I tried the Scotch-Brite and Scrubbing Bubbles systems and I’ll agree that it’s nice not to have to keep a toilet brush around, but they just don’t do as good a job as a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner and brush.  (I still keep the Scrubbing Bubbles handles in each bathroom on an adhesive hook stuck to the inside of each vanity—I occasionally use their flushable scrubbers for a quick clean up in between weekly scrubbings.)  Instead of keeping an icky toilet brush in each of the bathrooms, I keep one in the basement in the same pail where we store the plunger.  When it’s bathroom cleaning day, I tote it around the house in a plastic grocery bag and then put it back in the basement in the dirty pail when I’m done.  I also put the toilet bowl cleaner in the bowl first thing and let it work while I wipe down the mirror, clean the countertop/sink/faucet and scrub the shower.  I don’t have any words of wisdom to make toilet scrubbing more fun, but personally, I’d scrub a hundred toilets if I didn’t have to scrub bathtubs!

We use the Clorox toilet scrubber.  We tried the Scrubbing Bubbles one also and didn’t like it.  All that hangs around with the Clorox one is the wand.  The scrubbers have a stiffer sections that allows you to actually scrub better than the Scubbing Bubbles ones.  Also, there is some flexibility to the scrubber that allows you to bend it to get under the rim.

I am using the fly lady technique of “swish and swipe” where you run the toilet brush around the bowl every morning. We are using Method brand cleaners because they seem to be gentler and I am less nervous about my kids around them. They also smell great!!!

Ooh, I understand what you are saying. Bathrooms are never fun and all the fumes make the house smell, well , horrible. I use Mrs. Meyer’s products and REALLY like the smell. Smells are important and can set your mood for the day. No one wants to be smelling bleach all around the house. Plus the chemicals from typical bathroom cleaners are so harsh. At least I know that this brand is Chlorine and phosphate free, which always makes me stress less when I am pregnant and nursing.
I use a geranium scent and boy does it make cleaning bathrooms a little, may I stress a little more enjoyable.
In addition, I’ve a cleaning schedule. So, I only clean the master bathroom on Tues and the guest/kids on Friday. This makes it less stressful to plan when I’ll tackle the bathrooms. Hope this helps.

Thanks to all of you who replied! I am motivated again and will try out some other options. Method sounds good. I like the idea of swish and swipe, but not the idea of a wet brush so am pondering how to work it all in. Thanks again!

Flylady ( http://www.flylady.net ) recommends keeping the brush in a vase or you can buy some that come in a cylindrical container. She half fills the container with water and then suggest using up all those little hotel shampoos or shampoos you bought but don’t like (if you have any) They smell nice. and make the bathroom smell nice.

My husband and kids (all age 6 and under) do not enjoy doing the divine office with me (yet!). I was not sure how to start so last lent I found this great website and have enjoyed learning it. Personally for me the best way to do it is on the days that I go for a run, I download it on to my ipod - either morning or evening prayer - and it is miraculous to feel the fresh air in my lungs and listen to the psalms being read and hymns. Then of course I listen the rest of my run to faith & family podcasts! One tips someone told me is don’t try to catch up - don’t be mad at yourself if you miss a morning or evening and try to go back. Just sit back and enjoy the morning or evening prayer in the moment. Here is the website I use:

http://divineoffice.org/

I love praying the office with my husband, but I have never done it with the kids.  Usually with the kids we stick to a bible story, song, prayers, rosary, that sort of thing.  I personally love the fact that the liturgy of the hours is the closest thing we can get to mass on our own.  You are praying in communion with the whole church, and I think that is… wow.  Once while traveling I did the liturgy of the hours with these semi-cloistered nuns who live behind the Basilique du Sacre Coeur in Paris.  They sing almost the whole thing in French.  I was overwhelmed by the fact that if I was back at home in Canada I would be praying the EXACT same thing with them but in my living room with my husband! It was breath taking.  To me that is what makes it so beautiful.  We are all in communion!

