I recently stopped buying laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent and started making my own. It is not only cheap but very easy and quick! I love saving time and money and would much rather spend the time making this stuff than shopping for it. So here are the recipes for ya! Both are passed to me from my cousin Katie, thanks girl!
Laundry Soap
bar soap (any kind, preferably fragrance free)
1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
32 Cups of water
In large stock, add grated soap to 6 cups water, add washing soda and borax and heat and stir until dissolved. While that is dissolving boil 4 cups of water and add it to a large container. Once the powders are dissolved, add it to the large container with 22 more cups of water. Stir and if desired separate into smaller containers. Let stand 24 hours and stir or shake the container before using.
Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load, more or less depending on size of load. If used on cloth diapers, 1/4 cup is needed.
Dishwashing Detergent
Add equal parts Borax and Washing Soda to the soap dispenser in dishwasher, fill the Jet Dry spot with vinegar. Easy!
Borax and Washing Soda are under $3 each and you can get many gallons of soap from both! I love finding ways to cut time and money in my daily life to spend it on more important and fun things! What are some ways you do this?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, August 22, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
An Extra Helping
These past two weeks have been especially hard on me. We've had car trouble after car trouble which resulted in many cancelled plans and being apartment bound all week and going days without seeing another adult, aside from Jordan.
I've been struggling with loneliness (who knew being a mom was so lonely!) and discontentedness. Adelaide and Emery have both been teething and have colds and need to be outside but aren't able to in the 110 degree heat. But God is good and I'm learning, well being reminded, of His truths in my life:
1) I do not deserve a running car, a house with a yard, money to pay the bills, dates with my husband, trips to visit my family, or anything else for that matter.
2) He gives good gifts! Beautiful and healthy children, family, AC, love! (these I call 'an extra helping')
3) God will give me more than I can handle. And for that, I am thankful! For it allows me to see my need for my Savior, for His grace and mercy, and not to rely on my own strength but on Him.
4) I am learning more and more about my children and who they are and what their personalities are like every day as I'm forced to come up with creative ways to stay occupied and busy as we fight cabin fever.
I'm excited for how God has been growing me, especially as a mom, and I'm relieved He is still working on me. Even when I only have a couple minutes a day to spend dwelling on Him.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I've been struggling with loneliness (who knew being a mom was so lonely!) and discontentedness. Adelaide and Emery have both been teething and have colds and need to be outside but aren't able to in the 110 degree heat. But God is good and I'm learning, well being reminded, of His truths in my life:
1) I do not deserve a running car, a house with a yard, money to pay the bills, dates with my husband, trips to visit my family, or anything else for that matter.
2) He gives good gifts! Beautiful and healthy children, family, AC, love! (these I call 'an extra helping')
3) God will give me more than I can handle. And for that, I am thankful! For it allows me to see my need for my Savior, for His grace and mercy, and not to rely on my own strength but on Him.
4) I am learning more and more about my children and who they are and what their personalities are like every day as I'm forced to come up with creative ways to stay occupied and busy as we fight cabin fever.
I'm excited for how God has been growing me, especially as a mom, and I'm relieved He is still working on me. Even when I only have a couple minutes a day to spend dwelling on Him.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Fast and furious
This week:
•emery had 4 teeth come in and is working on the 5th... Oh my word.
•Adelaide had her first experience with puking. (and I had my first experience getting puked on and cleaning it up at 3 am)
•I finished refinishing the Johnson's picnic table for our dining table. (I'm a little proud)
•emery had 4 teeth come in and is working on the 5th... Oh my word.
•Adelaide had her first experience with puking. (and I had my first experience getting puked on and cleaning it up at 3 am)
•I finished refinishing the Johnson's picnic table for our dining table. (I'm a little proud)
Us
Here is an update on Jordan and me:
Jordan:
•is drumming for 2 worship teams and loooves it! He'll do it any chance he gets!
•has made several friends here in Longview and I'm excited he has some guy buddies to chill with as it's been awhile.
•does such a great job playing with his kiddos and just spending time on the floor with them (something I struggle with).
•is learning all about fixing cars! Haha! He just put an alternator in our one working car with his dad.
• is a huge help to me at home and is patient, kind, and selfless. So thankful for him!
Charity:
•stays busy working (cleaning apts for new tenants) and being a full time stay at home mom.
•is a part of the MOPS steering team at our church and is in the hospitality position. which means I am busy busy busy with getting the decor ready for our first meeting in 3 weeks.
