I like to consider myself a "frugal" person. Things that are homemade with just a few ingredients I already have on hand really spark my interest. So when I come across things like homemade finger paint for example, I get pretty exited! The main ingredients are salt, flour, water and a squirt of food coloring. Simple enough, even I couldn't screw this up, righ? Wrong, of course I can find a way to screw this up!
So to start I should have taken pictures to document, truth be told I didn't think about writing my failed attempt at making finger paint during that time. But thinking of my blog and the half a dozen failed attempts at being frugal and homemade, I've failed quite a few of them. So forgive my lack of pictures for this one.
So after reading how "simple" this was I ran to my kitchen to grab what was needed. Flour, salt, food coloring and some mustard and ketchup bottles I picked up at Wal-mart for .75, knowing I'd have a use for then eventually. Plus with two boys who have a bottle obsession in the bath tub. Anyhow, I decided to allow Nicholas to help me with this project, after all it was for him. I gave him the job of opening the packages on the bottles, which he did it about 5 seconds. Yet another fail, I hoped he would keep busy for at least 3 minutes while I set up the table. I then realized I didn't have enough salt, why do I use so much salt? This is just a heart attack waiting to happen! I also figured a whole cup of flour, salt and water was not going to fit into a how ever many ounces this bottle is (not labeled, what else is new). So I cut them all in half, a 1/2 cup instead of a whole cup. To my surprise it all fit, yay! I also need to note on how incredibly hard it was getting the flour into the bottle! I though a funnel would be the way to go, nope. Flour was not going to budge! So I poured it in and added a little extra since I pretty much dumped most of it on the table! Then added the water. Shake shake shake.....It doesn't sound like liquid anymore.....Add more water! Shake shake shake. All while it's pretty much shaking out of the lid and going God knows where all over my home. Yes I covered the end, but it's got a pretty crappy seal. Now understanding why they were so cheap!
Take a look at the contents....Seems legit....Add food coloring.....CAREFULLY shake this time haha! At this point it was mostly pancake batter thick, so nothing spewed out of the bottle, thank goodness! Super proud of myself I decide to give my homemade finger paint a try, on paper. Not eat, I'm not that gross! Squeeze.....Nothing....Shake, squeeze, nothing....Oh you've got to be kidding me.....Squeeze harder! SPLAT! There we go! Oh such a pretty blue, I may have over did it on the food coloring. Okay this stuff is pretty cool, I thought. Until another clog, shake, squirt, clog. Oh come on, really!!!
During this time my two year old is into the flour! Having way more fun with that than he would any kind of homemade finger paint! Then I realize he's also got his hands on a bottle of food coloring, oh crap! I was able to rescue that from the two year old death grip, and then lose all hearing for an hour from the glass shattering scream he let out! Flour easy to clean, neon blue food coloring? I can't imagine if would ever come out of the carpet! And at this rate I should be deaf anyhow!
Okay, so basically what I ended up with was a runny, salty mess! I wasted all my salt, hopefully a popcorn desire doesn't strike any time before I can head to the store, and you and I both know I'll forget it every time I go to the store for he next few weeks. I think the lesson learned is to not mix it IN the bottle intended for squirting. Next time (if there so be a next :) I'll be mixing in a bowl, with a wisk, and into the bottle!
I have a great laugh reading failed attempt blogs at Pinterest crafts. So when I had a major fail I had to blog it!
Love, Melissa <3
Friday, August 17, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Just random thoughts....
When I'm feeling lost, worried or upset I often turn to someone to talk to. I can't always find that person who is willing to listen. It's not that they don't want to, it's just they don't have the time. I sometimes feel like I'm being a bother. But the truth is I hurt. In just a few days we'll be celebrating what would be Stefanie's third birthday. I guess we're not really celebrating, as we're morning her death. It leaves me feeling so empty. My arms still ache, my heart still pounds at the very thought of the day we said goodbye and I watched them walk away with her. I can still feel her skin and the smell of her hair. Even the blankets still have the new baby smell. I love that smell. Such a sweet smell, it's indescribable. I almost never wanted to wash my newborn's hair. One thing that has always hit me was the sound of a helicopter. As I laid there waiting to hear a cry, I could hear the helicopter landing. Thinking okay they're here, they're going to get her to a better hospital. Everything is going to be alright. But nobody had the look of "alright". Sometimes when I hear a helicopter I get kind of teary eyed, I wonder if the person is going to be alright, or if it's someones baby. I think many people can relate to that sound. I remember my mum telling me a story about it once, when I told her how I feel when I see or hear one.
