They say a picture is worth a thousand words...
Friday, October 5, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Laundry Soap Revisited
I posted back in May about making my own laundry soap, but haven't had a chance to write any reviews until now.
I'm thinking about it today because I am halfway through my batch. I had stored it in two ice cream buckets and it had started to harden before I was completely done with my first bucket. Not really a big deal as it dissolved easily in the water, but not quite as convenient for measuring accurately. So I got the brilliant idea to try to convert the rest of it to liquid. Hmmm. I have hit some snags with that, but long story short, if you want to make it into a liquid you need to follow a different process. I can fix it but it's taking a while.
Anyway...back to actual review of the soap:
1. I love the way it smells, so fresh!
2. It cleans super good (even for my little mud monsters =). No odor and pretty effective at stain removal.
3. It is super cost effective. To be honest, the usage is a little off as I have had some liquid detergent that I already had on hand and wanted to finish up. So it has not been used exclusively...BUT, from what I can tell, using it exclusively, an entire batch should last me about 9 months. That's for a family of 10.
So, to sum it all up. Yes, I would totally do this again. I'm hoping to order more ingredients in about a week or so and try storing it in glass jars this time. And I'll be using all the same ingredients I did last time. I really do love how this stuff smells and cleans! (You can see my original post here including the recipe.)
I'm thinking about it today because I am halfway through my batch. I had stored it in two ice cream buckets and it had started to harden before I was completely done with my first bucket. Not really a big deal as it dissolved easily in the water, but not quite as convenient for measuring accurately. So I got the brilliant idea to try to convert the rest of it to liquid. Hmmm. I have hit some snags with that, but long story short, if you want to make it into a liquid you need to follow a different process. I can fix it but it's taking a while.
Anyway...back to actual review of the soap:
1. I love the way it smells, so fresh!
2. It cleans super good (even for my little mud monsters =). No odor and pretty effective at stain removal.
3. It is super cost effective. To be honest, the usage is a little off as I have had some liquid detergent that I already had on hand and wanted to finish up. So it has not been used exclusively...BUT, from what I can tell, using it exclusively, an entire batch should last me about 9 months. That's for a family of 10.
So, to sum it all up. Yes, I would totally do this again. I'm hoping to order more ingredients in about a week or so and try storing it in glass jars this time. And I'll be using all the same ingredients I did last time. I really do love how this stuff smells and cleans! (You can see my original post here including the recipe.)
Monday, October 1, 2012
13 Things I Didn't Know 13 Years Ago
1. that I would learn to love seafood and sushi
2. that we would move 7 times and 2 states
3. that we would have gone through 10 pregnancies, 5 miscarriages, and 8 live births together
4. that parenting would be so hard, and yet so rewarding
5. that I would never get used to having you gone
6. that you could make everything better just by being there
7. that our children would be completely amazing
8. that I would learn the ins and outs of raising chickens (and it wouldn't be as easy as I thought)
9. that the things I thought I would do, I wouldn't... and the things I thought I would never do, I would (like eating raw oysters and making deer sausage)
10. that every day would be an adventure
11. that we would be entrepreneurs
12. that I would learn to handle a gun, and
13. that I could possibly love you more than I did then. But I do!
Happy Anniversary, Baby! It's been a wonderful 13 years and I look forward to a lifetime of more!
2. that we would move 7 times and 2 states
3. that we would have gone through 10 pregnancies, 5 miscarriages, and 8 live births together
4. that parenting would be so hard, and yet so rewarding
5. that I would never get used to having you gone
6. that you could make everything better just by being there
7. that our children would be completely amazing
8. that I would learn the ins and outs of raising chickens (and it wouldn't be as easy as I thought)
9. that the things I thought I would do, I wouldn't... and the things I thought I would never do, I would (like eating raw oysters and making deer sausage)
10. that every day would be an adventure
11. that we would be entrepreneurs
12. that I would learn to handle a gun, and
13. that I could possibly love you more than I did then. But I do!
Happy Anniversary, Baby! It's been a wonderful 13 years and I look forward to a lifetime of more!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Drag races and a photo shoot
Life since Wyatt has really felt like a series of drag-races....dragging myself from one event to the next as I race against chaos and a clock. And the prize? Hmmm. Finishing the race? Yeah. That.
Anyway...in all of that, I have not taken pictures the way I should have, nor have I updated my blog. Soooo. Today I did a photo shoot with Wyatt and couple of the other kids who were hanging around to try out my new camera. (I think I may have mentioned something in a previous post about my other camera getting a "dirt bath".) May I just say....I LOVE IT! It's Canon 10d. An older model than Ed's, but with almost identical features and perfect for my amateur self as I try to improve my photography skills. And in so doing, taking one more step towards getting our business off the ground. So happy. =)
Therefore, with out further ado...
Anyway...in all of that, I have not taken pictures the way I should have, nor have I updated my blog. Soooo. Today I did a photo shoot with Wyatt and couple of the other kids who were hanging around to try out my new camera. (I think I may have mentioned something in a previous post about my other camera getting a "dirt bath".) May I just say....I LOVE IT! It's Canon 10d. An older model than Ed's, but with almost identical features and perfect for my amateur self as I try to improve my photography skills. And in so doing, taking one more step towards getting our business off the ground. So happy. =)
Therefore, with out further ado...
Friday, August 10, 2012
Speaking their language
Talking to your kids...sounds easy doesn't it? But I have found it's not as easy as I first thought. I might be talking (aka: saying words), but they may or may not be hearing what I'm saying.
Example:
I was trying to communicate to Aaron today the importance of good handwriting (yet again) and how his more closely resembles the scribbling of a 3 year old than a 12 year old. (And, yes, I've seen him do beautiful work before, so I'm kind of wondering what happened.) And I could tell I just wasn't getting through. Then I realized, oh yeah, I need to relate it to something he is into right now. Computers. So I asked him, "Can you program a computer any old which way and still have it work?"
" Oh, no ma'am you have to do it a certain way or it won't work at all. It won't process. "
(Light-bulb!)
"Exactly. And this (pointing to my brain) computer won't process what you are doing. You need to upgrade. This was good for an older computer, but now you need a Mac. "
(I'm getting smiles now.)
"Yes, ma'am"
And we went on to discuss how his Capital and small letters should NOT be the same size and one sentence should not take up half a page. But I was getting through now.
If only I can remember more often to really communicate instead of just talking. I can accomplish more in 10 minutes of calm rational discussion where I take the time to point out "why" and "How this will affect this", than I can in weeks of preaching and fussing.
Example:
I was trying to communicate to Aaron today the importance of good handwriting (yet again) and how his more closely resembles the scribbling of a 3 year old than a 12 year old. (And, yes, I've seen him do beautiful work before, so I'm kind of wondering what happened.) And I could tell I just wasn't getting through. Then I realized, oh yeah, I need to relate it to something he is into right now. Computers. So I asked him, "Can you program a computer any old which way and still have it work?"
" Oh, no ma'am you have to do it a certain way or it won't work at all. It won't process. "
(Light-bulb!)
"Exactly. And this (pointing to my brain) computer won't process what you are doing. You need to upgrade. This was good for an older computer, but now you need a Mac. "
(I'm getting smiles now.)
"Yes, ma'am"
And we went on to discuss how his Capital and small letters should NOT be the same size and one sentence should not take up half a page. But I was getting through now.
If only I can remember more often to really communicate instead of just talking. I can accomplish more in 10 minutes of calm rational discussion where I take the time to point out "why" and "How this will affect this", than I can in weeks of preaching and fussing.
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