•getting to k ow other moms around the area and is enjoying making new friends.
•working on building inventory of different kinds of product to (hopefully) open another etsy shop (hopefully) this fall!
•is learning to sew!
•is researching homeschool methods and approaches and curriculum!
Well! That about sums up our little family... For now...
Jordan:
•is drumming for 2 worship teams and loooves it! He'll do it any chance he gets!
•has made several friends here in Longview and I'm excited he has some guy buddies to chill with as it's been awhile.
•does such a great job playing with his kiddos and just spending time on the floor with them (something I struggle with).
•is learning all about fixing cars! Haha! He just put an alternator in our one working car with his dad.
• is a huge help to me at home and is patient, kind, and selfless. So thankful for him!
Charity:
•stays busy working (cleaning apts for new tenants) and being a full time stay at home mom.
•is a part of the MOPS steering team at our church and is in the hospitality position. which means I am busy busy busy with getting the decor ready for our first meeting in 3 weeks.
•getting to k ow other moms around the area and is enjoying making new friends.
•working on building inventory of different kinds of product to (hopefully) open another etsy shop (hopefully) this fall!
•is learning to sew!
•is researching homeschool methods and approaches and curriculum!
Well! That about sums up our little family... For now...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Updates, short and sweet
Our computer is not worth struggling with these days so I finally set up blogging
from my phone (can't change the page layout, so excuse the mess and lack of current photos). But I think it's due time for an update.
Emery- he is 6 months and 20 lbs, and just cut his first tooth this weekend... A top one just like Adelaide! Started eating banana, avocado, sweet potatoes, yogurt, and loves sucking and gumming melon balls. Has been sitting up since 5 months and tries to jump right off our laps. Such a happy boy, always grinning and yelling and laughing. Adores Adelaide and squirms with excitement anytime he sees her. He loves swimming in the morning and sometimes takes his nap by the pool. Loves being worn, by both dad and mom.
Adelaide- she is potty trained! Just over 2 years and only wears diapers at night and during very long outings when I'm alone w both kiddos. She can sing! On key too! Already has memorized twinkle little star and the abc song. Still doesn't play much with toys, loves books and playing in the cupboards though. She helps me a ton! With dishes, baking, with emery, watering our plants, picking up...I know she'll be a great oldest child. She loves swimming and coloring and painting and play doh. She has a temper and we are working on bringing it under control. She loves her little brother and is patient for the most part when I'm occupied with his needs. She's talking in sentences and already asks so many questions. She's starting to pick up on colors and shapes. All of a sudden she's become a little attached to me, which I love! Usually she's so independent so I love seeing that she notices when I'm not around, if that makes sense.
(in this picture she lined all of her toys up and told them to pee in the grass...she's helping Olivia the pig out by holding her over the grass)
(to be continued...)
from my phone (can't change the page layout, so excuse the mess and lack of current photos). But I think it's due time for an update.
Emery- he is 6 months and 20 lbs, and just cut his first tooth this weekend... A top one just like Adelaide! Started eating banana, avocado, sweet potatoes, yogurt, and loves sucking and gumming melon balls. Has been sitting up since 5 months and tries to jump right off our laps. Such a happy boy, always grinning and yelling and laughing. Adores Adelaide and squirms with excitement anytime he sees her. He loves swimming in the morning and sometimes takes his nap by the pool. Loves being worn, by both dad and mom.
Adelaide- she is potty trained! Just over 2 years and only wears diapers at night and during very long outings when I'm alone w both kiddos. She can sing! On key too! Already has memorized twinkle little star and the abc song. Still doesn't play much with toys, loves books and playing in the cupboards though. She helps me a ton! With dishes, baking, with emery, watering our plants, picking up...I know she'll be a great oldest child. She loves swimming and coloring and painting and play doh. She has a temper and we are working on bringing it under control. She loves her little brother and is patient for the most part when I'm occupied with his needs. She's talking in sentences and already asks so many questions. She's starting to pick up on colors and shapes. All of a sudden she's become a little attached to me, which I love! Usually she's so independent so I love seeing that she notices when I'm not around, if that makes sense.
(in this picture she lined all of her toys up and told them to pee in the grass...she's helping Olivia the pig out by holding her over the grass)
(to be continued...)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Different is Good
If you're from Utah you may remember Karl Malone saying that in a Hardees commercial. If you're not, well you probably have no idea what I'm talking about... 