As I sit here thinking of the words to write my heart beats faster, I have thoughts going in each direction. I'm trying to keep the tears from flowing. I hate this feeling. I've had a head ache everyday for the past three days. At first I blamed the sudden change in weather, but I think it's stress.
Every single day I wake up knowing I'm missing one less person. I can't do anything about it, I have to just keep going. I remember people telling me it would get easier, and it has gotten easier. It still feels like a fresh cut. It's starting to heal. I sometimes wish there were more understanding people. And that is what brings me to when I feel I'm becoming a bother. Sometimes I get the feeling of being pushed away. And I don't think the person is trying to push me away, as they don't know what to say. I'm not really looking for any words in specific, mostly just a shoulder to cry on. Reminds me of this Poem:
I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes, uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes, they are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some women are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.
I don't know who wrote it. My good friend Tyann tagged me in this post a couple years ago. She may not know this, but I read it often. I also like to think her daughter and Stefanie are best of friends. Just as their mommies are on earth. Unlike some people Tyann understands everything I write or have to say. As well as my other fellow momma loss good friend, Megan. They both often know the perfect thing to say that helps me get through this. It helps these "shoes" better to walk in. Also for my "other mom" she's never been there, but she knows what to do and say.
I'm reading over what I'm writing and it doesn't sound perfect it's a lot of jumble. But that is the rate of my brain racing right now. I have been short with everyone lately. I don't mean to be. I've turned people away who want to listen. So this is my public apology to anyone that I've been rude to or given the cold shoulder to in these past few days. I am truly sorry.
I have learned something in these past few years. That no matter what the sun still rises and sets everyday as if nothing ever happened. People still go on with their lives as I was told they would. And I have been able to move on with my life, as they said I would. I'm grateful for everything I have and every single person in my life.
There was a part of today that made me suddenly stop! I got so flustered and just lost my train of thought. I thought oh my God, what's today's date?! Did I miss it? Please tell me it's not the 9th and I missed her birthday! It was like I slammed into brick wall! I've been so consumed in worrying about everything going on, what we're going to do that day, not to forget to get balloons for our memorial launch. I quickly grabbed my phone and was relieved it was only the 4th. I don't know what made me suddenly think it's the 9th or past the 9th. It was strange!
Now that the weather is changing we're able to spend more time outside. Which I just love!! Nicholas is talking more and has become more independent and it's a pleasure to have a toddler around. Christian is growing at such a fast rate! He told me yesterday he think he needs deodorant LOL! He even made me smell him!!! I'm happy to report he hasn't hit that stage yet and I believe he must have been smelling someone else, because it was not him lol. He is ready to grow up. But luckily for me it will be a few more years before any of this happens!!! Both the boys are doing well, Nick has been fracture free since March, no jinx!!! Chris will have some dental work next month to fix a defective tooth, they said it's likely it didn't form correctly. They're going to try and save it and hopefully avoid a root canal, I hope. That would require surgery and he's never gone under before, so it will have me a bit nervous. It's never easy to hand your baby over for surgeries. Neither of my boys have ever had any sort of major surgeries, but I've had to hand them over a few times for serious tests. It's a very tense sit and wait. Fingers crossed all goes well and we leave happy.
As I was hoping I'd feel better after writing a blog and what do you know, it worked! I often tell people to blog it's so easy and helps get things off your shoulders. Anyhow, thanks for reading my rant and helping me feel better! Remember Sunday (May 6th) is Wishbone Day. Wear yellow to support Nick and everyone living with OI. Also, tag or text me a picture of you wearing yellow :)
With love, Melissa.
