How Crunchy are you?

Take the test to see how mainstream or crunchy natural parenting style you are, feel free to leave a comment.
http://www.themoralesfamily.us/granola.htm

I am 149---
"169-130 Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy, Granola Earth Mama!"


hhmmm, I knew I was a bit happy hippie tree-huggery, and you know, that suits me just fine :)

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Wow! It feels like Fall today! Cold, grey, rainy--Oh wait! that was thee ENTIRE British summer this year, minus one week in July, and then the 3 last official days of summer. It was one extended Spring into Fall--makes it ?Sprall? ?Fring? Sprumn? Autuing? Well whatever one calls it, for the most part it was cold grey and rainy.

So, although never a huge fan of Autumn, as in my mind Autumn is quickly followed by that fiend-winter, I do like the cooler days after hot and humid Midwest summers. I love the smell of harvest time on my grandparents Iowa farm and the crinkley sound of dried corn leaves and the smell of coffee and ham sandwiches on buns for the adults helping harvest the crops. I love the multi-colored leaf piles, and carving pumpkins, and thinking out what I want to be and helping my kids decide and dress up for Halloween (my ALL TIME FAH-VORITE holiday). This year, I am hoping with all. that. I. am. that M and I are able to return to the States to be a part of these wonderful smells, and sensations. I want ALL of us, M, Z, L, A and I to dress up as a family and go out trick-or-treating. For now, we wait.....

While we are waiting, how about some Babylove :)






Mmmm I loves me some pudgey Baby piggies!

Picture post-In which we take a nap, chase Betty, go to the park, & stroll through a cemetery

1. nap time for all

2. Angelic sleeping baby-awww!

3. Sleepy Betty

4. Alex loves the Kitty Kitty

5. And he's coming to get her!

6. Psst! watch out Betty!

7. Run Betty! Run!

8. At the park, with his Grr Rawr Grr butt on, Alex crawls away to some mischief

9. He's found Daddy's keys. Wow he looks golden in the warm rays of the sun!

10. Seriously playing

11. Look at that concentration!

12. While young mister is concentrating, Mommy and Daddy steal a smooch or two--awww!

13. Here he comes--"Break it up you two!" he says.

14. After playing at the park, we stroll through an old cemetery so I can take some photographs

15. I love these old Celtic crosses

16. Detail of the center of the cross

17. Cool looking trick of sunlight glinting of the camera lens gives this detail a smokey other worldy look.

18. Out of all the graves, this one and a smaller one near by had these beautiful flowers.

19. Better picture of the flowers

20. Stone angel with a fist of ?judgement? ?fury? Interesting pose for a memorial statue

21. She has such an odd expression for such a wrathful looking pose

22. I just love how this picture turned out.

Things That I Want to Do in the Future to be Frugally Green

Whew! I have been working on this post for 2 days now, and am finished! Hurrah! Ok, this post is going to be 2 parts-1 what I want to do in the future a la move to the States and 2 where I picked up some ideas from here on the wonderful information highway that is the interwebz.