Everyday I'm reminded that I'm different. Really we all are, of course, and that's a good thing because how boring the world would be if we weren't. (Pretty sure I learned that from Adventures in Odyssey. Anyway, I'm especially reminded of how different I am raising kids here in east Texas.... For instance:
•I do want a lot of kids and I want to homeschool them all.
•Jordan and I didn't wait the (seems to be) required two years to start having babies.
•We are trusting God with how many we have and when we have them, we've never used birth control.
•we don't have college degrees and (if it's God's will) may never
•we will continue to try for our homebirth we so desperately desire
•we cloth diaper and co sleep
•I eat sushi and drink caffeine when I'm pregnant
•we don't own a house but we do own two cars that take turns breaking down each month
•we've never used an infant carseat (we do use carseats! Convertible ones)
•we don't vaccinate our kids
•we choose to live off one income
•I've never bought rice cereal for my babies.
These may be major differences or tiny ones, they may be personal convictions laid on our hearts right now or just a matter of preference, they may be different circumstances or choices, they may be different parenting styles or perspectives. They don't make me or my kids better or worse.
But I am different. And daily I'm reminded of it which is why I'm writing this post. To remind myself that God uses our differences to glorify himself and to add to his kingdom, not to make us comfy or to surround us with like-minded people or to add to our statuses.
It's hard to feel different from everyone around us and some days it hits me like a sack of bricks. Especially being so far from my family who I have so much in common with and who i can always count on to share my point of view.
But while I thought I was teaching Adelaide Old Testament stories, God was using it to show me simple truths:
Noah was different. and was scoffed at for choosing to build an ark while believing that God would destroy humanity. I've almost felt scoffed at for choosing to trust God with the amount of blessings, I mean kids, he wants us to have even when finances are tight (God can afford it). Moses felt inadequate to speak for the Lord when his people needed him. Just like I feel inadequate every time I think of the giant responsibility of motherhood and of educating my children when they're ready. Paul knows what it's like to be content in every situation. And this, I am learning.
If I view my own differences from my own sinful perspective, like I do almost daily, my focus and objective is self seeking. But God never promised me I'd feel secure in my decisions and choices or confident and accepted by others in my obedience to Him.
I sing these words to Adelaide almost every night and I find so much comfort just knowing this truth:
{My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness}
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Everyday I'm reminded that I'm different. Really we all are, of course, and that's a good thing because how boring the world would be if we weren't. (Pretty sure I learned that from Adventures in Odyssey. Anyway, I'm especially reminded of how different I am raising kids here in east Texas.... For instance:
•I do want a lot of kids and I want to homeschool them all.
•Jordan and I didn't wait the (seems to be) required two years to start having babies.
•We are trusting God with how many we have and when we have them, we've never used birth control.
•we don't have college degrees and (if it's God's will) may never
•we will continue to try for our homebirth we so desperately desire
•we cloth diaper and co sleep
•I eat sushi and drink caffeine when I'm pregnant
•we don't own a house but we do own two cars that take turns breaking down each month
•we've never used an infant carseat (we do use carseats! Convertible ones)
•we don't vaccinate our kids
•we choose to live off one income
•I've never bought rice cereal for my babies.
These may be major differences or tiny ones, they may be personal convictions laid on our hearts right now or just a matter of preference, they may be different circumstances or choices, they may be different parenting styles or perspectives. They don't make me or my kids better or worse.
But I am different. And daily I'm reminded of it which is why I'm writing this post. To remind myself that God uses our differences to glorify himself and to add to his kingdom, not to make us comfy or to surround us with like-minded people or to add to our statuses.
It's hard to feel different from everyone around us and some days it hits me like a sack of bricks. Especially being so far from my family who I have so much in common with and who i can always count on to share my point of view.
But while I thought I was teaching Adelaide Old Testament stories, God was using it to show me simple truths:
Noah was different. and was scoffed at for choosing to build an ark while believing that God would destroy humanity. I've almost felt scoffed at for choosing to trust God with the amount of blessings, I mean kids, he wants us to have even when finances are tight (God can afford it). Moses felt inadequate to speak for the Lord when his people needed him. Just like I feel inadequate every time I think of the giant responsibility of motherhood and of educating my children when they're ready. Paul knows what it's like to be content in every situation. And this, I am learning.
If I view my own differences from my own sinful perspective, like I do almost daily, my focus and objective is self seeking. But God never promised me I'd feel secure in my decisions and choices or confident and accepted by others in my obedience to Him.
I sing these words to Adelaide almost every night and I find so much comfort just knowing this truth:
{My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness}
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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