Window and Glass Cleaner:
• Clean empty spray bottle
• Distilled white vinegar
• Low sudsing ammonia
Step 1: Fill spray bottle ¾ full with white vinegar
Step 2: Add ¼ cup of low sudsing ammonia
Use to clean glass surfaces & mirrors, for best results spray onto rag and not onto surface and re-wipe with a dry cloth to get rid of streaks.
You do not have to use the ammonia, vinegar works fine all on its own. I use the ammonia because of the things my kids get on these surfaces like chocolate or muddy handprints, toothpaste cave man drawings, and just about anything else you can think of. I needed my cleaner to work super good and fast so i added the ammonia. Even though its not as friendly to my house, family or sinuses it works the best for us. and it still isn't as irritating to me as products like windex or glass plus.
11/17/09
11/15/09
Natrual Home Remedies
These are old fashioned Remedies for common ailments and cold or flu symptoms. I am NOT a medical professional in any way!!! Please Please Please use common sense and ask your doctor if these remedies are safe for you and if they may conflict with any treatment you are already on. Also though these are more natural or hollistic remedies they are NOT all safe for children!!! Please contact your doctor for any questions regarding your health or the use of these remedies. Please do not post medical advice on here, if you have another remedy to suggest that is fine, but I would prefer it if there is no medical advice because the doctor is the person to recieve that from.
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM FOR ANY RESULTS, PROBLEMS, OR OTHER ISSUES YOU HAVE WHEN USING THESE!!! I am only posting the information that has been used for many many generations. I also make no claim for these to make you feel better. Use these at your own risk and always consult a physician before starting a new therapy, treatment, remedy, medication or any of the like.
Ok now that I have my disclaimer out of the way... Here ya go. I know many people who use these and swear by them, myself included. So I thought I would pass the information along. I will add to these as I have the chance to type them up. I recently had need for a few of them so they are the ones I am posting first. Someday I will organize them but in the mean time these are in no kind of order I am posting them as I have a chance to type them up.
Mustard Plaster: Good for chest congestion, joint pain, promote blood flow and healing.
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM FOR ANY RESULTS, PROBLEMS, OR OTHER ISSUES YOU HAVE WHEN USING THESE!!! I am only posting the information that has been used for many many generations. I also make no claim for these to make you feel better. Use these at your own risk and always consult a physician before starting a new therapy, treatment, remedy, medication or any of the like.
Ok now that I have my disclaimer out of the way... Here ya go. I know many people who use these and swear by them, myself included. So I thought I would pass the information along. I will add to these as I have the chance to type them up. I recently had need for a few of them so they are the ones I am posting first. Someday I will organize them but in the mean time these are in no kind of order I am posting them as I have a chance to type them up.
Mustard Plaster: Good for chest congestion, joint pain, promote blood flow and healing.
Natural Health Remedies
Mustard Plaster-
Uses: Chest Congestion and cough, body aches and pain, areas that need increased blood flow to promote healing
WARNINGS: Wear gloves when preparing and disposing. This will burn the skin if applied directly! ALWAYS check skin in 10 – 15 minute intervals for signs of redness, irritation, burning or blistering. DO NOT USE if allergic to mustard. Never leave on a child unattended and not recommended for use on babies or toddlers who will try to pick at it, or for that matter anyone who isn’t willing to leave it be.
Recommendations:
• Use for 10 – 20 minutes in 2 hour intervals as needed.
You will need:
• Ground mustard seed or mustard powder
• Flour (doesn’t matter what kind unless you have an allergy)
• Warm water
• *egg white ***optional***
• 2 pieces of cloth large enough to cover the area you want to apply it to or 1 piece that you can fold in half to cover the area. Use either flannel, this sweat suit, or terrycloth. Preferably something you don’t mind ruining.
• Mortar & pestle, food grinder, or food processor if you have to grind your seeds
• Ceramic or glass bowl to mix in
• Metal spoon to stir (plastic discolors and wood absorbs the mustard)
• Tight fitting tee shirt or ace bandage if using overnight to hold it in place
Mix Ratio:
• 1:8 (1/4 tsp mustard to 2 tsp flour) safe overnight for adult with sensitive skin and on children, weak mix
• 1:6 (1/2 tsp mustard to 1 Tbsp flour) safe on adult w/ normal skin overnight and for daytime use on children (10 – 20 minute applications)
• 1:4 Strong. Good for relieving chest congestion due to colds, use only during day or set alarm clock if using at night.
1:3 Very strong. Adults only, not suitable for children. Check frequently for signs of redness.
Uses: Chest Congestion and cough, body aches and pain, areas that need increased blood flow to promote healing
WARNINGS: Wear gloves when preparing and disposing. This will burn the skin if applied directly! ALWAYS check skin in 10 – 15 minute intervals for signs of redness, irritation, burning or blistering. DO NOT USE if allergic to mustard. Never leave on a child unattended and not recommended for use on babies or toddlers who will try to pick at it, or for that matter anyone who isn’t willing to leave it be.
Recommendations:
• Use for 10 – 20 minutes in 2 hour intervals as needed.