*I am going to only buy vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol to put into separate clearly labeled spray bottles for cleaning purposes. No more toxic fumy cleaners that cost a fortune. As you read on below you'll see all the uses for my new fantastic 4.
*I want a veggie garden with an added herb garden-mmm fresh organic foods lovingly grown and gratefully eaten. (diana I so salivate over the fantastic variety of tomatoes you have grown this year-I hope they were as yummy as they looked)
*I want to learn how to can and can and pickle everything in the garden. Mmm homemade spaghetti sauces, salsas, garlic dill pickles, strawberry jams, green beans, mmm the list goes on and on!
*Buying in bulk and do a every two week or monthly freezer fest. I want to plan out meals that can be frozen such as lasagnas, spaghetti pie, Swedish meat balls, cottage pie and the like so that either M or I can just read a lable, look it up on the freezer door and pop the item in the oven and cook for the time it says on the list. A packed freezer stays colder, uses less energy, costs less money. We all know that buying in bulk is cheaper and also reduces packaging. Combine that with the canned from the garden veggies--super cheap--super eco friendly.
*Composting-a bit smelly BUT my plants will love the nutrient rich compost. I am honestly not looking forwards to turning it and aerating it-blech! But being green isn't all daisies either.
*Soap making-If you read the post about the laundry soap then you already know one kind of soap I plan on making. I want to make bar soap too and add in my own essential oils for scents-no perfumes. I think a huge batch once a year sounds good, and I can also make some pretty decorative ones for Christmas and birthday gifts.
*Candle making--I loved making candles when I was in shop class in junior high and have always wanted to do that again. Again essential oils for fragrant candles, and pretty decorative ones for Christmas and birthdays. Cheap light, plus something warm in case of power outages.
*Family cloth-I want to start out slow with the switch and just use family cloth for #1 and TP for #2. Switching to cloth diapers was easy, switching to cloth baby wipes was a bit strange at first, but then when I realized that I didn't have to separate washables things from disposable things and no need for an extra garbage near me, it was easy. I am hoping to go thrifting and to find a few old flannel sheets that I can cut up to use as family cloth. And hey, if I am already washing cloth diapers and wipes, what is a few more pieces of flannel to wash?
*(MEN: Look away now feminine hygiene discussion in this part-LOL) I hear quite a few women saying that they like items like the moon cup or diva cup for use internally. As a previously tampax loving gal, I want something internally catching. I. cannot. stand. the. feel. of. pads! Yuck! So cloth pads are a big NO for me, blech! Cups however sound like the item for me--right now though I am blessedly period free from either on demand breastfeeding, or my IUD or both. Oh and the whole men look away thing comes from M and I complaining about the bazillion fem hygiene product ads that we are all assaulted with on a daily basis-blech! Yeah I'll shove your "Have a happy period" right up your nasty pad schlepping arse if you ever come near me-ugh!
*(OK Men, you can look) I want to learn how to knit and crochet by using patterns--right now I crochet and knit very basic things like scarves, hats, and pot holders. I want to knit wool longies for Alex, and socks for the family and other useful knitted or crocheted items.
*Keep vehicles maintained and tire pressures correct--we will have to use a car in the States, unless we go whole hog and go Amish--um I know I can't as the fundamental Christian aspect would drive me batty and it wouldn't be fun around da mental momma. Plus I loves me my Internet buddies *mwah* So we use vehicles. It has been shown that just a few PSI difference out in tires can cause fuel usage to go up as much as 10%, and when a trip to the pumps can easily run $50.00, who really wants to just throw away 5 bucks right away. Also clean vehicles are more efficient, the less extra stuff they cart around the less fuel is used.
*Ensure all light bulbs are compact fluorescent or even LED. More expensive to begin with, but energy and cost efficient in the long run.
*Changing furnace filters every 1-3 months. If we end up with a dusty house, then I'll change it once a month, but otherwise every 2-3. A furnace has to work harder when the filter is full, and just getting rid of a filter and not replacing can cause trapped dirt and lint and household debris to clog up the furnace and heat ducts. I'll look to buy filters made of recycled materials, or that can be recycled. Plus a clean filter makes for a cleaner fresher house. Or extending the use by vacuuming it.
*Bagless Vacuum-no bag to buy and throw away, and most of the time the dust can be composted. Plus cleaning the filters on them are also a quick and easy way to keep the suction up and the machine efficient. I loved my bagless, alas it broke in a move and was unrepairable.

Whew, that is it for now. The following are where I got some of my ideas from:

Organized Home
Uses for all of the fantastic 4

White Vinegar
Mildly acidic white vinegar dissolves dirt, soap scum, and hard water deposits from smooth surfaces, yet is gentle enough to use in solution to clean hardwood flooring. White vinegar is a natural deodorizer, absorbing odors instead of covering them up. (And no, your bathroom won't smell like a salad! Any vinegar aroma disappears when dry.) With no coloring agents, white vinegar won't stain grout on tiled surfaces. Because it cuts detergent residue, white vinegar makes a great fabric softener substitute for families with sensitive skin.

