In My Cabinet...

UGH.  It's been one of THOSE mornings, ladies.  I feel like shoving my head under a pillow and screaming at the injustice of it all.  Today, my toddler opened the day by dumping a full glass of chocolate milk on his lap.  Not an accident.  He watched the liquid pour, and he was smiling.  I reprimanded him, and made him clean it up.  Not twenty minutes later, he poured a glass of apple juice onto his legs and all over the floor.  Icky.  Sticky.  Apple juice.  I made my toddler clean up the mess and stripped him down to his diaper for 10 minutes.  "You can't wear clothes if you're just going to get them wet," I said.  That was punishment enough.  My boy detests going without clothing.  He huddled up on the floor and cried big crocodile tears.  Meanwhile, I nursed my baby one-handed while crouching down and helping my boy mop up the juice.  Inside, I thought, "How did it come to this?"

Now my floor is gross-sticky.  No matter how many times I go over it with a wash rag, my feet still stick to the floor.  So, now let's head into our main topic of discussion.  Kitchen cleaning products.  Oh yes.  We're goin' for all sorts of excitement today.  Half kidding.  Half completely serious.  I'm all for it on days like today when I'm in a cleaning pinch.  So, here we go.  Here's my Cleaning Cabinet Top 5...

1. Disinfectant wipes.  Usually the Clorox variety.  They're so darn useful.  As an added plus, they're great for introductory toddler chores.  One of my boy's favorite chores is to take a disinfectant wipe and wipe down all the doorknobs.  It's something easy, I usually don't get around to doing it, and who cares if he misses a spot?  Perfect for toddlers.

2. Bleach.  Whenever I'm working with raw food -- veggies, fruits, but especially meat -- I fill the sink with diluted bleach and bomb my kitchen afterwards with it.  Let it sit  for 10 minutes, then wipe down with hot water.  Heat will accelerate the breakdown of hypochlorite in bleach and make bleached surfaces safe to touch as soon as it dries.

Oh, added tip.  Remember the last time your kid threw up in the car?  No?  I try not to remember stuff like that either.  But when it happens, strip the cover off (throw in washing machine) and soak the plastic part in the bath tub in a diluted bleach for 10 minutes.  Make sure you scrub the shoulder straps.  Rinse with hot water.  Your baby's car seat will magically smell like nothing ever happened.  I speak from experience.  I may have sung hallelujah to bleach that day.

3.  Distilled white vinegar.  Oh, this baby has so many uses.  It's cheap.  It's powerful.  It's chemical free.  To deodorize a yucky drain, pour one cup of hot vinegar down the drain, wait five minutes, and rinse.  To clean out a chalky dishwasher, throw in a cup of vinegar and run a cycle empty.  To clean cloudy glassware, soak a cloth in vinegar and wrap around the dish.   To remove odors from a lunchbox or plastic food containers, wipe down with vinegar and leave a rag or piece of bread soaked in vinegar in it overnight.  For more ideas, click HERE.  Oh, and about that apple juice mess I mentioned above.  It can be easily cleaned with a homemade vinegar-based cleaner.

BASIC FLOOR CLEANER: Combine 1 cup white vinegar with 1 gallon warm water.  Use on vinyl surfaces.

WOOD FLOOR CLEANER:  Combine 1/2 cup white vinegar with 1 gallon warm water.  (When cleaning wood floors, make sure you don't saturate the floor, since wood soaks in a lot of moisture.  Dampen sponge, wring out into a bucket, then scrub.)

4.  Ammonia.  I know.  I freaked a little about buying and having ammonia in my home at first.  "It's not safe!" yelled my brain.  Calm down, brain.  If you look at the ingredients list of most household cleaners, more often than not, ammonia's already in there.  The reason is that very few surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected well without it.  Wood.  Steel.  Kitchen countertops.  Refrigerator doors.  All clean well with ammonia.  Just make sure to mix your cleaners in a well ventilated room and keep it safely stored away from baby hands like you would any store-bought cleaner.

For you curious folk, you probably wondered, what's the difference between bleach and ammonia.  They both clean and disinfect, right?  Well, yes, but there are subtle differences.  Sparing you the details, we'll just say that because of their chemical make-up BLEACH IS A STRONGER DISINFECTANT.  Ammonia still kills germs, but not with the gusto of bleach.  The benefit of that is that ammonia will clean surfaces without discoloring them.  Bleach will sometimes cause discoloration or lightening.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER:
2 T ammonia
1 tsp dish detergent
2 cups rubbing alcohol

In a clean, gallon container, combine above ingredients and fill the rest up with hot water.  Put in spray bottles to use.

STREAK-FREE WINDOW CLEANER
3 T ammonia
1 T vinegar

Combine above ingredients in a spray bottle and fill the rest up with water.  (I can't believe I used to pay so much for Windex.)

5.  Baking soda.  Baking soda has scrubbing power but won't scratch surfaces (use in place of Comet).   You know those hard-to-clean grease spots above the stove?  Baking soda will take care of it, no problem.

SCRUBBING CLEANSER:
1/4 cup baking soda
1 T liquid detergent.

Combine above ingredients.  Add white vinegar until creamy texture and use to scrub kitchen stains or clean the oven.

