Cleaning Au Natural

Thanks to a friend's suggestion, I googled a recipe for homemade powdered laundry detergent, and put it to the test on our dirtiest baseball pants, stinkiest socks, stained shirts, grease saturated work shirts, and my own delicate items. Here's the breakdown:

The Recipe:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Super Washing Soda (not to be confused with baking soda. I find the Borax and SWS near the usual laundry supplies, but typically on the bottom shelf)
1 bar Zote or Fels Naptha soap (These two were both found on the top shelves near the fabric softeners. They are great for pre-treating stains, so the theory is that with this included, I won't need to shout out those baseball stains! I hear rumor that Ivory or Dove can be used as well.)

The Directions:
Grate the bar of Zote or Fels Naptha and allow to dry out over night for easier crumbling. Once dry, measure in the remaining ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or your finger tips, which seemed to work just fine for me. I used Zote for this load, but I currently have 2 bars of Fels Naptha in my possession for the next batch.

I used 2 Tablespoons of my mixture per average size load. I operate my washing machine with only cold water to save on electrical expenses, and I've always had an okay turnout. For this sample load, I pretreated nothing and threw in an assortment of our everyday washing items.

The Results:
I'm both pleased and unimpressed. It worked, and I would say well; however, it didn't take out the baseball stains as well as the recipe had promised. With that small drawback, it was a great money saver for us because we do an unreasonable amount of laundry, and the clothes still came out clean. The smell is a little lemony from the Borax, which both Luke and I like. I washed the baseball pants with the shout sprayed on them, and they came out great the next time around. I have two sensitive skin men in the house, so another test was to see how they reacted over the week. No spots or itchies!

I spent $2.50 on a 4 pound box of Borax, $2.00 on a 3.5 pound box of SWS, and $0.99 on the bar of soap ($1.97 for a double bar of Zote). Considering I only use 2 Tablespoons of the mix, it seems safe to say this is budget friendly. 

Ultimately, if the cost of powdered detergents makes you groan and you can spare about 10 minute to make your own, it's worth it.



Next, I read an article about how the aroma and fumes from traditional household cleaning chemicals can put us in a bad mood more often than not. With that in mind, I found a quick recipe for a dusting/furniture polish.

The Recipe
 1/4 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon of oil (I used jojoba just because it never goes rancid, and I have a bottle leftover from soap making. Olive oil would be a great second choice.)

The Directions  
Mix and store in a closed jar, such as an old spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise container.

The Results
Wow - what a fabulous cleaner! The apple cider vinegar, while stinky at first, left no aroma behind whatsoever. What it did do was dig deep down into the wood pores and pull up all the dirt left from grimy hands and fingers. The oil was just enough to leave a shine behind, but no greasy residue to speak of. Today is day 2 after using the homemade polish, and my wooden tables are still dust free and clean. I'm anticipating using this weekly, so if we can go a week without dusty shelves, it's a winner in my book.

#6 pizza just for the boy!

This lucky 6 year old picked homemade pizza for his birthday dinner.



- Posted from my iPhone using BlogPress and my still beating heart.

Happy Birthday Alex James!

That kid Toby is in so much trouble, but it hasn't come to fruition for him yet.

Rewind to one hour ago:

I had high hopes that my newly 6 year old would make it safely to school with his pan of 21 homemade banana cupcakes. Although shouting out the door to Toby, "Walk slow so he doesn't drop his cupcakes!", left me with an ominous feeling in my gut.

My ESP must have been up and kicking because not 5 minutes later my phone buzzes with a text from Toby, "Alex is standing here with a pile of cupcakes on the ground."

I shoved my feet in my thongs and stormed out the door, still jammified mind you.

I keep expecting to come across a sugary slaughter, but at every approaching section of sidewalk there is nothing. No sad, birthday boy sobbing over the pathetic pile of banana and cream cheese goodness; no older brother who was in too much of a hurry to get to breakfast to slowly walk and ensure the safety of my baked goods. Every other neighborhood kid was there, just not mine, and none had seen the boys. Kids love a mom in pajamas FYI.

So I call the school secretaries since Toby has dutifully turned his cell phone off .

They discover Alex and his 21 homemade banana cupcakes safely in his kindergarten class. Just to rub it in, they add that he's beaming from ear to ear, and "Wow! Those cupcakes look delicious!" Thank you, I know.

I've been duped!!!! My own 9 year old played a ridiculously inconvenient joke on me. He succeeded in making his mother walk, no stomp, all the way to school, ready to school him good on the consequences of disobeying my "walk slow" orders.

I debated about returning the favor with an impromptu Pajama Mom classroom visit to take the cell phone from him in a ceremonial display. Instead I decided to keep it simple and let him mop all of my floors as if cupcakes had been smooshed into their crevices.

Lesson learned: don't mess with mom before 7:30am and coffee.

Anyways, happy birthday to my sweet Alex James!



- Posted from my iPhone using BlogPress and my still beating heart.

I love me some coupons!

Not the greatest savings, but pretty close to 50%! I bought quite a few non sale items that we needed. The great thing about the couponing is the savings on kids' snacks and lunches. if you've fed 4 growing boys before, you get my drift.


- Posted from my iPhone using BlogPress and my still beating heart.

Dinner tonight

Rich and Simple French Onion Soup

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups sliced onions
• 4 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices French bread
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 2 slices Swiss cheese, diced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Melt butter with olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
2. Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven broiler.
4. Ladle soup into oven safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

 

Picture success!