Homemade Spray Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
*In the kitchen, use vinegar-and-water spray to clean countertops, lightly soiled range surfaces and backsplash areas.
*In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet.
*For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave until barely hot. Spray shower walls with the warmed generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.

Undiluted White Vinegar
*Undiluted white vinegar straight from the jug makes quick work of tougher cleaning problems involving hard water deposits or soap scum.
*Use undiluted white vinegar to scrub the inside of the toilet bowl. Before you begin, dump a bucket of water into the toilet to force water out of the bowl and allow access to the sides. Pour undiluted white vinegar around the bowl and scrub with a toilet brush to remove stains and odor. Use a pumice stone to remove any remaining hard water rings.
*Clean shower heads that have been clogged with mineral deposits with undiluted white vinegar. Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar in a plastic food storage bag, and secure the bag to the shower head with a rubber band. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then rinse and buff the fixture to a shiny finish.
*Add one cup of undiluted white vinegar to the laundry rinse cycle instead of commercial fabric softener. White vinegar softens clothes and cuts detergent residue--a plus for family members with sensitive skin.

Baking Soda
Baking soda's mild abrasive action and natural deodorizing properties make it a powerful replacement for harsh commercial scouring powders. Put baking soda to work in your organized home:
*Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge to tackle grimy bathtub rings, scour vanities, or remove food deposits from the kitchen sink. For tougher grime, make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the tub or sink, and allow to stand for 10 to 20 minutes. Dirt, soap scum and deposits soften and are easier to remove.
*Slow-running drains? Keep bathroom drains running freely by pouring 1/2 to 3/4 cup baking soda into the drain, and dribbling just enough hot water to wash the solution down. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then flush thoroughly with hot water. The deodorizing effect is an added bonus! [Do not use this method on blocked
drains.]

Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol provides the base for an evaporating cleaner to rival commercial window and glass cleaning solutions. Use this glass cleaning spray recipe for windows, mirrors, chrome fixtures and for a shiny finish on hard-surface ceramic tiles:

Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Furniture Polish
Most of us no longer use hard-to-apply furniture wax, but rely on oil-based polish to keep furniture protected and shiny. Our "salad dressing" version avoids the danger of silicone oil, found in most commercial polishes and sprays. Silicone oil can penetrate tiny cracks in furniture finish and enter the wood, causing problems in the event refinishing is needed. Lemon juice dissolves dirt and smudges, while olive oil shines and protects the wood:

Furniture Polish Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.

