Tip: Clean bathroom sinks and tubs with Magic Eraser

I have found that cleaning my bathroom sinks and tubs with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is by far the best, chemical-free way to clean the hair spray residue that forms on the counters and the soap scum from the tubs. And actually, to save money, I don't even bother with the brand name. I have found that any store brand does the trick just as well. Just add water to the eraser and scrub away. You will be left with fume-free, sparkling tubs and sinks.

Tip: Use real lemon juice ice cubes for garbage disposal

Those of you who have garbage disposals have often heard to put orange or lemon peels in your disposal to freshen the odor that may come from the disposal. Also, putting ice cubes down the disposal is another tip often suggested to clean the blades. However, using an ice cube trayed filled and frozen with real lemon juice (or vinegar) will do the trick in one step. Just don't forget to label the tray in the event someone mistakens them for plain ice cubes!

Tip: Prepare to-do lists daily to stay on track

When I first became a full time stay-at-home mom, I had a hard time sticking to a routine. Demands of children came first and other areas soon became secondary. Before I knew it, the things I wanted to get accomplished each day (that were mentally listed in my head) actually never got done. But instead of stressing out over it, I just figured I'd put it back on my mental to-do list for tomorrow. Afterall, tomorrow was another day and I'd get a chance then. But tomorrow came and went without much improvement. It didn't take me long to figure out I needed a better system. And that system was very easy to implement. I just needed a pen and paper and a few moments in the evening before bedtime to put together a list of things, in order of importance, that needed to be done. I would then allow a timeslot for each item so that I could make better use of my day. I find that by having an agenda on paper keeps me better focused and by the end of the day, I feel more productive for having got done all the things that needed to be done.

Tip: Make time for exercise

Just before Thanksgiving, I joined a gym to get an early jump start on my ever so reoccurring yet often broken New Year's resolution of losing the last five pregnancy pounds since giving birth nearly three years ago. Truth be told, my weight has actually accumulated to twenty pounds, five pounds for each year I haven't kept the resolution. (My bad!)

Well, I fell off the wagon last week. After going 3-5 days a week for the last several months, I took a week off. Bad idea because once you lose the momentum it's hard to get it back. But this morning, I pulled it off. I'm quite proud of myself since I actually got up a half hour earlier than the normal time to make it to the gym by 5:30am. Boy, did that feel good! I got some cardio in by using the treadmill and bike. It always makes my feel energized and ready to tackle anything that comes my way.