You will need:
• Ground mustard seed or mustard powder
• Flour (doesn’t matter what kind unless you have an allergy)
• Warm water
• *egg white ***optional***
• 2 pieces of cloth large enough to cover the area you want to apply it to or 1 piece that you can fold in half to cover the area. Use either flannel, this sweat suit, or terrycloth. Preferably something you don’t mind ruining.
• Mortar & pestle, food grinder, or food processor if you have to grind your seeds
• Ceramic or glass bowl to mix in
• Metal spoon to stir (plastic discolors and wood absorbs the mustard)
• Tight fitting tee shirt or ace bandage if using overnight to hold it in place
Mix Ratio:
• 1:8 (1/4 tsp mustard to 2 tsp flour) safe overnight for adult with sensitive skin and on children, weak mix
• 1:6 (1/2 tsp mustard to 1 Tbsp flour) safe on adult w/ normal skin overnight and for daytime use on children (10 – 20 minute applications)
• 1:4 Strong. Good for relieving chest congestion due to colds, use only during day or set alarm clock if using at night.
1:3 Very strong. Adults only, not suitable for children. Check frequently for signs of redness.
Munchkin Momma's Home Management Binder
Home Management Binder Tutorial
I majorly needed to find a way to organize our family. Papers were getting lost, appointments forgotten or conflicted, bills missed or paid late, I redid my address book 7 times in 4 years because I kept loosing it, never knew what to cook so we spent a lot on quick foods, and important papers weren't getting sent in. As you can imagine our house was chaos with 3 kiddos and DH not having a driver's license (part of the disorganization). I was completely overwhelmed and as a result I was in a constant state of irritation. I hate being irritated (which just makes me more irritated). I felt like a failure as a wife and a mother because I couldn't remember anything unless I wrote it down and then I lost the paper! So I did some Googling and found a solution I wish I'd thought of 8 years ago before I had my first munchkin. Home Management Binder, Home Journal, Control Journal (see the FLYLADY), FIN (Family Information Notebook), Mom's sanity, no matter what you call it this is my homemaking slice of heaven! This is by NO means a new concept homemakers have kept a similar tool for generations so it is a tested & approved tool that can be made personal for you! I can keep everything in one place that is organized in a way that works for me!!! I am sure that this will grow and need to be adapted and weeded out according to our family needs over time. Nothing stays the same forever and my binder will be no exception.
This is a tutorial on how I made my Sanity Keeper, it is just an idea of how you could start or revise you own. I realize some people have more or less in theirs and that is OK!!! This is your tool an extension of your brain for those times where you call the insurance company (or so you thought) to find out you accidentally dialed the phone company and when they ask for your info you give them one of the kiddos SS #'s and DH's DOB. BTW I have done that on one of my brain fart days and finally just hung up the phone and DH call the right company the next day instead. In my defense I think that when you're pregnant the baby eats your brain because I am downright STUPID when I am pregnant. Which is silly for someone who graduated with a 3.8 (I was a slacker so you can imagine what I'd have done if I applied myself) and whet to a technical school, finishing top of the class for computer programming and web design. Like I said it takes a lot to make me stupid but apparently motherhood did the trick!!!
Okay, back to the subject... Home Management Binder...
I suggest that before buying a thing or even starting this you do some research!!! There are TONS of tutorials on this and plenty of fellow blogger Moms & Dads who have them posted as well as a ton of nifty cool printables to fit many lifestyles. Figure what you need out of your Binder.
Ask yourself a few simple questions;
Do you want to keep this at home or be able to take it with you daily?
What do I you really need in there? For example: Do you home school? Do you want financial info in this? Does your family have a lot of activities like sports, clubs, dance, or scouts? Are you involved in anything like PTO, Church, Scouts, or an exercise program? Is there anyone with special needs that you have more to keep track for?
Is this for the whole family to use or just you?
How often will you use it?
Do you work outside the home, in the home or not at all?
There are endless possibilities for these binders and you need one tailored to your family life!
Gather the materials: USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE FIRST!!!
3 Ring Binder (size will depend on your needs)
Clear View Sheet Protectors
Notebook paper w/ 3 holes (filler or whatever you have available)
Dividers (make your own or use premade)
Hole punch
plain paper (for printing)
Stuff to decorate it if you want to
I started off by writing out the sections I wanted to include in the binder then sub categories and worksheets. I looked all over the web for ideas of what to put in my binder and different printables. In the end none of the ones I found were what I needed exactly and as I am a *ahem* little OBSESSIVE over my projects I decided to make my own. Below is a list of my sections and sub catergories each part that has a worksheet is linked to that worksheet as well as a ZIP file of all of the worksheets at the bottom of this post. :
Schedule/ Calendar
Daily Schedule (To Do List, with a section for calls to make, appointments, errands if needed and a short section for the store if I have to make a quick stop)
What needs to be accomplished this week (some days are more productive than others but there are things that NEED to be done by the end of the week)
EMERGENCY AND FREQUENT CONTACTS (I like to have this in the front JIC!) Month by month calendar (I keep one from the school on my fridge to but I don't put personal or financial things on that one. I record EVERYTHING on the binder one!)
Annual Events Page (reoccurring things like B-days, anniversaries, holidays, parties.etc.)