Sixty-One Uses For Baking Soda
One of the fantastic 4 in a starring role

-Be sure to keep an extra box of baking soda by your stove in case of grease or electrical fire. Scatter the powder by the handful to safely put it out.
-Keep a container of baking soda in your garage as well as in your car to put out a fire. It won't damage anything it touches.
- Baking soda will also put out fires in clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs.
- Clean vegetables and fruit with baking soda. Sprinkle in water, soak and rise the produce.
-Soak and wash diapers with baking soda.
-Oil and grease -- stained clothing washes out better with baking soda added to the washing water.
-Clean your fridge and freezer with dry baking soda sprinkled on a damp cloth. rinse with clear water.
-Deodorize your fridge and freezer by putting in an open container of baking soda to absorb odors. Stir and turn over the baking soda from time to time. Replace every 2 months.
- Always add 1/2-cup baking soda to your washing machine load.
- Clean formica counter tops with baking soda on a damp sponge.
- Run your coffee maker through its cycle with a baking soda solution. Rinse.
- Sprinkle baking soda on barbecue grills, let soak, then rinse off.
- Sprinkle baking soda on greasy garage floor. Let stand, scrub and rinse.
- To remove burned-on food from a pan: let the pan soak in baking soda and water for 10 minutes before washing. Or scrub the pot with dry soda and a moist scouring pad.
- For a badly-burned pan with a thick layer of burned-on food: pour a thick layer of baking soda directly onto the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on just enough water so as to moisten the baking soda. Leave the pot overnight, then scrub it clean next day.
- Rub stainless steel and chrome with a moist cloth and dry baking soda to
shine it up. Rinse and dry. On stainless steel, scrub in the direction of the
grain.
- Clean your bathroom with dry baking soda on a moist sponge -- sink, tub, tiles, shower stall, etc.
- Keep your drains clean and free-flowing by putting 4 tablespoons of soda in them each week. Flush the soda down with hot water.
- Soak your shower curtains in water and baking soda to clean them.
- To remove strong odors from your hands, wet your hands and rub them hard with baking soda, then rinse.
- Sprinkle baking soda on your wet toothbrush and brush your teeth and dentures with it.
- Sprinkle baking soda in tennis shoes, socks, boots and slippers to eliminate odor.
- Add 1/2-cup or more of baking soda to your bath water to soften your skin.
- Putting 2-tablespoons of baking soda in your baby's bath water will help relieve diaper rash irritations.
- Apply baking soda directly to insect bites, rashes and poison ivy to relieve discomfort. Make a paste with water.
- Take a baking soda bath to relieve general skin irritations such as measles and chicken pox.
-Take 1/2-teaspoon of baking soda in one-half glass of water to relieve acid indigestion or heartburn.
- Gargle with 1/2-teaspoon baking soda in one-half glass of water. Freshens and cleans your mouth.
- Used as a mouthwash, baking soda will also relieve canker sore pain.
- To relieve sunburn: use a paste of baking soda and water.
- Bug bites: use a poultice of baking soda and vinegar.
- Bee sting: use a poultice of baking soda and water.
- Windburns: moisten some baking soda and apply directly.
- Making Play Clay with baking soda: combine 1 1/4 cups water, 2 cups soda, 1 cup cornstarch.
- Use baking soda as an underarm deodorant.
- Repel rain from windshield. Put gobs of baking soda on a dampened cloth and wipe windows inside and out.
- Add baking soda to water to remove the "gamey" taste from wild game.

Mothering dot Commune on the thread "spin off frugal thread...tell me about products you MAKE yourself that cost less..."
I took a few things from this thread to put here (my thanks to the Mommas that wrote them) for frugal ideas

*drain cleaner -- salt, baking soda, vinegar and very hot or boiling water. layer the first 3 and pour boiling water over.
*lemon juice in olive oil to polish furniture (NOT veneered furniture!)
*vinegar (1 c or less) in a bucket for cleaning floors...w/ or w/o tea tree oil if you wanted to freshen the room or disinfect the floor.
*vinegar, water, and essential oil (I only have lavender and tea tree oil, so that's what I used) for general cleaning and glass.
*bowl of water and lemons in the microwave for 5 mins to deodorize and loosen any dried on splatters
*a bowl of charcoal or baking soda in the fridge to freshen or deodorize
*a few drops of essential oil in baking soda...dried overnight...and sprinkled on carpet, left for a bit and then vacuumed up to freshen the carpet and room.
~~~~~~~~~~
You can recycle old candles into new ones, and add whatever scents you want /essential oils and whatnot. Candle making is very easy.
Bonus: you can have candlelight at night instead of always having the lights on = saves energy!
~~~~~~~
Hmm…there are so many things that I make to save money:
-bake bread
-make yogurt
-can jams/jelly/fruit
-make 99% of our meals from scratch
-grow my own herbs
-make all our own soap for bathing, usually make a big batch twice a year (olive oil, beeswax, lye, & essential oil)
-make/use simple household cleaners (water, vinegar, baking soda)
-sew pocket diapers for ds (& his flats double for inserts & cleaning rags too)
-knit socks for family
-knit sweaters for ds
-sew, knit, or bake most birthday & Christmas gifts
-make playdough for ds

Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants
2 of the fantastic 4 put to work in a one-two punch

This site says to put either plain white or apple cidar vinegar in one clean new spray misting bottle, then in a SECOND clean new misting bottle put three percent hydrogen peroxide and spray one then the other on surfaces like wood cutting boards and other food prep surfaces. Another one-two shot on fruits and veggies and a rinse under running water is another use.

Spraying the 2 mists kills Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli bacteria and is more effective at killing bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner.

