DIY Compost Bin

I haven't been blogging much lately, but I actually have a good reason! I am having a lot of pregnancy problems (again) and have been pretty limited on what I can do. I haven't been doing a lot of projects lately, but this one is pretty fun! Maybe I just say that because I'm not really the one who did it. We had some extra dirt and no where to put it, so my husband decided to build a compost bin. My husband works a lot but has taken up woodworking a little bit in his spare time (something that his dad does too.) I wasn't able to find very good plans for building a compost bin, so we guessed. I don't recommend trying to do math in your head at 8AM, we ended up forgetting something and having to go back to the lumber yard. 

The Materials: 

• Chicken wire, 12 feet (3 feet high) and we had extra so 10 feet would be enough
• 2x4 - 32 feet (10, 10 and 12 feet, I don't recommend getting 12 feet unless you have a very large vehicle, we had to tie ours down.)
• 1x4 - 20 feet (10 and 10)

Total Cost: Around $40. This could be cheaper if you could find a discount lumber yard, or use scraps. He had just used most of his scraps to build a shelf for our laundry room, so we had to go out and buy new materials. $40 is still a good price. We bought a $50 plastic compost bin at Sam's Club a few years ago and it fell apart in a few months. This will last a lot longer. 

 

I should have taken more "in progress" shots, but I wasn't feeling well and he got a lot done in a short amount of time.

 

Almost finished.

 

 Close up

 

This is where we decided to put it. As you can probably see, our yard is on a VERY steep incline. This was the only place other than the backyard (which would be very inconvenient from the kitchen) to put it. 

 

It might look a little unstable but it actually isn't at all. 

It only took a couple of hours and it turned out pretty nice. Now I just have to remember to stop throwing the compostable things away. :) 

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Easy DIY Disinfecting Cleaner

I haven't posted anything like this in a while. Here is a recipe for a very easy DIY disinfectant cleaner. Only two ingredients! All that you need is regular white vinegar and orange peels. Put the peels in a container with the vinegar and let it "infuse" for a while. I used a mason jar because I think they are pretty, but you could always just put the peels directly into a spray bottle with the vinegar. Use this spray anywhere, especially in the kitchen. The orange peels give it a nice smell, and vinegar is one of the best cleaners out there, enjoy!

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The Many Uses of Baking Soda

I have been cleaning with natural products for quite some time now. Baking soda is one of my
favorite products for natural cleaning because it is cheap and it works great! I love baking soda for cleaning, but is is also a great bath and body product! I have a large box sitting in my bathroom, and I have been using it a lot. Before you get completely weirded out, just keep reading! It really works. 

Baking soda as a face wash:
I have been using baking soda, a little water, and some coconut oil to wash my face. The coconut oil removes makeup, and the baking soda is an excellent cleanser for the skin. You really do not have to use baking soda every day. Sometimes I just remove eye makeup with coconut oil and wash my face with water. The baking soda makes your skin feel extra clean and smooth.

Baking soda as a toothpaste:
You can use baking soda as a toothpaste! I ran out of my Tom's of Maine, so I have been using baking soda for toothpaste. Just make a paste with water and brush. It's really simple. Your teeth feel really clean, and it helps make them brighter. You can also use hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda. My mouth is really sensitive right now (pregnancy) so I am not currently using the peroxide. If you can use it, it will whiten your teeth! If I want some minty-freshness, I just use my Tom's of Maine mouthwash. 

Baking soda as a shampoo:
Is this advice getting weirder? YES. Use baking soda to wash your hair. Use just enough water to make a paste, scrub into your hair, rinse. It's easy, it works, your hair is clean. I have been doing this and my hair doesn't feel any weirder or more disgusting than when I used regular shampoo and conditioner. Oh, and it's CHEAPER!! You can get a big box of baking soda for less than $2. I use apple cider vinegar to rinse my hair after, and it feels great. he vinegar smell goes away within a couple of minutes. I don't really know why I would go back to using normal shampoo and conditioner, this works just as well!

