Sunday, October 4, 2009

cute and clean and perty and bright

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Cheer

Twas the dawn of another busy Monday in my household. The kids were up, dressed, fed, and taken to school. I myself, was presentable, as I am the type that always gets ready and made-up – I’m just weird that way; plus I look 12 years old without mascara on and that just ain’t pretty – and I was ready to take on my house.

For Monday is my Cleaning Day. My recover-from-a-weekend-with-four-messy-males-in-it day. My let’s-set-everything-in-order-and-start-the-week-right day. My day to get my house neat and tidy and back to ship-shape.

I love Mondays. The cleanliness brightens up my life.

Well, I hate Mondays for the same reason.

But by about 10:30a.m. when I’ve swept, mopped, vacuumed, and done three loads of laundry, I feel better.

And here I was, beginning another Monday.

Wait. Scratch that. It was Tuesday. Or . . . wait . . . yeah, it was definitely Tuesday because we had gone camping all Labor Day weekend and I had Mount Washmore to tackle in my laundry room. Not only darks, lights, and whites, but towels, sleeping bags, and other camping paraphernalia.

Why is paraphernalia spelled with that ‘R’ there in the middle? Ever wondered that?

Anyway. I digress.

I love digressing.

It brightens up my life too.

So yes, it was indeed a Tuesday, but being that we’d been gone camping for the four preceeding days, I still had all my Monday chores to catch up on. And Mount Washmore was looming. I had a new bottle of Cheer to try out and I was going to put it to the test.

Boy was I ever going to put it to the test.

Because camping? With four boys? In the wild? Where we eat, sleep, play (and yes poop) in the woods? It gets dirty.

Oh so dirty.

This dirt is never more obvious and evident than it is upon our socks. Why is that? It’s not like we walk around camp without shoes on. Shoes go off when entering the tent but back on as soon as one leaves . . . so the whole reason as to why our white socks end up absolutely filthy is beyond me. And that does not brighten up my life.

So I popped open the Cheer, put in the allotted amount, and crossed my fingers. I purposefully did not use bleach because I wanted to see what the Cheer alone would do for my dingy whites.

I am sad to say, my whites came out just as dingy. Boo.

So in rewashing them in the next load, I used my Cheer and some bleach.

And my whites came out just as dingy.

MY GOSH WHAT HAVE WE BEEN CAMPING IN?? TOXIC WASTE?

I then used the Cheer on my colored laundry and towels – and everything came out shipshape. This particular load of white socks may be lost. They may have to be the martyrs of the camping experience, sacrificed to the Cause of Camping Chaos because I’ve tried pretty much everything and those white socks just are not working with me.

WORK WITH ME, SOCKS!

Ok, no worries. We all have more socks. And I can always buy more. (I love the feel of new socks. Don’t you? All snug and comfy, white and pristine. “Cute and clean and perty and bright!” 10 points if you can name that movie/play!) And then I walk outside in them to retrieve the newspaper and all is lost.

*forehead slap*

So now the fun part. I’ve told you some of the simple things that brighten my life – walking around in dingy socks not being one of them -- I’d love to hear what brightens your life and more specifically, how do you brighten the lives of others?

To enter for a bottle of detergent, leave me a comment below and tell me how you brighten the lives of others. Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) October 5, 2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) November 5, 2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

  • No duplicate comments.
  • You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
  • You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
  • This giveaway is open to US Residents, age 18 and older
  • Winners of the bottles of detergent will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
  • You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
  • Please see the official rules here.

You have EIGHT chances to win! Go on over to other BlogHer reviewers and check out their giveaway posts as well.

Check out Cheer’s official site for more details on their products or try out their fun instant win game.

Please check out my main blog Life with the Boys.

38 comments:

BlessingsUnlimited said...

I try to brighten the lives of others by taking time out for them. This may be just visiting them, having my children sing for them, or making them something good to eat. The amazing part about doing this, is that it also brightens my life!

Steph said...

I brighten the lives of others by constantly offering my assistance in whatever they need, be it through work or home. And complimenting someone once a day is always good for putting smiles on faces!

BurdenMom said...

Share homemade baked goods, esp. bread cookies and dinner rolls

One Cryptic Mama said...

I brighten the day of others simply by smiling & saying "thank you" whenever I can- especially if it seems a cashier is having a rough day.
onecrypticmama AT yahoo DOT com

samantha said...

I am on a daily mission to compliment people more. I think things in my head all the time but now I will actually say it to them. "You look really cute today!" or "I LOVE your purse!" It makes such a difference!

samanthajocampen at gmail

jonahbonah said...

I've got two loaves of pumpkin bread in the oven now...one for me and one for a neighbor!

jakemelissajakea@aol.com

Lewis Family said...

I try to always make 8X8 foil dishes when I cook dinner, then freeze those, so I always have dinner on hand if anyone needs it.

Jones said...