As I sit here thinking of the words to write my heart beats faster, I have thoughts going in each direction. I'm trying to keep the tears from flowing. I hate this feeling. I've had a head ache everyday for the past three days. At first I blamed the sudden change in weather, but I think it's stress.
Every single day I wake up knowing I'm missing one less person. I can't do anything about it, I have to just keep going. I remember people telling me it would get easier, and it has gotten easier. It still feels like a fresh cut. It's starting to heal. I sometimes wish there were more understanding people. And that is what brings me to when I feel I'm becoming a bother. Sometimes I get the feeling of being pushed away. And I don't think the person is trying to push me away, as they don't know what to say. I'm not really looking for any words in specific, mostly just a shoulder to cry on. Reminds me of this Poem:
I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes, uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes, they are looks of sympathy.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my shoes and not theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some women are like me and ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don't hurt quite as much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by before they think about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has lost a child.
I don't know who wrote it. My good friend Tyann tagged me in this post a couple years ago. She may not know this, but I read it often. I also like to think her daughter and Stefanie are best of friends. Just as their mommies are on earth. Unlike some people Tyann understands everything I write or have to say. As well as my other fellow momma loss good friend, Megan. They both often know the perfect thing to say that helps me get through this. It helps these "shoes" better to walk in. Also for my "other mom" she's never been there, but she knows what to do and say.
I'm reading over what I'm writing and it doesn't sound perfect it's a lot of jumble. But that is the rate of my brain racing right now. I have been short with everyone lately. I don't mean to be. I've turned people away who want to listen. So this is my public apology to anyone that I've been rude to or given the cold shoulder to in these past few days. I am truly sorry.
I have learned something in these past few years. That no matter what the sun still rises and sets everyday as if nothing ever happened. People still go on with their lives as I was told they would. And I have been able to move on with my life, as they said I would. I'm grateful for everything I have and every single person in my life.
There was a part of today that made me suddenly stop! I got so flustered and just lost my train of thought. I thought oh my God, what's today's date?! Did I miss it? Please tell me it's not the 9th and I missed her birthday! It was like I slammed into brick wall! I've been so consumed in worrying about everything going on, what we're going to do that day, not to forget to get balloons for our memorial launch. I quickly grabbed my phone and was relieved it was only the 4th. I don't know what made me suddenly think it's the 9th or past the 9th. It was strange!
Now that the weather is changing we're able to spend more time outside. Which I just love!! Nicholas is talking more and has become more independent and it's a pleasure to have a toddler around. Christian is growing at such a fast rate! He told me yesterday he think he needs deodorant LOL! He even made me smell him!!! I'm happy to report he hasn't hit that stage yet and I believe he must have been smelling someone else, because it was not him lol. He is ready to grow up. But luckily for me it will be a few more years before any of this happens!!! Both the boys are doing well, Nick has been fracture free since March, no jinx!!! Chris will have some dental work next month to fix a defective tooth, they said it's likely it didn't form correctly. They're going to try and save it and hopefully avoid a root canal, I hope. That would require surgery and he's never gone under before, so it will have me a bit nervous. It's never easy to hand your baby over for surgeries. Neither of my boys have ever had any sort of major surgeries, but I've had to hand them over a few times for serious tests. It's a very tense sit and wait. Fingers crossed all goes well and we leave happy.
As I was hoping I'd feel better after writing a blog and what do you know, it worked! I often tell people to blog it's so easy and helps get things off your shoulders. Anyhow, thanks for reading my rant and helping me feel better! Remember Sunday (May 6th) is Wishbone Day. Wear yellow to support Nick and everyone living with OI. Also, tag or text me a picture of you wearing yellow :)
With love, Melissa.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Vinager....Not only for fries!
I came across some other blogs talking about homemade cleaning products. In this day and age almost everyone is making things homemade. From laundry soaps, fabric softeners, baby wipes and cleaning products. When I read that vinegar was a natural disinfectant I was intrigued. My first thought was how I almost always have a gallon of this stuff under my kitchen sink. Which is strange considering I almost never used vinegar, until I started making homemade fabric softener. Which by the way is totally awesome! I haven't bought a bottle of Downy for months! Other than getting free samples in the mail, I use my homemade stuff with every wash. That will be blog another time.