I have heard that you can make deodorant out of baking soda. I haven't done that yet. I am pretty happy with my Tom's deodorant. If you think these ideas seem crazy, just try them! If it doesn't work for you, you aren't losing anything. I was very skeptical about using baking soda as a "shampoo" but now that I have used it, I love it! If you have any "strange" uses for baking soda, leave a comment and let me know what you use it for!

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Make Your Own Laundry Detergent - Part 2!

Back in 2010, Meagan wrote this post about making your own laundry soap. It was fairly popular, and we have sent several people to the post to check out how we make our laundry detergent. I made the liquid version once and I liked it but didn't love it. Meagan uses the powder version, and she swears by it. While I liked the liquid version, I wasn't completely comfortable having a large bucket of laundry soap on my laundry room floor. I used a lid, but it still didn't feel completely safe. I usually stock up on detergent during sales, but I had recently ran out and decided to make my own again. I found another variation on the homemade laundry soap recipe. It uses the same ingredients in similar quantities, but has a very different texture!

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
1 bar of Fels-Naptha
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Washing soda

Note: you should be able to find all of these ingredients at any Wal-Mart, Target, or Grocery Store. Fels-Naptha is about $1 per bar. Borax and Washing soda are $2-$4 for fairly large boxes. They should last a while!

Materials:
2 quart sized mason jars
Medium-large sauce pan
Blender
Grater or food processor

Directions:
Grate the bar of Fels-Naptha. If you have a food processor, this should be easy. If you don't, use a hand grater. It's really a pain, but it works. I don't have a food processor so that is what I had to do. Now put four cups of water into a medium or larger sauce pan and bring to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, mix the Borax and Washing Soda together thoroughly. Slowly add grated soap to the pan, it should look like this:

   
Turn the heat down to medium. Now you are going to stir. You will be stirring for a while, so I suggest you find something else to occupy yourself. I used Pinterest on my phone. You will need to stir until the soap dissolves. Don't skip this step. You will regret it. Don't ask me how I know. It is not "good enough" until all of the soap is dissolved, this took me about fifteen minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the dry mixture until it no longer feels grainy. This should take about five minutes. BONUS: Your house will smell really clean, and your pans will BE really clean. I use stainless pans and this one is sparkly now. 

 

Borax and Washing Soda

Now you will want to carefully pour your mixture into two mason jars. They will be about half full (or half empty, hahaha..) Add water to the jars until they are nearly full, leave about 1/2 in. Seal the jars and shake them, and then turn them upside down. Now leave them on the counter (upside down) for about a few hours. I left mine for four hours. The mixture will separate. Sorry I don't have a picture of that, my camera died. Open the jars VERY carefully, the top layer will be liquid and it can make a mess. Again, don't ask me how I know. I would put a towel (or prefold diaper) under the jars when you open them. Pour the contents of one jar into the blender. You may need a spoon to get the stuff at the bottom. Blend until you get a whipped consistency. It took less than a minute in my Cuisinart blender. Carefully pour back into the jar, and repeat with the other jar, You're done!

Finished Product

Use 1 TBSP per load of laundry. It is safe for top loaders, front loaders, and YES, it is safe on cloth diapers! I didn't want to post anything until I had actually used it. I have washed both blankets/towels and diapers with this today, and it works great! This recipe will make two full jars and only using one tablespoon per load, they should last a while! The entire recipe cost less than $2 to make I didn't count the entire cost of Borax or Washing soda since 1) I already had them and 2) I didn't use all of it! I love this recipe because it is less messy than powder, but safer and less of a hassle than liquid. I am posting a video below to exactly what it looks like. Let me know if you make this and how it turns out! Make sure to clean your blender and pan right away to avoid any big messes later! What other home products do you make yourself? We'd love to hear about them in the comments!