“The Monk Who Grew Prayer” is a beautiful little book & a great way to introduce children to the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours):
“A monk prays deep in the forest. It looks like he is doing just simple ordinary tasks, such as chopping wood and tending to his garden. But as he works he is really growing prayer. The monk prays continually throughout the day and night, and as the seasons pass he becomes a holy man. This delightful, beautifully illustrated book teaches children that no matter what they are doing, or what hour of the day it is, they too can pray.”
http://clairebrandenburgartist.com/monk.html

If you find the Divine Office to be too much for little ones, try incorporating different prayers of the Church into the different “hours” of the day (Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, the 1st, 3rd, 6th & 9th Hours).  For example, you could pray The Morning Offering at breakfast, The Divine Praises mid-morning, The Angelus at lunch time, The Anima Chrsti later in the afternoon, The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian in the evening, The Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel before bedtime, & The +Jesus Prayer at all times!

I love that book “The Monk who Grew Prayer”!! It is so good. I think I like it more than my kids. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and motivation. I did mention it to my husband that I am willing. His work schedule is crazy so I am just not sure how it work out practically. And I like the idea of downloading the prayers to listen and be lead by onto my MP3 player. I could download it the night before and have it ready for me in the morning and then again that night. I am not sure about the rest of the day. I guess the key here for me is think of it as a learning process—just go for it, try to learn and enjoy, and incorporate more into my days as possible. Thanks, Everyone!

We are not yet praying the divine office together, but we have been reading the gospel and doing a reflection with the help of our Maginificat Lenten booklet. We also read a saint from the Lives of the Saints most days. We do this at breakfast and the children, ages 3, 5, 7, & 9 all enjoy both. Good luck and God Bless you

Would you be more comfortable praying it on your own, at least for a little while? My husband will be ordained a deacon this spring. He took to Liturgy of the Hours much more readily than I.  I learned my way around the breviary/psalter at my own pace, not his. It took a while to realize it, but for a long while I didn’t much like praying it with him because I didn’t want to stumble/make a mistake on “his” prayer.  But I prayed it myself for a good bit till I stopped thinking of it as his. He sings a lot better than I do, but I eventually came to prefer chanting to saying the prayers. Maybe if you worked on making it yours, instead of his or ours, it would help in the longer run.

A friend of mine used a water proof (foam, I think) visor for her kids when washing hair, so the water would not get in their eyes.  Put the visor under the bangs, and the water will roll off of the edge of the visor—or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work.  For an extremely sensitive child like my friend’s, that seems like a good solution.

For mine, I use food coloring to color the bath water.  I ask what color the child(ren) would like the water to be.

You can also make bathtub paint.  Mix cornstarch and cold water until it is the consistency you want.  Add food color.  Give the child some paint brushes, and he can paint himself, the walls, etc.  That makes bath time really fun.  You could make a deal that after his hair is clean, he gets to paint the bathtub.

For food coloring, I like the gel based dye (Wilton brand) which can be found in my town at Wal Mart.  The color is really vibrant.  It might stain skin if you use too much, though.

Also, I tell the kids stories where some other character (e.g., a prince, in the case of my current 3 yr old) is a thinly veiled version of that child.  “Prince Johnny” solves all sorts of problems that “real Johnny” has to deal with in real life.  Cognitive scientists have dsicovered that our brains are designed to remember stories (maybe that’s why Jesus used parables!). 

If my son were having difficulty with getting his hair washed, I would make up a “Prince Johnny” story.  I sometimes use a different character to represent the undesirable behavior—for example, the prince in the next kingdom over might be the guy who doesn’t want to have his hair washed, and all sorts of bad (and silly) consequences could occur—birds could make nests in his hair, etc.  Then Prince Johnny would come into the story and help the other prince learn that getting his hair washed isn’t so bad after all.  Prince Johnny might remark that he USED to dislike having his hair washed, but then one day, he changed his mind because ___ (fill in the reason), and ever since then, he’s been glad to get his hair washed.  The other guy will then change his mind in the story, and great things will happen—his hair will gleam like gold, and his mom and dad will be proud that their son is so clean, etc.

If none of that works… I’m stumped!

In any case, I think you are a good mom to be sensitive to his concerns, and not simplyt force him into submission.