Behavior- each child has a weekly chart with a section for the things we normally have conflicts about like sibling fights, getting dressed, eating without an argument, doing chores, bedtime routine, brushing teeth etc. we give them a score from bad 0-10 excellent for each section daily and at the end of the week they get a reward for good behavior and a penny for each point over 5 (under 5 we subtract). I'll have a separate post for this system soon!!! But it has improved their overall behavior greatly!!!
Meal Planning 4 one week meals plans that have Monday-Sunday 3 meals, 2 snack and desert Master Grocery List for each meal plan Food Inventory (I used to end of with the mysterious frosty clump of meat buried in the deep freezer or 20 cans of green beans and no other veggies) This includes a list for the Deep Freezer, Pantry, Fridge, and the Fridge Freezer. I am making a copy of this form to put on a clipboard an hang inside my pantry so I can update it immediately instead of weekly. I would love to do Once a Month Cooking or OMAC but It is going to take me a while to get there. Right now I am working on at least cooking double or triple main dishes at a time like a Pot Roast, I make too much on purpose so I can do roast beef sandwiches and beef stroganoff. That is 3 meals, i night of cooking (in a large roasting pan I with veggies and spices and water so I don't have much to do at all!) and when I take my time I can use the broth for gravy and as a base for the stroganoff and put the rest towards vegetable soup stock. Same with Chicken I boil a gigantic (ina stock pot) roasting chicken, use 1/2 the broth for soup, clean the chicken, put some in with veggies for soup that day, put some chicken aside for another pot of soup, also for chicken Alfredo or chicken helper type meals. You get the idea, It saves me work in the long run and I plan those extra meals so that we rotate meat types and get the most out of the groceries we buy. **I have a separate COUPON BINDER
Budget / Finances Weekly Budget (we put $ out of every pay towards bills, food, etc)
Weekly Receipts
Expense Tracker (Where does the money go? You'd be surprised how much the little nonsense things add up to!!!)
Account Register (I am horrible about the one in my checkbook cause I only use a check once a month!)
Monthly Outgoing Payments (house, insurance, car, phone, utilities, etc)
Monthly Incoming Income
List of things to Sell (I craigslist or eBay lots of things that we no longer have use for)
List of items sold
Donation Record (here you need a receipt to prove donations of $500 or more)
Gifts Budget
List of things we pay less than monthly (magazine subscriptions, etc.)
- School: Section for each child (I am home schooling the boys for preschool)
Sissy: Current school events, grades, conference info, correspondence, absence excuses, testing scores. Word lists, area she needs extra help in, book lists of what she has read, what we read together and what she wants/ needs to read. Areas of interest like Egypt, the solar system, human skeleton (she's going to be a scientist of some sort I swear!) This school is wonderful with her but I still haven't fully ruled out homeschooling her or the boys in the future.
Bubba: things we want to work on and activity ideas to correspond to that lesson, a checklist of everything he NEEDS to know before Kindergarten that we can check off items when he has the down pat. Craft ideas, websites that he and I can use together, Areas of interest like dinosaurs, aviation, animals, science. Books I read to him, ones I'd like to read or get him
Peanut: Same as Bubba, only keep in mind he just turned 2 so its more limited to basic skills like buttons and zippers, coloring in lines, colors shapes etc.
Momma's Stuff: (yeah real technical I know!)
Inspiration: whatever inspires me at the moment, a picture, an article, a Bible Verse, a poem or story, kidisms that make me laugh to think about like explaining to my 3yo why Mommy doesn't have a "Dingle" in the stall of a full public restroom might I add!
PTO: this is general things that are going on, what I am helping with and a section for notes and Ideas. I have a separate PTO Binder I use for meetings etc.
Classes: I am taking a Love & Logic Parenting class (so I can be less stress towards my kids and deal with their behavior "issues" better.)
Mom Time: things I'd like to do in my free time, scrapbooks, take a craft class, work out?, Things like that. Someday I will go to a spa or at least to a salon!
Reading List: Books I would like to read and where to get them (I try to buy used books then either resell or donate them if I don't want to reread them)
Projects: This Binder is one such project! So is my Coupon Binder and My Craft Project Binder. (I LOVE Binders I could spend hours in the smallest office supply section... drives DH buggy!!! Thanks for passing the paper obsession gene down Daddy!!!)
Family Health **There is an individual section for each family member and for each animal
Identification Sheet - Copy of medical cards, birth certificate, & ID along with a general description of that family member
Special Info: Allergies, prone to ear infections, prior illness, hospitalization and ER trips, any special need, etc. Immunization Record
Height/weight growth chart
Dental and Eye info Exam Schedule- things like well checks that I schedule in advance and what time of the year they need to be made in like Spring for physical, Fall for dental etc.
**Any other pertinent info per family member including vet records for the animals and when they need their shots and to renew their license.
Vehicles Important documents like title and warranty
Important Phone Numbers: Insurance Company, Warranty Company, Dealership, Loan Company, Repair Garage
Maintenance Schedule- oil change, inspections, tune up, tires, brakes, when I wash the car and check the fluids.
Maintenance Receipts Driving Trip Checklist: we have out of state family so if we go more than an hour from home I like to make sure that I have my jumper cables, extra washer fluid a blanket, a jug of water/coolant and a small empty gas can on hand JIC!!! Also we check the fluids, air in tires fill up with gas, note start/ end & total mileage and cost of gas for the trip.