 
NOTE: This is NOT my original recipe! I found a few different sites that had tweaked the original recipe and kind of combined them.

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DIY: How to make a Valentine's Day wreath

I saw this post on Pinterest about how to make a Valentine's day wreath. Now I will warn you that I didn't follow the tutorial, just kind of winged it, but I will give you the original site just at the end of the post, in case you are a rules following kind of person. :)

Materials needed:

Foam wreath form (OR.. do what I did, use pipe insulation. It costs $3 for 4, vs. $4 for 1)
Yarn 
Felt pieces ($.23 at Walmart, you will need 2-3)
Ribbon


How to make it:

Wrap wreath form or pipe insulation in yarn. If you are using the pipe insulation it is easier to wrap before you make it into a circle. Pipe insulation can be found at Wal-Mart in the area where are all weatherizing stuff is, or you should be able to find single pieces at Home Depot or Lowes. I have three extras, so I plan to make wreaths for Easter, Halloween, and Christmas too. Now, cut the hearts out of the felt pieces. I didn't use a pattern. I used a little bit of mod podge to help the felt stick to the yarn. A word of advice.. if you have a hot glue gun, use it. :) I used duct tape and mod podge in several places where it would have been better to use a hot glue gun, I need to buy one. Use some of the leftover yarn to make kind of an argyle shape over the hearts. Secure the end pieces with a hot glue gun (or tie them down.) Hang with a ribbon and you are done! I should have made a prettier bow, but I was feeling pretty sick by the time I was finished.

This would be a really good craft for kids too, especially older kids! My total cost was around $10, but I had to buy the yarn (and the only grey yarn they had was HUGE) and felt pieces. If you have felt scraps or yarn laying around your house, it would be very inexpensive. I hope you enjoy making this!



 

This is the link to the post that was on Pinterest.

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Homemade Bread is SO Delicious!

Today I spent my day over at a friends house baking bread. I have never in my life made bread, but we go through it so often in our house, that I decided I wanted to learn how to make it myself. Well, I mentioned it to my friend the other day and she said she makes all of the bread her family eats. So, she invited me over to make some with her.

Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine

She has an amazing kitchen appliance that virtually does all of the work for her. She calls it her Bosch. I did a little research, and found it online. It is called a Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine. She got it as a wedding gift and says it makes a lot of baking tasks much easier, but had she never received it, she would never have bought it for herself. If you check it out online, you'll understand why. Anyway, this Bosch makes making bread look so easy! She has made it without her Bosch before, but of course now that she has, why would she? So, we made some with her Bosch and it was delicious! We made four loaves of wheat bread and man was it good!

Our Homemade Wheat Bread

After leaving her house today, I was so excited to get home and start my Internet search for "how to make bread without a machine". Haha... So, when I find just the right recipe, try it, taste it, and approve it, you will be the first to know! Until then, I think I might have to buy the ingredients and visit my friend once in a while to use her Bosch. I can't get over how good it tastes!

If you have a tried and true recipe for homemade bread (without a machine), please let me know either in the comments or by emailing me, and I'll be sure to try it out and post about it. Until then, I'll keep on searching for the perfect recipe! Mmmm... My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

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A Simple Way to Store Your Breast Milk

Don't you hate when you bag up breast milk and put it in the freezer? Next thing you know, you have clumpy, awkward bags taking over your freezer. Well, I stumbled upon a great tutorial last week, for breast milk storage. This is an awesome idea. You can watch the full version, or click on the top right corner after pressing play, to watch the shorter version. The materials needed are listed after the video.

Materials Needed:

• Breast milk storage bags 
• A standard sized gift bag
• A pair of scissors
• Scotch tape

Thanks to the greenlitebites's Channel for sharing this awesome video!