Finally, because this post somehow morphed into a homemade cleaner article, take a gander HERE for a recipe to make your own baby wipes.  I would just add a few drops of baby lotion for moisturizing properties and a splash of rubbing alcohol (about a teaspoon) to keep mold from growing and give your wipes a bit of disinfecting power.  Other than that, I could show you how myself, but this gal already did a great job and...well...I've still got sticky apple juice that needs to be scrubbed off the kitchen floor...

In the meantime, the discussion's open.  Homemade or not?  How do you get your cleaners?  Why?  If you've never tried making homemade cleaners, did this post compel you to give it a try?  Let's hear it!  And in the meantime, happy cleaning.  I keep telling myself that to kid myself into liking it.

-Alyssa

SPECIAL NOTE:  Never, EVER mix bleach with any acid, like ammonia or vinegar.  In fact, play it safe and never mix bleach with anything besides water.  Chemical reactions that result from mixing could be very dangerous.

REFERENCED:   www.thefamilyhomestead.com/homemadehouseholdcleaners.htm

Can't Fall Asleep

Here's the scenario:

8 o'clock comes so we start our bedtime routine.  We change into jammies and a pullup, brush our teeth, say prayers and read a story.  Usually all of this takes about a half hour and my husband and I are out of Lucas' bedroom by 8:30.  We head to the living room to hang out and spend some time together before we go to bed.  However, 9 o'clock rolls around and Lucas is still awake talking to himself, no big deal.  9:30 comes and Lucas is still awake, 10:00 and he is still awake; sometimes this can go on until 11 o'clock at night or later!

This doesn't happen every night, but it happens a couple of times a week.  So, I tried to cut out his afternoon nap thinking that would help, it didn't.  We were still have two to three nights a week where he was awake very late and then he was just grumpy to boot for not getting his nap.  During the summer I wasn't too concerned with one or two nights of this happening, but now it is school time.  I don't want him staying up really late because there are at least two days a week where he won't be able to take an afternoon nap due to preschool.  However, I'm at a lost as to what to do.  I've tried several more things besides doing away with the nap and nothing has worked.

What do you do for your kids when they can't seem to fall asleep?

-Megan-

Losing That Baby Weight

Okay, fine.  I'm pretty sure the model above has never had to lose baby weight her young, stretch-mark-free existence, but for the rest of us who have given birth and are raising kids, shedding those extra pounds can be torture.  Weight brought on during the mommy-ing process seems to stick like glue.  Seriously.  Especially when the number of kids starts adding up and taking time to go work out becomes more and more difficult.

Now, back when I was doing my undergrad, I went through a spell of wanting to be a dietician.  Studied  it for about a year, then quit for personal reasons, but I've always loved food and nutrition.  I actually taught a supplemental class for Basic Nutrition on campus.  So, I'm by no means a health professional, but my teaching spree gave a good grounding in basic nutrition.

So how to loose that unwanted weight?  A couple, simple tips.

- Burn more calories than you eat.  Simple enough, right?  I wouldn't go all crazy with calorie counting, but keep a rough, running estimate in mind, or download one of those cool calorie apps on your smartphone.  How many calories should you be eating?  Well, that depends.  First, calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate, for an easy calculator, click HERE), then rate your activity level and use the info below to estimate your needed calories:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise) = BMR x 1.2
• Lightly active (light exercise 1-3 days per week) = BMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise 3-5 days per week) = BMR x 1.55
• Very active (hard exercise 6-7 days per week) = BMR x 1.755
• Extra active (very hard exercise 6-7 days per week) = BMR x 1.9

For example, say my BMR is about 1426.  If I were moderately active, the number of calories I should be consuming (to keep the calorie burn and consumption relatively equal) is approximately 1426 x 1.55 = 2210.3.  If I wanted to lose weight, I would eat less than that.

(NOTE:  It takes eating about 1600 extra calories to gain a pound, and burning about 1900 extra calories to lose a pound.  So, pound for pound, you're going to have to work harder to shed the weight.  And the difference (300 calories) equals roughly 30 minutes of moderate jogging.  It helps me to remember that before snacking with my toddler.  Most times, I end up deciding having to exercise off the extra snack just isn't worth it.)

- Recognize the difference of when you're really hungry and when you've just got the munchies.  One way to differentiate is choosing a fruit or vegetable you don't particularly love or hate and running a simple test.  For me, it's celery.  Whenever I feel like eating something, I offer myself celery first.  If I don't want to eat it, I'm not really hungry.  (True hunger means your body is telling you to refuel and you'll want to eat just about anything.)

-Recognize the difference of when you're hungry, or just thirsty. I would say 80 percent of the time when I feel like eating something, I drink a glass of water, and then I don't feel hungry anymore.  It's so crazy.  Seriously try it.  Your body may just be trying to tell you its dehydrated.

-Eat smaller portions.  Think about how much you want to put on your plate, and end up serving up about half of that.  A serving of meat or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards.  A serving of ice cream is usually just a 1/2 a cup.  A serving of margarine or butter is about the size of a dice.  And, get this, a typical bagel has 2 servings in it, which means you should be eating about a half a bagel. It seems like nothing, right?  But I'm completely serious.  Eat appropriate portions.  You can eat wonderfully delicious food, but in smaller portions.  If you're still hungry, fill the rest of the tummy space up by drinking water.  I guarantee, you will not starve. 