I'll admit when it comes to household cleaners I'm a total hoarder! I have them all (we close to it). If you open my cabinet above my stove you'll find easily 20 different types of cleaners. I honestly don't know why I have so many. Usually my reasons for buying a new kind is because the last didn't impress me. Or someone is complaining that the house smells like a forest, and we're not bears haha! So it's time for me to kick the cleaning products obsession and start using this all natural cleaner. Which is simply equal parts water and vinegar. I actually have a bottle of this made up that I used while cleaning my walls to prep for paint. I had to wrestle the vinegar off Christian, that boy loves vinegar and will drink it given the chance.....did you mouth just fill with saliva?
I picked the bathroom to try this out on. Mainly the floor. Not that it's utterly filthy, but it's been a week since I've given the floor a good wash. I also would like to mention that I've kicked the paper towel habit. I started chopping up old holey t-shirts as cleaning rags. Paper towels aren't that horribly expensive, but I always run out when I need them most and it's a pretty big waste of money. Just throwing it away, to sit in a land fill for God knows how long. Are they biodegradable? I doubt it! I cleaned out Christian's pajama drawer a month or so ago. Getting rid of anything too small or stained so much, thus why it landed in the pajama drawer. I chopped them up into about 30 rags. Tossed them into an empty wipes container and voila, pop up clean wipes at my reach! After I use them they [used] to soak in the sink in some hot bleachy water, and then washed. Now they'll disinfect in some vinegar water! Saving money and the earth by recycling....I feel so proud of myself :)
I wish I would have taken before and after pictures, because I was so totally impressed! Even if I craved salad, fries and German potato salad the whole time I wiped down the bathroom floor. It really sparkled! I'm very impressed! Tomorrow I'll do my kitchen floors, counter and mirrors. Cleaning mirrors with vinegar and wiping with news paper for a streak free shine, is something I've always known about. But have done maybe once!
I've also read that cleaning with tea-tree oil is also great! It is a natural disinfectant as well. However I know it's a bit pricy. I price checked a bottle at Target and it wad $6 for 2ozs. So that's something I may or may not try.
I'll admit when it comes to household cleaners I'm a total hoarder! I have them all (we close to it). If you open my cabinet above my stove you'll find easily 20 different types of cleaners. I honestly don't know why I have so many. Usually my reasons for buying a new kind is because the last didn't impress me. Or someone is complaining that the house smells like a forest, and we're not bears haha! So it's time for me to kick the cleaning products obsession and start using this all natural cleaner. Which is simply equal parts water and vinegar. I actually have a bottle of this made up that I used while cleaning my walls to prep for paint. I had to wrestle the vinegar off Christian, that boy loves vinegar and will drink it given the chance.....did you mouth just fill with saliva?
I picked the bathroom to try this out on. Mainly the floor. Not that it's utterly filthy, but it's been a week since I've given the floor a good wash. I also would like to mention that I've kicked the paper towel habit. I started chopping up old holey t-shirts as cleaning rags. Paper towels aren't that horribly expensive, but I always run out when I need them most and it's a pretty big waste of money. Just throwing it away, to sit in a land fill for God knows how long. Are they biodegradable? I doubt it! I cleaned out Christian's pajama drawer a month or so ago. Getting rid of anything too small or stained so much, thus why it landed in the pajama drawer. I chopped them up into about 30 rags. Tossed them into an empty wipes container and voila, pop up clean wipes at my reach! After I use them they [used] to soak in the sink in some hot bleachy water, and then washed. Now they'll disinfect in some vinegar water! Saving money and the earth by recycling....I feel so proud of myself :)
I wish I would have taken before and after pictures, because I was so totally impressed! Even if I craved salad, fries and German potato salad the whole time I wiped down the bathroom floor. It really sparkled! I'm very impressed! Tomorrow I'll do my kitchen floors, counter and mirrors. Cleaning mirrors with vinegar and wiping with news paper for a streak free shine, is something I've always known about. But have done maybe once!