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Video: How to Make Homemade Facial Scrubs

I was watching some videos on Swagbucks today to try and get a few more SB's for Luke's birthday presents, and I found a great one! This is Jeannie Mai (host of Style Network's "How Do I Look?") showing us how to whip up three facial scrubs. Whether you have oily skin, sensitive skin, or dry skin; these are all super simple to make. I'm going to be trying one this weekend!

How to Make Homemade Facial Scrubs

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Thrifty Carpet Deodorizer

I use a very simple trick to deodorize my carpets. It is thrifty AND natural. :) You will need:


Lavender essential oil
Baking soda (or borax)
Vacuum

I'm sure you have the last two things on the list, Amazon is one of the cheapest places that I have found lavender essential oil. It has many uses (which I will try to do a blog post about) and a 1oz bottle will last a very long time.

Throw a couple of cups of baking soda into a large bowl. Put 20-25 drops of essential oil in the bowl and use a fork to mash it up into the baking soda and mix. Sprinkle the baking soda onto the carpet and leave for about 30 minutes. If you have kids it is best to do this AFTER they go to bed or they will track it everywhere, I learned that the hard way. Vacuum it up and enjoy the smell! You can use any kind of essential oil but I think that lavender smells the best for house cleaning. Any citrus oil would smell nice as well and they are even less expensive. If you want to deodorize without any essential oil baking soda or borax alone works just fine. Enjoy!

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Thrifty and easy floor cleaner

I know that I have been horrible about keeping up with the blog lately. Having a newborn is definitely a lot of work! Fortunately she is a great baby and her big brother is great with her as well. I still find it difficult to keep up with everything that I am used to doing on top of taking care of two kids. Kainan's birthday party is today and I'm still scrambling to get the house clean. I mixed together this floor cleaner last night and it worked so well that I wanted to share it!

Fill up a sink or bucket with very hot water, add a few squirts of Method dilutable cleaner. Method has cleaners that are specifically for floors but they are $6.49 and this one is $3.99. It's very thrifty because I bought this well over a year ago and still have more than 3/4 left. Then pour in a couple of cups of vinegar (I didn't measure.) Mop floors. :) I used a Libman wonder mop that I bought because you could wash it. I love that it's reusable but it's a really horrible mop. This makes a really awesome floor cleaner for linoleum and tile. I know that I have raved about Method cleaners before but they really are great. Sometimes natural cleaners just don't work as well but this is not the case for all of the Method products that I have used.

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Just a quick update...

I totally agree with Amy. I've also been horrible with posting in the last week. So, here's what I've been up to...

Last Thursday (May 19th) was my last day working outside of the home. Friday I took the boys to a play at Toby's Dinner Theatre. It was Winnie the Pooh, and they loved it! Monday was Luke's first day of preschool and the first day I officially started working from home. Needless to say, it has been a busy week around here! Luke is loving preschool and I'm finally getting into the groove with working from home again.

As for Amy's ideas... I am all for them!

Meal Plans:
I love the idea! I'm pretty good about this one as it is, but I'd love to inspire some others to start doing this.

Getting in shape:
This is something I've never really had to work at, but I'd love to tighten things up a bit now that I have two little ones. I'm definitely not as toned as I was pre-babies! I was actually just talking to Amy earlier today about how I'd love to start running in the morning. This is a good one!

Make it Monday:
I'm working on a few ideas right now for great DIY projects.

I will definitely be posting sometime tomorrow. I'm thinking of posting some meal planning tips, to inspire some moms out there. It really is much easier to have a plan when it comes to dinner every night, and it's a great time saver!

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Checking in..

I have been horrible at keeping up with this blog lately. I've been busy with the newborn and I also recently started working from home a few hours here and there. Here are some of the things that have been on my mind and I will probably be blogging about this week!

Meal Plans

I know a lot of people plan out their meals a week (or more) ahead of time. We don't do this but I think we need to. We always wait too long and then don't have certain ingredients or don't have time to thaw the meat, etc. I am fortunate in that my husband likes to cook (now if only he liked to clean..) so he will have a big part in this one.