-Make sure your diet is balanced over the WEEK.  It's unreasonable to think everyone will have the perfect diet EVERY DAY.  Plus, I don't want to eat rabbit food day-in and day-out for the rest of my life.  So, balance your meals weekly.  When I plan dinners and make a heavier meal one day (because my husband likes stuff like that), I'll balance it out with lighter meals for the rest of the week.

-If your family has a tradition of dessert after dinner, change it.  Point blank.  Having dessert more than 2-3 nights a week is not necessary, and certainly not a healthy habit for you or your children.  I'm not saying sweets are bad, (I adore them) but having them every night is a bit much.  Cut back.  Save dessert for special occasions, like FHE.  Or serve fresh fruit instead of sugary sweets.  Your kids might complain at first, but they'll get used to it and start to enjoy the natural sweetness and yumminess of no-sugar added fruits.

-And finally, work out.  This isn't something you do to be a uber health nut.  Thirty minutes of moderate exercising a day is absolutely necessary to maintain MINIMUM levels of health...to decrease your chances of developing cancer, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, heart, liver and lung problems, and a whole host of medical issues we want to avoid.  Moderate exercise is stuff like fast walking, heavier housework, jogging and swimming...anything that causes your heart rate to increase, your body to work hard enough to sweat, and your breathing to quicken.  The most common argument against exercise I hear is that, "Well, I'm doing relatively okay without it.  I'm not super in-shape, but I'm not sick."  Har.  This is serious, people.  If you do not exercise consistently, it WILL catch up with you as you age.  Work out.  30 minutes a day. Your 50, 60, and 70 year old self will thank you for it.

So, what do you think...is this doable, ladies?  I think it's totally within our realm of reach.  Now I'd like some inspiration from you.  What sort of tips do you have for getting a good work out in when finding "alone" time is hard?  How do you keep from mindlessly snacking all throughout the day?  We'd love some awesome tips!  Thanks much, friends!

-Alyssa

I'm Gonna Wash that Dirt Right Out of Your Hair

Bath time in our house starts out as a very exciting time. When the kids hear the bath water running, they themselves come running. They have even tried to climb into the tub with all their clothes on.

We start off by playing with bath toys. Foam letters and cups are our staple bath toys.

We have tried homemade bath paints from here. My two year old loved the paints. My one year tried to eat the paint. I decided to save tub painting for another day.

For all that I do to try to make bath time a fun experience, there is always one thing that brings the fun to a halt.

Washing hair

I wish my kids looked this content with shampoo in their hair. Instead, as soon as they feel any water on their hair, they begin to scream and try to climb out of the tub - NOT safe and really NOT very fun.

At this point, bath time goes from a fun activity to a wrestling match.

I am stumped!

I have tried to be gentle. I have tried to be quick and just get it done as fast as possible. I have sang, explained and begged, but to no avail. Any attempt to wash my kids hair ends in a chorus of cries.

What tricks have you brilliant moms out there come up with to make hair washing a less terrifying experience?

Do you use any nifty contraptions to limit eye-water contact?

Or, is hair washing just something that moms and kids have to endure?

Thanks for your help.

~Lisa~

Feeling a little overweight....

Lately I've been feeling depressed about my weight. It's not that I think that I am HUGE or anything, it's just that I weigh 20 lbs more than I did a year ago.



My baby girl was born just 4 months ago, so OF COURSE I don't expect to be back down to my normal size and weight yet. This is my third baby and it seems like it gets harder to lose weight the more children you have. With my first all the weight came off by the time my baby was 6 weeks old, with NO effort on my part. With my second I carried around 10 lbs for a year and a half before I finally did some dieting and got it off.

This time around I accepted the fact that I would most likely have extra weight for a while. I had 15 lbs to lose when my baby was 2 months old. I didn't worry too much though because I had started working out and I knew that worse-case scenario I could diet after I weaned my baby at a year.

Then A LOT happened all at once. I first lost my milk supply (due most likely to working out TOO hard) thus ending my short lived work-out spree. I have decided not to work out until my baby is weaned because I don't want to go through losing my milk supply again. Although I was able to build it back up... things still aren't the same - I still battle with a dysfunctional let-down.

A few days after I lost my milk supply I got very ill. Extremely ill. I developed some type of low blood sugar issue which makes me feel like I have to eat every couple of hours. If I don't, I feel so weak and sick. I now find myself eating A LOT - and as a result I've gained 5 more pounds. I am feeling a bit better, but still have to eat a lot.

My health condition and the fact that I'm nursing make it impossible to work out or diet right now. I'm hopeful that with time my hunger spree will end and when my baby is weaned I can get back to normal, but that's a long time in the future.

So, my question is not how do I lose weight (I know how to do that) my question is, how do I deal with the fact that I simply cannot have the body I want right now? I find myself feeling very depressed about it. I know 20 lbs isn't a lot, but it is hard because my clothes don't fit and I don't like the way I look right now. I don't have money for a new wardrobe either, so that makes it even more depressing to get dressed every day.

We've all had babies and suffered from having more weight that we want at some point. So give me your pointers. I just need some way to feel okay about this while it's out of my control.

~Tannie

It Comes with the Territory

 Okay, I know we have talked about potty training several times but one aspect that I haven't seen addressed in our previous posts was constipation.  I know this isn't a fun topic, but we are currently combating this issue at my house and having several problems with it.  I've talked to our pediatrician and all the non-medication remedies that he suggested haven't worked.  Before I start putting my child on miralax, I wanted to ask all you smart moms out there who have dealt with this issue what you have done!

