Green Home {make your own fabric softener}

I love how easy and cheap it is to make my own fabric softener.  All it takes is 3 ingredients and about 5 minutes. I got the ingredient recipe from My Kitchen Escapades through Pinterest.  I loved her ingredients, I just hate measuring!  I like to keep it as simple as I can!  Especially doing laundry for a family of six.

{What you need}
1 bottle of cheap Suave conditioner-I use Ocean Breeze about $1.60 at Target
Distilled White Vinegar- I it at Sam's Club. 2, 1-gallon jugs for $3.58!  You will need about 1/2 gallon.
Hot Water
An empty 150-170oz old liquid detergent or fabric softener container (you're recycling!)

{What you do}
Empty all of the Suave conditioner into the container.  Add some hot water (as hot as you can stand it) to start dissolving the conditioner.  Alternate adding vinegar and hot water until your container is about half full and then shake vigorously.  You will get some bubbles but that's okay.  Add the rest of the vinegar until you have added about half a gallon.  Shake again and then fill the rest with hot water.  Give it another good shake and you are ready to go.  If you have a bunch of bubbles leave the cap off overnight and then add more water in the morning until you get to the top.

You've just made your own fabric softener for $2.49!  My container does about 200 loads which means I'm only paying a little over $.01 per load.  Compare that to the Member's Mark from Sam's at $8.48 and $.04 per load or Downy from Sam's at $11.98 and $.06 per load.  The savings is not only in my pocket book, but in my drying time as well.  The vinegar aids in line drying and not having crunchy clothesline clothes.  I also don't get a film on the lid of my washing machine or the area where you add the softener, so less cleaning!

I promise your clothes will not smell like vinegar and your wallet will be a little heavier!  Your clothes will still be soft and will smell clean.  You can always add your favorite essential oil if you want a heavier scent.  Use it just as you would the store bought stuff and yes you can use it in your HE washer.




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Green Home {the clothesline}

Green Home {the clothesline}

I'm going to start posting the ways we have a Green Home.  I mean this is Julie B Green and I bet you have been wondering what the green part is.  Green not only for the planet but for your wallet as well.  Let's face it these have been economically challenging times for quite a few people. This year I will be saving my family over $720 on our electric bill.  We are on an average monthly plan that is calculated by our total energy use over a 12 month period.  They re-calculate ours every December.  In 2011 our electric bill was $200/month, eeeek!  For 2012 it is only $140.  How did I do this?  Simple, I started to use a clothesline.

At this point you are either intrigued or you think I'm completely nuts.  If you think I'm nuts, well maybe I am, but I'm $720 nuts.  We don't have a traditional clothesline hung on metal poles from the ground and we don't have one of those square turning ones either.  Ours is hung along the top of the posts of our back patio and connected to the house.  I don't line dry everything all the time and I don't have crunchy clothes either, ick!  I also don't spend hours more on laundry.  I timed myself, it takes me 5 minutes to take a load off the line and hang a new one up.  That's it, just 5 minutes.

How did we do it?  Well honestly my husband did it after I asked him nicely.  Look at the pictures and then show your phone to the guy at Lowe's :) and ask your husband nicely to put one up for you.  It only cost us around $25.  If he rolls his eyes or looks at you like you're crazy just tell him I saved $720.  Money talks!  You could also figure out what works best for you.  Do you have two trees, or a tree and a fence, or a fence and something else?  Not everyone has a covered patio but you could create one with just about any space.  Ours is really sturdy and has a lot of tension which I think is key.  I also like that it is shaded most of the time being around the patio, although the sun is great at removing stains so I have one side that is really sunny.  If it starts to rain I'm not out taking clothes off the line in the rain.  I think it took him about 30 minutes to get it up.  He's pretty awesome.

I don't have crunchy stiff clothes for a couple of reasons.  First, I don't let them get all the way dry outside.  I bring them in when they are still a little damp and pop them in the dryer for about 10 minutes.  10 minutes versus an hour + per load is the money saver folks.  Second, I make my own fabric softener which contains vinegar.  There's some science behind it and vinegar is a natural fabric softener.  I'll show you how to make your own later.  It's cheap and it works.  Third, I use wool dryer balls.  I make my own, but you can buy them online.  Etsy would be a good place to look.  I'll show you how to make your own on another post.  That's it.  Just three things.  If I goof and leave stuff out too long I wet two wash clothes and throw them in with the load in the dryer.  They provide enough moisture to take out any crunchiness and wrinkles.