Getting in shape

I have quite a way to go with losing the weight I gained while pregnant with Mikaela. You may think I'm crazy because it's only been 3 weeks, but with Kainan I had lost it all at this point. Since our blog is about natural (healthy) living I'd like to check in once or twice a week with my progress, as well as tips. Most people don't know that I'm a certified personal trainer as well as an aerobics instructor so the knowledge is there now all I need is some motivation. Comment if you'd like to see fitness tips become a regular part of the blog!

Newborn pictures

I need to take Mikaela's newborn pictures NOW. I will (of course) be posting a few when I do. :)

Lots of reviews and Make it Monday

I have lots of reviews that I am going to work on in the near future. I also need to figure out what I am going to do for Make it Monday next week.

Well that is what has been going on with me, hopefully I will be able to make the time to be around more!

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Safer cleaning products

My laundry/cleaning supplies

I have been happily chemical cleaner-free for over two years now. For me it isn't about being green as much as it is about having a safe home for my kids. I did some reading on what is in regular cleaners and I switched to natural versions (and eventually went on to make my own) and never looked back. This is one area where going green and being thrifty go hand in hand. Many of the ingredients you will need to make your own cleaners are in your kitchen already. If you don't happen to have them, most are very inexpensive.
Money saving tip: Some food items used for cleaning, like lemon juice, can be bought very cheap at discount grocery stores. Since you aren't eating them it does not matter if they are expired.

Safer floor cleaner - A squirt of Dr. Bronners in a sink or bucket full of hot water works great for cleaning floors. If you prefer an "actual" cleaner, Method makes a diluted cleaner and it works great on floors. Vinegar and water also work well and the smell goes away almost immediately.

Safe bathroom cleaner - Vinegar works great for cleaning the toilet. You can also add some baking soda for a nice fizz. Regular toilet bowl cleaners are very, very toxic. My favorite cleaner (if I don't make my own) is by 7th Generation.


Safe multi-taskers - My favorite all purpose cleaner is very simple. Fill a spray bottle about 3/4 with water, add a few squirts of Dr. Bronners (any scent, but tea tree oil will have anti-bacterial qualities) and about a teaspoon of washing soda. If you make your own laundry detergent, you will already have washing soda on hand. Otherwise it is very inexpensive. You can always add essential oils for a nice scent or to make the spray anti-bacterial. Method and 7th Generation both also have good all purpose cleaners.

Safe window cleaner - I use Method, but vinegar/water and club soda/water (mixed half and half) work just as well.

Safe wood cleaner - Again, I use Method because I LOVE the smell (almond.) However olive oil mixed with a few drops of lemon juice work just as well and smell really nice too.

Safer laundry - You can always make your own detergent so that you will know exactly what is in it. There are also many safe detergents out there now. Most big brands have "free and clear" detergents that do not contain dyes or perfumes. I use Rockin' Green for my diapers (and sometimes kids clothes) and it works great! Since it is a little pricey (although worth it!) I use All Free&Clear for my other laundry. I plan to make my own as soon as I run out. I also occasionally use Method Fabric softener on towels or sheets/blankets since my husband likes it. We don't and never have used dryer sheets but I have about 12 dryer balls.


Safer kitchen cleaner - I love using lemon juice and baking soda to clean nearly everything (stove, cutting boards, etc) in the kitchen. For counter tops and just about anything else I use the all purpose cleaner that I mentioned above. Most companies that make dish soap also make "green" versions but it's good to read the ingredients because some of these aren't as safe as they seem. Again I would recommend Method or 7th Generation.

Safer room sprays - I would strongly advise that you stay away from most room sprays if you have little kids. They are extremely toxic. The best way to keep a house smelling nice is to make sure to open to windows as often as possible. Soy candles with essential oils are also good, although obviously caution is needed with kids around. I fill a small spray bottle with water and put a few drops of essential oils in it. Lavender is a nice scent or citrus scents like orange and lemon smell fresh. This can be sprayed on curtains/furniture or just in the air. My 2 year old likes to spray it all over the house.