We tried the prune juice, increasing his water intake, changing up his diet to include more fiber, and decreasing the amount of dairy products he eats and nothing has worked so far!  We still end up with the same result of messed underwear. So, if you have any other ideas for what we could try please leave a comment!

- Megan -

Kid Time: When Mom is Tired

You may have noticed (or not noticed) that my Kid Time post and Family Home Evening post were absent last week. Well, my husband and I found out last week that we are expecting TWINS!!  The news took us by complete surprise.

My sweet husband has adjusted rather quickly to the idea of having four kids. Whereas, I have had a much harder time adjusting to the news. (Keep in mind, I have two other kids ages 2 and 1.) I suppose the news is more difficult for me because I am the one who is pregnant, the one who will deliver two babies, and will be the primary nurturer for four children all ages 3 and under.

Thankfully, right now I just have to worry about being pregnant with twins. My pregnancy so far has been great! I have not been sick at all. I do not have the food aversions I did with my first two pregnancies, nor have I had any strong food cravings. In fact, I have really wanted to eat mostly fruit and vegetables - a nice change from the french fries I craved with my last pregnancy.

Like I said, I have had a pretty easy pregnancy until last week. Last week, I found myself getting exhausted after just a few minutes of any activity. I had one day where I fell asleep every about two hours. If I sat down on the couch between chores, I fell asleep. When I laid my daughter down for her nap, I woke up 30 minutes later next to her on the bed. I have never been this tired before in my life!

So, here is my question...

When you are exhausted (or sick) what do you do to still give your kids attention?

What activities do you do with your kids to keep them learning and active?

I am looking at about six more months of being constantly exhausted (and that is before I bring home two tiny newborns who don't sleep through the night). I obviously cannot just let me kids watch movies for six months. That is just boring!

Please help me out! I know that we have all had those days and weeks when we are tired and/or sick.

How do you meet the needs of your kids when you are having a hard time meeting your own needs?

~Lisa~

Just take a nap....

Getting a baby to sleep is always on the minds of moms with newborns. I know that with all my children I had different problems that I've needed to solve in the sleep department.

Although she sleeps well at night (only waking once - usually after a 5 or 6 hour stretch) the newest addition to our family has a bit of a problem taking a nap. This can be quite difficult if you are trying to take care of a 4 year old and a 2 year old at the same time as well.



When she first came home from the hospital, she took naps just fine. She slept most of the time with a bit of wakefulness after a feeding. She would even just fall asleep randomly on her own and didn't require rocking - it was great.

When she turned about 1 month old she became more alert and started having issues. We would get her to the point where we thought she was asleep and then put her in bed and 5 minutes later she would wake up. We'd spend nearly 1 1/2 hours or more trying to get her to stay down in her bed. For quite a while the only places she would take naps were in her car seat, in a moby wrap, or cuddled/held by someone.

She is 2 1/2 months old now and has improved somewhat - she will now sleep on her own in her bouncer chair or crib for about 45 minutes before she wakes up. This is better, but still not great since she is usually grumpy when she wakes up - simply because she needs about twice that amount of sleep to be well rested - so I usually "make" her go back to sleep.

I love her SO MUCH and she is the sweetest happiest little when she has slept and been fed, but those in-between times when she won't sleep and I can't get anything done or pay attention to my other children are rough. I have to hold her sometimes when I'd rather be doing something else (I'm quite adept at typing one handed now), and she's almost always in the moby wrap while I cook dinner.

I didn't used to believe people when they said their baby "wouldn't take a nap." Now I regret that thought. :) We all learn our lessons the hard way sometimes.

So give me some advice...

Have you ever had this problem with a newborn?
What are some tricks for getting your baby to nap longer on his/her own?
When did your baby outgrow this?
Did using CIO when they were older help?
Do you think it's okay to let her sleep in a moby wrap or is that compounding the problem?
Any tips you can give me would be extremely valuable.

~Tannie

Simply Thrifty: Fabric Softener

As promised, here are some easy to use tips for homemade and thrifty ways to use fabric softener.

Dryer Sheets

I personally use dryer sheets. I use them because my mom used them and that is what I know. A really simple way to save money on dryer sheets is to....

cut them in half or in thirds.

Simple, right? That is why I love this tip. It is so easy to do and still saves you money. You simply cut the dryer sheet in half or thirds. Then, throw one section in with the load.

You can also make your own resusable dryer sheets with cut up pieces of flannel. Directions can be found here.

Fabric Softener



The most common homemade fabric softener is not really even homemade. It is just plain old vinegar.



Vinegar is the wonder product of homemade cleaning solution. (Cream of Tartar would the other cleaning wonder in my book.) There is a whole website with tips for using vinegar here.

As a fabric softener, you simply add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your rinse cycle. It gets rid of odors and residues. If you need to you can add more until you get the desired results.

Another tip is to use a Downy ball and simply put vinegar in it.

I have used vinegar before with my husbands work clothes. If he has been working on the car or some other smelly project, I always add a little bit of vinegar to the rinse cycle and all the smells go away!

The best part is that vinegar is available everywhere and is much less expensive than any other fabric softener.

If you are partial to brand name fabric softeners.