From the site and this is IMPORTANT

NEVER MIX HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND VINEGAR IN THE SAME CONTAINER. The resulting chemical, peracetic acid, can harm you when mixed together this way if you accidentally create a strong concentration in this fashion. Peracetic acid also has entirely different characteristics and properties than either hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Additionally, we don't know if peracetic acid kills the same group of pathogenic food-borne bacteria when used this way as a spray - it very well may not.

What *I* do to be "Green"

On the subject of being "green" (my brain wanders off on a tangent thinking 'hey world! when has *my* favorite color become such a buzz word that it is now fashionable to be? *I* was into green as a favorite color as a child-but anywho...) I was off surfing green natural living blogs and quite a few had ways for you, the anonymous reader, to do, steps to take, and pointing the "you shall be eco-friendly finger" away from themselves. As my very wise Mother has always told me that it isn't nice to point and that when I pointed at someone or thing, I had three fingers pointing right back at me.....Ha! I see you pointing away from you and checking out your hand to see that indeed Mr.Tall, Mr. Ring, and Miss Pinkie are pointing right back atcha!

My things, in no particular order:

1. I breastfeed--free milk in fun containers!

2. I cloth diaper my baby. Had I had what is available now when my 11 1/2 year old and my nearly 8 year old were babies, you bet your fluffy butt they would have been in them too. And as soon as my family are settled, I am scouring thrift stores, craigslist and freecycle to find a sewing machine and sewing my own out of 2nd hand towels and sewing 2nd hand fleece for covers!

3. I wear my baby. Not so much a huge green thing but more of a natural/attachment parenting thing. However, it is greenish in that very little resources are used in making a simple no-sew piece of cloth wrap, and my little guy rarely needs a coat if it is cold out as he is wraped up safe and warm next to me under my coat and cutting down on the need to buy extra clothing. To watch some videos or look at diagrams on babywearing go to http://www.mamatoto.org/ No more strollers for this family!

4. I'm a happy thrifter. I love me a big old thrift store, a garage/yard/rummage sale, and with the advent of the interwebz craigslist, freecycle, and ReUseIt. I love discovering things, and making old things useful again. I scored 35 all-in-one diapers in size 1 and 2 and 12 cotton pre-folds on freecycle Yippee! I want to turn around and give the AIO's away right before we move so another mother/family can cloth diaper even if it is part time cloth. There is also the joy of giving away on freecycle as M and I gave away some baby items that we were done using or barely used to a family that despirately wanted them and how happy they were to recieve them. Craigslist is great too because it is where we found our minivan.

5. I ride the bus. Because of M's job, I get free bus transportation. Now I know that public transport is not glamorous by any means and sometimes one must put up with the buttmunches that play crappy tinny music on crappy tinny speakers on their phones rather than listening to their music like everyone else does by using their headphones, or the occational eedjit who thinks they can smoke and no one will smell it (it is illegal to smoke on busses, public transport, bus stop shelters, well just about any public place here in England) HOWEVER, I get to do some good old people watching in. Unfortunately, no matter where we move to in the States, we will have to give up the public transport, as nothing is within walking distance. For now it is the bus! yay!

6. We live frugally. I stop and consider every purchase. Do I need this or do I want this item. Can I use an alternate item/way/item at home to do the same thing? For instance, I have always had it in my head to bake bread I needed a bread pan and not so! I now can whip up a lovely braided herbed bread in a few hours. No need for a bread pan. If it something that I need, can I source it locally or buy it from work at home mothers. My baby's fun yet super functional diaper wraps I buy from English moms who also source their items locally. Less items bought, less resources used.

7. We use reusuable shopping bags. Yes we have to remember to bring the bags with us, but the majority of the bags that we have are easier on the hands and fingers than plastic carrier bags.

8. We have a super energy and water efficient washing machine. It is a front loader, and I thought that Id hate a front loader because I was so used to the ginormous American style top loader, but when the clothes come out, not only are they clean, but nearly dry, which is great for number 9.