Now for the corny part to all this.  I really like hanging my clothes up.  Not just for the money and environment, but because on those days when things seem never ending I can spend 5 minutes outside in the fresh air.  When Jack was really little I would take him out with me and put him in his bouncy seat or his wrap and it forced me outside and made the insanity of having a newborn and kid number four more bearable in the early days of sleeplessness. There is also something very 1950's house wife about it and to be honest I kind of like that part.  It connects you to the earth and mother earth and nature in a spiritual/hippy way that I can really appreciate too.  I really appreciate that $720, more than the hippy part!

He drilled this hook into the rock/ house.

This contraption was so that he could get the tension correct/adjusted.

He also installed support hooks on the perimeter beams so that the line would have extra support.
While I'm waiting for another "I peed in my bed Mommy" load of laundry to go on the line it's drying cute art work.

Another look at the mechanism that holds it into the wall, and my cute lights.  

I'm gonna party like its my birthday, because it is!

It's Friday!  But even better its my birthday!  A lot of people don't make a big deal about their birthday the older they get but I keep making a bigger deal out of it every year.  I'm entering the last year of my 20's.  If you're in your 30's or whatever don't hate, I'll be there soon enough.  I spent my 20's having babies, 4 babies.  That means 3 whole years of my 20's were spent pregnant.  You're not jealous anymore are you?  Pregnant, nursing and fat is how I spent the majority of them.  At 29 I am the skinniest I have been in my 20's and I'm going to crush this last year.  I lost a lot of weight in the last year and being so close to my goal and close to hitting the big 30 has me more motivated than ever.  Bring it 29.

So I bet you're wondering how I'm going to spend my fabulous day, right?  Well first I'm dropping the kids off at school and getting my birthday coffee from Starbucks.  I'm getting the biggest and most caloric thing I can with a shot of espresso.  Then I'm going to Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions for the littles.  Brace yourself for these awesome things: laundry, dishes, mopping the kitchen (its only been 2 days but for real its gross), calling the dentist to set up my x-ray, calling and setting up my hair appt (mama's getting her hair did) and taking a nap with the little ones.  I know, pure awesomeness.  We're having grilled cheese for dinner outside because its my birthday and that's what and where I want to eat.  Remember I'm going to hard core mop the floor so I'll be damned if it gets some crazy amount of dinner on it, just give me a few hours of clean okay kids?  I'm making Dale take a walk with me 29 times for my present starting with tonight. I want him to live forever (or just The Notebook style and as long as I do) and secretly I know he will become addicted to it especially if he does it 29 times.  I have walking withdrawals from not going yesterday.  We are going to sing happy birthday (for the umpteenth time) and eat ice cream and maybe a spoon of Nutella and have extra snuggles and extra stories because its my birthday and I get to spend it with the people I hold most dear in the world.

Perhaps the best present I got this year was from my Mom's surgeon who called her with her pathology report saying they did indeed get all of her cancer.  She doesn't have to have anymore surgeries (the next one would have been really, really risky) and no chemo.  She is a survivor for the second time in my life.  Best present ever because I know it could have just as easily been the hardest birthday I've ever had full of uncertainty and sadness.  Best present ever.  I'm going to rock 29.

Ellie in her new glasses, I love her.

My favorite swing buddies.

My favorite Thunder player, number 10.

This guy who happens to be the love of my life.  Who told me to hurry up and finish blogging because I only had a  little bit of young left in me :) and I should spend it with him!

Five Easy Things to do to Lose Weight

I still have about 25-30lbs left to lose before I hit my goal weight but I've lost over that amount in the last year.  I bet you are wondering how I did that.  So here are 5 things that have helped me get this far.  I'm sure you've heard them before, but I am proof that they work!  If I can do it you can do it!

Drink water.  I hate drinking water.  I've tried drink mixes and things but that never did it.  What finally worked was putting it on my to do list dry erase board on the refrigerator.  Every morning I write out 5 things I need to do and then I write in "Drink Your Water."  Every time I drink a glass I erase one.  It not only makes me feel good that I'm doing something great for my body, it also feels good to mark something off of my list.  I also drink a small glass every time I go to the bathroom.  You've washed your hands and you are right there, just down a cup.

Stop finishing the kids leftovers and make your plate how you would make theirs.  If you have kids you know how hard it can be to "waste" that little bit (or a lot) of food that they might leave.  Quit doing it!  It is just causing body waste that you will have to work off later.  If its big enough, wrap it up and give it to them later.  Usually I give the little leftovers to my dog.  I know some people will say its not okay to feed dogs table food, but I've seen her eat poop so I think she'll be okay.  I also make my portions as though I was making the plate for my toddler.  It gives me wiggle room for later.  If I eat a cookie or have a snack its okay because I never have a huge meal.