I've also read that cleaning with tea-tree oil is also great! It is a natural disinfectant as well. However I know it's a bit pricy. I price checked a bottle at Target and it wad $6 for 2ozs. So that's something I may or may not try.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Nice kitchen. If your a DUCK!
We're doing some remodeling of our house. Little things like fresh paint, carpeting and fixing up stuff. Our house is OLD and my father in law didn't take great care of if before we lived here. So we're constantly fixing little things. And sadly these little things could have been avoided had they had a little TLC by him. He's shocked that $2.50 could have saved him $300 o.O
In the spring we have to redo the outside steps because winter took a nasty toll on them, then my son and his friends broke the railing. Which is pretty simple since it's metal it can be welded back together. However the cement steps have to wait until we're over the snow in the spring.
Two days ago we got a nasty clog in the bathtub, suddenly we sprung a leak!!! I originally thought one of Nick's extremely thin wash rags had sucked down the drain. I was relieved to find out that it was not a rag, or if it was the snake pushed it down the drain. Either way it's draining and we're not taking a bath while showering!!! And those baby rags have been throw away! The second time IS NOT a charm in this case!
The worst part of the clog? It was raining in my kitchen! Would have made life easier had the water been an actual water pipe, but no it had to be a drain pipe that was leaking, well throwing water all over my kitchen! We called a plumber that night, and they wanted $350 just to show up! Forget that and we set up buckets and trash cans to collect the water. Not even thinking that the heavy water would cause the ceiling to buckle. We lost about 6 of the 14 tiles in the ceiling. Oh it gets better (probably thinking how?). When the plumber came to snake my drain, he had to go into the ceiling to find the leak, which meant cutting through the floor boards!!!! So now there is a lovely hole about the size of a teenager! But the leak is stopped and we no longer shower in the kitchen ha! Luckily we can easily fix it and replace the ceiling tiles. We made a trip to Lowe's to check out prices on the tiles. We'll try one more home improvement store before we buy them. We need to allow the ceiling to dry before we hang them, so we have a little time to shop around. I climbed up there today and felt around and it feels nice and dry, which is a huge relief, because I was terrified of mold!
For the past month or so I have been picking up little paint sample cards of colors I might like. I brought them home, tape them to the wall and look at it every time I walk into the room. I hung 5. I like to see it in different lighting. Wither it be sun light, sun set, haven't seen it during a sun rise, and night. So far I haven't really fallen in love with any of the colors I have hung up. Today I brought home a couple new ones, I'm starting to fall in love with one of them! So it's definitely on the yes list. Then again in my opinion neon yellow is better than the boring, cold feeling white wall we have now! I hate white walls, so impersonal and cold feeling. Hopefully within the next few weeks that will change! I invited my cousin (other mum) to a painting party, just the two of us, maybe dad too. I'm sure we can paint the entire room in one day.
The one thing that I have been really racking my brain about is deciding on carpet or fake hard wood flooring. I really like the look of hard wood, the easy clean up. I have two young boys, a dog and a father in law that drops just about everything on the carpet.. I'm starting to get tired of scrubbing. My carpet scrubber used to live in the basement and make an appearance every few months for a regular cleaning. Once Nicholas started crawling around we started scrubbing more often, especially when I saw him lick the carpet once! Yuck! Sure it's been cleaned, but people walk on it! Anyhow, the scrubber is usually sitting in the corner of my dining room because I use it constantly! Thank goodness for the small attachment! So that being said I'd love the convenience of using a paper towel and cleaner and being done in 2 minutes. But once again I wonder how well it will hold the heat since it gets rather chilly in our living room (very large room). Plus, I fear will it be too hard on Nicholas? Researching the prices it will cost around the same, so money really doesn't play a factor in our decision. I need to save money because we are doing all this on a budget.
And lastly I'd really like to re-grout my bathtub tiles. Which seems super easy! And pretty cheap. I'm sure I can do it myself after doing some research online and talking to both my dad and other dad (cousin).