9. We hang up everything to dry. When I first moved here I was amazed that there weren't laundry rooms in the apartment buildings and gasp horror how do you wash and dry your clothes?! There are nifty compact racks to hang and dry clothes, there are airing rooms with clothes lines and there are airing cupboards here. A little extra work but hey, our shirts and trousers and jeans are already on hangers so easy to put away.

I can't think of a number 10 right now, but if I do later, I'll pop that in another post.

Time to make supper--Scottish Angus beef burgers, British baked potatoes, and British salad leaves and Tomatoes grown in my Mother-in-Law's back garden greenhouse. YUM!

Oh yeah, My Take on the Breastfeeding Program

http://lizzardbits.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-am-so-looking-forwards-to-this.html

I little while back I had this blog post^^^ and was excited to see it. There were good aspects to it, such as showing women actually breastfeeding their nurslings, a woman pumping milk to donate to premature babies, and a wet nurse/nanny. All Positive portrayals of breastfeeding, but I was not so pleased with the sensational twist at the end where Kate was serving breastmilk cream with strawberries and breastmilk in shot glasses to a gallery of women in cocktail dresses and men in suit and ties, laughing as people uncomfortably came forth one at a time to try the breastmilk.

On a few UK discussion boards that I lurk at, it has gotten quite a fair few women up in arms about it and sparked major formula feeding versus breastfeeding debates. Unfortunately many women take offence or feel guilty about choosing to feed their babies artificial milk and tend to attack breastfeeding mothers as being "militant" or "hateful" to them. (sigh) If I wanted to attack mothers, nay PARENTS, that fed artificial milk, I'd have to attack myself and my eldest son's father. It isn't parents that breastfeeding advocates (lactavists) are after it is the artificial milk COMPANIES and their unethical advertisements of their various infant and toddler formulas to make their SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN INFERIOR TO BREASTMILK sound just as good as human breastmilk.

Thus the ban on Nestle' products, as they consistently market and sell artificial milk in unethical ways to poor parents, to parents that do not have access to clean safe drinking water, that sells all of the powdered artificial milks as unsterile, yet does NOT tell the consumer that the powdered form is UNSTERILE. As well as refusing to recall artificial milk products when they are found to be contaminated, or even having too much of a particular ingredient that would be life threatening to babies. Through their millions and millions spent advertising, parents have been duped into believing that artificial milk is nutritionally equivalent to the biological standard of human breastmilk, and with made up science, can "protect" babies.

What would make me happy? Some have suggested making artificial milk only available through prescription, I actually disagree with that. I'd like to see a HUGE crack down on artificial milk advertising and cans and bottles of artificial milk with black and white labels only. The labels saying simply "X-Manufacturing Company's Artificial Milk, Based on Cows' milk, Powdered, Non-Sterile, makes X fluid ounces/milliliters of artificial milk when reconstituted correctly." or same with soy or meat based artificial milk, along with health warnings like cigarette packs have on them, "Warning: switching to artificial milk may lead to childhood obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal distress and/or damage, lower IQ, and in some cases death. If you are having difficulties breastfeeding, please contact La Leche League 1-877-4-LALECHE". No hospital bags with fee samples, no magazines sponsorship, no tv ads, no toys,bib,towels,blankets,onsies,hats,babygear, no pastel stylized bears, bunnies, babies or breastfeeding mothers (!) Just plain black and white labels.

Who said "Going Green" has to be Expensive-Non-toxic Home Made Laundry Soap

First, before we go into the recipe, I need to give props where props are due, as I totally swiped this from one of my favorite bloggers and super funny and awesome woman whom I got to share being pregnant with~~Aubrey at http://thisblessedlife-aubrey.blogspot.com/

"Ingredients needed to make 4 gallons:
4 quarts water1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax (sodium borate)
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (not baking soda)
1/2 a grated bar of Fels Naptha(I found these 3 soap products easily in the laundry soaps aisle at my regular ol' grocery store)

Supplies needed:
one pot used specifically for making soaps & cleaners in
a grater,
& something to stir the melting soap with a bucket larger than 3 gallons
ideally, 3 old 100 ounce laundry soap containers to store your new soap in
a funnel to get soap into said containers

Step 1: Put 4 quarts of water in your pot.
Add the grated half bar of Fels Naptha soap, the 1/2 cup Borax, and the 1/2 cup of washing soda.
Heat on medium heat.
Stir occasionally until all the soap has melted.

