Archive for January, 2010

Keeping the Kids Busy

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

After a consistent fight today with my youngest daughter to keep her quiet while I was trying to work, I have made a discovery. A three year old is relentless and thorough when given a task that appears fun. To keep her occupied, I asked her to help me, and said that this could be her job. She was thrilled to find out that she now had a job like daddy. The job, dusting the electronics.

I gave her a Swiffer Duster http://www.swiffer.com/en_US/duster.do ; which I highly recommend for any dusting needs. I set her up with the automon from the couch so she could could reach the LCD TV on the wall, and she was happy to dust her little heart out.

After she finished dusting the LCD and accompanying surround sound speakers, she took the initiative to dust her little TV, and pretty much every other flat surface she could find in the basement.

The moral of the story here is that if you can make them think that they are helping and doing something similar to you, they will enjoy themselves and take some of the chores.

If you have any suggestions on keeping your kids busy post them in the comments.

The Dad at Home

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Wood Floor Stain Removal

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Over the weekend our dog Nala, a puggle, managed to get herself into a snack pack of chocolate pudding. She was inevitably sick, but we kept her hydrated and waited. Unfortunately the pudding made its way out during the night and ended up on our hardwood floor. The cleanup was nasty, and it left a dark stain right in one of our high traffic areas.

We tried an assortment of wood cleaners, vinegar, dish soap and, elbow grease, but nothing was bringing that stain out of the wood. We found a discussion online where somebody suggested we try rubbing alcohol, didn’t work. Then we found one that suggested using hydrogen peroxide. I put a paper towel with hydrogen peroxide over the stain and let it sit for about 4 hours, and to my surprise, it worked. The stain is still slightly visible, but is difficult to notice if you don’t know that it is there.

I would suggest this home remedy to anyone. Just remember, it might be a good idea to test it in an area that isn’t visible to be sure it doesn’t affect your wood stain or the finish of your floor. It worked on our floor and hopefully this tip might help you out.

The Dad at Home

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