Thanks for reading! Hopefully we can do this all on a small budget. And I'm really excited about making my home more personal. I saw some great art today that would look great in the living room. Yes, I get excited over the little things :)
In the spring we have to redo the outside steps because winter took a nasty toll on them, then my son and his friends broke the railing. Which is pretty simple since it's metal it can be welded back together. However the cement steps have to wait until we're over the snow in the spring.
Two days ago we got a nasty clog in the bathtub, suddenly we sprung a leak!!! I originally thought one of Nick's extremely thin wash rags had sucked down the drain. I was relieved to find out that it was not a rag, or if it was the snake pushed it down the drain. Either way it's draining and we're not taking a bath while showering!!! And those baby rags have been throw away! The second time IS NOT a charm in this case!
The worst part of the clog? It was raining in my kitchen! Would have made life easier had the water been an actual water pipe, but no it had to be a drain pipe that was leaking, well throwing water all over my kitchen! We called a plumber that night, and they wanted $350 just to show up! Forget that and we set up buckets and trash cans to collect the water. Not even thinking that the heavy water would cause the ceiling to buckle. We lost about 6 of the 14 tiles in the ceiling. Oh it gets better (probably thinking how?). When the plumber came to snake my drain, he had to go into the ceiling to find the leak, which meant cutting through the floor boards!!!! So now there is a lovely hole about the size of a teenager! But the leak is stopped and we no longer shower in the kitchen ha! Luckily we can easily fix it and replace the ceiling tiles. We made a trip to Lowe's to check out prices on the tiles. We'll try one more home improvement store before we buy them. We need to allow the ceiling to dry before we hang them, so we have a little time to shop around. I climbed up there today and felt around and it feels nice and dry, which is a huge relief, because I was terrified of mold!
For the past month or so I have been picking up little paint sample cards of colors I might like. I brought them home, tape them to the wall and look at it every time I walk into the room. I hung 5. I like to see it in different lighting. Wither it be sun light, sun set, haven't seen it during a sun rise, and night. So far I haven't really fallen in love with any of the colors I have hung up. Today I brought home a couple new ones, I'm starting to fall in love with one of them! So it's definitely on the yes list. Then again in my opinion neon yellow is better than the boring, cold feeling white wall we have now! I hate white walls, so impersonal and cold feeling. Hopefully within the next few weeks that will change! I invited my cousin (other mum) to a painting party, just the two of us, maybe dad too. I'm sure we can paint the entire room in one day.
The one thing that I have been really racking my brain about is deciding on carpet or fake hard wood flooring. I really like the look of hard wood, the easy clean up. I have two young boys, a dog and a father in law that drops just about everything on the carpet.. I'm starting to get tired of scrubbing. My carpet scrubber used to live in the basement and make an appearance every few months for a regular cleaning. Once Nicholas started crawling around we started scrubbing more often, especially when I saw him lick the carpet once! Yuck! Sure it's been cleaned, but people walk on it! Anyhow, the scrubber is usually sitting in the corner of my dining room because I use it constantly! Thank goodness for the small attachment! So that being said I'd love the convenience of using a paper towel and cleaner and being done in 2 minutes. But once again I wonder how well it will hold the heat since it gets rather chilly in our living room (very large room). Plus, I fear will it be too hard on Nicholas? Researching the prices it will cost around the same, so money really doesn't play a factor in our decision. I need to save money because we are doing all this on a budget.
And lastly I'd really like to re-grout my bathtub tiles. Which seems super easy! And pretty cheap. I'm sure I can do it myself after doing some research online and talking to both my dad and other dad (cousin).
Thanks for reading! Hopefully we can do this all on a small budget. And I'm really excited about making my home more personal. I saw some great art today that would look great in the living room. Yes, I get excited over the little things :)
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Foaming baby bath and hand soap
Another idea I saw on pinterest.com was how to turn baby wash into foaming baby bath! This was by far the easiest thing I have ever made! And chances are you already have the ingredients at home!
I'll admit something. I'm a soap pump hoarder. I normally buy refills and just re-fill my pumps. But sometimes I'll get a new pump and I end up holding onto the old pump. I really need to stop this haha. But there are a few good things that have come out of holding onto these pumps! One there the the foaming baby wash and hand soap made from a bar of soap....