Gas Receipts
Recipes: Ones to match the meal plans organized by breakfast,lunch, dinner, snack or desert and an empty clear view sheet for each section of my cook book to put new recipes I get online, from other people, or out of magazines. We try them, and if its a hit it goes in the cookbook.
Crafts: Current ones we are working on and ones we want to try in the near future as well as ones we want to figure how to do (like a pirate ship for the kids to sail in the river that won't sink and is made of all recycled materials, yes I am still working on figuring that one out!)
Address Book: Important numbers up front like emergency contacts dr office etc. (yes it is already in here once but not everyone will look in the same place as I do! DH has told me many times that my chaotic organization ONLY makes sense to me and he would never be able to juggle like I do. Nice to know I am irreplaceable at least! I do have these alphabetized with tabbed dividers but ONLY because I had them leftover from something else. I have them typed up and printed out (so I don't have to handwrite them AGAIN) as well as blank sheets for new contacts.
BIRTHDAY: A section for each child with: a list of what they want, what we have bought, suggestions for other people, themes for parties, craft and activity ideas, cake decorating ideas, guest treats Guest list Party Plan Worksheet
Holiday: Section for each of the major holidays, gift tracking sheets, card lists, decoration inventory, craft projects, menu plan and recepies. Notes, etc.
EMERGENCY: (thanks flylady!) This is a folder I can take out quickly in case of an emergency, fire, evacuation or other similar event. Emercency ID card for each household member, I printed 4 to a page on white card stock. there is a picture of the person, DOB, distinguishing marks, Important medical info, blood type, Current Height/Weight, medical insurance number (in case we can't get the cards). These are in a ziploc bag on a key ring. I reinforced the holes I punched with plain tape. Cash, not much but enough to get diapers and some food and water. Emergency Plan Insurance Info and Important numbers
Munchkin Momma's Homemade Cat Litter & Pet Bedding
Homemade Cat Litter and Pet Bedding
• News Paper
• 2 cups Baking Soda
• 1 cup peroxide
• Water
• Rubber Gloves to protect your hands
• Shredder (just makes it easier)
• Large container with lid or old cat litter container
• Colander (strainer)
• Screen for drying (like one from a window)
Step 1: shred the newspaper or rip it up into smaller strips I use 2 daily or 1 Sunday per litter change. NO ADS the shiny or coated paper like magazines and sale ads doesn’t work.
Step 2: put shredded paper into large container and add hot water (not too hot you will be putting your hands in it) enough to sufficiently soak the paper.
Step 3: Add peroxide to the paper and water mix
Step 4: Add 1 cup of baking soda to the mix
Step 5: Mush the mix with your hands like kneading dough until the paper is fully soaked is a nice mush consistency
Step 6: put the paper mix into the strainer and squeeze as much water out as possible
Step 7: take handfuls of the paper mix at a time and squeeze out excess water, then crumble the paper into the large container.
Step 8: sprinkle the 2nd Cup of baking soda into the crumpled paper and mix it in well.
Step 9: Spread the litter onto a screen and allow it to dry completely before using. If you can place it outside on a hot day in the sun. If you do not have this option just allow it to sit in a dry open area until dry.
** As long as you scoop solids and any pee soaked areas of the litter out daily (add fresh litter if needed) and change litter weekly I have had no problems with this litter. It also tracks a lot less than commercial litters and is considerably more economical than the other natural or store bought newspaper litters. If you don’t mind putting the effort into it you can save a ton of money by using this litter! If you want to use it as pet bedding and are worried about the baking soda just eliminate it, it is there for deodorizing purposes only.
To make enough for 2 weeks at a time I use 1 ½ weeks worth of news paper and just double the peroxide and baking soda. I also sprinkle a little extra baking soda on the litter 2x a week when I am scooping. I store the ready to use litter in a small tote or an old cat little bucket with a lid.
• News Paper
• 2 cups Baking Soda
• 1 cup peroxide
• Water
• Rubber Gloves to protect your hands
• Shredder (just makes it easier)
• Large container with lid or old cat litter container
• Colander (strainer)
• Screen for drying (like one from a window)
Step 1: shred the newspaper or rip it up into smaller strips I use 2 daily or 1 Sunday per litter change. NO ADS the shiny or coated paper like magazines and sale ads doesn’t work.
Step 2: put shredded paper into large container and add hot water (not too hot you will be putting your hands in it) enough to sufficiently soak the paper.
Step 3: Add peroxide to the paper and water mix
Step 4: Add 1 cup of baking soda to the mix
Step 5: Mush the mix with your hands like kneading dough until the paper is fully soaked is a nice mush consistency
Step 6: put the paper mix into the strainer and squeeze as much water out as possible
Step 7: take handfuls of the paper mix at a time and squeeze out excess water, then crumble the paper into the large container.
Step 8: sprinkle the 2nd Cup of baking soda into the crumpled paper and mix it in well.
Step 9: Spread the litter onto a screen and allow it to dry completely before using. If you can place it outside on a hot day in the sun. If you do not have this option just allow it to sit in a dry open area until dry.
