"Baby Cleaning"

Last spring, I mentioned our "baby cleaning" as comparable to others' spring cleaning......well, we're still plugging away [thanks to the help from many friends!]......and for those of you who do keep their house spotless and have a wonderful cleaning schedule [or a maid?], I applaud you!! That is NOT me [as recently witnessed by many more people than I am completely comfortable with]!!
We have rearranged rooms and are on the last stage of getting the nursery ready and organized. In fact, the full sized crib just got completely put together last night [as well as our new dbl stroller! What a great hubby!! Better late than never!!!] and the crib is ready for the sheets that are coming out of the dryer sometime this afternoon. Our porta-crib is getting a makeover with the foam being recovered by a lady willing to take in all my sewing projects *LOL*. We happened to have most of a vinyl tablecloth that I had gotten originally to recover our dining room chairs and she'll use it to make the foam waterproof again {YAY!!}. She is also fixing some blankets that have the binding coming off and an OLD Strawberry Shortcake blanket of mine [yes, mine!] is getting a makeover as well [my request is just to have her fold it in 4ths and bind the edges, making a good baby blankie for the floor]. I am awaiting a pattern to come in at Joann's Fabrics for covers for the carseats and have already picked out a couple fabrics i really like and think will coordinate well with each other and the stroller---Pink Paisley and Violet Paisley. they are dark enough to not shout "stain me!" and still be girly and pretty. I loved all the pink and brown stuff, but there were NO coordinating fabrics in the store that weren't mostly white. These are the SAME patterns, just in different colors. I believe I could even get green or yellow in the same pattern! No matter, I will be getting extra fabric to also help recover an old swing and various other projects. I'm so happy to be able to rely on a 'seamstress' that won't charge me an arm and a leg, but I am happy to give her business to help support her and her family.
Back to the cleaning........I am majorly lacking in the strength, ability, and endurance areas, so slow going is all we got! I will ever be grateful for the friends that have come in to help [and motivate]. There is no way our laundry would be getting done, the baby clothes be on the shelves and even our pots and pans cleaned [even if the counter is still cluttered!].
I hope having places for things will make it easier for dh and others that come in after the babies come [and for me and the kids as well]. Most concerning? Probably the lack of ability for anyone else to use the washing machine or dishwasher without me *LOL*...... The older 2 kids understand the dishwasher, but the soap and fabric softener/vinegar for the washing machine get confusing for them [and anyone else that comes in and sees my variety of products!!]. does anyone else water down their fabric softener?!? It works just as well when it is 1/2 and 1/2 and the vinegar rinse? I usually use it and only the fabric softener on stuff I want extra soft or smelling extra good. I also tear the dryer sheets into 1/4s or 1/6s in the summer--we'll go down to 1/2s for fall and maybe have to use full ones for winter to cut back on the static. Yeah--I'm probably over the top frugal, but it works!!! It just confuses anyone else ;> and my dh hasn't tried to load the dishwasher since it was installed, but I'm hoping the kids can continue that chore without him as long as he can step up to other tasks.......and that list keeps growing..... we now need a new flusher on the downstairs toilet [the "chain" on the inside isn't metal, but plastic, so there was no 'repair with paperclips' or something].........and I'm really hoping the sectional missing the hide-away-bed gets a board in it so company won't get lost when they sit down.....you know, all the little things *LOL*