need to buy contact solution and deodorant before it's over but he won't need it for several weeks.  I like that he'll be able to focus on school and not worry about running to the store for a basic need item.

When he had his internship I bought him the LL Bean hanging toiletry bag. It will be perfect for COT and JASOC. It holds full size items so he'll be set for a while. We're also sending along his smaller toiletry bag since his class will be making a trip to DC and Florida and he'll need smaller travel sizes for those trips. I blogged about the LL Bean toiletry bag here.

I decided to send him with Tide PODs. It will be easier to take a few PODS to the laundry room instead of lugging around a bottle. I may scoop Oxyclean into ziplock snack bags but I suspect he's about to put his foot down before requiring the need of a pack mule to move in.

I'm also packing a snack box for him. The measurements for the approved seal-able container are the size of a shoe box and I was able to find him one at Target. I've read that meal times are pretty hectic and they sometimes only have 7 minutes to shovel food in their mouths and drink three glasses of water. I don't want him starving while he's trying to study so I'm sending along some healthy snacks with good calorie sources for his dorm room. In addition to granola bars I am sending along fruit leathers. I thought it would be nice to have something sweet available without sending straight up junk.

I got this kind from Trader Joe's and a few other flavors from Whole Foods. They only cost $ .55 each and there are a number of flavors available. They're also very small and are about 60 calories each.

Some other items going in the snack box:

Gatorade drink mix packets
Country Time lemonade drink packets
Beef Jerky
Various granola bars
Gu or other sports gel (in case he is able to squeeze in a long run on the weekends)
Chex Mix or other snack
Fruit cups

Housewife Approved: Must Have Products (Home Edition)

Over the years I've found some products that I can't live without. They do something that makes my life and my home run more smoothly. I'm adding some of my uses and some tips. I can clean my entire house without spending a ton on specialized cleaners. 

I am housewife...hear me roar!

You can also check out some Housewife Approved skin care items here.

1. Oxy Clean! 

I can't live without it. I've also discovered that the Kroger brand is also $3.99 for a 3.5lbs tub.

My Uses:

• Add 1/8-1/4 cup to each load of laundry with laundry detergent. I haven't purchased bleach since I started adding Oxy to each load. It's great about catching those sneaky little spills and stains that men don't think of mentioning and just toss the shirt with the stain in the laundry basket. It doesn't bleach out clothes so you can use it on colors or whites.
• Add 1/8 cup to the door of the dishwasher to give your dishwasher detergent a boost. I use it every load and hardly ever need to rewash.
• Add 1/4 cup to hot water in a mop bucket along with some Pine Sol or other smelly goodness to mop the floors.

Tip:

• Make sure you are using it it with warm or hot water. It doesn't work with cold water.
• Wear rubber gloves if you'll be washing something in the sink (curtains, delicates, etc.). It will dry your hands out faster than just about anything.
• If you find it on sale or get a coupon, buy multiples. 

2. Zout!

Back when I was a housewife in training wheels I washed and tumble dried a tube of red lipstick. Oh, the horror. It melted over my entire load of clothes that contained mostly work clothes. It was a new job and I had my new clothes on heavy rotation until the next few paychecks so my freak out was justified. I called a few friends in complete panic and one suggested Zout. She was a nurse and had done the same thing with a load of scrubs. Seems this household gem was once only sold to healthcare facilities for stain removal. Word got out and it's a secret weapon that belongs in everyone's laundry. Most recently I used it to amaze my friend after she took a bath in a very full glass of very red wine in her very cream dry clean only top.

Tip:

• Pre-treat if you can
• Spray it liberally and let it soak in and get working. Set it aside a have a glass of wine.
• You'll need to wash your hands and apply some good lotion. It will dry them out if you handle it. I try not to get my hands in it.
• There is no generic or substitute. It must be Zout. 

3. Ammonia

My step sister has a cleaning service and she taught me how to clean my whole house with clear ammonia and pine cleaner. You can save a mint on cleaning supplies. It's amazing. It's also crazy cheap. 