Foaming baby bath
What' you'll need....
And you can use this with almost anything that is soap! I'm going to try dish soap, but I don't have another foam pump, shocking!
And for the hand soap. Another very simple thing to do! I usually buy a big economy sized Dial hand soap. Re-fill and leave it at that. Those bottles can be pretty expensive, so when I saw how to make my own I was all about it!
What you'll need....
Cheese grater
2 Tablespoons of Liquid Glycerin (found in the band aid section at any drugstore. Got mine at CVS) 1 - 8 oz bar of soap - I used Dial because I like the smell
1 gallon of water - which I use to store the soap as well
What to do....
Step 1:
Fill a pot with 1 gallon of water and add the soap shavings.
Step 3:
Add 2 Tablespoons of liquid glycerin and turn the heat to medium/high and stir until the soap dissolves.
Basically just soapy water
Step 5:
Leave it alone to cool for at least 10-12 hours. It begins to cloud up after 3-4 hours.
Step 6:
After it has cooled completely around 12 hours later it will harden and look like liquid soap.
Step 7:
If the soap is harder than it should be you can take some beaters and blend it while adding just a little bit of water until the consistency is more like liquid soap. I used my wisk because my mixer is broken.
Step 8:
There you have it....Liquid Soap!!!
I'm thinking I may have done something wrong along the way. Because my soap is really gooey. I'm thinking it's the glycerin to soap ratio. I bet the soap already had a good amount and added caused too much. I'm going to try again with a different soap. But I did use some in my pump and it does work! Before I added it I filled the soap in a tall cup and wisked the crap out of it! It worked! But I'm still convinced I need to try another soap. Maybe another time!
I also tried baby wipes! Which I'm also very please with!!!
What you'll need....
Roll of paper towels (I used bounty, I also head they're the best for this because they're tough!)
I'll admit something. I'm a soap pump hoarder. I normally buy refills and just re-fill my pumps. But sometimes I'll get a new pump and I end up holding onto the old pump. I really need to stop this haha. But there are a few good things that have come out of holding onto these pumps! One there the the foaming baby wash and hand soap made from a bar of soap....
Foaming baby bath
What' you'll need....
- Empty Foaming Soap Dispenser {Bath & Body Works, Dial, Johnson’s, etc.}
- Baby Wash
- Clean out the empty foaming soap dispenser
- Then add 1 inch of Baby Wash to the dispenser
- Fill the bottle the rest of the way up with water {leaving a little room at the top}
- Then, gently turn side to side to mix together {no shaking… that just gets waaaay too bubbly… trust me!}
- There you have it ! You’re all done… and that was seriously easy!
And you can use this with almost anything that is soap! I'm going to try dish soap, but I don't have another foam pump, shocking!
And for the hand soap. Another very simple thing to do! I usually buy a big economy sized Dial hand soap. Re-fill and leave it at that. Those bottles can be pretty expensive, so when I saw how to make my own I was all about it!
What you'll need....
Cheese grater
2 Tablespoons of Liquid Glycerin (found in the band aid section at any drugstore. Got mine at CVS) 1 - 8 oz bar of soap - I used Dial because I like the smell
1 gallon of water - which I use to store the soap as well
What to do....
Step 1:
Grate the entire bar of soap
Step 2:Fill a pot with 1 gallon of water and add the soap shavings.
Step 3:
Add 2 Tablespoons of liquid glycerin and turn the heat to medium/high and stir until the soap dissolves.
Basically just soapy water
Step 5:
Leave it alone to cool for at least 10-12 hours. It begins to cloud up after 3-4 hours.
Step 6:
After it has cooled completely around 12 hours later it will harden and look like liquid soap.
Step 7:
If the soap is harder than it should be you can take some beaters and blend it while adding just a little bit of water until the consistency is more like liquid soap. I used my wisk because my mixer is broken.
Step 8:
There you have it....Liquid Soap!!!
