Simply Lopez

Sponges have been my nemesis for years. I loath using them, because they've always seemed so gross and impossible to truly clean. However, they're one of those unfortunate necessities in most households, especially the kitchen. And even though I would love to throw them away after every use, not only is that impractical, but it's damaging to the environment. So, despite my disdain, I've learned to accept them. Being the clean freak that I am, though, I've done my share of research in how to make the grotesque cleaning utensils work at their absolute best, and cleanest. For years, I was one of those who always cleaned her sponges in the dishwasher, becuase that's how I had always been told to properly sterilize them. I would do that, then run them through the dryer to make them "extra clean". However, new research has come out revealing that the best way to kill 99% of germs found on sponges is to simply microwave them for 2 minutes. Talk abo

Hi There! My name is Danielle. Welcome to my little corner of the web. I live on a homestead in the Ozark Mountains with four crazy children, a cute guy who is almost always covered in car grease, too many cats, and my book collection. My days are spent drinking unhealthy levels of coffee, making 18 quarts of soup, chasing children, and relentlessly cleaning floors from all the mud and other questionable dirt-like things trekked through the house. In Homeschooling, I write about mine and my punks' home education journey. I also write occasionally about life as a second generation homeschooler. In Homesteading, I write about life on our farm and all the new critters and weeds we bring in. In Homemaking, I ramble about my attempts to be domestic, which often fail, but occasionally I'll get something right. In Happiness, I write about all the other things that happen in my life, as well as random fun posts in which I nerd out over Dr. Who, or video games, or my