scraps of me...

DIY Laundry Detergent

I've seen a lot of blog posts lately about making your own laundry detergent. It's much cheaper than brand-name detergent and it doesn't have nearly as many chemicals, etc in it.

So I gave it a try. There's a few different "recipes", but I chose this one...

1 box Borax (76 oz.)
1 box Washing Soda (55 oz.) (not the same as baking soda)
1 bar Kirk's Castile Soap

I follwed the directions form this site, and the comments have some hints and tips as well.

I started by buying this huge jar at Targe this weekend. It has a metal lid with a rubber seal to keep out humidity and moisture.

I dumped in the Borax and Washing Soda.

Then, I used my microplane grater to grate the entire bar of soap. I've seen some people use their food processor as well.

 

I dumped the fluffy grated soap into the jar. I tried to stir it with a spoon, but that didn't work out so well. Instead, I just put the lid on the jar and shook it up for a few minutes.

I still have a bit of my regular detergent to finish up...so I can't comment on the homemade stuff yet...but from everything I've read, it works just as well and is much more reasonably priced. You only need 1 tablespoon per load of laundry! I'm going to try to keep track of how many loads I can do from the entire batch. I'll be sure to come back and update. :)
  

Let it Go...

I'm not sure if many of you know...but I'm pretty picky about our home; keeping it picked up...putting things where they belong...clutter: non-existant (most of the time).

I've relaxed a lot since we've started homeschooling...

But before the day ends, there are certain things that need to be done.

1. All toys picked up and put away (in the daycare room, bedrooms, and living room)
2. All the dishes need to be washed, and usually put away as well.
3. All the laundry needs to be put away (not just taken to your bedroom...but actually put in the drawers where they belong)

I've always thought that doing all these things will give me a fresh start the next morning.

But this week...

I haven't picked up any toys in the daycare room. So, if they don't get picked up by the kids before they leave, it hasn't gotten done.

Last night, I didn't wash dinner dishes. *gasp!* Troy was busy putting in our new mailbox and installing the girls' new bedroom door. I was busy editing 4 months worth of photos. Then we curled up on the couch to watch "Blindside". (great movie, btw!) It was 11 pm when I realized dishes didn't get done...and yet, I chose not to do them thanks to Troy's prodding.

And laundry...well, I haven't had much to do this week at all...but let's just say that what I have had to do hasn't been done with my normal efficiency.

And guess what?

The daycare kids actually like it when their toys are where they left them the day before. They can pick up playing right where they left off.

The dishes didn't take any more time to do this morning then they would've last night. And I only had to fill the sink once, instead of twice.

The laundry? It's surviving...even if it is a little on the wrinkled side.

And more importantly...the house is still standing. Troy still loves me. It's all getting done eventually. And if anything...I'm more relaxed...moving at a little bit slower pace.

Nice, huh?

Maybe I should try it more often...letting things go...

To Conquer...

The kids are gone this week. Austin, Meghan, and Kaitlin. We met Troy's Dad and stepmom in Tulsa yesterday and they are now in Branson...hanging out, having fun, and lots of adventures...without us. It's strange. It's peaceful and quiet. It's wonderful!

Or maybe I shouldn't say that. :)

I do love them, I really do...but I think we all needed this break...from school lessons...from each other.

Troy and I have big plans for the week...like yardwork, replacing the girl's bedroom door (that's just a Troy job), a motorcycle ride (it'll only be my 2nd one ever!), and maybe a night on the town (aka: dinner and a few errands). We're giddy. We can't decide if we feel like newlyweds or empty-nesters. lol.

Anyway...I have my own big plans for the week. I've been making a list of "Projects to Conquer" for sometime now. I'm hoping to make a good-sized dent in the list this week.

1. Switch the kids' bedsheets from flannel to their spring/summer ones
2. Type recipes and update my recipe binder
3. Blog, Blog, Blog.
4. Clean the oven
5. Edit Dec, Jan, Feb, and Mar photos
6. Upload and order the above edited photos
7. Ironing
8. Go through magazines, tear out cool ideas, put them in my fun binders
9. Type all the daycare "curriculum" plans for the rest of the year
10. Finish my bookclub book
11. Read Life Group books (2 chapters in each one)
12. Create lesson plans for next week
13. Plan remaining state studies
14. Read through Five in a Row books
15. Plan meals and make grocery list
16. Exercise every day (not happening)
17. Enjoy every minute of this week!!

That's quite a list...but I think I can do it considering I have no lessons to teach or grade, no one to pick up after (except the daycare kids), less laundry to do, less food to cook, pretty much less of everything.

Wish me luck!

03.18.2009

I guess without realizing it, I've taken a 'spring' break from my blog(s). It's just tough to find the time to sit and type with a housefull of kiddos. That...and I've just had a busy week...

• getting Meghan ready for camp.
• getting Troy ready for his trip to Texas
• getting layouts ready for my scrapbook retreat
• getting the yard ready for a new fence
• and getting our closets ready for summer

Well, I haven't actually tackled that last one quite yet...but hope to this weekend. Most of the others are still a work in progress as well.

So I'll be back in full force...maybe this weekend...maybe on Monday. I'll just have to wait and see how much I get done between now and then around the house.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their spring break and all the great weather we've been having here in Oklahoma! :)

Resolutions...Goals

...whatever you want to call them.

This year, I'm calling them 'to-do's'. Maybe that's because to-do's are a part of my day-to-day life. Every Sunday I sit down and make out my lists for the week in my to-do notebook. Every night I re-evaluate the next day and add/subtract as needed depending on what's going on and what's changed or come up unexpectantly.