Alright, I got it!!! Prepare yourself for my photo caption ramblings, world!




- Posted from my iPhone using BlogPress and my still beating heart.

Testing out blogging from my iphone

I love my iPhone! It has opened up some awesome opportunities to me, one is being able to blog from my anywhere! Shamefully, I will admit I used to make fun of the blogging community. Now I'm excited to be a part of it!

This is my first test post from my precious phone. Picture included...hopefully.

- Posted from my iPhone using BlogPress and my still beating heart.

The Silver Linings of My Nightmare

(This is a copy of my note I posted on my facebook page, but I wanted it for reading here as well.)

Tuesday night, I made a debatable decision to allow my 11 and 9 year old sons to stay home by themselves while the others and I traveled 20 minutes away to dinner. Our neighborhood is historically safe. Our home is well-kept with locks on every door and window. A 6 foot privacy fence surrounds the perimeter of the yard, and bolts shut at the 2 gates. The choice I made was preceded by a thorough check of the main locks, including the one on the back door that was damaged a few months prior and no longer latched securely. After a failed try for possible success with the broken lock, I came to the conclusion that the bolted wooden gates enclosing the yard would be enough to replace the faulty door for the next 2 hours while I was away. The boys were given their instructions, a cell phone, a kiss, a hug, and an I love you. The segment of my brain I call the "mom mode" momentarily noted the importance of always saying "I love you" before we leave, no matter the conditions, since you just never know, right? At ease though, because I know they will be enjoying 2 free hours of xbox time, we drive away.

1 hour into our dinner, Toby's number appears on my caller ID, and I was greeted by an alarmingly calm voice telling me that he heard the unlocked sliding glass door open and shortly after slam shut. Blatant panic came next, mingled with an attempt at reasoning with myself over how serious this situation was. It is entirely possible that this is an imagined mess born from the nerves of a 9 year old that heard a noise. His next discovery was the "men standing by the white chair" outside the back door with two "tiny, long flashlights that were pointed inside the door". In addition to that, Jake tells me he can hear quiet voices outside his open window in the front yard near our main door.

My first thought was to call a friend who I knew was closer than I to the house, and my children. She was there within moments, and able to tell me the once bolted wooden gate was now wide open and inviting to strangers. There was nothing to reason with any longer. My situation had taken on nightmare qualities.

This was one of those thoughts I had pushed aside when I walked myself through the "what if" consequences of leaving the older boys home alone. Terrible things most certainly can happen anytime; however, there is that point in motherhood where you allow your children gradual freedoms, and you realize you have to work around those bad thoughts because you feel confident you've taken the proper steps to ensure their well-being.

Long story short, whoever briefly entered my home left just as quickly, and without any criminal damage. There was no forced entry, theft, or violence thankfully. Just a robbery gone wrong because my 2 sons were there. My friend was able to remove the boys from the house without any problems, and take them away to safety. The police were waiting for me, and on my arrival had already made a sweep of the house to ensure it was indeed absent of anyone that didn't belong.

It appeared the worst had ended because my most valuable possessions were back safe with me. Really though it is truly only the beginning. The security of my home was violated, and is now null and void. Even mending the broken lock provides little peace. Ultimately, we are not a family of dwellers, we are a family of get over it and move on-ers. At whatever financial cost, Luke and I decided to turn the physical guarding of our residence over to a trusted company. I have the stickers and signs decorating my property for proof of purchase.

Whether or not an 11 year old boy is old enough to babysit his 9 year old brother for 2 hours on a Tuesday night is a personal decision to be based on the maturity level and confidence of the child, as well as the state laws in your area. By writing this note, I take responsibility that I am opening that argument to someone who wishes to have it, although it will not be had by me with you.

These are my silver linings...
#1: I can change nothing from then, but everything from now.
#2: Using the check in feature facebook provides is a great way to alert a stalker that you are away from home.
#3: Sharing the excitement about purchasing a gigantic 55 inch TV maybe wasn't such a smart idea.

It doesn't often happen, it probably won't happen, but bad things can happen to the little people we are responsible for. We were fortunate to have avoided anything more than a haunting story to tell. I tagged my mother friends, and shared this publicly in hope it will encourage you to check your locks.

I've been hired!

Twice now...by my dear sweet brother, Jeffery. He has enlisted my mediocre web design skills to get his JET Novelties business up and running.

Have you checked out our family site? Webb-Becker Jeff's work site is Toyota Jeff, which I also left my mark at.

If I write it, I know you'll come

Writing makes me happy, and lets me indulge in my natural need to share my thoughts with no one in particular. I have a horrible habit of finding random outlets to plug my tidbits into; however, it never fails that I slack on it.

Let's start with an update...our lives are full! Full of happiness, sadness, new adventures, challenges, crimes and punishments.

Baseball season is mid swing, which means that my spare time belongs to my boys. Jake is having "his" season so far. He's at the top of his age group, so his hits are naturally going to be bigger, and his plays are realistically going to be more involved. It's been a joy to watch him develop into a productive member of a great team! Toby is right there with his brother on the minor A A's. For being one of three 9 year old's on the team, he's doing fabulously. You couldn't ask for a cheerier child to spend your Saturday afternoons with. Alex is destined for baseball greatness....I just know it. This little lefty never wants to leave the field, and smacks that ball nearly into outer space when he's up to bat.

I'm trying hard to get back into my couponing. CVS sent me a letter and said they missed me, and Publix keeps asking why I'm paying full price for my groceries when I could be saving at least 75%. Good question Publix.

Wish me luck!