Posted by The Naked Redhead

There's writer's block...and then there's just plain procrastination.  I think I might have a bit of both.  Here are all the reasons I've invented this evening to not write this post.

1.  America's Next Top Model for Short People--OK, sorry Tyra, the season is a little boring this round. I, however, still root for the little shorties to do just as well as their tall counterparts.  Also, it's just enough of a good excuse to not be responsible.  I mean, WHO WILL REALLY BE ON TOP!?!?

2.  Feeding my animals marshmallows--It's probably not the healthiest, but my Fur Kids have developed quite the hankering for mini-marshmallows.  I giggle every time they line up, on their best behavior, and wait for me to drop a tasty morsel.

3.  Reading other blogs--Why write when I can read?

4.  Thinking about Halloween costumes--I have a gig on Saturday with my friend's band.  We're all dressing as zombies, 60's style!  So, all the girls are wearing black bob wigs.  The problem is, I also have a few parties to attend on Friday, too.  SO WHAT TO DO WITH THE BLACK WIG ON FRIDAY!??!  I've come up with Silver Screen goddess, Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction and...whatever ideas you all have.  :)

5.  Practicing my Toastmaster's speech...which I'm procrastinating on by writing this post.  It seems I have a problem...

How do you procrastinate?

Posted by The Naked Redhead

As you know, I love a clean home.  But like anyone else, there are times when cleanliness falls by the wayside.  Of course, right at that moment, I always have a friend call and say, "Hey!  I'm just up the road and wanted to pop in and say hi!"  Excellent.  At this point, I begin running around like a crazy person, trying to throw things in order.  Here are some rules I live by to get a clean home, fast.

1.  Touch it once--I learned my cleaning skills from my very practical mother who had several mantras, one of which was, "touch it once!"  What she meant was, "be efficient."  Don't pick up a pair of shoes and get distracted by a dog toy.  Don't do half the dishes then move to that pile of laundry.  Multi-tasking when you're cleaning just gives you a messier home.  If you touch something that needs putting away, put it away immediately.

2.  Make a mental list of "musts"--What are absolutely the most important things that need to be done?  Do you need to scoop the litter pan?  Put shoes away?  Pick up dog toys?  These "musts" should be small, but should also be things that you know you'd be embarrassed to leave undone. 

3.  Lipstick a pig (aka "Fake It")--This tip is my favorite and it's one I use ALL the time.  A quick pick-up and wiping down of fixtures in the kitchen (no water spots!) can make it look like you just cleaned yesterday, but that you simply haven't gotten to the dishes yet.  Or, a made bed can make any messy bedroom look ten times more put together. 

4.  If all else fails, clean the bathroom--If you only have a few minutes, forget everything else and hit this room.  Clorox makes pretty boxes for their wipes now, so keep them out on your counter and quickly swipe down surfaces.  Throw wet towels and dirty clothes in a hamper, close the shower curtain, do a fast sweep or vacuum of the floor, put out a fresh hand towel, light a candle, and voila, everyone will THINK you're clean, regardless of the state of the rest of your home. 

5.  Laugh it off--Well, sometimes, cleaning is just a big FAIL.  Don't be too hard on yourself, just laugh it off.  Tell the friend who popped in, "Look what I did for you!", point to your messiness, then dismiss it with a wave.  If you're anxious about it, your guests will be anxious about it, too.  EVERYONE has a messy place now and then...so don't sweat it, and enjoy the company.  In fifty years, you won't remember that sock on the floor anyway.

How do you clean quickly?

Posted by The Naked Redhead

Yeah, yeah, I'm one of those crazy animal people who often refers to her pets as "Fur Kids". I feel like since I don't plan on having "Skin Kids" any time soon, that this sort of craziness is justified.

Plus, they are SO CUTE.

Anyway, I've learned a lot from raising my crazy shelter mutt, Pippin, but the addition of the cats to the family (a brother and sister Siamese-Lynx mix) has taught me an entirely different set of lessons. Consider:

1. Sleep has an important hand in cuteness--Like all cats, my guys LOVE to sleep. They find a cozy chair (or my black sweater, because they have white fur, and that's what white-furred cats do) and snooze for hours. And it's adorable. I've upped my own sleep-intake, hoping for the same results.

2. Life is curious, check it out--A new noise or object or movement is always reason for wide eyes and exploration. As a not-so-adventurous person myself, I have taken cues from my little fearless ones that life is pretty cool, and even small things can be immensely entertaining.

3. Playing is serious business--My cats sleep a lot, but when they're awake, they aren't simply watching TV...they are tearing around the apartment with abandon, playing their own games with each other, or with a toy, or even with a funny bit of fuzz they've found. Making time for play is important for humans, too, and I am learning that even though I've left my twenties, I should still play with gusto.

4. When it's cold, snuggle--The feline knows that when the weather turns cold, "two cats are better than one, and a human is better than two cats". In other words, they can be incredibly independent, but they know when they need help from someone else. Yeah...this is a hard one for me. Let's not talk about how many times I've almost seriously injured myself because I'm convinced I can hoist a TV into the attic sans assistance.

5. Tolerance is sometimes a better alternative to anger--My dog loves to torture the larger of my two cats by pushing the big lug around with his nose. The dog thinks this is super fun, the cat? Well, probably not so much, but he tolerates it, probably because it's way more effort to squeeze himself under the couch. In my life, there are people and situations that drive me nuts, but I can't just get pissy anytime I'm confronted by these things. I learned early on (and it's been reiterated by my cat) people have quirks, and if I wrote everyone off for his or her little annoyances, I wouldn't have any friends.

What have your animals taught you?

Posted by The Naked Redhead

Posted by The Naked Redhead

Ok, so we already know that I like cleaning, but in reality, there are some other mundane activities that I just despise. DESPISE. And no matter how much I try to tweak my attitude about it all, well, it turns out that maybe I'M JUST NOT A NICE PERSON. (Kidding. I'm awesome.) Anyway, without further ado:

1. Cleaning the catbox--I love my little purr-buckets, I do, but I ONLY want to experience them as sweet and cuddly, not as purveyors of all that is disgusting and unholy. So when you have a cat that begs, BEGS, for broccoli (and how can you not give in!?) you often have a litter box that knocks. Your. Socks off. And all that bending and scooping? Blech.

2. Getting up early--Maybe it's a part of my childhood I'm retaining, but I want my alarm clock to die a slow and painful death every time I hear it. I don't care if it's bright and sunny outside and if I have a day chock-full of unicorn riding and rainbow eating. NO.

3. Filing my billing statements--Like any good technology-loving person, I pay most of my bills on-line, as well as sign up to receive on-line statements. But there are still those sneaky little companies that refuse to show a little charity to their fellow trees and send me statements each and every month, no matter how I pay. What I SHOULD do is scan them right away, save them as .pdfs, file them on my computer, then shred and recycle them...but what I ACTUALLY do is let them sit in a menacing little pile of dirty-whiteness until I can't handle it anymore. Then I spend an evening grumbling and sorting them into my old black plastic file holder. Meh.

4. Sticking my hand in dirty dish water--Blech. It's all grey and has floaty bits and sometimes it's gotten cold because you've refused to put your hand in it so then you try to use a butter knife or spatula to loosen the little plug but all that is happening is that you're getting frustrated and water is flinging everywhere over your freshly cleaned counter tops...*breathes*. Gross.

5. Trying on jeans/swimsuits/bras--Need I say more?

What do you despise doing? C'mon...get it out. It's therapeutic! :)