Some Things I've Learned Today

It's very true that as you get older, you get wiser. This is because you have the opportunity to learn from all the mistakes you've made in the past.

In the past two days, I've learned that:

1.) I should never, never, NEVER buy another couch that does not have a removable MACHINE WASHABLE slip cover to it.

Yesterday Emmaline had an accident and happened to be standing on one of the couch pillows so I had to take it off and wash it by hand in the tub. It was DISGUSTING. Seriously, the water in the tub was a muddy brown from all the years of dirt in the fabric. So gross! If I had one of the slip covered types I could remove the cover on a regular basis to make sure it's getting cleaned. With the couch that we have currently, the best I can do is hand washing the cushion covers and spot cleaning the rest.

2.) Said slip covered couch should not be WHITE or a cream color! The darker the better!

This is especially true if you've got small children like I do. No matter how vigilant I am about making sure there aren't markers, pens, and crayons left out, there always seems to be a stray one that finds it's way into little hands which then decide to turn my couch (or walls) into their next great masterpiece.

3.) In that same vein, dining room chairs should be of the hard seated variety (not the cushioned or upholstered kind).

My kids have spilt so many cups of milk on our dining chairs that I wouldn't be surprised if the seat cushions weren't rotted inside. When we finally replace the current set we have, you bet I will be getting something that is 100% wipe down-able.

4.) I am SO grateful for Washing Machines!

I'm sore in my upper legs and lower back from hand washing the couch cushion covers by hand yesterday. And I only had the two pieces to do. I cannot imagine having to wash by hand the laundry that my family produces.

5.) I'm also grateful for my dish washing machine.

I still hate doing dishes, but I can only imagine how many hours per day I would be standing at the sink with my elbows in the dishwater if I couldn't fill the machine up, press start, and walk away.

As they say: Live and learn.