a week of thanksGIVING!!!! marvelous mommy-to-be Belinda from Max Toto and Busy B.

My name is Belinda O'Brien, 30 (about to be 31...), a wife, daughter, sister and soon to be Mama! My husband and I are expecting our first little baby March 7th, 2012.

I am the owner of a very small home business called, Max Toto and Busy B. I specialize in making paper-crafts such as pennant banners for any occasion, gift tags, personalized cupcake picks and cards. I also take special orders for parties for anything the customer has in mind. I have a Bachelors Degree in Communications and have always wanted to own my own business and also be a wife and mother.
My husband is currently a full time student with Academy of Arts University online, majoring in animation, which means he is home all day with me...for the most part a good thing :) But for the rest of the time he is leaving school supplies, paperwork and other 'trails' of his stuff around the house...
I try to keep up with cleaning, making room for baby, cooking and making an organized and serene learning area for my husband. We live in a one bedroom apartment in Southern California so I normally would have one full day of cleaning, but since being pregnant that one day has been split into two. I clean the bathroom, mop the floors, vacuum furniture (we have a furry little animal that lives with us and her name is Snickers, she is a terrier mix mutt), windex and dust, etc...This is usually done midweek so that the house is still clean if we have company over the weekend or if we go out I don't come home to a disastrous house!
The rest of the week I spend about an hour or so everyday picking up those trails my husband leaves around...filing papers away, sorting through mail, keeping up with laundry...easy things. I have a few baskets throughout the house so that he has a place to put his "stuff", does it work all the time? No, but it makes me feel like I'm trying. By having a couple days of deep cleaning I feel less of a need to get down and dirty with sponges and bleach! Clorox wipes are my favorite thing to use all the time and they make it so easy to clean and disinfect quickly!

So where do I find time to create for  my shop? Usually late afternoons and evenings. Once I get going in my creative mood, I do not want to stop!
You can take a peek at some of the things I've created on my Facebook page at and also at my Etsy Shop

Go to my Facebook page and 'LIKE', Max, Toto and Busy B., your name will be entered in a drawing and on November 28th I will draw 5 names and those people will win 5 assorted handmade holiday gift tags! 5 tags each to the 5 winners! Also if you mention "Mama Clean" in an order message to me on Etsy you will get a 10% discount until December 31st 2011.

If you have any special orders or questions, feel free to email me at maxtotobusyb@yahoo.com.
Thank you all for reading and checking out my pages!
Happy Holidays!

a week of thanksGIVING!!!! a giveaway from the egg-celent margaret

Margaret and this cleanmama have been friends since before we were compulsive cleaners, since the time where we told our mothers "why do I have to clean my room, no one is going to see it?". She's been here for my bad girl days and my good girl days and the days mommy and wife-y busyness. I am so excited to feature her and her amazing business on the b-log! So, WHO WANTS TO WIN?!?!?!?!

Hello! My name is Margaret and I am a 24 year old wife, student, and home business owner. I have a small business making Christmas ornaments out of real eggs, am a full time anthropology student, and also sell Scentsy.

Currently, my husband and I live with my parents and younger brother since we recently moved to California from Missouri. I am, admittedly, very OCD about cleaning and living in a house with a 12 year old boy isn’t always easy. I do a lot of the household cleaning and tidying as a way of saying “Thank You” to my parents for letting us live here rent-free for as long as we need to.

I have found that having a regular cleaning schedule is the easiest way for me to stay on top of cleaning this household of five. Most of the day is dedicated to doing homework and, recently, to making egg ornaments, but Fridays are my deep cleaning days. It helps me to relax about the small stuff throughout the rest of the week. On Fridays I vacuum the whole house, dust, and clean the bathrooms. As any of you with boys in the house know—boys are messy bathroom-users, and being OCD made it hard for me to deal with that. But, now I know that on Fridays all the small, cumulative messes of the week are going to get cleaned and it lets me focus on other things the rest of the week.
Also, since we all know there are messes that can’t wait for Friday, I make sure to clean the rest of the stuff as it happens! Dishes get done immediately after dinner which saves me time having to scrub dried food from them later. Counters get wiped down and the stove gets a good once-over. My brother takes out the trash after I am done cleaning the kitchen and everyone is free to do their thing within 20 minutes of dinner being done. The dishwasher gets started when I get up in the morning and gets emptied at 3 pm every day. Simply put, having a schedule has saved me from myself. I know I don’t have to worry about cleaning all the time because there is a time for that and the rest of the day is for more important things!
Your readers can check out my “Egg-cellent” Christmas ornaments (teeheehee) on my Etsy page:  and can get a 20% discount on any order of 2 or more ornaments by sharing it on their Twitter or Facebook and sending me an email to margaretmedill@yahoo.com.

