Back in the groove

I need to get into a regular routine for doing this. I enjoy it but it just seems that everything else manages to take its place. I saw a church sign that said something to the effect that we make time for what we want to be our priorities. I thought that was interesting & I never really put much thought into. Church attendance is what they were mainly talking about & I understand....there are all kinds of excuses not to go to church & I admit I've used some of them from time to time. But for me I thought of my blog. I really need to get on the ball. While I would like for this to be a daily blog its just not going to happen. So my goal is at least weekly & then I'd like to get into a M-F kind of thing. Maybe even a schedule like some of my fave blogs I've seen.

So here at 10pm is my works for me Wednesday tip.

I am always remembering things to do while in the shower. Maybe its the water or washing hair stimulates brain cells but that's when I have clarity. So....I put a dry erase marker next to the tub. My surround is tile but it should work w/ fiberglass. May not want to try this if you have marble. I write down things to remember then after I get dressed I transfer them to my to do list & wipe it off. Also nice to write down that you need razor blades or shampoo from the store. Anyway....it works for me hope it works for you.

How come

How come when you get a simple to assemble toy organizer the instructions are in picture form only? How come they give you extra pieces that leaves you worried till you look at the pictures again? How come the phone rings off the hook while you are trying to accomplish this because your husband is out of town? How come your 2 year old and 4 year old niece both have to poop while this project is going on? (Can someone come wipe my butt?) How come it doesn't say on the box that unless you are a master carpenter then you need an extra pair of hands to help. And how come when you mutter the word crap the 4 year old who never listens to anything you say all of a sudden has a complete hearing miracle and starts repeating the word constantly?

If you can answer any of these questions let me know how come.


Thanks

May Blessings

So its been super busy around here. First on May 6th my DH went back to Panama for another month, then just 2 days later my baby turned 2. I was looking at her the other day and realized she's not a baby anymore...shes a small child. Where did the time go? She's developing a personality and so much more.

She is also progressing nicely on the potty training. I know you are interested...lol...but I have to brag as it was so hard with my oldest child. B is so much easier. C did not finally get it till she was 3 1/2 but B...well lets just say God smiled on me with this child.

The rest of the time I have just been caught up in the day to day stuff. We celebrated Mother's Day at my parents with some Popeye's chicken (drool) and one of those big water slides for the 4 grand kids. A good time was had by all & the children went home dead tired which meant a quiet night for me. (Ah...what I really wanted)

How has your May been so far? I hope its been truly blessed.

I made my laundry soap.

Ok well this was the first time that I've ever done this. I was really excited. I got the recipe off of the Dugger's Website, with a few changes due to product availability. Here is the recipe.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap-

Front or top load machine- best value
4 Cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

So..I used Ivory Soap because it was all I could find & I love the smell. (Reminds me of grandma) 3 bars were $1.07 at Wal-Mart. The Borax was $2.98 & should last a life time. I could not find Arm & Hammer washing soda but other sites I read said that baking soda was just as good as it is a deodorizer. That box was $2.12 for a big box. I buy the big box because I use it for other things to such as a drain cleaner. The bucket was by far the most expensive item. The bucket itself was $4.24 while the lid (a must) was $1.27. I followed the directions but chose not to add oil as I like the smell of Ivory. Now the REALLY important part. When you do this have someone there to help you lift the bucket & put it out of the way. My husband did this. I did this yesterday & checked it this morning. It really wasn't to gelled but I stirred it and measured it out for just 1 load as it was an experiment. Now it wasn't really sudsy but that is not a problem for me as its just more chemicals. My clothes came out clean & smelled nice. I didn't add fabric softener just as a personal choice. I really liked this. I will have to keep store bought soap on hand for when my husband brings home clothes from offshore as they reek. I also wash those separately. I think that between making my soap & my husband putting in a clothes line I am well on my way to saving money.

In all seriousness though I am so not crafty. My sister is the Martha Stewart of the family, but this was easy so please give it a shot for yourself then be sure and let me know how it turns out.

I made my own baby wipes.

Well I did it. I made my own baby wipes & laundry soap. So excited. Already used the wipes & they worked out fine. The soap has to sit over night so I'll know more tomorrow. Here's what I did for the wipes.