My Uses:

• Add 1/2 cup with a spash of pine cleaner to 1/2 gallon of hot water for mopping floors
• Add 1/2 cup with a splash of pine cleaner to 1/2 gallon for cleaning the microwave... or the wiping cabinets...or soaking grill grates...or cleaning grill tools...or just about anything.
• Add 3/4 cup of ammonia and 3/4 cup of baking soda to a load of towels to get rid of any musty smells.
• Any cleaning project I have starts with hot water in the sink, 1/2 cup of ammonia and a splash of pine cleaner. (By splash, in this instance I mean about 1/8 of a cup, adding more as necessary.)
• For particularly nasty baking dishes I will add a splash of it to the sink along with my dish soap to let things soak.

Tips:

• Only buy clear ammonia! Let me say (type) it again...ONLY BUY CLEAR (non-sudsing) AMMONIA.
• Sudsing ammonia is bad. Bad may be a strong word. It's suds up too much and leaves a residue and you can't add sudsing ammonia to the laundry. So, no sudsing stuff, ever.
• Yes, it smells ungodly. Deal. Stop sticking your nose in the bottle and inhaling. Geez.
• Used in moderation with Pine Sol or other scented all purpose cleaner the smell isn't overpowering.
• You can find it on the bottom shelf at most stores. They save those top shelves for the pricey stuff. It's often available in a store brand or other generic for about $2 for a half gallon. 
• Lemon scented is also available in the clear (non-sudsing) ammonia. 

4. Pine Sol

Shocking, I know.

Some people are Mr. Clean people. I'm a Pine Sol girl. I think my grandma used to clean with it. I love it because it reminds me of her house. 

I like Mr. Clean...I just like Pine Sol more. My friend Christopher loves Fabuloso. My aunt likes Spic N' Span. They probably all work as well but Pine Sol just smells cleaner to me. I also like the fragrance to stick around and it seems to stick around the longest. The original pine is my favorite followed by the Outdoor Fresh scent. Or is it Sparkling Wave? 

My Uses:

• I add about 1/8-1/4 cup to hot water and ammonia to clean just about everything
• Add 1/8 cup to my rug shampooer to make things smell like pine and not carpet shampoo. (I tested it first.)
• Add 1/2 cup to the laundry load when I'm washing dog beds, bath rugs, cleaning rags or kitchen towels.
• Pour some in a little warm water, get it all sudsy with your sprayer, dunk a rag, ring it, and wipe over counters, cabinets, doors, jams and other surfaces to make the house smell pretty. Let the water set in the sink for a while and it's like a sink full of air freshener. I've done this when I don't have time for a deep cleaning and have company coming over. 
• I'll pour a little of the blue in the toilet bowls just to make the bathrooms smell fresh between cleanings.

Tips:

• It's easy to find coupons online. 
• The Wal-Mart near my house sells gigantic bottles
• I sometimes add it to the laundry water when I'm washing gyms shoes or something else stinky. 

Giving My Condo Bulimia--Pre-Move Purge

Things are a little less unknown on the hub's new job and move front. From what I understand, we won't know where we are moving until November or move until early 2013. There are a thousand things that need to happen between now and then, and any one could alter that plan. Overall, I'm really geeked! Five years ago I was so career driven I wouldn't have tolerated talk about moving to parts unknown. It was all about market size and income. To think of the adventures I would have missed. *sigh*

Adventures like cleaning out all the junk I can't take and still make the weight limits.

Oy!

Yes, the Air Force gives you weight limits based on your rank and dependents. Too bad they don't adjust the weight by numbers of dead relatives giving you furniture...

Or random collections of things you never use but couldn't stand to part with...

Or your level of pack-ratness on a scale of 1-10...

Or the number of states where you rent storage units...

Or just the fact you are 40, have been married for going on ten years and have STUFF. For. Days.

I vow to make sure I am out of a product before buying a new one! These were found in my laundry/utility room. Let me say that again...LAUNDRY ROOM! Not the CDC and not in the camping gear. (I don't camp.) There's also a can of spray in my BBQ basket, another in my beach bag and at least two more in the bathroom. I live in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the US and have to walk a block to see grass. Impressive, no?