I've never had a problem with the safer products working any less successfully. I feel much better that I don't have anything in my house that needs to be locked away. I do keep my cleaning products out of reach of course but I feel better knowing that they aren't horribly toxic. Does anyone have any natural products that they use and love that we should try out? Comment and let us know!

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Make it Monday

I have seen this on a few other blogs do something called "Make it Monday." For Make it Monday, one (or maybe both) of us will do a simple DIY project every Monday with step by step instructions. If this is something you'd like to see on our blog please take the poll!

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Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

I have been a pretty big fan of the Duggar's over the last few years. For those of you that don't know who the Duggar's are, they are a 2 parent family with 20 children, 1 daughter-in-law, and 1 grand-daughter. They have a show on TLC called 19 Kids and Counting. Of course with 20 kids, you need to be able to adapt, and one of those ways is saving money. The Duggar's have some great ideas on how to save money. Many of them are listed in their books and on their website. I have been using the Duggar's laundry detergent recipe for a little over 2 months now, and I love it! They have both a liquid and a powdered version, but I use the powdered version since it's simpler to make with such a busy lifestyle, and it works great for us.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
*For top load machines only.

Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

Yields: 3 cups (approximately 40 loads)

Ingredients:
- 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap
- 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
- 1/2 cup Borax

Materials:
- airtight container for storage

Directions:
1) Grate the bar soap, or break it into pieces.

2) Run the pieces of bar soap through a food processor until it's powdered.

3) Mix the powdered bar soap with the washing soda and borax.

To Use:
Light load- 1 tablespoon
Heavily soiled load- 2 tablespoons

I was lucky enough to find all three of the ingredients at my Walmart. I got the Fels Naptha for $0.97 a bar, the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda for $1.97, and the 20 Mule Team Borax for $2.98. I know you can find it some of the stuff cheaper, but I just got it where I found it. Anyway, based on these prices, you would only be paying $1.60 per 40 load batch. If you buy the bar soap by the case, you can get it as cheap as $0.45 a bar. At that price, you would only be paying $1.44 per 40 load batch. Either way, this powdered detergent is very powerful and super inexpensive. I also bought a small plastic container at Walmart for $2.19 for storing my detergent.


Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
*For front or top load machines.

Yields: 10 gallons (approximately 180 loads for top load machines and 640 loads for front load machines)

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

- 4 cups hot tap water

- 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap

- 1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
- 1/2 cup Borax

Materials Needed:
- saucepan
- 5 gallon bucket
- old laundry detergent bottle (rinsed clean)

Directions:
1) Grate the bar of soap and add it to a saucepan with the water.

2) Stir continuously over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves and is completely melted.

3) Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Add the melted soap, washing soda, and Borax.

4) Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let it sit overnight to thicken.

5) Stir the detergent the following morning. Fill a clean laundry detergent bottle half full with the laundry soap. Fill the rest of the way with water.

6) Shake before each use (the mixture will gel).

*Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add after the soap has cooled. You can use lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil, etc.

To Use:
Top Load Machines- 5/8 cup per load (will yield approximately 180 loads)
Front Load Machines- 1/4 cup per load (will yield approximately 640 loads)

I was lucky enough to find all three of the ingredients at my Walmart for my powdered detergent. I got the Fels Naptha for $0.97 a bar, the Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda for $1.97, and the 20 Mule Team Borax for $2.98. I know you can find it cheaper, but I just got it where I found it. Anyway, based on these prices, you would only be paying $1.60 per 180-640 load batch. If you buy the bar soap by the case, you can get it as cheap as $0.45 a bar. At that price, you would only be paying $1.29 per 180-640 load batch. I've heard amazing things about this liquid laundry detergent. I'm hoping that the next time I have some free time, I'll be able to make this liquid version and try it out. I know Amy plans on making this once she runs out of the stuff she has now.