You can simply dilute the fabric softener using 2 parts water to 1 part fabric softener. Or, just 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommened amount the bottle says.

For a lot more tips (including using hair shampoo and conditioner!) visit this website.

Do you have any simple tips for saving money? If you do we would love to hear about them. Just send us an email at thevillageformoms@gmail.com

Happy Savings Everyone!

Lisa

P.S. Don't forget to stop by our new poll in the side bar! We'd like to better serve our readers, so to allow us to do so, please give us general age ranges of your children to give us an idea of what sort of posts will be important to you and your family. When voting, select as many boxes as you need to. Thanks a million!

A Word About Vaccines

I have been thinking a lot about vaccines lately and the choice we have to make as parents about whether or not to get our kids vaccinated.

I respect the right each parent has to make the choice to vaccinate or not vaccinate their kids.

Why have been thinking so much about vaccines?

Due to a recent measles outbreak in our neighborhood and the confirmation that my family was directly exposed to a person infected with the measles....

From April 9 until April 25, my family is quarantined.

For the next two weeks, my children are not allowed to leave our house or yard. That means no church, no shopping, no playdates - nothing that may expose others to the measles.

Just to clarify, we are not sure whether or not we have the measles. All we know for sure is that we have been exposed. The danger is that my little 11 month old girl has not be vaccinated because she is too young. My son, due to his age, has only received one dose of the vaccination. He is not at high risk, but is still at more risk than if he had had both doses of the vaccine.

My husband and I are strong believers in the importance of vaccines. Vaccines have done a lot to make our communities healthier. I do not (normally) have to worry about my kids getting highly infectious diseases such as smallpox, measles, diptheria, polio, mumps or rubella because vaccines have all but eradicated them in the United States.

Vaccines have risks. Yes, I acknowledge that there are always risks associated with vaccines, but those risks are small with extreme negative reactions being very rare. So, yes, vaccines have risks.

The risks associated with vaccine-preventable diseases are higher and can be more dangerous!

Risks included paralysis, damage to internal organs, meningitis, and death.

I am hearing arguments from people saying that those risks are small. I admit, today the risks of getting many of the vaccine-preventable diseases are small. But, that is because most of the population is vaccinated! The risk of getting these diseases (for a list of diseases go here) will grow the more people choose to not get vaccines.

As I said earlier, I respect the right of every parent to choose for their family whether or not to get vaccines.

I just urge anyone considering not getting vaccinated to study and really think about the possible consequences of such a decision.

For an example I will use the current measles outbreak in our area to illustrate such possible consequences.

1. Your child could get sick from a vaccine-preventable disease. Some may argue that our immune systems are able to handle the disease on its own. True with some of the diseases, but not with all.

2. You could expose others to the disease. In our situation, each confirmed case of the measles has occured in school age children. This is the age that is the least affected by the measles. My exposed children are 11 months and 2 years old. They fall in the area of the most at risk of complications. Would you want to be responsible if you started an outbreak that hospitalized others?

3. You could inconvenience hundreds of others. Teachers and students at four schools in our area have had to provide proof of immunizations before they were allowed to return to work. Not to mention those families and individuals who are quarantined.

4. You could be asked to not attend work, school or community functions. Even if you do not sick during an outbreak, you could be asked to not return to work or school until the outbreak has passed. Student who attend the contaminated schools and have not had their vaccines are not allowed to return to school for three weeks until the time of possible exposure has passed.

5. Each time an outbreak occurs hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax-payer money goes to containing the disease. The statistic given in our local news is that the last outbreak of the measles ended up costing the state $600,000 before the outbreak was contained.

Those are just some of the possible consequences that can occur when the choice is made to not get vaccinated.

A note about autism: There is NO evidence linking autism to vaccines. For more information read this article.

My husband and I, as stated earlier, are pro-vaccine. As a nurse and special education teacher we have had independent reasons to study the issues. We both feel that the miminal risks associated with vaccines are far outweighed by the benefits to an individual and to society as a whole.

Please, please, please, if you are considering not having your child vaccinated, do your research. Weigh the benefits and risks that can occur to you and people around you because of your choice.

Lisa

*A note: Right now I have really strong feelings about this issue. Perhaps being stuck in a house for six days with two kids without having the option of leaving (not to mention all while being in early pregnancy) has made me a little more emotional than I would normally be. My family has no hard feelings towards the family that exposed us to the measles. We are good friends with them and will continue our friendship with them. It is just unfortunate that we are under the current circumstances. This too will pass and our little family will have a great story. I just don't wish anyone else to have to go through the same thing. (Being quarantined is not as much fun as it sounds.)

Simply Thrifty: Homemade Laundry Detergent

If you google homemade laundry detergent, you will be taken to many, many, many different pages. With each page having a different recipe. I am going to share my experience making my own detergent and the reasons I like it.

I first heard of homemade laundry detergent when I first got married. I was intrigued, but thought I was too busy to research it, let alone making my own detergent. Over the next couple of years, however, I kept hearing about it. My interest just kept growing, but two questions just kept coming up.

1. How hard is it to make laundry detergent?

2. Does homemade laundry detergent actually work?

Finally, about six months ago I found myself to be a new stay-at-home mom trying to budget on just one income. Suddenly I had time to make homemade laundry detergent and the economic necessity to give it a try.