I brighten other people's lives by always having and open ear and just being there. ajsahm@gmail.com

Unknown said...

according to my friends and medical support team, I brighten lives by always being cheerful and cracking others up by making myself laugh throughout 6 years of cancer treatments and side effects.
My email is on my blog.

Unknown said...

Just Tweeted about the contest!
http://twitter.com/ebogie/status/4720785250

Laura Stewart said...

I like to make and share handmade cards with others

Night Owl Mama said...

I like brightening others lives by freecycling. I offer my gently used household, personal items, etc to those in need. Doing so helps others out and keeps good things out of the landfills.

Anonymous said...

I brighten the day of others by doing random acts of kindness. Holding the door for someone, when out in public, rather than just letting the door slam behind me. Helping someone having a hard time carrying awkward, heavy things. Helping our elderly neighbor, whose wife passed last year, by fixing meals, assisting him with yard work and livestock care, etc.


sunlitfawn@yahoo.com

Mandy said...

Sometimes a smile is all you need to make someone's day a little brighter.

mandy_vandeven(AT)yahoo.com

Gina said...

I always try to compliment my family & friends. And, I'm always telling my kids how proud I am of them even when it's something small.

Ruthie Denise said...

I try to brighten the life of my husband by listening to him and giving him compliments.

Unknown said...

I think that you can brighten someone's day just by giving them an encouraging word or a smile.
jedoggett@embarqmail.com

Ali said...

I like to send my friends ecards randomly for little things, big things, or just to let them know I'm thinking of them. It can be done for free after all and only takes a minute.

And thank you for the honest review! I really mainly want to brighten my whites, but my husbands colors are getting kind of dingy too so this seems like it'd be good for that!

rbailey1958 said...

I brighten the lives of others by giving them respect and kindness
pkbailey@charter.net

Unknown said...

I try to be upbeat and positive whenever I see people.

Princess Golden Hair said...

i brighten the lives of others by volunteering my time to young women in a local Youth Detention Center. Many of these girls made wrong choices and are trying to get back on track to make something out of their lives

teechbiz at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Serving up Smiles
I work as a waitress, I try to brighten up all my customers day after all I am the start or the end of a day. Even if it is just listening to a problem they have or giving them a hug when the work world has them down.
texasmomof3(AT)hotmail.com

Tamara B. said...

Every holiday season my children and I collect canned goods and other googies plus turkeys for the less fortunate. Then we deliver baskets to them.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

Andrea Hatfield said...

I smile at everyone I meet. I hope that it brightens their day!

Kelsey said...

Just a warm smile and asking how someone is doing(and stopping to hear the answer) is a great way!

Mommy Daisy said...

Giving a smile and a "thank you" or "have a nice day" wherever we go is typical for me and my family. I find that it brings a smile to other people's faces too!

Anonymous said...

I make sure I call people by their names and I smile.

Amanda said...

I try to brighten others lives with fresh baked wheat bread or my special pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. Always smileing and saying a sincere Thank You works wonders too.

Amanda said...

Oops...do I need to include my email? I've never done this before. Just in case: osmondfreak@2cox.net

Angela G said...

I smile and give a little compliment!
ag1414@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I brighten the lives of others by donating to my sponsored child at Worldvision and to her community. I just love that place!

yadgirl said...

I laugh like Woody Woodpecker, and that makes my friends laugh.

Jinxy and Me said...

When I bake a batch of cookies I like to bring some over to my next door neighbor.

Kristin said...

I try to brighten the lives of others by paying attention to them, listening to them, and giving them my support.

wowknk@gmail.com

joannaonthelake said...

I am a true believer in the power of random acts of kindness. I was taught by my parents at a very young age through example of my parents being such advocates of performing random acts of kindness that by doing so you can literally change the course of someone's day or life. You never know when someone is on the brink, on the edge of sadness or despair and your small act of kindness can bring them back to reality and change the course of their life. Whether it is simply smiling at someone and saying hello as you open a door for them, or as I do very often, offer a helping hand to an elderly person by shoveling their sidewalk, or bringing them a home baked casserole, just doing something effortless on your part can make a huge impact on someone else's life. That is how I choose to brighten the days of others and I hope by my own acts I am teaching my children the same level of important this is as my own parents did with me.

joannaonthelake@gmail.com

Gloria's Bits and Pieces said...

I'm what you call a friendly person. I like to be nice to everyone. I tend to go out of my way to talk to people who are lonely or who are a little different. A few words to some one who otherwise doesn't have many friends can cheer a person up or brighten their day. My daughter says I'm too nice to everyone but that's just the way I am.

kngmckellar@hotmail.com

Betty C said...

I love to smile and talk to strangers. Even the unhappiest looking people will smile back.

Jessica Nunemaker said...

I like to feed people.

I think it must be the Italian in me. ;)

jessicanunemaker@littleindiana.com