I decided to start small with a few self-imposed ideas or tasks.

*Drum roll*

Task #1: Don't buy anything I can't wear or eat.

I'm bad about shopping and convincing myself my life will be a billion times easier...better...more efficient...cooler...thinner...if I just get that whatever item. I've been talking myself out of a food processor and new pots and pans for months. Now I am trying to stick to a bigger purpose. Which brings us to...

Task #2: If something comes in, something else must go out.

This is probably common sense for most folks, not me. Aside from the financial ramifications of buying things I don't need, I really don't need more stuff to sort through come move time. If I absolutely must talk myself into buying something, it needs to replace something and that something needs to go to Mr. Dumpster or Goodwill. I'd like to only replace things that need replacing because it's broken or I'm out of something. I got a pair of hiking boots on sale. I'm about to go into the bedroom and play Pin the Tail on the Shoe Rack and get rid of at least one pair of shoes. I'm also going to use every drop of lotion, conditioner, body spray, etc. before I step foot into Ulta or Bath and Body Works. *sigh*

Task #3: Start now and don't wait until the last minute.

This is harder than it seems. We won't know where we are moving until November and then we won't actually move until 2013. Hubs could be sent to Florida or Alaska or anywhere in between (or possibly some place over seas). Two years after that we could be moving to an entirely different climate. While it would be tempting to wait until we know more, I've decided to start small and purge the unnecessary.

What could possibly be unnecessary you ask?

90% of the contents of my various junk drawers.

The last time I moved I didn't address the junk drawers. On move day everything got tossed in a box and I had to pick unidentified keys out of an impressive collection of ketchup packets, menus from our old city and batteries knocking on death's door. Not pretty.

Other hiding places for unnecessary items seem to be:

Medicine cabinets: toss expired medicines, diet pills (they are so unhealthy),  anything without an expiration date (blister packs can be so mysterious) and toss the pain pills you got when you had your wisdom teeth removed in frickin' 1999. I also tossed some cold medicine that would have expired next month. Maybe I'm tempting the cold and flu gods but I'll risk it so I don't have to toss it this winter. We had a few boxes of bandages with a few band-aids left in each one. I'm not moving 4 boxes of 2 band-aids each. I refuse! I combined those band-aids and I'm sticking them in a plastic travel soap container so I can see them and they don't get squished or just float around in medicine cabinet land.

Laundry Room: You know those little samples of detergent you get in the mail or stuck to a bottle of laundry soap? They were forming their own little colony in my laundry room.

I used them ALL yesterday when I was doing my laundry.

There were some dog treats my dogs never cared for and I'm never going to eat. TRASH!
The cellophane with four clothes pins floating inside. (I saved the clothes pins!) -TRASH! 
They yucky duster wand-TRASH! 
Orphan socks, crusty flip flops, old dog bowls...TRASH! 

Sample packets and trial sizes seem to multiply in my house.  I tried to use every one yesterday 

while I was cleaning and doing laundry. Next week I may try to tackle the supply of toiletries. 

Under the kitchen sink: I got rid of anything that I hadn't used in 365 days and had less than 1/4 of the product left. I'll spare you the details.

When it gets closer to moving day I'll need to be a little more exacting with getting rid of partially used stuff (many professional movers won't take any cleansers, candles or liquids in general.) By purging and going through stuff now I can get a better handle on what's here, what I have extras of and what I need to use up before I buy more.

The housewife arsenal. I found a few boxes of Glad Press n' Seal. While I love the stuff, I had no idea there were multiplying like bunnies in the kitchen cabinet. Who knew?

Now that I've made several trips to Mr. Dumpster, I can't help think of the same thing when I look at boxes full of stuff. I spent money on most of that stuff. It's a box of money that is going down the trash chute.

Tonight I'm going to tackle some shelves in the master closet. I have a bit of a catch-all going on in there too. If I can get past all the junk zones it should make things much easier inside the move-prep window.