Sweep and run the vacuum everyday.  If I don't sweep and mop my floors and vacuum every day I can feel such a difference in my activity level.  It's an added bonus of walking.  It may not feel like you are doing a whole lot, but you are taking extra steps and its something you can do when you have little ones.  You can add some squats or lunges in while you're doing it if you feel so inclined.  I tell myself that my chores are my workout.  Because I can turn any chore into a workout.  Oh and your house will thank you for it as well.

Eat Chocolate.  I don't believe in denying myself or extreme dieting.  I eat chocolate and dessert.  Do I sometimes have to do a little extra working out? Yes. It's worth it.  Food is good.  Once a month I would probably steal chocolate from the hands of my children and growl if they attempted to get it back.

Do crunches while you watch T.V.  Once the kids are all in bed I love to surf the DVR for my favorite shows that are not always kid appropriate.  Instead of just being a couch potato I lay in the floor and do crunches and leg lifts.  Of course it doesn't happen every night, but I'd say 4 out of 7.  Its like a bonus workout.

That's it.  If its gross outside and I can't go for a walk or run, or I just didn't get to it that day, I can always turn on some good music and have a dance party with the kids. I quit beating myself up about missing a workout, I quit defining what working out was (even 5 minutes is better than 0) and I've put my health and happiness first.   Less stress less weight?  I think so.

Room with a View

If you are like me you spend more time in the kitchen than you'd probably like.  My kitchen window, above my sink, has a view of our fence.  Not exactly what I would like it to be.  So when I change out my wreath I change out my window display to give myself a room with a view.  It makes such a difference to do this little thing just for me.  It also makes doing dishes and shining my sink not such a chore.

The fence, what a view!  Now I only see the things that make me happy!

Epsom salt, red bird and branches.  In the other jar I have coffee beans and a candle.  When the candle melts into the coffee beans it looks really neat.  Also a place to put my jewelry.

Epsom salt on pine cones to look like snow.  Epsom salt in a jar with a candle.  

Same wreath from Christmas, minus the ornaments.

I added Epsom salt snow to the pine cones and the ribbon has snow flakes on it.   Simplicity!

Decorating my house is like pampering myself.  I love a few touches of vintage and making it feel like the season inside, even if sometimes I could go outside in a t-shirt.

The Lowdown on the FlyLady and how I took Control of my Life in 2011

I sound like a crazy person talking about CHAOS, Flying and Control Journals but, and its a big but, less than a week post Christmas and my house looks like parties and Christmas mayhem never happened.  While some parts of Christmas didn't go as smoothly as I wanted (I was up way too late wrapping presents) most of the celebrations we had were easy and carefree.  Thanksgiving and Ellie's Birthday were hands down the easiest and less stressed holidays/parties I've ever had.  I think that next year, Christmas will be just as easy.  It's all thanks to starting a House and Holiday Journal and working 15 minutes at a time.

If one of your goals for 2012 is to get organized, have a clean house, lose weight, eat healthier, etc, I really suggest looking up FlyLady.  It has truly revolutionized my house and my life.  I am pampering myself, I drink the amount of water I should, my house is never more than 15 minutes from company ready, I can spend more time doing things with my kids, crafting, sewing, I've lost over 32 lbs this year and I'm getting rid of the junk that had once taken over my closets, garage and house.

I have been labeled as a super mom before, I'm really not, I just FLY with FLYLADY.  I resisted having routines for myself for a long time and now that I've given in I couldn't be happier or less stressed.  It has even helped in my marriage.  My husband never complained when coming home to a messy house.  He even told me it wasn't a big deal, we had four kids after all.  But I wanted him to come home to a clean house, I wanted to have a clean house and this has given me the tools to do it.  And you know what?  He actually helps more, the kids help more and we do things together.

So scroll down and have a look at my Journals.  I call them my house and holiday journals.  My house journal is broken up into my Before Bed, Morning and After School Routines.  It also includes my Weekly Home Blessing, which is all of the things that I do each week throughout the week.  Next it has detailed Zone Cleaning, with very detailed things to do for each area of my house.  I schedule in days each week to do a Zone Mission and FlyLady sends out their own Zone Missions.  I also have a list of Kid Dashes.  These are things that my kids can do in 5 minutes or less.  I have them do 1 or so each day.  Once its been 5 minutes we stop.  They know I won't make them do more and they give it their all because I keep my word and stop when its time to stop.  In the front pocket of the binder I keep all of our current bills that are due and in the back pocket I keep important receipts or letters.  This way I always know what is due and when and I never have to search around the house to find it.  I also keep my recipes that I use often and my meal plan and shopping lists towards the back of the binder.