Step 2: Then, pour it into your bucket & leave it for about an hour to cool off. I used my empty diaper pail as my bucket.

Step 3: Once it's cooled off, add 3 gallons of very hot water to your bucket & stir thoroughly.
Step 4: Use your funnel and pour your new laundry soap into your storage containers. They will gel up as they cool & resemble everyday laundry detergent. Use about 1/2 cup per full load of laundry.

Voila!

And here's the breakdown:
I spent $14.25 total at Winco (grocery store) on a 55 oz. box of Arm & Hammer washing soda ($3.14), a 76 oz. box of 20 Mule Team Borax ($3.27), and 7 bars of Fels Naptha soap ($1.12 each). This will allow me to make a total of 56 gallons of laundry soap (!!). To compare, one 150 oz. container of Whisk laundry detergent (a little over *one* gallon) costs $13.00 at the same store.
I've been using this soap for a few weeks now & it's been working just as well as any of the overpriced detergents from the store. :)"

Please go and read Aubrey's blog, and see the pictures that go along with this recipe http://thisblessedlife-aubrey.blogspot.com/

I am sooo going to do this once we move to the States. (I'd do it now, but we are trying to use up, get rid, pare down on extra items as we aren't sure when we could be moving) I imagine that this laundry soap could have essential oils, like tea tree or lavender, added to it if one would like some fragrance, other wise it is truely fragrance free, and not fragrance masked like most "color-free fragrance-free" laundry soaps out on the market. I also imagine that this is an excellent laundry soap for cloth diapers, as it is fragrance and soap residues that gather in the fibers, and makes that ammonia-y soap build-up smell.

reason 4,657,245,478,463,456,346,767,345 to be excited to move back to the States-Home made laundry soap!!! Hurrah!

MMMmm It's Been A Long Time!

Living over in the UK, I have missed certain foods that I had all. the. time back in the States. There are also certain sodas, like the ones in the following pictures that can't be found, that is, until now! M and my Mother-in-Law and I found these American goodies at a candy store of all places that was selling American food as novelty items. M bought me a can of A&W root beer, a can of Mountain Dew, a jar of Jif peanut butter (they do have PB here but it tastes funny like it is "almost peanut butter") and real Welch's grape jelly! Woot! What time is it?! It's peanut butter jelly time! MIL bought me a can of Mountain Dew as well. The cost...well I'll get to that later.

To me nothing tastes more like summer than an A&W root beer float, and now that summer is ironically over here in the UK, I finally had my first root beer float of the season.

Proof that there is MD here! YAY!
Peanut butter jelly time! peanut butter jelly time! peanut butter jelly time!
It has been over a year since I have seen items like these together.
oh, root beer, how I have missed thee!
soon, vanilla ice cream, you will married to your perfect mate
oh, dear dear pint glass, you are the vessel of devine delight for me this night
do you, root beer, take vanilla ice cream, to mix in creamy foamy yummy goodness? to be chock full of calories that will go straight to my adipose tissues?

Look at that crown! Mmmm bliss!
It was worth the wait!

Oh and the cost for all this American novelty food and drinks- Sodas at £1.45 (or $2.54 a can) Jelly at £5.69 (or $9.98 for 18oz) and the peanut butter £4.39 (or $7.70 for 18oz) for a total of £14.43 or $25.30!!! So indeed, they are treats. Oh and a box of Lucky Charms was £7.69 or $13.50! Wow!

Introducing Sammy Squirrel The Newest Nutter to Clan Peterson

The following is a video of Sammy Squirrel SNORING! Poor little guy(?) gal(?) was found in my parents' lawn with no sign of Momma Squirrel or siblings. My Dad brought Sammy in and through the wonderful interwebz they figured out what and how to feed him/her and about how old he/she was. Sammy was found on July 26th, and was about 3 weeks old, and since then has been hand reared by my parents. Turn up your volume to hear Sammy snore!


