Chemistry In Your Cupboard

I have been a full-time live-in nanny now for a monumental three weeks. And I have a few morsels of knowledge I would like to share with the rest of you.

• Clorox wipes > Lysol wipes. Actually, scratch that.. all Clorox products > all Lysol Products.
• Never have kids.
• Bleaching your kitchen/bathroom grout makes the entire room look better.
• The family I nanny for has so graciously added my grocery list to theirs and I have learned that when I actually cook I save A LOT of money. I probably won't ever go to a restaurant again.
• Alongside that last one, I have perfected my coleslaw recipe:

16 oz. coleslaw (regular sized Dole bag is my favorite)
2 tb. minced sweet onions
2/3 c. Miracle Whip
3 tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar (beet sugar if you know what's good for you!)
1 tb. white vinegar
1/2 ts. salt
1/2 ts. poppy seeds

Combine onions and coleslaw in a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together Miracle Whip, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, and poppy seeds. Pour the mixture into the large bowl; toss to coat. Chill. If you like creamier coleslaw versus vinegar-y, ask me for my yogurt version recipe!

• Hard water deposits are alkaline, so an acid-based cleaner is the best way to get them off. Mission has wonderful cleaning products for stuff like this and soap scum build up.
• I've also learned a lot about having a home and children at the same time. This is a list of what to, and not to, splurge on.

To not splurge on:

• Carpeting..nuff said.
• Furniture. Especially in the living room and kids' bedrooms. Maybe splurge a little on your own bedroom furniture, such as a king size bed to avoid cuddling at all costs.
• Hardwood flooring. The fake stuff looks exactly the same, and you'll save a pretty penny.
• Techy stuff. If you're always on your phone or ipod, your kid will always be on theirs.
• Wine. Who doesn't love a 6 dollar bottle of Sutter Home?
• Netflix. Kids like to watch movies over and over. And over.

To splurge on:

• Pets. A quality family pet or 7 is a must!
• Countertops. Granite is my personal favorite. The kids don't spend much time plotting revenge on the kitchen, and messes wipe clean real easy! A caliber counter top makes the whole kitchen look a lot nicer :)
• Trips/Vacations. This one is more "make lots of time for" than "splurge on". Even if it's just camping on the weekends or driving to the grandparents house, the memories will last a lifetime.
• Dates. Parents, get out! Husband, treat your wife! Wife, put out! (This would be a good time to accomodate a glass of that Sutter Home)
• Camera. You are not going to want a blurry memory of every stinking cute face your kids make. I'm a Canon fan myself. My mom has a 30D and I'm not jealous at all. That's a lie, it's saweeeet.