I will also be giving away a personalized ornament in a random drawing of those who email me!
All the ornaments are handmade by me and my Etsy page is more or less a sample—I like to make them special for each person and can make them in all kinds of colors and with names or whatnot.

giveaway ends 9:00pm PST 11/25/11

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and thanks for reading!

a week of thanksGIVING aka: another mamaclean giveaway!!!!

EDIT! This giveaway has ended hope you enjoyed it!


I have so many wonderful friends who also have wonderful businesses, and this week, in honor of thanksGIVING, mamaclean is going a week of giveaways thanks to the supportive sponsorship of my friends with their very own businesses, but enough about me, today you will hear from a good friend of mine and you can enter to be a part of her giveaway too!!!!

mamaclean has taken a few moments to herself and asked me to fill in for the day... My name is Ashley and I own my very own Mary Kay business! I'm also a full-time Nursing student (about to graduate- meaning more school craziness than usual), I'm a high school leader at my church, oh and I clean a couple of houses for my spending/ "fun" money. If that doesn't sound busy to you, trust me it is!!
Mamaclean asked me to write a little bit about how I keep my life clean in all the chaos… honestly, it isn’t always so clean! My room stays clean mostly because I live out of my car… kidding! I keep clean by staying organized.
I have a home office that is very organized and flows well. I begin by tidying up when I start to notice that I can’t find the things I need. And I do my best to clean once a week. (I take about an hour out of my day to put everything in its proper place and sweep/vacuum.) The tip I would give you is time-management!! I know that sounds nuts but I plan everything down to the minute and that includes the time that I clean. It really works if you teach yourself to stick to your schedule.

Seeing as I am a Mary Kay Lady, I’d love to be a part of the giving in Thanksgiving!! I’m giving away a Hydrating Lotion… it’s my favorite and I know you’ll love it too! But make sure to hide it from the husband and kids because they won’t give it back.

How do you win??
1. Become my friend on Facebook…. www.facebook.com/nurseashleybonn
2. Then go to the Mary Kay Foundation or Mary Kay fan page on facebook, you may like them if you choose… (you can watch any of the videos or read anything there to help you get to know the ever improving Mary Kay)
3. Post on my wall something that you learned about Mary Kay or the Mary Kay Foundation; and if you’ve tried our product tell me which one is your favorite! (I can also answer questions.)
4. Comment on this blog with what you learned or if your thoughts about Mary Kay have changed from the little old ladies with blue hair to the young hipsters that we are now (there are still those adorable ladies with blue hair too!!).

the winner will also be chosen by random.org
this giveaway ends 9:00pm PST 11/20/11

Wanna win?!?!?! a mamaclean giveaway!

 This giveaway has now ended, congratulations to winner: Stephanie!!!!!




I, the marvelous mommy who writes this helpful b-log, have a verrrryyyyyy small home business, that occasionally keeps me busy and as an act of Christmas charity, I will be giving away one boutique wipes case!

I can't even begin to tell you how useful having sanitizing wipes with you everywhere is! I use them constantly! unfortunately the packaging leaves a lot to be desired so I thought I would start a home business to make being a mommy a little prettier!

So, WHO WANTS TO WIN?!?!

The Rules:

1. to win you MUST be a follower of my blog, simply go to the top of the page and click the follow link or click here
2. go to my business facebook page and like and comment here that you did
3. in your comment, tell me which wipes case you like best!
4. that's it! winner will be chosen using random.org which means there is no special treatment it's all random!

EDIT: this contest will end 9:00 pm PST 11/19/11

Featured writer!!!!!! Marvelous mommy, Courtney from Button Props

A few days ago, we heard from a feature writer who owns her own home business, and today I am pleased to have another featured writer Mrs. Courtney from ButtonProps you can visit her etsy site here. Today she's going to share her tidying tips that help keep her organized with two kids under 5. The trick with kids that are a little older is that while they're more independent, they also get bored a lot easier. Not being a mommy who supports the "only boring people get bored" response, and I know Mrs. Courtney isn't either, staying at home with kids this age becomes a lot less homemaking time and a lot more craft and teaching time. Courtney still maintains a rather tidy and organized household and I know you'll all benefit from her fabulous mommy wisdom!

here are three tidy tips from Courtney for all of you to store and use!

