Simply Floored! Great Write up in Real Simple Magazine…

Doing some Spring Cleaning?? Need to polish those lackluster floors??  Real Simple (and US!!)  recommends Better Life’s Simply Floored Floor Cleaner as their TOP RATED Floor Cleaner! It’s good for hardwood, tile, marble, bamboo, vinyl, laminate and other sealed floors.  Not only is it effective, it’s also one of the safest cleaners on the market, not harmful to people or the planet. Simply Floored Floor Cleaner- $7.99 for 32 oz.

Self Importance, Sticky Style…

Loving this fun note set for your desk– with “Self Important” Sticky Notes- ranging from Dire to Trivial…Self Important Sticky Notes- $9.

Where did I put that menu?

After you’ve lived in one place for awhile, the take-out menu mess is inevitable! I consider myself a pretty organized person but the menus – definitely last on the priority list. That’s why I’m in love with this nifty Take Out Menu Organizer! I have stacks of menus from neighborhood places that I love stashed in different piles and most of the time, they come pouring out of that cabinet I placed them in. But with this new organizer, I have hope that the mess will no longer be! Not only is it bright and easy to find, it includes handy meal-rating stickers, a tipping guide, helpful ordering advice, a frequently called numbers list, and so much more.  No more excuses, clean out that cabinet! And the next time you order take out, you won’t be searching high and low to find the menu for your favorite pad thai from that new place down the street.

Fun & Functional: EVIDENCE Laundry Bag

This made me laugh– store your “dirty laundry” in this fun & functional laundry bag labeled EVIDENCE. 22″x 28″- with handles for easy toting to the Laundry Room. Evidence Laundry Bag- $24.95.

MULTI PURPOSE, ALL NATURAL Cleaning Products- made in Brooklyn!

We recently got in these wonderfully all natural, multi-purpose cleaning products and I have to gush about how fabulous they are. I started with the soap, above, which replaced 3 cleaners I had next to my kitchen sink: Dish cleaning liquid, Hand Soap and a separate “free & clear” baby bottle cleaner. They were all stressing out my beautifully clean sink (thank you, Fly Lady!) and so I am soo glad to now have one, all purpose soap which is elegantly displayed in Haven’s Pump Dispenser ( I debated between the Spout Dispenser & this one, but for my lifestyle I went with the pump- but it’s a tough call)-

Next up was the All Purpose (part of the appeal of all of Haven’s products) Cleaner. It works well, smells nice (lemon & mint) and makes me feel good knowing I can clean Coco’s High Chair Tray with it too- since it’s all natural. All contents are listed on our website, but as an example here are the ingredients in the All Purpose Cleaner, above: Distilled Witch Hazel, Organic Castile Soap (Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive and Jojoba), Organic Aloe Vera, Vegetable Glycerine, Organic Essential Oil Blend (Lemon, Lemongrass & Peppermint), Grapefruit Seed Extract.

I am getting this one today to dive into my bathroom (along with our enamel scrub pads)- SCRUB. This product is the  ultimate multi-tasker, it’s a non-scratching powder that can clean bathrooms, scour dishes, deodorize fabrics and even be dissolved for use as a vegetable wash. Woah. I thought I could do many things at once…

Polish does just what is says– this cleaning and conditioning spray traps dust and adds luster to a variety of surfaces. From wood furniture to stainless steel smudges to your car’s interior, POLISH is a hard-working cleanser and conditioner that keeps everything looking shiny and new.

And Air Linen Spray- with the purifying scent of organic lavender- is a must in our house (btw the Big Gorilla working from home, Diaper Pail odors, you name it…). All Haven products are handcrafted from raw or minimally processed ingredients in Brooklyn, in small batches and are sold in large sizes for easy cleaning and refilling. Make your home a HAVEN home!

Soap- $26, Hand Pump Dispenser & Spout Dispenser- $25 each, SCRUB- $12, Polish- $14, Air & Linen Spray- $20 (all BIG sizes).

The Fly Lady is Soo FLY….