** As long as you scoop solids and any pee soaked areas of the litter out daily (add fresh litter if needed) and change litter weekly I have had no problems with this litter. It also tracks a lot less than commercial litters and is considerably more economical than the other natural or store bought newspaper litters. If you don’t mind putting the effort into it you can save a ton of money by using this litter! If you want to use it as pet bedding and are worried about the baking soda just eliminate it, it is there for deodorizing purposes only.
To make enough for 2 weeks at a time I use 1 ½ weeks worth of news paper and just double the peroxide and baking soda. I also sprinkle a little extra baking soda on the litter 2x a week when I am scooping. I store the ready to use litter in a small tote or an old cat little bucket with a lid.
Uses For Liquid Castile Soap
Liquid Castile Soap has many uses:
• 1Tbsp in a bucket of hot water to scrub walls or floors
• Use as shampoo and baby/ toddler wash. 1 tsp (small squirt) on body puff or washcloth
• Helps with eczema when used as a body wash (at least it helps my 3yo)
• Use 1 Tbsp as dish soap for hand washing dishes and pots and pans.
• Use as an all purpose spray cleaner.
• I use this to clean my car interior, leather, wood, ceramic and tile, floors wood and linoleum, marble, and plastic.
• I literally can use this on ANY non-glass (streaks too much for my taste) surface in my house including bathing my family and pets!
These are just the tip of the iceberg in my opinion. I buy the kind with Tea Tree oil in it because it has disinfecting, healing and bug repellent properties. It helps to soothe irritated skin, helps keep fleas off of my cat and helps kill bacteria from who knows what the kiddos picked up!
• 1Tbsp in a bucket of hot water to scrub walls or floors
• Use as shampoo and baby/ toddler wash. 1 tsp (small squirt) on body puff or washcloth
• Helps with eczema when used as a body wash (at least it helps my 3yo)
• Use 1 Tbsp as dish soap for hand washing dishes and pots and pans.
• Use as an all purpose spray cleaner.
• I use this to clean my car interior, leather, wood, ceramic and tile, floors wood and linoleum, marble, and plastic.
• I literally can use this on ANY non-glass (streaks too much for my taste) surface in my house including bathing my family and pets!
These are just the tip of the iceberg in my opinion. I buy the kind with Tea Tree oil in it because it has disinfecting, healing and bug repellent properties. It helps to soothe irritated skin, helps keep fleas off of my cat and helps kill bacteria from who knows what the kiddos picked up!
Food Prep Surface Disinfectant
Food Prep Surface Disinfectant:
• 2 clean empty spray bottles that mist
• Hydrogen peroxide & Distilled white vinegar
Step 1: Fill one bottle with Hydrogen Peroxide & label
Step 2: Fill 2nd bottle with Distilled white vinegar & label
***DO NOT MIX THE PROXIDE AND VINEGAR IN THE SAME CONTAINER IT MAKES AN ACID WHEN COMBINED!!!
**Spray one on the surface first and then the other, it does not matter what order. Wipe surface clean with all purpose spray and then use these 2 sprays to kill food bourn bacteria like salmonella and e coli.
This can also be used as a fruit and vegetable wash!
• 2 clean empty spray bottles that mist
• Hydrogen peroxide & Distilled white vinegar
Step 1: Fill one bottle with Hydrogen Peroxide & label
Step 2: Fill 2nd bottle with Distilled white vinegar & label
***DO NOT MIX THE PROXIDE AND VINEGAR IN THE SAME CONTAINER IT MAKES AN ACID WHEN COMBINED!!!
**Spray one on the surface first and then the other, it does not matter what order. Wipe surface clean with all purpose spray and then use these 2 sprays to kill food bourn bacteria like salmonella and e coli.
This can also be used as a fruit and vegetable wash!
Scrubbing Cleanser
Scrubbing Cleaner:
• Borax
• Washing soda
• Baking soda
Make a paste of 1 part borax, 1 part washing soda, and 1 part baking soda. Apply to the area you want to clean, leave sit for 5 minutes or so and scrub as usual.
You can store a mixture of the dry ingredients in a sealed labeled container and just use and make your paste as needed for convenience.
• Borax
• Washing soda
• Baking soda
Make a paste of 1 part borax, 1 part washing soda, and 1 part baking soda. Apply to the area you want to clean, leave sit for 5 minutes or so and scrub as usual.
You can store a mixture of the dry ingredients in a sealed labeled container and just use and make your paste as needed for convenience.
All Purpose Spray Cleaner
All Purpose Spray Cleaner:
• Clean Empty Spray Bottle
• 1 Tbsp of liquid castile soap (try one with tea tree oil for disinfecting)
• Warm water
Step 1: fill spray bottle ¾ full with warm water
Step 2: add liquid castile soap
Step 3: put top on bottle & shake well to mix
Step 4: Label the bottle properly
Good For: Wood furniture, countertops and cabinets, bathroom counters and sinks, stove tops, Kitchen appliances like microwave & refrigerator.
• Clean Empty Spray Bottle
• 1 Tbsp of liquid castile soap (try one with tea tree oil for disinfecting)
• Warm water
Step 1: fill spray bottle ¾ full with warm water
Step 2: add liquid castile soap
Step 3: put top on bottle & shake well to mix
Step 4: Label the bottle properly
Good For: Wood furniture, countertops and cabinets, bathroom counters and sinks, stove tops, Kitchen appliances like microwave & refrigerator.