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Reusables - Save money while living naturally

I just read this article on the cost of various disposable paper product prices. It isn't really a surprise since the cost of everything (gas, food) is on the rise as well. However it's not that big of a deal to those who primarily have reusable products in their homes. There is a reusable alternative to just about any disposable product out there, even toilet paper! Stay with me though, I don't even go that far. Reusable alternatives only cost a little more initially and will save you hundreds of dollars over time. It's also nice to know that you aren't adding unnecessary waste to landfills. Many reusable alternatives are not only affordable but cute and fun as well. Another bonus in buying reusables is that you are often supporting moms who work from home or other smaller made-in-the-US companies.

Diapers: Babies go through tons of diapers and if you don't like throwing away a bunch of diapers (and your money!) cloth is definitely the answer. See our cloth diapering section for some helpful posts about getting started.

Wipes: Cloth wipes are great and really easy to make. I am not a great seamstress and I made my own very easily. If you aren't the DIY type, many WAHM (work-at-home-moms) make them and they are sold on websites like Amazon. These flannel wipes by Osocozy or these fleece wipes by Thirsties are examples.

Dishes: This is pretty easy, use regular dishes instead of paper/plastic cups/plates. :)

One of Meagan's many
reusable snack bags.

Ziploc bags: Meagan makes reusable snack bags and will be selling them at some point. You can also use plastic containers that can be washed. These are incredibly handy. I don't recommend using plastic with hot foods, but that's another issue entirely.

Dryer sheets: I'm sure I've mentioned dryer balls enough now, so I won't go into further detail. :)

Cleaning products: Swiffer products (and similar brands) are really handy but it seems wasteful to throw away so much extra garbage. I switched to a reusable alternative and they actually work much better, I bought mine on Etsy a couple of years ago but I have bought other things from this WAHM and her products are awesome!

My unpaper towels from Virginia.

Paper towels/napkins: It's very easy to substitute paper towels or napkins with some cheap washcloths or older clothes that you have cut up into rags. If you want a nicer option there are plenty of places where you can buy cloth napkins (what do you think people used before disposables?) You can also make your own with very basic sewing skills, it's not a big deal to make a mistake if you are only using it as a cleaning rag! A friend of mine made some snapping cloth towels (sometimes called unpaper towels) for me and several other WAHMs make them also. If you make the switch and your paper towel holder is looking lonely, get some of these. :) However, it can be helpful to keep a few paper towels handy in case of a grease spill or similar situation.

Toilet Paper: Some families use the option of cloth products instead of toilet paper. This is sometimes called "family cloth." These are essentially cloth wipes, but are used instead of toilet paper and usually kept in a wet bag in the bathroom. I am not to this point yet, but I did want to mention it. If you want to go green but not *that* green, there are eco-friendly TP options out there. I've seen a lot of coupons for eco-friendly TP lately too, so it can be affordable.

Feminine products: It might seem weird at first but cloth feminine products are getting fairly popular, at least among those who use other reusable products. The Silver Liner and GEM Cloth but have excellent products.

If you like the idea of being a little friendlier to the earth but aren't quite sure about reusable products there are a lot of "greener" paper options out there. 7th Generation makes diapers, wipes, tampons & pads, and many other reusables in addition to their cleaning products. I have never had any complaints with anything that I have bought from this company. There are also recycled paper towels (I can't remember the brand) which I have bought at Big Lots really cheap. I am starting to see coupons for eco-friendly products pop up more often, which is great for those of us who want to save money. Reusables don't have to be an all or nothing thing, maybe just try one reusable product that you usually buy in a disposable. You may be surprised that it actually works better!