This morning I was cruising the internet looking for some couch options (we are in desperate need of new seating in our pad) and went to Apartment Therapy to see what they recommended. I immediately got caught up in “Best Cleaning Tips” of the year– it is January, after all- and since November & December were a blur from working seven days a week, our apartment sorely needs some TLC. Well, I read some of the comments on the post “Before & After: A 15 Minute Clean Sweep“– and  discovered the FLY Lady (I took note of the jabs at the graphics, which I poignantly displayed above).  Here is a lowdown from my intro letter (after  a few minutes of poking around, I decided to subscribe to the Daily Digest)-

FLYing means Finally Loving Yourself. I want you to have what I have: Peace of Mind, Pride in my home and a Passion for Living.

FLYing works for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you work outside of your home, stay home with children, are retired, work from home or a combination of any of these. You can FLY.

We are here to help you establish routines and build a basic weekly plan.

In a nutshell, the Fly Lady helps you organize your life by breaking your home into different zones- each of which we spend 15 minutes a day cleaning and organizing each day/each week. Here are the zones from Flylady’s site (highlighted zone is the one we are in now)-

• Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room (January 1-7)
• Zone 2: The Kitchen (January 8-14)
• Zone 3: The Bathroom and One Extra Room (January 15-21)
• Zone 4: The Master Bedroom (January 22-28)
• Zone 5: The Living Room (December 29-31)

Sooo, we would spend 15 minutes a day (our Chicken Timers would be perfect for this) and declutter/clean in each zone and then repeat each month. January’s mantra task is Shining the Kitchen Sink. I dig it. I think I can do this. 2012 is going to be Flylady year to make our apartment more functional, and not so overwhelming when friends and family come to visit (thanks to our dear Cocolicious, this happens more than ever before!). Need some help cleaning? Check out our FULLY STOCKED section of Cleaning Products (Better Life, The Laundress, etc.) Let me know what you think!

Baby Friday!

Moleskine Recipe Journal, $19.95

It’s baby Friday, folks. In my world that’s fin de semana since I’m off on Fridays. My big weekend plans include tucking into some hardcore recipe organizing thanks to my favorite new toy, the Moleskine Recipe Journal. And it’s a beauty. The classic Moleskine simplicity is amped up with an embossed leather cover featuring cooking tools. The journal is divided into tabbed sections for Appetizers, First Courses, Main Courses, etc. and followed by a blank section that you can personalize. So far I’m using the back section for things like rubs and sauces, as well as general techniques (like Ina Garten’s method for cooking a turkey). The journal even includes conversions, nutritional information, and stickers for personalizing it! Hello, weekend plans!!!

The Great Lunch Challenge of 2011 by Megan

Earlier this month, with the advent of fall I  embarked on the Great Lunch Challenge of 2011 in which I am packing own lunch every week day – both to be healthier and to save money.  With this commitment came the problem of figuring out how to transport my lunch.  Since I often bring leftovers I need something that can go in the microwave and most conventional plastic isn’t supposed to, and given all the recent brouhaha over its toxicity I wanted something fully BPA-free.  Also, isn’t it the worst to actually bring a lunch and then realize you forgot a fork?

Enter the Bento Box!  This fantastic container can go in both the microwave and dishwasher, is BPA-free, and has a handy matching fork that attaches to the outside.  Also, there’s a removable divider in case you want to separate dishes and a sauce holder (perfect for when I had a salad for lunch on Wednesday).  Does it get any better than this?

Bento Box - Orange, $19.95

New Storage Pouches!!

Our brilliant Proud Parent Pouches are now in two new styles! We love the Preschool, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade versions, but these are so much more versatile. They’re great for any age child, or even adults! With the sturdy grommet you can hang the pouch on a wall to show off your child’s achievements, or store it flat in a box. I’ve been in a major organization and downsizing mood lately, and I think these are necessary for my future happiness. I have tons of old papers that need to be organized. These are perfect–I’ll pop the grommet over a hanger and stash it in the back of my closet. This way it’s taking up virtually no space, and can be easily accessed to add more mementos. Oh, the joy of a clean closet!!!

Storage Pouch, $15.95

Storage Pouch, $15.95

Field Notes- American Tradesman Edition

Our friends at Field Notes have done it again– this American Tradesman Edition is pretty fabulous. Who doesn’t love a good carpenter pencil? A three pack of Graph Paper notes with a cool, special edition blue cover, Carpenter pencil (with instructions on how to sharpen it!)- all you need for some good solid inspiration. Field Notes American Tradesman Edition- $13.50.