Munchkin Momma's Dishwasher Detergent
Dish Washer Detergent:
• 32 oz container (old large yogurt container works) w/ lid
• ½ cup of Borax
• ½ cup of washing soda
• ¼ cup of salt
• 4 lemonade drink mix packets (NOT THE PRE SUGARED!)
Step 1: Pour dry ingredients into the container, stir or shake to mix well.
Step 2: Use 1 Tbsp per dishwasher cycle.
Step 3: Can use 1tsp for the “prewash” section if you like
Step 4: Use distilled white vinegar in the rinse agent compartment instead of jet dry.
Step 5: Be sure to properly Label the container.
• 32 oz container (old large yogurt container works) w/ lid
• ½ cup of Borax
• ½ cup of washing soda
• ¼ cup of salt
• 4 lemonade drink mix packets (NOT THE PRE SUGARED!)
Step 1: Pour dry ingredients into the container, stir or shake to mix well.
Step 2: Use 1 Tbsp per dishwasher cycle.
Step 3: Can use 1tsp for the “prewash” section if you like
Step 4: Use distilled white vinegar in the rinse agent compartment instead of jet dry.
Step 5: Be sure to properly Label the container.
Munchkin Momma's Homemade Laundry Detergent
Laundry Detergent:
• 2 cups of Borax
• 2 cups of Washing Soda
• ½ fluid ounce of Liquid Castile Soap
• 1 gallon of boiling water
• 2 gallons of cool water
Step 1: Dissolve Borax and Washing Soda in the boiling water, stir until well dissolved.
Step 2: Add ½ ounce of liquid Castile Soap to the boiling mixture, turn off the heat, and stir until well mixed.
Step 3: Once mixture has cooled some (about 15 minutes) pour it into the 2 gallons of cool water, mix well.
Step 4: Pour into appropriate containers and label.
Step 5: Use ¼ cup per load, can use more for heavily soiled laundry if you like.
Tip: use distilled white vinegar as a fabric softener for soft clothes with less static. It doesn’t take away from the absorbency of things like towels or diapers.
• 2 cups of Borax
• 2 cups of Washing Soda
• ½ fluid ounce of Liquid Castile Soap
• 1 gallon of boiling water
• 2 gallons of cool water
Step 1: Dissolve Borax and Washing Soda in the boiling water, stir until well dissolved.
Step 2: Add ½ ounce of liquid Castile Soap to the boiling mixture, turn off the heat, and stir until well mixed.
Step 3: Once mixture has cooled some (about 15 minutes) pour it into the 2 gallons of cool water, mix well.
Step 4: Pour into appropriate containers and label.
Step 5: Use ¼ cup per load, can use more for heavily soiled laundry if you like.
Tip: use distilled white vinegar as a fabric softener for soft clothes with less static. It doesn’t take away from the absorbency of things like towels or diapers.
Basic Ecological & Economical Homemade Household Cleaners
Basic Household Cleaners
These are Natural Cleaners that are better for the environment, your family, and your wallet!
All you need to clean your home including laundry,dishes, kids and pets!
These are recepies for my homemade cleaners. I love these cleaners and have personally had no problems using them at all. There are few basic ingredients used throughout all the cleaners. Below is a list of where you can buy these products if you are having trouble finding them. I researched these all over the web and tweeked them for my liking. I'd put the links up for where I found the original posts but it would be inaccurate (not to mention that it was a while agoand I honestly don't remember where I found them all!). I took several different ideas and combined them or reduced them to come up with the simplest possible recepies that would work for my needs. I was tired of having tons and tons of cleaners that all did the same job, just didn't work on all my surfaces so I had to buy more and more crap. Same with laundry, I needed one detergent that worked for diapers, one for sensitive skin (we are allergic to alot) and would still clean my mud loving 3 & 2 year old's duds plus my hubby's grimy work clothes with who knows what black muck ground in. I hate the smell of chemicals, I can taste the bleach in most dishwasher detergents, most household cleaning sprays drive my allergies insane, and honestly its all too stinking expensive for my budget. These are Natural Cleaners that are better for the environment, your family, and your wallet!
All you need to clean your home including laundry,dishes, kids and pets!
So for less than what I used to pay for 1 large jug of Tide I can now clean my whole house, my kids and pets, do my dishes and my laundry!
What You Will Need and Where to Buy:
Liquid Castile Soap: Dr. Bonner's is sold at Target near the Burt's Bees stuff in the Beauty Section. I paid less than $10 for my bottle and I got the one with Tea Tree Oil in it.
Washing Soda: Made by Arm & Hammer Called Super Washing Soda. I found it at Shop n Save for $2.30 a box. Some Wal- Marts have it and some Ace Hardware Stores, you can order it on-line as well. Ace has it on-line for under $4 per box and has free shipping site to store if you are unable to find it anywhere else.
Borax: most stores with a laundry section have this, Wal-Mart & Target both do for about $3.65 a box (price varies by store).
Low Sudsing Ammonia: Dollar General is where Ifound mine for $1 a bottle. I imagine that stores like walmart may have it too!