In all of my research I found that all the recipes have the same ingredients, only the quantities vary.

The Ingredients

Borax (about $4.99 a box)



Washing Soda* (about $3.00)
*Important note: You have to use washing soda, not baking soda or Arm and Hammer detergent.

Fels-Naptha ($1.59 per bar)
Other soap bars such as Zote and Ivory may be used. You just want to avoid soaps with heavy perfumes.



The recipe I use is from the Duggar family's website. (I suppose I felt like I could trust them after watching them on their TV show. Silly, but true.)

The Recipe

4 cups hot water

1 bar Fels-Naptha (or soap of choice)

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax



You will also need:

a grater

a 5 gallon bucket with a lid

a used liquid laundry detergent container (optional)

1. Grate the bar of soap. Add to a saucepan with water. Heat over medium-low heat until the soap completely dissolves.

2. Fill the 5 gallon bucket about half full with hot tap water. Stir in the soap/water mixture, borax and washing soda. Mix until all the powder is dissolved.

3. Fill the bucket to the top and cover. Let the detergent sit overnight to cool and gel.

4. The next day, fill a clean, used laundry detergent container half full of with the homemade detergent. Then fill the rest with water.

Yields 10 gallons

and it only costs about $2.00 per batch

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oils per 2 gallons. (I add lilac or cranberry/orange to mine.)

For a top load machine use 5/8 cup per load (approx. 180 loads)

For a front load machine use 1/4 cup per load (approx. 640 loads!)

I realize that this recipe makes a lot of soap. That is one reason I used this recipe. I was able to make one batch and have it last for a few months. Just make sure you keep the lid on the bucket so nothing (or no one) gets into the soap.

Question #1 has been answered now. I do need to add that I thought the bar of soap would be hard to grate, but found it actually took less effort to grate the soap than it does to grate cheddar cheese.

Now for Question #2. Does it work?

I have noticed absolutely no difference in our clothes since switching and neither has anyone else!

So, yes, homemade laundry detergent works!

I realize that not everyone will be into making their own detergent, but I found it well worth effort. I am saving a ton of money this way too.

There you go, a surprisingly simple way to be a little more thrifty.

Happy Laundry Day Everyone!

Lisa





Reader Requests 2011 - Post 5

Thank you, everyone, for your continued comments and support. This blog wouldn't be possible without our readers!


We have a new reader request today dealing with Baby Blues. This can be a sensitive issue, but please don't be afraid to share any experience or insight you have that may be helpful! Check out what our reader said:

"I need some advice on dealing with Baby Blues. This isn't my first newborn, but it is my first experience with Baby Blues. I find myself crying for no reason, and I am having difficulty enjoying time with my newborn and other children. I know that Baby Blues are a norm for many moms, so I'm hoping there is a lot of advice out there. Here are some questions:

Is it normal to have Baby Blues with one baby but not with another?

How do I know if my Baby Blues are turning into Postpartum Depression?

What should I do if I think I have Postpartum Depression?

How long do Baby Blues usually last?

What are some general tips on dealing with Baby Blues?"

How Much Is TOO Much?

This is something I've wondered about for a while now, how much juice is too much for your little ones? I try not to give more than 2 1/2 sippy cups full a day of 100% juice and the rest of the time try to get my son to drink either milk or water. While we deal with melt downs almost on a daily basis when I say no to more juice, sometimes I almost think it would be easier to give him. But, then again his development and growth is important and everything in moderation right?

So how much is too much when it comes to juice?

Waste or Want #9: Potty Chairs

Featured Product: Potty Chairs



Description:

A child potty chair is designed for use when potty training and/or for children who are too small to be comfortable on a regular adult-sized toilet.

Average Cost: $10-60, depending on style and complexity

On the one hand...

Potty chairs can be very useful when potty training. Children feel more comfortable and secure sitting on something their own size, rather than something--let's face it--huge with a big hole right where they are supposed to sit. It is also suggested that potty chairs can help a child relax and "release" when their muscles aren't tightened trying to stay on the seat. Using the chair can be more exciting for the child if they feel like it belongs just to them.

On the other hand...

Potty chairs add an extra step of cleaning as it has to be emptied each time it's used. There is also an extra step of training added in when the child is ready to transition from the potty chair to using the regular toilet.

And now, Cast Your Vote!

Potty Chair: Waste or Want?

and don't forget to tell us why!

Waste or Want #1: Infant Bath Tubs

We are going to begin a new series of posts entitled Waste or Want. In each post, a child- or parenting-relating product will be featured, along with the pros and cons of that product. Then we want your opinion! Is that product a waste of money or something that you definitely want for your child? Let us know!

Featured Product: Infant Bath Tubs


Description:

The infant bath tub is designed to support a small baby during a bath. Most styles cradle the child so they do not have to be held while being washed. Some can be placed inside the regular bathtub, others can be propped up over the sink.

Average Cost: $15-30

On the one hand...

Infant bath tubs are nice for allowing Mom and Dad's hands to be free while bathing the baby. Soap, shampoo, and washcloths can be accessed more easily. It is also easier to let the baby "play" and experience the water, developing the senses.

On the other hand...

While babies are small, they can easily be held in the bathtub or kitchen sink to be washed. Not much vigorous washing is needed most of the time, so using one hand to wash while the other supports the baby is not problematic.

And now, Cast Your Vote!

