The OC

Why should I bag the title The OCD Queen?

I keep a list of the following:

LPG - to keep track of the last purchase to find out whether the helpers have been abusing it or have not been switching it off after each use (note: a fire hazard!)

rice - for the same reason, to keep track of last purchase to know whether the helpers throw away left-over rice when they know they shouldn't (They need to finish everything before they could cook a new batch.) A 25kg sack usually lasts 1.5 months, feeding 5 adults in the house.

payroll - to track the helpers wages and salary increase (This is based on their performance; I don't have a set rule.)

baby notebook - a list of the date and time of each single thing related to Baby, from day-to-day stuff like feeding, burping, peeing, pooing, to milestones like first tooth, first crawl, first step, etc.

Anyone want a re-match?

Alcohol-ic

I have always been a neat-freak all my life. My bag should have a small bottle of hand sanitizer, rain or shine. This "convenient" and "useful" habit just got magnified a hundred times eversince Baby was born. We have more bottles of rubbing alcohol than the fingers on both of your hands, at any given time - 1 in the living room, 1 in the kitchen, 2 in Baby's room, 1 in each of our bedside tables, 1 in my CR, 1 in each of the cars, 1 in my bag, 1 in Baby's diaper bag, and a few more bottles in stock.

There are quite a number of varieties in the market - ethyl, isoprophyl, 40% and 70% solution, regular, or with moisturizers, etc. I don't intend to master their differences; all I know is that 70% solution of ethyl alcohol is good for your stitches (C-section) and your baby's belly button (when it hasn't healed). But we are past that stage now, so I can choose my alcohol more freely - i.e. based on scent. Let me share with you some of our favorite brands.

When I was still an OCD "Princess" (fresh grad, young employee, no husband, no child), I used Blue Angel in cleaning my landline phone, my keyboard and mouse, my desk, and yes, even my armrest. I had to label my office chair so it wouldn't get mixed up with somebody else's everytime the maintenance staff does a general cleaning. At that time, I could only find this brand at Pioneer Centre.

Fast forward to the present, the OCD Queen likes Guardian. It was part of the hospital welcome kit when I gave birth. And I've been addicted to the scent eversince. It smells like a mild cologne instead of a disinfectant.

However, being a full-time mom means having no steady income as part of the deal. It's Hubby who pays the bills, so he should at least have the freedom to choose his own products. His loyalty is with Cleene. This 70% solution ethyl alcohol by PhilUSA is not bad: decent-looking bottles, in big and small sizes, with nice-smelling scent. My only complaint is the cap, which is not the flip-top type, and so aside from the time wasted opening and covering before and after each use, you also risk losing or misplacing the cap when you tend to be a little clumsy.