Distilled White Vinegar: again Dollar General I think less than $2.00 for a huge bottle. this will be in any grocery store though
Hydrogen Peroxide: in the first aid section of most stores, buy a big bottle but search for the lowest price! I got a big bottle for 75 cents at Dollar General.
Salt: some people use kosher salt, i used generic plain old table salt for 33 cents at the discount grocery store. one of the big containers with a pour spout.
Baking Soda: grocery, dollar and big stores like wal mart all have this just search for the best price. I buy small boxes for 50 cents because i can get them close to home as opposed to driving for a better price on the big bag. Unless I am at the bigger store anyhow.
Lemonade Packets: These are the kool-aid packets with out sugar in them.Any grocery store should have them. I wait till they are on a huge sale and buy a ton, like 20 for a dollar, you can use a generic one its the citric acid in them that you need. You could use actual citric acid but I didn't have any way to buy that near home and for all I needed it for, lemonade works just fine. This is to cut down on the spots and the film dishwasher detergents leave on dishes.
Containers: you could buy new ones or in the interest or reusing and saving money you can clean your old spray bottles and detergent jugs or otehr appropriate sized containers you have around home.
News Paper: pretty self explainatory lol
To clean the containers: make sure that all of the old product has been thouroughly rinsed with hot water. Then rinse well with peroxide and allow to air dry before reusing.
Cleaner Recepies:
Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener: Good for all laundry, can use to treat stains and soak clothing, diapers ect. I even wash our shoes in this. We have very sensitive skin and this does not bother us at all and I think it cleans better than Tide did.
Dishwasher Detergent and Rinse Agent: No problems in my dishwasher with glass, plastic, ceramic or metal. Doesn't leave a film and it even cleaned chili and spagetti sauce off of white and clear plastic!
All Purpose Cleaner: Cleans every type of surface we have from wood and ceramic to marble and countertops. Works great on stoves and all other kitchen appliances. Terriffic on kids toys, inside cars, on leather, even spot cleaning couches and my bathroom! The only thing I don't use it on is windows and glass or T.V/ computer screens.
Scrubbing Cleaner: Whatever the all purpose spray doesn't clean this does. I use this one my tub, in my kitchen sink when its super dirty, in my toilet, on the cooked on spots on my stove top, oven and microwave.
Food Prep Surface Disenfectant / Fruit and Veggies Wash Spray: Disenfects counters, glass, plastic and wood cutting boards etc. You can also use this to clean your fruits and vegetables. It is safe to spray an apple or salad geens and then eat. It kills bacteria like E Coli, samonella, and other food bourne bacteria.
Window and Glass Cleaner: works great I use it on all my windows, mirrors, my stained glass lamp shades and nick nacks, even my car windows.
Liquid Castile Soap Uses: This is such a wonderful product with so many uses throughout the home and for my family and pets. I love this stuff and I wish I had found out about it a decade ago!
Homemade Cat Litter: my kitty loves this and as long as you scoop it daily and change it weekly I have had no problems with it!
Good luck with all of these if you have any suggestions please feel free to post them! If you found somewhere else to buy one of these items or if you found a super good deal please post it and let us know what area you live in too! Not all products are available in all stores in all areas sadly.
10/19/09
Meet The Family
Let me introduce you to my precious munchkins first...
Sissy is 7 1/2 years old, loves being a girl! Refuses to wear anything besides skirts or dresses, loves crafts, has a huge heart, and is a great big sister. She loves her little brothers very much. Sissy is my daughter from my first marriage and spends 3 weekends per month with her father.
Bubba is 3 1/2 years old. We call him the Hurricane. He is full of energy from dawn till way past dusk. He love dinosaurs and cars, choo choo trains and airplanes. He adores his Sissy and his partner in crime Peanut. Bubba is my first mini-clone of my Hubby, he looks remerkably like his Daddy except for the strawberry blonde hair.
Peanut is 22 months old. He is my Typhoon. He is a very fast learner and a great problems solver. He is highly engergetic and is up for anything that his Sissy and Bubba want to do, he can keep up with the older too shockingly well. Peanut is also my bruiser though he is the smallest of them all. He is clone #2 in looks, in build he takes after my side of the family.
Now that you have met the munchkins...
My wonderful Hubby... We have been friends since we were 12 & 13 years old. Fate finally brought us together again in 2005. He is the love of my life and though many people don't understand our relationship, we can't stand to be apart. After 4 years I still feel like a part of me is missing if he isn't near me, even when he just goes to work. We have been through more in the last 4 years than most couples experience in their entire marriage. Through it all we have stayed at eachother's side even when we didn't meet eye to eye. Hubby is a wonderful man that I can't imagine my life without. He has given me 2 beautiful son's, considers my daughter one of his own and loves us all to no end. He works a job he hates that has tremendous health risks and causes him constant injuries and burns, to support our family as best he can.