Aww, isn't Sammy sweet?!

Nestle-Free Week is Coming Up-Mark Your Calendars-Starting Oct 4th!

http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/

We are approaching International Nestlé-Free Week, which this year marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the current boycott, on 4 October. In the UK children will be returning to school next month (September). Investigating Nestlé and thinking about Nestlé-Free Week and how to make change in the world, may be an interesting activity in the remaining days of the holiday and coming weeks.

The week is an opportunity to change our own behaviour and influence those around us, with the aim of changing Nestlé. Nestlé is the worst of the companies when it comes to pushing baby milk. It uses tactics that break standards agreed collectively by Health Ministries at the World Health Assembly and which undermine breastfeeding, so increasing the risk of sickness in babies, which, in poor settings, mean those babies are more likely to die.

According to the World Health Organisation, 1.5 million babies die around the world every year because they are not breastfed. Nestlé is the worst of the baby food companies and drives down standards for other companies. For example, when Nestlé ran a campaign advertising its formula in South African supermarkets at the end of 2007, the other baby food companies complained and the Department of Health said it was against such strategies. Yet Nestlé says it will continue to advertise its formula with claims that it 'protects' babies, even though it knows babies fed on it are more likely to become ill than babies who are breastfed. See:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2008/07/nestle-driving-standards-down.html

Nestlé is a very big and powerful company. It cares more about making money for its shareholders than it cares about the lives of babies and their families. So what can we do?

In the UK don't buy any of these products:
Coffee - Nescafé including:
Alta Rica
Black Gold
Blend 37
Cap Colombie
Cappuccino
Caro
Decaff
Expresso
Fine Blend
Gold Blend
Kenjara
Nescafé Ice
Organic
Partners Blend

Dairy products
Carnation
Coffee-Mate
Extreme Viennois
Fussells
Ideal
LC1
Munch Bunch yoghurts
Rowntree yoghurts and ice creams
Simply Double
Ski yogurts
Sveltesse yogurts
Tip-Top

Confectionery & snacks
Aero
After Eights
Animal Bar
Baci Chocolate
Black Magic
Blue Riband
Breakaway
Caramac
Chocolate Cuisine
*Colgate Dental Gum
Dairy Box
Dairy Crunch
Double Cream
Drifter
Fab
Fruit Pastilles
Heaven
Henri Nestlé Collection
Jellytots
Kit Kat
Kit Kat Chunky
Lion Bar
*Lyons Maid Ice Cream
Matchmakers
Maxibon
Milky Bar
Munchies
*Nestlé Ice Cream
Polo
Quality Street
Rolo
Rowntrees Fruit Gums
Smarties
Toffee Crisp
Toffo
Tooty Frooties
Walnut Whip
Willy Wonka
Yorkie

Contact lens care
Alcon

Mineral/bottled water
Aqua Panna
Aquarel
Buxton
Contrex
Perrier
Pow-wow
San Pellegrino
Santa Maria
Valvert
Vittel

Other drinks
Build-up
Milo
Nesquik
Nestea

Processed meals
Buitoni pasta & canned foods
Herta
Maggi
*Osem/Tivall
*Rowntrees Jellies

*Cereals
Cheerios & Honey Nut Cheerios
Cinnamon and Golden Grahams
Clusters
Cookie Crisp
Shreddies
Fibre 1
Fitnesse
Force Flakes
Fruitful
Golden Nuggets
Nesquik cereal
Shredded Wheat including: Bitesize, Fruitful, Honey Nut
Shreddies: Coco and frosted


*Cosmetics
Biotherm
Body Shop
Cosmence
Garnier
Helena Rubenstein
Innéov
La Roche-Posay
Lancome
L'Oreal
Matrix
Maybelline
Metamorphosis
Plénitude
Redken

Pet Foods
Arthur's
Bakers
BETA
Bonio
Felix
Friskies
Go-Cat
Go-dog
Gourmet
One
Pro Plan
Purina
Spiller's
Vital Balance
Winalot