Life (and time) Saver

With having a special needs child like E, there are all sorts of things that you have to deal with that most people don't realize. Some big, some small, some time-consuming, some messy and not-so-fun. One thing that falls into the time-consuming and messy/not-so-fun category is getting E up in the morning. E is still in diapers, now that he is larger, he is wearing adult diapers. These usually fit pretty well, but not always. Regardless of how they fit though, my mornings tend to be a mess. They usually involve a full load of laundry (blanket, sheets, pjs, pillows, etc), washing the walls (I painted them with a high-gloss paint to make it easier), mopping the floor (I pulled out the carpet and put linoleum down since it's cheap in case he messes it up and it's easy to clean), cleaning the doors (sometimes) and cleaning the bed. My absolute least favorite has been cleaning the bed. We have tried to get waterproof mattress covers, but E doesn't like the texture so he just rips them off. So, nearly every morning, I have to scrape fun stuff off of the mattress, soak it with carpet/upholstery cleaner and scrub it. Depending on the mess it takes me anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes (I've even allowed time for it in my schedule). Until now....my mom got some heavy duty vinyl type fabric that is used for cushion covers on boats. Then they (mom & dad) bought E new mattresses and then mom completely incased both of them in this fabric. I can't tell you how wonderful it is! The last two mornings, I have been able to just throw everything in the washing machine and the mop both his floor and the bed. This is huge! So, thanks mom!