Infant Bath Tub: Waste or Want?

and don't forget to tell us why!

Hair TO DO

I LOVE to do my daughter's hair (okay, let's rephrase that... I love how my daughter's hair looks when I've done it really well, and MOST of the time I like doing it... but there are days that I just want to leave her hair like a mop or do a quick ponytail - and sometimes I do). I've invented a lot of different hairstyles (or seen them on little girls and invented my own way to do it) over the past 3 years of doing my daughter's hair. But, after a while I was starting to get bored...

So a few months ago a friend of mine gave me links to the following hair blogs.

It's a Girl Thing
Girly Do Hair Styles
Babes in Hairland
Do's To Choose
Adopt a Do

Now, I won't lie! Some of these hairstyles are WICKED hard. But there are some that are SO easy and fun. I've even been brave enough to try some of the tricky ones (not always with positive results... but we keep at it). In any case - check them out and see what you can find. It's fun to look at the hairdos in any case.

I am by NO MEANS an expert on little girl hair. But I have fun. So here is a hairstyle I love. The following tutorial is something I made up myself (more or less). I kind of meshed a few ideas together as I'd seen little girls in public. It is one of my favorite hair styles and I get compliments on my daughter's hair each time I do it. I love it a ton because it holds REALLY tight and sometimes I don't even redo it the next day. I also love it because it is versatile (there are 4 different ways I've done it). It does take a bit of work, but once you get the hang of it, it is fast to do. It usually takes me less than 10 minutes.

I apologize for my lack of photo skills, I just hope you get the picture.

Step 1: Get the hair SUPER wet (trust me, it will work better if wet). I also add a bit of gel to the hair because my daughter has super silky hair that slips out of anything. Then part down the middle... mine is obviously not ruler straight...

Step 2: Pick up a section of hair off to one side of the part (make it about 1/6 of the hair at the top of her head, if that makes sense at all.... again, after doing it a few times, you'll see how much hair you need to use). Pull it out to make a small ponytail to the halfway point of her head (I think of it this way, I go as far back as I'd go if I were to put her hair half up and half down).


Step 3: Put a small elastic (I use the stretchy ouchless ones) in about an inch from the base of her head. This is important! You need some slack. Also, make sure the rubber band isn't too tight.


Step 4: Split the section of hair in half with your finger and then push the ponytail through to make a twist under (you've probably done this with a regular ponytail and a "topsy turvy" tool.... you see what I mean in the picture).


Step 5: SLOWLY pull it tight. Don't go too fast or the twist will pucker. It will also pucker if your elastic is too tight.


Step 6: Repeat steps 2-5 three more times. You'll want to make the sections of hair about the same.


You'll be making 4 sets of twist and leaving the sides of her hair down by her face.


From here you have options! SO FUN.

Style 1: Curl the hair and leave it down. BACK:


FRONT:


Hairstyle 2: Pull the sides of the hair back until they meet and then add all the little ponytails, so the hair is now half up and half down. This is my favorite to do with this hairdo and I don't even usually bother curling it because it looks cute without. BACK:


FRONT:


Hairstyle 3: Pull all the hair back into a ponytail. I love this one too and usually do this on the second day if I don't have time to do her hair that day. BACK:


FRONT:


Hairstyle 4: Pull the hair into a ponytail and then arrange it into a messy bun. This looks SUPER cute too. I just left her hair like this on Friday and I got so many compliments. BACK: (the front looks about the same as with the ponytail).


You could also try doing this with two ponytails and have some of the mini ponytails cross... but I've never tried that.

If that looks TOTALLY confusing, but you want to try it - give me a call and I can do it with you. It isn't that hard, just hard to explain. :)

That's it! Hair tutorial!! Don't forget to add the hairspray. :)

Questions:
How do you get your little girl to hold still to get her hair done?
How often do you do a quick hairdo as opposed to a hairdo that takes longer?
On average, how long do you spend doing your little girl's hair?
Do you usually have to fix your daughter's hair after her nap?
Do you read hair blogs? If so, which ones??

We want your input!! This is a time for you to participate.
We'd love to have some quick/cute hairdos that you use on a weekly basis! We'd also love to see some beautiful hairdos that you use for special occasions or church. Just give us the skinny. If you'd like to participate, e-mail us in the next 2 weeks with a few pictures of a hairdo (or two) and a description of how you do it. You can of course leave off shots of your daughter's face if you'd like to protect her privacy. Also - when you e-mail us, let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous or if you'd like to be credited with the hairdo. Then, in a couple of weeks we'll post those hairdos for your to peruse and use!

Thanks!

Is there a doctor in the house?

Continuing on my line of moving questions, I am faced with a decision that I am hesitant to make for fear of choosing incorrectly. I need to find a new pediatrician for my kids in our new neighborhood.

I LOVE the pediatrician we see now--but we happened on him by fluke. When I was at the hospital, in labor with my first baby, they asked who our pediatrician was. I hadn't talked to any doctors yet, and in fact, I'd only even heard one name. So that's who I said. Turns out, he wasn't accepting new patients, but when my daughter was put into the NICU and the nurses called him, he showed up anyway.

I don't think that system of choosing a doctor is going to work again...

How did you find your pediatrician?

What do you look for when choosing a doctor?

What if you don't like the doctor after the first visit--how and when would you make a switch?

