Homemade Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent

We have been using cloth diapers for nearly a year now and happy to say it is going quite well. We have been making our own liquid laundry detergent for a while, but found that we wouldn't be able to use in on our cloth diapers. The soap in the liquid detergent will build up residue and keep the diapers from absorbing well over time. So I had to find a recipe that would be compatible with cloth diapers. After searching online I found a number of recipes. Finding that they were all different in their own way I adapted them to create my own.

I have been using this recipe for as long as we have been cloth diapering. I have found it has been working very well. I will save my laundry process cloth diapers for another post, but for now I will share the recipe that I have been using.

All you need are three ingredients:

• 2 cups Borax
• 2 cups Washing Soda
• 2 cups Oxi Clean

Mix well and store. I saved back an empty coffee can and gave it a fresh look to store my detergent in and use a scoop from a baby formula jug. When I begin my wash cycle I just add one scoop for a small load and two for a large load. All three ingredients can be found in the laundry soap aisle at your local grocery store.

Hope this works for you like it does for me. Enjoy!

Homemade Bug Spray

We live in the woods. As wonderful as it is, there is a downside: Bugs! Lots of them. We have bloodthirsty mosquito's and noseeum's. I had enough, and decided to find away to ward them off that didn't have nasty harsh chemicals. So, of course I had to make my own natural bug spray.

What do you need  besides an 8 oz spray bottle?

• 8 oz. Witch Hazel
• 26 drops Citronella Oil
• 26 drops of Lemongrass Oil
• 10-15- drops of Lavender Oil

You can find the essential oils at your local health food store and the witch hazel I found at Walmart for $1.44. Figuring out the cost after what you actually used, it works out to be only about $.75 per bottle! Crazy! 

I know I don't have to say it, but... Make sure you don't spray in your eyes and mouth. 

So hear's to being bug free! Enjoy!

Our New Favorite Toy

 We had some soft balls from a little blow up toy our son had that had gotten a hole and wanted to find a way to use them. We went to Toys R Us the other day and bought a 36 inch kiddie pool. We only have 50 little balls which you wouldn't think would be fun enough, but it has been the best thing ever for both my 5 year old and 1 year old.

Josie has been getting in and out, in and out, in and out. She kicks and churns the balls making a loud but entertaining noise. Wyatt gets out his pillow and blanket and lays in it, even watched a movie last night in it.

Who would have thought it would be such a hit? I think we need to get some more balls!

Birthday Girl!

Josie had her 1st Birthday Friday! So hard to believe it's been a year already! I feel like it has just whizzed by. So very different from Wyatt where it seemed I took that all in a little at a time. She has changed so much:

She is now 16 lbs 11 oz, only gained 8 oz since her 9 month check up. And she is 29 inches tall, up five inches from her last check up. She had three vaccinations and did very well. Over all a healthy little girl!

On Friday we let her have a cupcake after dinner. {Her first one ever.}

We went to Aspen Park again together all four of us. We had a wonderful afternoon.

Then on Saturday my parents and brother came over and helped us celebrate! Sorry to say, her cake looks NOTHING like I pictured in my head! If you think that this bad you should see the backside! 

She did not blow out her candle...

She got another birthday cupcake...

She had a death grip on it the whole time she was eating it. Squeezed it in her hands as hard as she could.

Then she got to open her gifts. She did good the first two, then lost interest in the whole process.

She loves her cart, but sadly she is too short to operate it yet!

Happy Birthday, sweet Josie!

Love, 

Mama

Good Times!

Wyatt and I have got to spend some one on one time together, which has been nice, because we don't get to do that much. The first "date" we went to Tim Hortons for donuts and hot chocolate. We had a great morning! {I won't tell you about our afternoon and ruin the mood....I will just give you a hint: bad behavior.}

Today, we went to Aspen Park for Wyatt to ride on the bike trails. He was so excited. Poor guy doesn't really get to ride his bike at home because of the poor terrain.

We got to see the elk. Wasn't sure if we would catch them there or not, but we did!

It was SO hot and muggy, but fun all the same. It was good to set aside time for us to reconnect and recharge our relationship. We definitely need to make a better effort to do it more often.