To-do lists work for me.

So here it is...

 

(in order of importance)

God:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

• continue my daily quiet time (Bible, devotional, journaling)
• read the Bible in one year
• talk to God throughout the day, before I get totally stressed and to my breaking point

Troy:
A worthy wife is a crown for her husband. Proverbs 12:4

• plan more date-nights, either at home or out on the town
• build him up, encourage more, nag less
• write in our notebook more

Kids:
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Psalms 127:3

• read the Bible or find a fun family devotional to do with them
• talk more with them instead of at them
• cut back on tv and video games, spend more time doing stuff with them

Myself:
Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 19:19

• exercise 5-6 times a week
• eat well--more natural, simple, more fruits and veggies
• budget in more time for hobbies

Home:
She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Proverbs 31:27

• keep up with my weekly zones (organizing and deep cleaning)
• start updating the house with paint and stuff, focusing more on decorating
• simply move more...sit less

Daycare:
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Ephesians 6:27

• play outside more
• get a year's worth of crafts and activities planned
• read more to them

Others/Activities:
Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.  1 Peter 4:9

• crop once a month with Erin and/or Jennifer
• start a monthly bookclub meeting
• invite friends and family to share a meal or some fun in our home frequently

Re-reading all of that...it seems like to much. Yet really, it's just about making simple choices each and every day. It's not really something I can cross off my to-do list...just something to work towards. For me, it's all about finding the balance, day-to-day, in my life. Somedays, I won't exercise. Some weeks, the house won't get cleaned. Some months, I may not be able to scrapbook. I need to learn to say 'That's okay.' and continue striving for balance.

So that's it, my 2009 to-do list.

**Did anyone else make any 'resolutions' this year?**

11.14.2008

My dear sweet sister-in-law, Jennifer, called this morning just as I was about ready to attack Meghan and Kaitlin's closet in their bedroom. And when I say 'attack', I mean that very literally.

For the past month or so, I've been ignoring it -- and by ignoring it, I've simply fed the monster that now currently lives in the closet.

Instead of battling with the girls to clean up the multitude of dress-up stuff, doll stuff, Barbie stuff, and dollhouse stuff that they tend to leave on the floor everywhere...

I've chosen to simply pick it up myself and throw it into their closet...in the hopes that when they couldn't find that specific pair of 'fancy shoes' or that particular Barbie, they'd have no choice but to clean the closet out.

Yeah. It was a great plan.

Until I realized that it wasn't really working out quite the way I thought it might.

So today, I decided enough was enough and I was about ready to take matters into my own hands.

I had no intention of documenting this on my blog for all to see, because quite frankly, I'm embarrassed by the state of the closet. But Jennifer (who shall we say, in the most loving way, is somewhat 'organizationally challenged), found it impossible to believe that I had a messy closet. And not just a messy closet...but a mess that I've basically created. YIKES!

So here is the photographic proof that she demanded of me...

Before:

 

And After:

 

Ahhh...the messy monster has left the building!

Workin' on Wednesday

It's Wednesday, barely. I was going to wait and post this tomorrow...but since I'm still baking cookies (last batch is in the oven), I figured, why not do it now.

So anyway...for those of you who didn't read (or pay attention to) my huge post about my binders... ;)

Wednesday is the day that I start on my Zone work...which basically means I rotate the rooms in our home, focusing on one or two areas each week to declutter, organize, and clean in an effort to keep the clutter and chaos and cobwebs under control.

This week, it's the hallway, laundry room, and the kid's bathroom.

Well, actually, I don't really have a laundry 'room'...I have a closet. It's in the hallway. It wraps around the corner...the water heater and washer is one the side facing our bedroom and the dryer is on the side facing the kids' bedrooms. Silly. Not sure who thought it up...but we're hoping to someday re-work it a bit...maybe get a stackable washer/dryer combo and turn one side into a linen closet.

But in the mean time...I have this...

And only one cabinet to keep all of our curtains (that I haven't gotten rods for yet), table linens, rugs,sheets, and laundry/ironing supplies in. And it's a mess....

Scary, huh?

So I emptied it completely. I started by making piles of each 'category', then started sorting further. I straightened the box full of light bulbs (I still haven't quite figured out why it resides here or why on earth we need 20 differrent kinds of lightbulbs,but anyway...). Then I refolded all the rugs. I straightened the stack of linens and curtains. Then sorted the sheets by type (fitted, flat, pillowcases). And put it all back into the cabinet. Ahhhh....

so much better.

Then I moved onto the bathroom and got so wrapped up in straightening that I forgot to take pictures beforehand. But the situation is much the same here...lack of storage. I have the cabinet under the sink and a cabinet over the toilet. That's it. There is no medicine cabinet...so instead, I have these white baskets that are super cheap at walmart that look good and are perfect for the space.

One holds the kids medicines and the other one is for Troy and I. It was difficult to always try to find the kids meds amongst ours...so the separation works perfectly. I also keep the little cups and dispensers in the kid's basket.

I use the same baskets under the sink to corral the girl's many bottles of nail polish, hair bows and bands, cleaning supplies, extra bottles of shampoo and tubes of toothpaste, kleenex, and first aid stuff.

And as I was straightening everything, I realized a lot of our meds were expired...and we were out of a few things as well, like Halls Fruit Breezers, which the kids HAVE to have every time they get a cough/cold, and Tylenol. I also added toothbrushes and kleenex to my Wal-mart list...stuff I like to keep extras on-hand of...especially with cold/flu season right around the corner. I'd rather stock up and have it here than do last-minute runs when somebody is sick--especially if that somebody is Mommy. :)