I am a 28 year old stay at home Mom. Though I do like to work when I have, I enjoy being home with my kids and knowing that I am the one raising them and not a babysitter or facility. I like to think that I can be a crafty person, I used to enjoy doing crafts and scrapbooking. I also used to enjoy reading, not it seems as if I only read to make it easier to tune out the garble in my mind. I am also a phenomenal procrastinator. I work well under pressure in most instances, but I am easily sidetracked and if it is something that my heart is not 100% into I tend to put it off untill the last moment
Oliver, my ash grey colored cat is a laid back big ole baby. He is such a baby that he hugs and kisses when I come home and whines if I don't let him curl up behind my legs or on my pillow at night. He is does tolerate the kids to a point, but let's face it my munchkins are Elmira they love animals to death. He is originally from a shelter he was a bottle baby so he is overly affectionate at times. He is a good hunter as well and leaves me dead mice and moles on my porch almost daily (EWW). Though he does not eat his catch, or anything else besides his dry cat food for that matter. (He is picky)
Sissy is 7 1/2 years old, loves being a girl! Refuses to wear anything besides skirts or dresses, loves crafts, has a huge heart, and is a great big sister. She loves her little brothers very much. Sissy is my daughter from my first marriage and spends 3 weekends per month with her father.
Bubba is 3 1/2 years old. We call him the Hurricane. He is full of energy from dawn till way past dusk. He love dinosaurs and cars, choo choo trains and airplanes. He adores his Sissy and his partner in crime Peanut. Bubba is my first mini-clone of my Hubby, he looks remerkably like his Daddy except for the strawberry blonde hair.
Peanut is 22 months old. He is my Typhoon. He is a very fast learner and a great problems solver. He is highly engergetic and is up for anything that his Sissy and Bubba want to do, he can keep up with the older too shockingly well. Peanut is also my bruiser though he is the smallest of them all. He is clone #2 in looks, in build he takes after my side of the family.
Now that you have met the munchkins...
My wonderful Hubby... We have been friends since we were 12 & 13 years old. Fate finally brought us together again in 2005. He is the love of my life and though many people don't understand our relationship, we can't stand to be apart. After 4 years I still feel like a part of me is missing if he isn't near me, even when he just goes to work. We have been through more in the last 4 years than most couples experience in their entire marriage. Through it all we have stayed at eachother's side even when we didn't meet eye to eye. Hubby is a wonderful man that I can't imagine my life without. He has given me 2 beautiful son's, considers my daughter one of his own and loves us all to no end. He works a job he hates that has tremendous health risks and causes him constant injuries and burns, to support our family as best he can.
I am a 28 year old stay at home Mom. Though I do like to work when I have, I enjoy being home with my kids and knowing that I am the one raising them and not a babysitter or facility. I like to think that I can be a crafty person, I used to enjoy doing crafts and scrapbooking. I also used to enjoy reading, not it seems as if I only read to make it easier to tune out the garble in my mind. I am also a phenomenal procrastinator. I work well under pressure in most instances, but I am easily sidetracked and if it is something that my heart is not 100% into I tend to put it off untill the last moment
Oliver, my ash grey colored cat is a laid back big ole baby. He is such a baby that he hugs and kisses when I come home and whines if I don't let him curl up behind my legs or on my pillow at night. He is does tolerate the kids to a point, but let's face it my munchkins are Elmira they love animals to death. He is originally from a shelter he was a bottle baby so he is overly affectionate at times. He is a good hunter as well and leaves me dead mice and moles on my porch almost daily (EWW). Though he does not eat his catch, or anything else besides his dry cat food for that matter. (He is picky)
Yellow Shirt
This was sent to me in an email and I really love the message it conveys so I am posting it for all to read:
The Yellow Shirt:
The yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra-large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. It was faded from years of wear, but still in decent shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, rummaging through bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. 'You're not taking that old thing, are you?' Mom said when she saw me packing the yellow shirt. 'I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!''It's just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class,Mom. Thanks!' I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object.
The yellow shirt be came a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned.
The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier.
That Christmas, mindful of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I patched one elbow, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her 'real' gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again.
The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad's to pick up somefurniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt!
And so the pattern was set.
On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad's mattress. I don't know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.
In 1975 my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois . As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own. I wondered if I would find a job. I paged through the Bible, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, 'So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up.'I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was the stained yellow shirt. Slowly, it dawned on me. Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? My courage was renewed.
Unpacking in our new home, I knew I had to get the shirt back to Mother. The next time I visited her, I tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer.
Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet.Something new had been added. Embroidered in bright green across the breast pocket were the words 'I BELONG TO PAT.'
Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an apostrophe and seven more letters. Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, 'I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER.' But I didn't stop there. I zig-zagged all the frayed seams, then had a friend mail the shirt in a fancy box to Mom from Arlington , VA. We enclosed an official looking letter from 'The Institute for the Destitute,' announcing that she was the recipient of an award for good deeds. I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opened the box. But, of course, she never mentioned it.
Two years later, in 1978, I remarried. The day of our wedding, Harold and I put our car in a friend's garage to avoid practical jokers After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite, I reached for a pillow in the car to rest my head. It felt lumpy. I unzipped the case and found, wrapped in wedding paper, the yellow shirt. Inside a pocket was a note: 'Read John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother.'
That night I paged through the Bible in a hotel room and found the verses: 'I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me.'
The shirt was Mother's final gift. She had known for three months thatshe had terminal Lou Gehrig's disease. Mother died the following year at age 57.
I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love-filled game she and I played for 16 years. Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets.
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