Any other tips for finding a good pediatrician?

This is something that, I feel, is very important. I am trusting a single person with the health and well-being of my children in an area that I can't take care of myself. In most instances, I would go on word-of-mouth recommendations from other mothers whose opinion I trust, but I'm moving to a place where I don't know anyone. So, I'm kinda on my own here and I would love to hear any suggestions and advice you can give!

Requests From Our Readers: Week 22

This week we are talking about constipation with toddlers. Check out what our reader said....


"My 18 month old toddler has been having constipation issues for the last few months. He has a very hard time passing his stools and as a result, tries to hold it in making it even worse. I've read up on the subject and the advice I've seen is to limit dairy products, increase fruits and veggies, and feed your child foods that are high in fiber. My pediatrician has recommended feeding him specifically prunes, prune juice, peaches, pears, and peas. The only problem is that my son won't eat them!!! I've tried to add them to smoothies to hide them as well as mashing them up and trying to incorporate them into his daily foods but most of the time, he just won't eat it (it's like he has a 6th sense for healthy foods.)

What suggestions do you all have to get your kids eating healthy foods? What has helped out with your children's constipation issues?"

So help her out! Address her concern for her 18 month old. How have you gotten past constipation issues and helped your child eat the things that will be good for their bodies?

Thanks for reading and commenting. Send a reader request our way anytime!

Let's Hear It!

My first daughter had to take liquid steroids every day for eight months to help reduce the size of a birthmark on her cheek. My second daughter now takes antibiotics every day to help prevent infections due to a birth defect. The result?

I'm pretty darn good at giving medicine to babies.

Here are my tips:

1. Instead of using the squeeze-top syringe or the small cup that comes with the medicine from the store, ask a pharmacy for a plastic syringe. It is much easier to measure the medicine accurately and to control how quickly it comes out.

2. Hold the syringe in the baby's mouth for a while before actually starting to squirt it out. Give them just a second to get used to it before introducing the medicine.

3. You may need to pause between squirts to prevent the medicine from spilling back out, but keep the syringe in their mouth. If you take it out each time, you almost have to start over. Especially in younger babies, this will usually encourage them to start sucking and they may give themselves the medicine.

4. Have a pacifier, bottle, or breast (or sippy cup for older kids) ready. As soon as the medicine is gone, pop it in. This will help the child swallow any medicine that may still be pooled up in their mouth and help prevent them from spitting anything back out.

I don't necessarily enjoy giving my children medicine, but through lots of experience, I have become good at it. Yes, I am bragging.

And now it's your turn!

We want to know what you're good at! It's easy for all of us to get down on ourselves from time to time, feeling overwhelmed by all the things we feel like we could do better but aren't. But we all have something that we can do well, no matter what else is going on.

For just a moment, take a break from all your worries of the day and think of one thing that you feel you excel at as a mom and share it with us!

I've been a mother for more than 3 years and I STILL don't know when to take my kids to the doctor.....



When my daughter was about 5 weeks old she got a cold (but I didn't know what it was). All I knew was the she had a slight fever (100), couldn't breath very well through her nose, and she was pretty sleepy all day. I ended up taking her into the doctor. Guess what he said? "She is just fine, mom is worrying a bit too much." Let me tell you.... I felt SO DUMB.

Since that time I haven't taken her to the doctor when she is sick except for on rare occasions. When my baby son was born a year ago both of them got a bout of something pretty nasty (but their fevers were not high). I ended up taking both of them in and my doctor said it was probably RSV, but that it wasn't too severe and that I was doing all the right things. Again.... another trip wasted.

My only REAL successful visit to the doctor was the time when at 6 months my daughter pulled her elbow out of socket and the doctor fixed it in a trice. But that was necessary, since I had no idea what was wrong with her.

Well a few weeks ago my son got a mysteriously high fever. It was 102! Which may not seem high to some, but the highest my ear thermometer has ever been is 101... and even THAT was rare. My kids just don't get high fevers. But 102 alarmed me a bit. At one point it was even verging on 103. But he had NO other symptoms. He was sleepy and grouchy, but he had no vomiting, no runny nose or cold symptoms, and nothing else to give me a clue as to what was wrong. I again asked myself.... when do I take my children to the doctor?

I didn't take him that day because Tylenol brought his fever down very quickly and as long as I kept on top of the Tylenol his fever hovered around 99-100 which in my mind is not hardly even a fever. After the first day we never saw his temperature rise about 101. And in a few days it was gone, plus no one else in the family got sick at all. I never took him to the doctor and I still wonder what was wrong with him - but he is just fine.

We also don't have very good insurance. So taking the kids to see the doctor is an expensive affair. Perhaps my unwillingness to take my kids in has something to do with the money. Not that I wouldn't spend HUNDREDS of dollars to see my kids well (come on, thousands even). But I hate to waste $100 when the doctor is just going to say, "oh, it looks like a cold." Or "oh, it is a flu, but there is nothing we can do for you."

In the past we have talked about how to get kids well or how to keep them from getting sick. But we've never addressed this topic that really worries me. WHEN DO YOU TAKE YOUR KIDS INTO THE DOCTOR?

I don't want to be negligent, but I also don't want to be rushing into the doctor's office at every sign of a sniffle and wasting time and money. I'd really like some help on this one.




I apologize for the length of this post, but I would appreciate any advice you have.