Will he willingly take a bath without getting his hair washed?  If so, he could probably get away with having his hair washed less often (maybe once or twice a week).  It won’t solve the problem but niether of you would have to suffer so much   Also, consider a temporary buzz cut.  One of my boys has a buzz cut and his hair doesn’t get as dirty as the other’s.  I still require him to wash it 2x/week (he’s 8).  If he hates baths even when he doesn’t get his hair/ears wet you might consider getting a water filter that attaches to the shower head and fill the tub through that.  A friend of mine had told me her kids would complain the water hurt their skin until she put a filter on.  Remember, this too shall pass.  But, in the meantime I pray you find a workable solution.  Things like this can be so frustrating for mom and child.

My younger daughter went through a phase like this when she was about 2.  It drove me to distraction.  We switched to a hand-held shower, tried games, bubble bath, outright bribery—none of it worked.  In desperation I got the smallest inflatable kiddie pool I could find and set it up in our living room.  I had a vinyl tablecloth under it and put about a half inch of warm water in it.  As much as she hated getting in the tub, my daughter was NOT willing to pass up a chance to go swimming in the living room!  I think I let her wear her bathing suit, but I’m not sure.  I also had a dvd of some kind on at the same time, so she had lots of things to look at and have fun with.  I was able to surreptiously wash her while she played around.  I only had to use this system a few times before she was able to handle being in the bathtub again. 

If that sounds too crazy for you, you can get “no rinse” shampoo at camping stores, and you can get a kid pretty clean with baby wipes!  Good luck!!

Shampoos used to be very unpleasant around here, too.  I am ashamed to say that by that point in the day, I lost my cool far too many times, thus reinforcing the whole “shampoos are traumatic” message.

Anyhoo, we’re all doing better.  My son’s 5, daughter’s 2.5, and what works is if we do “dry runs” whenever they start in with the “I don’t want a shampoo tonite, ma!”
I remind them that we’ll get a dry washcloth (my son prefers using a hand towel), they get to hold it tight over their eyes, they “put their head back, chin up,” mommy uses a cup to wet hair, then shampoo, then we rinse.

We actually do practice (it’s more for the 2.5 yo’s benefit) before they get in the tub & feel vulnerable.  And if they seem more nervous about it on one night for whatever reason, I make it a quasi-shampoo, ie, not very thorough but enough to go through the motions so that they have something to feel proud of when it’s over.  Then we “high-five” and make a big deal, tell dad about it, talk about it allllllll dayyyyyy the next day….

We have some fun “character” washclothes that help distract & lighten the mood up a bit, too.

I think the key thing was *me* giving myself permission to skip it if I just wasn’t feeling patient enough that night. Better to skip than scream!

I am so very sorry to learn of your loss.  My husband and I miscarried our first child at 5 weeks and we too were absolutely devastated.  I am unsure of any resources to recommend, but I want you to know I am praying for your family.

Our priest did a short service for us that included a blessing for parents who have suffered miscarriage.  It was very helpful to more formally turn over our baby to God. Also, although not specifically concerning miscarriage, the book “Hinds Feet in High Places” is very good for helping to understand suffering and sorrow in our lives.  My last suggestion, talk to your baby, give him or her a name and pray with him or her (even if you don’t know what sex the baby was, you have an idea in your heart.)  She is your own personal prayer warior at the feet of Jesus and can help you.

My prayers are with you.  I have never suffered an early miscarriage, but we lost a daughter at 36 weeks.  Honestly, I never found anything that helped other than time and prayer.  {{hugs}}

I feel for you. Prayers going your way. We suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks in January. They were twins and we thought she was fine since we were pretty far along (one passed early on). We tried to let them miscarry naturally to no avail and then had a d&c and believe it or not are still bleeding today (docs are working hard with meds/ultrasounds/etc. so we don’t need another d&c). This is such an emotionally hard time right now. One of my dear friends who also suffered a few m/c gave me a sweet thought - remember all our little ones who were so blessed to go right into Jesus arms - are all playing together up in heaven, I felt so said I never got to meet or hold the babies but then I remembered that my womb got to give them the warmest, most loving hugs. This is so difficult. Try not to be impatient with people ( I keep telling myself) - when they make comments like there was something wrong with the baby - we had a pathology on the babies and they were perfect but regardless - who cares if they were downs or something - they were ours and we wanted them! It is so hard to understand why - but a friend advised me to stop thinking about that especialy now during this very raw time. Peace & hugs. You are not alone. You will get through this.

Thank you all for your prayers.  I believe they are helping me greatly and physically, especially today.  Blessings to all of you.