1. Always do the dishes first. When you clean a larger house with at least 5 rooms, you must always start with the kitchen. Do the dishes and work your way to the sweeping, and counters. Then start in the farthest room and work your way through each room. Going back and forth as you find things, is both distracting, and takes too much time. If you focus on one room, putting away things in the room they belong, and going back to the spot you were in is a big time saver.

2. Laundry: do all of your laundry as you clean, as everyone does. however, instead of sitting and folding it as you go, put it in a spot where you can spread it out to avoid wrinkles,and come back to it while the children are napping. This is what i do to avoid feeling guilty when i am tired, and need a break. I will put on a little show, and "rest" while still doing "housework".

3. Last but not least my little trick, is Sanitizing wipes. There are a few different brands, some need to be rinsed on food surfaces, others are fine. but those babies are a life line. ESPECIALLY, having boys. Little boys have wandering minds, and this is including when they go to the bathroom. I have often walked into the bathroom only to find my youngest son, has completely missed the toilet because he was looking at a "bad guy" on the ceiling, or a bug, on the other side of the toilet. These wipes work in a cinch, EVERYWHERE.
Also, it allows strict mommy's to relax a little and "sticky" hands aren't as much of a big deal, because we can wet wipe, the walls, the coffee tables, TV, everything. they sanitize, while cleaning the mess.

amazing uses for dryer sheets!!!

while we wait to hear from another feature mommy, I thought I would share with you some amazing uses for another product we all have!

ten amazing uses for dryer sheets, some you know some you might not:

1. Freshen smelly shoes. Insert a dryer sheet into the offending pair and let sit overnight.
2. Remove static from clothing, hair, TV screens, and computer monitors. Wipe the surface with a sheet.
3. Clean pet hair from the floor or furniture. Rub a dryer sheet over the spot where Fluffy left her fur.
4. Replace a sachet. Keep a dresser drawer smelling fresh and clean by placing a dryer sheet on the bottom of it.
5. Loosen caked-on food from a pan. Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning.
6. Tackle suitcase and gym-bag odors. Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase or gym bag so your clean clothes won’t take on the odors of the dirty ones.
7. Prevent old books from smelling musty when in storage. Stick a dryer sheet between the pages of your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice.
8. Wipe up sawdust after working in the garage. Rub a dryer sheet over the fine wood particles.
9. Prevent thread from tangling when sewing. Run a threaded needle through a dryer sheet right before you begin your handiwork.
10. Dust venetian blinds. Close the blinds, then wipe up and down with a dryer sheet.

FEATURE WRITER: Belinda from This Vintage Mommy

today I have a contributing writer, a fellow mom, and a very busy bee. Belinda owns her own home business: this vintage mommy, and she is an amazing mommy as well as being amazingly creative, but more than that, she also has a home to clean, so she's here to share how she does it

My name is Belinda and I’m the owner of This Vintage Mommy. I’m a WAHM with two little troublemakers, a 20 month old and a 2 month old. Some days I don’t know what I was thinking! My son Ellis can stir up a mess just in the time it takes for me to brush my teeth! How do I keep my sanity, orders flowing out on time, and the house clean for my family? I’ll let you in on my little secret: 15-minute sessions.
You would be surprised what you could get done in just 15 minutes when you push yourself! Three times a day I set the timer on my phone and get as much done as I can. At noon it’s picking up toys and throwing laundry in the wash (I have to do at least two loads a day otherwise we’ll have a serious problem, but that’s a whole other monster!) I always ask my husband to give me a thirty-minute warning before he walks in the door at night. This is where the two other sessions come in. The first session is for trying to get as much sewing done as possible! The second session is for the dishes that inevitably pile up during the day, picking up toys (again!), and vacuuming. I am a firm believer that a vacuumed room looks clean every time, even if I couldn’t pick up all the clutter. With these sessions, my house isn’t impeccable. I don’t think there’s a mother out there with a perfect house! But, it is ready for guests within a half hour every time. I still have to clean the house once a week- but it makes cleaning that much faster so my son has a fresh slate to “redecorate”.


Readers can order a custom clutch for 20% off until December 2nd. They will need to write my secret (15 minute sessions!) in the notes of their purchase so I know they are your reader ☺