L  A  U  N  D  R  Y

A four-letter word?

In my house, there are 2 words that get my kids running for the door...laundry and dishes. O.K., they make me want to run also but I am the domestic engineer so I am forced to deal with both on a daily basis. Now, I am frugal or should I say cheap and that brings me to the subject of this post. Detergent. It's expensive. We are constantly running out of it. It's an evil necessity to keep this house of 5 running.

I have heard talk of homemade detergent in the past in different frugal circles but never really took it seriously. Frankly, I already spend way too much time sorting, folding, washing, etc., so making more work for myself didn't sound like much fun. I seem to recall trying my hand at some type of liquid homemade detergent. The result was not what I had hoped.

Now that I have joined Pinterest, I have found some fabulous ideas for getting my laundry clean as well as keeping things inexpensive. This week, I tested out a new recipe for dry laundry detergent in our new he (top loading) washing machine. I also decided to read the directions that came with the washing machine since it is the 4th one we have bought in the 7 years we have lived in our home (another story for another time...). The results have been amazing!

I switched to the homemade detergent and started using vinegar as a fabric softener. The clothes look fabulous and are very soft! The best part is the detergent is so easy to make!

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)

1 bar of Ivory soap shredded (I used a cheese shredder)

That's it! Put it all in a plastic container with a lid and shake. Even better, it only takes 1-2 TBSP for each load! Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser and run on the fabric softener + rinse cycle and voila! Clean and fresh clothes!

On another note, did you know that you should wash your delicates on the gentle cycle? The things you learn by reading the directions...

Another DIY project down, many, many, many more to go! Next up, maybe I'll tackle those dishes!

 



DIY momm

So the title I have come up with for this blog is DIY momm. Why momm? Because mom was taken. DIY mom seems to be the description I get handed to me from friends who observe my life either from afar (via Facebook) or from a little closer in my neighborhood, at church and elsewhere in my life. DIY is what I enjoy doing. I actually don't enjoy having other people do for me what I believe I can do for myself. A good trait? Probably not but it's the one I was dealt. Some might call me stubborn, some my call me creative, but it probably all boils down to the fact that I am a little cheap. Don't get me wrong, I can spend some money but when I see something that I might be able to DIY, I go for it. That means everything. Home improvement, yes. Haircuts, yes. Refinishing furniture, yes. Schooling my kids, yes. Fixing my car, yep. You name it, I've probably attempted to do it myself. I hope to share some of my DIY experiences on this blog in the hopes that it might help others to take a chance to DIY for themselves. Stay tuned...

My 40th Year

One week ago today, I turned 39. A fairly uneventful day, as I begged my husband not to go out and buy me a bunch of expensive gifts that I will never use (he is so sweet but has a knack for this sort of thing). I was happy to have a pretty quiet day, spend some time in the sun and enjoy my kids falling all over themselves to do all the chores in the house (this NEVER happens). My kids made me breakfast in bed, nice gluten-free cupcakes and my hubby made my favorite dinner of boiled shrimp. He ended the day by drawing me a bubble bath complete with candles and music; an indulgence I haven't had the pleasure of in a while. I'm pretty sure I quit taking baths once my kids took over the tub as toddlers. Anyway, I digress. While sitting in the warm bubbly tub, I reflected on life a bit. How did I get here? Why don't I feel like I'm almost 40? When did this tub get so small? What have I accomplished so far in life? What haven't I done? And so on, and so on. You get the gist. I told my hubby that I should document this year of my life and start a blog called "My 40th Year". "Great idea, honey. You should do it." said my doubtful hubby. Well, he does have a point. This is the 5th blog I have started and none of them have gone past a week's worth of posts. Alas, a week later, I still have the great idea in my head and my insomnia is driving me crazy so tonight I sit here with my first post. Apparently, I am not the only one with the idea "My 40th Year". So, instead of my oh so brilliant blog name, I will have to go with something else.

What have I accomplished in my 39 years on this earth? What did I envision for my life? Are they one in the same? Of course not. Who has ever lived up to their ideal? Well, maybe someone has, but it wasn't me. I'm not sure exactly where I thought I would be at this moment, but I'm sure it was something like career-woman, self-made millionaire, yada, yada, yada. Thankfully, I have a God who is more gracious than I could ever imagine and He has brought me down a much better path. Still, there are definitely things I always meant to do but haven't gotten to yet. Get my master's degree, travel the world-or at least get to Europe, start a business, be really great at something. These are decidedly not spiritual goals at all which is probably why they haven't happened but they are some of the things I've always wanted to do.

To start this year, I think I will begin by brainstorming some of the things I hope to accomplish in life. Sort of a "bucket list" if you will in no particular order. Here it goes:

• Lose weight and stay there (o.k., admittedly, I've done this at 24, 28, 32, and 37 but this time, I would like for it to be for good.)
• Exercise on a regular basis (I hate exercise, doesn't everyone?)
• Pay more attention to my health and well-being (mommy syndrome-take care of everyone but mommy)
• See the world. Most specifically Europe.( In my youth, I wanted to go the route of backpacks and youth hostels. In my sanity, I think maybe houseswapping or a nice B&B would be more preferable.)
• Learn something new. A new language, how to use my camera in manual mode, how to garden and care for my yard, etc.
• Live in a foreign country or two or three.
• Start a business.
• Go back to school for fun. Masters degree? Maybe. I just love to learn so anything would be great.
• Run a mile without feeling like I'm going to die. Never been able to do that.
• Take a week long trip with my hubby. Alone. No kids. (Nope, never gone more than a weekend without them.)
• See Sting in concert. (Does he even do concerts anymore???)
• Be able to scream "I'm debt free!" by  paying off our home.
• Serve those less fortunate than myself. I specifically have a heart for kids.
• Live on the beach. (O.k. I live a mere 15 minutes from the beach but I really, really want to be able to wake up and walk down the beach every morning and see the dolphins swimming from my kitchen.)
• Live my life in the very center of God's perfect plan for me. Jump off every cliff he asks me too without hesitation and enjoy the fall!