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How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks for Good

 ::Update April 2013:: I feel like we are Pinterest famous :) If you are here from Pinterest, welcome! Please check out the rest of the blog for lots of info about eating gluten free, cloth diapering, parenting, reviews, and more! Meagan and I have both personally used this method for stretch marks and it really does work! Enjoy! -Amy

-Original Post-

Any mama who has been pregnant, has worried about the dreadful stretch marks, or as I call them "battle scars"! Maybe, your one of the lucky few who never got one. If so, congratulations! If not, I'm sure you've tried quite a few different creams, lotions, and potions to get rid of the them. Some of the more popular ones are Bio-Oil, Mederma Stretch Mark Cream, and Cocoa Butter. Unfortunately, 95% of the time, these creams only diminish the look of stretch marks, if that . If you want a tried and trusted way to get rid of your stretch marks for good, keep reading!

So, about 3 years ago, I was chatting with some co-workers on our work forum, and I noticed a link in someones signature- "Stretch Marks- Be Gone". I clicked on it, very interested in knowing what the secret was. At this point, I had just recently had my first son, and stretch marks had taken over my belly. Anyway, I continued to read the article, thinking in my mind 'There is no way this is going to work, if $20, $30, and $40 creams don't! Well, I followed the instructions and repeated the treatment every day for two weeks. To my dismay, my stretch marks were disappearing. Slowly, but surely! Four weeks later, there were barely any left! I was amazed! At this point, 3 months had gone by, and I was astonished when I looked in the mirror and my belly was stretch mark free. Of course, when I had my second son, they came back, but I just recently started the treatment all over again, and they are slowly disappearing again.

Since reading this article a few years ago, I've only told my close friends about the "Miracle Solution", but now I think it's time I let the cat out of the bag. After all, us mamas have to look out for each other! So, here it is.



Hard Loofah



What Do I Need:

- hard loofah

- salt scrub or sugar scrub

- 3 minutes in the shower/bath each day

Salt Scrub

What Do I Do Next?

1) When your in the shower or bath, you want to take a generous portion of the salt scrub or sugar scrub and cover all areas of your stomach where the stretch marks are.

2) Next you want to wet the loofah and start scrubbing the stretch marks in small circular motions. You want to scrub until your belly is red. (Sometimes this may hurt a bit, but beauty is painful sometimes.)

* Sometimes it helps to grab the area of skin between your thumb and fingers and try and stretch it out a bit first. The tighter the skin is, the easier it will be to scrub.

3) Continue the scrubbing small areas in a circular motion until you've covered the entire area where stretch marks are apparent.

4) Rinse off the scrub, and go about your daily routine.

** I make no guarantees that this regimen will work for you. I will say however, that if you follow the steps correctly, at least 4-5 times a week, your stretch marks will slowly disappear. The number one reason that this treatment wouldn't work for someone is because they aren't persistent. You need to keep up with this, or else the results will never be what you want them to be.

Good luck! :-)

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Uses for Organic Coconut Oil

Organic coconut oil can be used for so many things besides cooking. I keep a jar around the house and use it every day. You can buy it on Amazon and just one of those tubs lasts a LONG time. I also found a tub on the clearance aisle at Walmart but that was a one-time thing. These are some of the things that I personally use coconut oil for.

As a face moisturizer: I don't even use a regular moisturizer, I just use coconut oil. I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to my appearance, but this works really well for me.

Instead of lotion for kids: If you have kids with sensitive skin (I do) lots of things make them break out. Organic coconut oil works really nicely as a "lotion" for kids, and it smells nice too.

For diaper rash: If your kids have a mild diaper rash, organic coconut oil can help or keep diaper rash away. It is also cloth diaper safe whereas many diaper rash creams aren't.

For hair: Coconut oil is an awesome hair conditioner. I don't use it often because I think it feels pretty gross putting it in, but it definitely does work.

These are just a few of the uses for organic coconut oil. It is fairly cheap, eco-friendly, lasts forever, has multiple uses, and you can use Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks to buy it!

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