We have suffered two miscarriages and one stillbirth, and I fell your pain.  the following were recommended and/or given to me after the stillbirth of our daughter:

An Empty Cradle, a Full Heart: Reflections for Mothers and Fathers After Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Infant Death by Christine O’Keeffe Lafser

Hinds’ Feet On High Place by Hannah Hurnard

Tears of God by Benedict J. Groeschel

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis (I found this incredibly helpful with the bitterness I had with the stillbirth)

Give Them Wings and Let Them Fly: Surviving the Loss of a Child

I also read the Psalms, a lot.  David suffered the death of his son, who was stillborn, and I kept him as my close companion during my time of great need.

I hope this helps, and I will offer my struggles today for you and your family.  I will also ask my four souls in heaven to keep your child company!

kg -
Your family is in our prayers.  My husband and I have recently suffered through two miscarriages (one at 10 weeks, another at 16 weeks), and we felt very blessed to discover the SHARE Bereavement program (The website should come up immediately if you search for “SHARE bereavement”...there are chapters nation-wide).  The support we received was amazing, and this group actually coordinated memorial and burial services at a Catholic cemetery for our little ones.
We also named our babies and have found great consolation in knowing that they are now in Heaven praying for us.  God bless you.

Kateri,

I personally don’t but my sixteen year old resident electronics specialist has put a few on my I pod ( I have the model before yours I believe) and his ( the newest model probably the same as yours) i pod has tons of you tube stuff. He is at karate right now but I will ask him to type out the directions later this evening if nobody else helps you. Please check back .

I’ll be waiting for DIane’s son’s instrictions too

Ok!  Will do.  Thanks. 

I second that! I wish we all lived near each other and could have a cup of coffee together!

Lina and Jen—I too wish we could get together for coffee, bring all our kiddies (got 6) and talk about NFP, breastfeeding and Catholic teaching.  It is disheartening to live in a world where so many of our Catholic brothers and sisters do not care to learn and live the true teachings of our beautiful faith.  Maybe that’s why the Lord has let us come together using modern technologies!!!  And remember, someday we will meet each other in the Lord’s Kingdom, YAY!!!

Purses. All girls this age love fun purses and never have enough of them. (dd 13).

So glad all went well and that you’re recovering well.  Keep taking it easy so you avoid setbacks.

I’d say just pay attention to your kids.  As long as they seem pretty comfortable with it, I wouldn’t worry.  I know my folks have pictures of me and my brother in the tub and I am about 4 or so.    I would guess around 5 or 6, when the boy/girl difference becomes more of an issue in general (e.g. kids would rather play with with same sex, boys don’t like doing “girl” things and vice versa), that’s when to stop.

I haven’t read much about their situation, but I’ll try to speak in general.  For many converts, this can be an issue b/c their previous church didn’t have a problem with divorce and remarriage.  But when one or the other (or both) current spouse becomes Catholic, their first marriages (generally only the first attempted marriage, for each spouse, would be at issue here), as Protestants, are presumed valid by the Catholic Church.  So they have to get that annulled before receiving Communion as a Catholic and before their current marriage is recognized as valid by the Church.  I think it’s pretty common, just due to the divorce rate and to most other churches’ views on remarriage.  I hope this response isn’t too full of commas and sentence clauses to be clear…

I was under the impression that he and his wife both underwent the annulment process, which was actually part of his conversion process.  He was touched that the Church cared so much that they made people go through that (to help facilitate healing).  At least that is what I took from the article because I was also very judgemental about the whole sitution prior to reading about him.  I think I read that in the Faith & Family magazine article.  I thought that was striking because so many people leave the Church over divorce/annulment issues, but it actually helped bring him INTO the Church.

I think in these high profile cases, we have to always remember that we don’t have all the facts and that hopefully those being led into the Church are working with someone to do everything they need to do, in the proper order.  I don’t think it is safe to assume they are NOT unless you know for sure they are NOT.  And we have to trust in God’s mercy- it is not up to us to judge their souls, luckily!

I have the same problem with this article. The version in the magazine specifically mentions that he watched his wife receive Communion for nine years. But if he needed an annulment to become a Catholic, they must have previously been married outside the Church. She should not have been receiving the Eucharist under those circumstances.