Just wanted to offer you encouragement. I had a big problem keeping things clean before I got married and after I got married and had kids the house exploded. I also had no energy. Things are a lot better now.

When I cut carbs out of my diet that REALLY helped me. I couldn’t even stay awake during the day previously. I had to cut carbs when I got gestational diabetes and found that my energy went way up.

As for cleaning, I recommend that you assign your oldest kids jobs that they have to do each day to help keep things tidy. For yourself, find out what you hate to do the most. For me, it’s laundry and dishes. So, I focus on getting those 2 things done everyday. Then I don’t feel depressed about them hanging over me. I’ve had to go all out and do laundry for two days straight sometimes to get caught up. I’m inspired when the things hate are done and then I want to do more.
My oldest son is now 12 and he folds all the laundry which is a HUGE help for me. My house is still often messy but we can usually get it all clean within half a day as opposed to within a week!

Prayers for you that you can find strategies to help you too!

I totally understand where you are coming from! I am a mother of three and currently working on getting my way out from underneath being a slob. There are a couple of things that have helped me, heard of FlyLady? I know some of the things she suggests seems weird but it really is helping me. Just 15 mins in an area every day can help you see an end to it all. It doesn’t have to be perfect but you do need to work on it! Not to mention just getting rid of everything that is cluttering me and weighing me down. Look her up on Facebook and she has a website. Simple steps to get you started and keep you going!

For fresh urine, dump lots of baking soda on it, wait till dry then vacuum off.  For old urine, try nature’s miracle or a similar spray designed to get out Cat urine.  My husband likes to use lots of febreeze, but the smell always comes back when he does that.  If you have a carpet cleaning machine, I would use the upholstery brush on the mattresses in the “wet” zone a few times then, while damp throw some baking soda on it to soak up anything left behind, then vacuum when dry.

nature’s miracle from a pet store. excellent product which has a pleasant fragrance and uses natural enzymes to neutralize the smell. For fabrics I love the new Tide sport formulation or just adding a cup of baking soda to the laundry—sometimes when I think the smell is in the mattress it actually has not come out of the sheet or mattress pads.

If you can, haul the mattresses out into the sunlight on a sunny afternoon.  The fresh air and sun (UV) will help eliminate the smell.  I can’t promise that it will work completely, but it will definitely help!

I used to spray vinegar on it if I found it right away in the morning and it was still wet.  Do this a couple of times, saturate it and then soak up the excess.  It helps!

There is a product called Nok Out that is amazing.  I got a mattress given to us for our oldest son from a neighbor that smokes heavily.  It was a really nice one, so I hated to turn it down!  A friend of mine had some of this and I decided it was worth a shot!  I sprayed it all over the mattress and it completely came out.  I have a very sensitive nose and you can’t smell it at all.  I think you have to buy it online, (nokout.com)  I’m not sure about urine, but cig. smoke is notoriously hard to get the smell out of, so I’m guessing that it would probably work.

I got a product called Odoban at my local Sam’s Club.  A nurse recommended it to me as the only thing that helped remove the incontinence odors from bed linens and such when she was caring for her aging parents.  I have used it on sheets and the mattress pad for my kids’ beds and it really does work.  I know it can be diluted and sprayed on. It might be worth a shot.  I might then follow with the upholstery cleaner attachment to the carpet steamer. 

Good luck.

I cook my steal cut oats in the crockpot overnight or all day if we are having breakfast for dinner.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-oatmeal-recipe/index.html
Here is a recipe similar to the one we use. My recipe uses cut up apples instead of figs.

We soak ours overnight (same for the regular rolled oats) in half the amount of water needed to cook them (or maybe a little more), then in the morning I boil the other half of the water needed, add the oats (mashing them in if they got too thick overnight), and they take much less time to cook that way.  Soaking them also gets rid of some of the phytates, which are what sometimes makes grains harder to digest, so it’s actually healthier and quicker.  My kids still prefer the regular rolled oats, but my hubby likes the steel cut.  They need the extra water because they are thicker than rolled oats, just the whole grain sliced rather than rolled flat. More water absorption is necessary to cook them all the way through.

I suppose you could use google to find the answer…all I know is that they are not rolled flat, thus less surface area to absorb the water + break the fiber apart.

We do the 4:1 water:oat ratio and set it on “low” in the crockpot overnight.  Delicious breakfast, and a little softer than the stovetop cooked method.

When I first read your comment I did a big “HUFFFFF”, but then I laughed when I got past the first sentence.  ( Maybe I need to get off the internet?? LOL)    Good suggestions!  Music always motivates me, but the cleaning lady coming every two weeks motivates me even more. I have to clean up the clutter before she comes LOL.

Well, I’m not really sure exactly what you’re looking for, but Creative Memories makes scrapbooks with paper pages, and the plastic page protectors are optional.  So you could theoretically have an all paper album if you went that route.

Have you checked Michael’s?  Or a specialty scrapbook store?

For cheap ones I would use my 40% off coupon and go to Michael’s.  Exposures is a great source for quality old fashioned type scrapbooks, but they are not cheap unless you use their sales.

Having watched friends adopt through Foster care I would say get the minimal amount needed until you have the child/children. Until the last second things can change and the child will come with unique needs and interests.
I will say boxes look better than shelves when full of their things. They make it easier for the things to be put away as well.

If you don’t know the age or gender, I’d start with a few basics, then wait for him/her to arrive to do the rest.  Get the room cleaned & painted.  Every child needs a bed, a place for clothes, a place for books, and a place for toys.  If Ikea is in the budget, and you like it, get matching shelf, dresser, & bed.  For toys, a simple box or milk crate works to start.

As for the bed, is an infant child a possibility?  If so, wait until you know for sure, then get a crib (unless you plan to co-sleep).  If you know the child will be a toddler or older, then buy a single bed.  If the child is young, you can put the mattress directly on the floor until he/she is old enough to sleep in it on a frame.

As for decorating, go with pretty, gender-neutral curtains.  Then, when the child comes, if s/he is old enough to help, decorating will be a great bonding experience for you.  If not, the little one won’t really care what the room looks like and you will have time later to decorate to suit.