These wipes are very gentle on baby's sensitive skin. The recipe can be altered to use any skin oil or baby bath you like, which is great for babies with allergies or skin sensitivities.

Here's what you need:

1 4 qt square or round container(8” H x 7.25” W x 7.25” D)

½ roll Bounty Big Roll Select-A-Size paper towels

2 ½ cups hot water

2 T baby bath (I use Parent's Choice brand because it's very inexpensive)

2 T baby oil (substitute coconut oil if baby is sensitive to mineral oil.)

Finding the container was hard. I found this to be really close & it was at Walmart.

I cut the paper towels in half. Note next time I will use electric knife.

Put 1 towels half in container cut side down.

I mixed ingredients in a large measuring cup but use what you have.

Pour over towels then cover & invert for 5 min.

After 5 min flip again then open & remove cardboard center.

I found this recipe on this great blog.

Heather has been doing this for a while. This is my first time but it was very easy & I am craft challenged. She has also answered some questions too. Its a great blog that I really enjoy following.

My Day

This is a list of all the items I try to get accomplished daily. Truthfully it falls apart after dinner due to the baby not being on a better bedtime routine & a husband that is not always home. So I'm working on it. So here is my P.O.D.A. or parade of daily activities.

· MAKE BED
· CHECK CALENDAR & EMAILS
· EAT BREAKFAST
· START LOAD OF LAUNDRY
· SWISH & SWIPE BATHROOMS
· UNLOAD DISHWASHER
· BEGIN DINNER
· SWIFFER LR & KITCHEN
· REBOOT LAUNDRY
· OPEN MAIL & FILE
· EAT LUNCH
· FOLD & PUT AWAY LAUNDRY
· CHECK DINNER PROGRESS
· TAKE OUT TRASH
· SET TABLE
· EMPTY BACK PACK & CHECK HOMEWORK
· EAT DINNER
· KIDS IN BATH
· LOAD DISHWASHER
· PUT UP LEFTOVERS
· CHECK TOMORROWS SCHOOL LUNCH
· PACK BACKPACK- HOMEWORK SNACK WATER MONEY
· CHECK TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE
· LAY OUT CLOTHES
· START TO DO LIST
· PACK DIAPER BAG IF NEEDED
· PLUG IN ELECTRONICS & FLIP BREAKERS
· FINAL WALK THROUGH
· SHOWER & READY FOR BED


Special to do’s
· Monday- Mop
· Tuesday- Purge Fridge
· Wednesday-Trash to curb
· Thursday-Clean out Car & purse/diaper bag
· Friday- Bill pay & reconcile checkbook

That's it...thanks for reading.

On your mark...get set...get frugal!

Ok, so I am somewhat new to actively being frugal. We did little things growing up and I still do things today but I am trying to step up my game. Some things I already do is we have switched to CFL bulbs, always turned off lights when not in use, I usually do not turn on lights during the day if it can be helped, (I have to when its stormy & dark), & we compost. At my last house I had a clothes line & we just never got around to putting up another...well that changed. My husband was not impressed with our last electric bill. ($200) But in all fairness it was not my fault. I mean its not like I started air conditioning the free world. Usually our bill runs between $100-$150. I showed him online where our highest bill is usually in Dec & in Feb we used less energy yet our bill was higher. They (the electric co-op) decided to really give it to us. The next bill for Mar. was only $90. Now some of it was steps taken after seeing the $200 bill.
Here's what I did.

1. I got more ruthless about lights/TV etc on.
2. I walked around the house & made sure if it wasn't being used it was unplugged.
3. At night I shut down my laptop & UNPLUG it. (those things are energy hogs)
4. I flipped off the breaker to my water heater at night.
5. If I don't have a full load of dishes I wash them by hand.

That's it. Now that my husband is home he showed me a few more things. First he made sure all of our breakers were properly labeled. Then we shut off 2 major appliances that we don't use constantly, the stove & dryer. We also try to go as long as possible before we turn on our a/c but hello we live in southeast La. so that lasts till about 1. If my husband is home & I am not it stays off longer. (He spends every other month in Panama so its colder here now.)

I am working on using my coupons more so I plan to update more on that & other frugal ideas such as making my own baby wipes, cleaning products, & laundry soap.

Until then y'all take care.