Crossing Rosemead!

On holiday weekends such as this people all over the country head home to celebrate with family. I wrote the following on the way to visit my family in February:

When your Grandparents live in the sunshine state the chorus in the old song "Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go.." just doesn't seem to work. But you always knew you were getting close to Grandpa and Grandma's house when Aunt Laurel dialed my Grandparents number on the car phone and exclaimed, "Crossing Rosemead!"

I always looked forward to our annual visits to my Grandparents house. I loved seeing the home my father grew up in. My Aunt Laurel’s bedroom was just the way she left it. And when I had a child of my own, I was excited to take him to the little white house on Youngdale St. Over the years Awsumb played baseball in the front yard, went in and out the squeaky back door… Gpa measured his height on the old kitchen door, and took Awsumb on wagon rides to meet the neighbors. Awsumb shared lunch with Grandpa at the same kitchen table I remember eating breakfast at when we visited his home as a kid. (This table now lives in my family room.) I am so thankful he had the chance to make some memories at my Grandparents home.

Even after they passed we still occasionally drive up to the old neighborhood together and say hello to the neighbors that are still there. Then we take flowers over to the cemetery. And of course have dinner at The North Woods Inn.

My parents divorced when I was just a newlywed. My childhood family no longer exists. My father had since remarried and I knew it was meant to be the instant I saw them together. From the time Dad and Colleen were married they were just as they had always been together. We visit them often and Awsumb looks forward to snuggling with his Grandma Awsumb and going on adventures with my father. But the fact remains that my childhood home no longer exists.

Going home for me is visiting my Aunt Laurel and Uncle C.K. who taught me everything I know about family, commitment, loyalty and love. I love this photo of the two of us at Laurel’s wedding. I was just three years old and sometimes when I glance at this picture I feel as if I am clinging to her as if my life depends on it.

Children of divorced parents quickly learn that many of the things you thought you could depend on can vanish in an instant. I am so lucky to have always been able to depend on my Aunt.  Laurel graciously accepted a role that became much more than a distant Auntie and has always been there for me. She is my greatest supporter and I can’t imagine my life without her.

Tonight I am packing up to visit my Aunt Laurel and Uncle C.K. and as we fly over Rosemead and onto Costa Mesa, I know we’re going home!

Now that my Grandparents have passed on the tradition lives on. When Kenneth or I call on our way home we always say, “Crossing Rosemead!” Recently, we realized we needed clarify exactly what street we were referring to because there certainly isn’t a Rosemead Blvd. near our house! Either way, it simply means, “I’m coming home!”

Living life as The Queen of Clean

Before I was the Queen of Clean I was the Princess of Precociousness. One story often repeated to me was about when I was visiting someone's house, bending over to check out the baseboards and announcing to the entire room that they "needed a little girl like me to dust for them." Or the time I was hands on hips in someone's kitchen, sticking out my foot using my best toe point, stating matter of factly, "There's a spot, right there!" (That phrase has become my mantra!)

Here are a couple things I have been doing for years that are tried and true tips for you:

Clean Microwaves by putting a bowl of water with lemons (if you have them) into into the microwave for 2 minutes. Then simply wipe clean. There is no excuse for a dirty microwave - gross! Though I will admit now that the little one is learning to use it I often find suprises inside my own.

Clean Drains with 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar, let sit for one minute then flush with 1 kettle of boiling water.

Sometimes people ask me what my favorite cleaning products are.

A: Soap and warm water cleans just about anything.

I don't spend a lot of time buying products like 409, etc. Baking Soda and Vinegar are great natural ways to clean. And if you wipe surfaces down regularly with soap and water they won't get so mucky you need some super chemical!

I will often use windex for quick wipe downs of bathroom counters and faucets. And if you just take a quick few seconds to wipe down bathroom counters when you are finished in the bathroom in the morning they will never get really sticky (unless your name happens to be Katie and you use a gallon of hairspray and hair gel every day! Then you need a scraper!) I can get by with just Comet or Ajax for regular bathroom cleaning... but a toilet bowl gel is easier to get up under the side of the bowl.

And of course there's always bleach! If the house doesn't smell like a swimming pool it isn't clean lol! (sigh..) I admit, I love bleach!

Home Comforts is one of my favorite books about keeping a house. I love that Cheryl Mendelson takes the time to tell you the history about housekeeping... why laundry is traditionally done on certain days and things like that! Plus if you have rules in your house like 'street clothes never touching your bedding' then this book is full of tons of justification for why your silly house rules aren't silly at all!

I believe keeping an orderly and clean home is one of the best gifts that I can give my child. One of my favorite quotes about home is from the LDS Bible Dictionary: "A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed... A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness."

I believe in making my home a sacred place, where my family can feel comfort and safety, but most of all loved!

What do you do to make your home a place for your family to grow and learn?