My holiday journal serves for any holiday, birthday party or get together.  It's one place where I can put event details, shopping lists, decoration ideas and anything else related.  Once the event is over (like Christmas) I type up what worked, what didn't and what we liked about it or other fun details.  I also include any recipes that we used and want to use again.  For example, we used a new gingerbread recipe and I have it included with the Christmas details.  Next year I can see what worked and have all of those details ready for me.  I file them in chronological order placing each current event in the front and then when its over placing it in the back using clear sheet protectors.  I use the front and back pockets for gift receipts and party item purchase receipts.  I put some Michael's and Hobby Lobby receipts from my daughter's Christmas party at school, so glad I did because I have about $15 in supplies that we didn't use and now I have the receipts handy so I can make those returns.  In the past I would have just kept the items if I couldn't find the receipt with the excuse that I could surely use that craft item.  All that did was add to the clutter that was taking over my life, well not anymore!

My husband rolled his eyes when I started this.   Now he helps me shine my sink!

Yes its NYE and I have already done this! I didn't want to forget anything!

I know you're ready to FLY with me!  Take it on in 2012.  It all starts with BabySteps.  I don't follow what she says exactly, I have tailored it to fit me and my schedule and my life.  It really works!!!  Want help starting?  Comment below I would love to help you!

The Aftermath

We're in it, the aftermath of 3 Christmases.  Which at first was really overwhelming Sunday night when we brought in the massive amount of things from the grandparents but with a bit of work and rearranging we are on the path to sanity again.

Thanks to the FlyLady we are cleaning things up 15 minutes at a time.  What would have taken me alone 30 or more minutes (like picking up the living room) only takes 15 minutes because I have willing kids, ready to help.  They know that I will only ask them to give their all for 15 minutes at a time and that when the timer goes off we will take a break.  All of us.  I'm on a break right now!  We made a list of the rooms that need to be cleaned up and we work on them, 15 minutes at a time, until they are done.  Sometimes we go back and forth between different ones and sometimes we work on the same one until its done.  If we finish one before the time is up, we get bonus free time.  It is amazing what can get done in so short a time.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed today with all of the CHAOS (another FlyLady term meaning Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) then set your timer and work 15 minutes at a time.  Then take a break (set the timer for that too!) so you don't get burnt out.  FlyLady has REVOLUTIONIZED my life and my house and while I'm still learning to FLY I am happier, healthier, skinnier and more organized than ever before.  Did I mention I have 4 kids....me now, compared to 2 kids, well I can't even compare it!  And there goes the timer, time to grab these kids and get at it!

The Summer of Responsibility

During the school year it seems as though we are going a million miles an hour and its seemingly easier to do things myself.  But all of that has changed this summer.  This summer I'm not working, not having a baby or bringing one home and I'm not doing all of the chores by myself.  If it is something they can do, I let them.  I also have let go of  a whole bunch of control and lowered my expectations!  The result has been a cleaner house and more importantly more time together.

So what do they do?  After lunch and dinner the older ones take turns washing the dishes, wiping down the table, sweeping and moping the floor.  We always give Regan and Jack their own rags and ask them to clean but usually nothing happens.  All the while I can do things like clean off Jack and wipe the counters down and put away any leftovers.  They love using the mops.  I love not moping.  It doesn't look perfect but on the flip side its getting done and besides its gonna be messed up in about 5 seconds anyway.  They also unload the dryer, fold socks and wash cloths, pick up the living room and dust along with being semi responsible for their rooms.

The best part is we are spending more time together (oh and I am way less stressed) and they are learning valuable life skills.  I want my kids to be able to take care of and depend on themselves more the older they get.  They feel so accomplished and proud of their work and in turn we give them praise and are sure to let them overhear us bragging about them.  Our goal by the end of the summer is that they can each (Ethan and Ellie) be able to prepare a simple meal without leaving a mess and know how to do some simple cleaning tasks on their own.  So far so good.  I know it can only get better the older they get, that is until they quit enjoying mopping.

 Oh and just because its summer and because I think she is so great, here is Regan at the splash pad.