I'm thinking I may have done something wrong along the way. Because my soap is really gooey. I'm thinking it's the glycerin to soap ratio. I bet the soap already had a good amount and added caused too much. I'm going to try again with a different soap. But I did use some in my pump and it does work! Before I added it I filled the soap in a tall cup and wisked the crap out of it! It worked! But I'm still convinced I need to try another soap. Maybe another time!
I also tried baby wipes! Which I'm also very please with!!!
What you'll need....
Roll of paper towels (I used bounty, I also head they're the best for this because they're tough!)
1 1/2 tablespoons baby bath
1 tablespoon baby oil
2 cups water
Cut your paper towels in half. Unless you have a canister to hold a whole, tall roll.
In your canister mix the baby bath, baby oil and water. Give it a good stir....
Now put the towels in the canister cut side down, but I can't see how it matters. But I did it in that way anyhow.
Stick the lid on and turn the canister upside down.
After the towels has absorbed the solution (was quickly for me) remove the cardboard tubing. Which was a bit of a challenge! It tore on me so I basically fished it out haha.
There you have it! Baby wipes! Nice clean smelling ones too!
I was concerned about the fact that it contains soap, so would it cause Nick's booty to be sticky? And it does not! I tested it on on my hands and had pleasant smelling hands as well as very soft hands. I also realized that baby wash isn't actually soap, it's cleanser which is pretty much all water. Thus making it tear-free. My only complaint is that my wipes seem to be extremely wet! I left the lid off for a couple days so they'll dry out a bit. Could probably fiddle around with the ingredients to make the perfect consistency. I'll give it a try and see what happens.
I love that I can make all these things, that we use on a semi daily basis. I feel like a regular ole Martha Stewart haha!
Anyhow, if you try these things please let me know how they worked out for you!
Home made laundry soap & fabric softener
For many years I have seen recipes for homemade laundry soaps and fabric softeners. I was always very weary about trying these. I did some research , by reading blogs that others have posted. There were so many posts about it, and so many fantastic reviews! I thought what do I have to lose?
I researched the recipe for the soap and pretty much every recipe was the exact same. Which made me feel really good about trying to make the soaps. It seemed fairly easy after all it's simply adding the proper amounts of soaps, melting and stirring. And the ingredients are fairly cheap as well! I spent nearly $10.00 to make both the laundry soap and fabric softener. Which landed me with over 200 ounces of laundry soap and 111 ounces of fabric softener. If your all about saving money on things you use every day, then this is the stuff for you!
I was nearing the end of my laundry soap stock pile. All purchased with the coupons that I had collected. We had 14 bottles and I went though it like water! So when I opened my last bottle two days ago I felt really upset, because I would possibly start paying a ton of money on more soaps. If you really stop and think about it, your basically flushing your hard earned money (and time by couponing) down the drain. I hate wasting money! Thus why I am a coupon addict! A bottle of Tide laundry soap is well over $10. I think that's crazy! We only have Tide when I had a great coupon deal, or the other expensive brands. Same goes with liquid fabric softener.
Yesterday, I went to Target with my list of items I needed to make my soap and softener. I had pretty much memorized the items, since I had read several articles on how to do. I picked up a box of Borax for $2.99. I searched all over for the rest of the items, and they didn't have the washing soda or Fles-Naptha soap bars. So we went to Wal-Mart. I thought I'd have trouble finding the last two things, but it was an easy find! Both right next to each other, it's like Wal-Mart keeps the soap making items together, very cool! I grabbed a box of Arm & Hammer Super washing Soda for $2.50 and a bar of Fles-Naptha soap for .98 cents. I also saw the Borax for $2.98, but I had already gotten it. I also bought a big bottle of vinegar for $1.88 and a bottle of Sauve Refreshing Waterfalls conditioner for .98 cents. All those items including a bag of marsh mellows for my marshmallow monster Nick and a pepsi cost me $11.00. So grand total for all the supplies is less than $10.
I started making the soap and follows these directions...
What you'll need:
I used my hand grater. Helped me grate it up faster! I feel mighty strong now :)
After you've grated the Fles-Naptha
I used the grater to stir that way it melted off the soap that got caked on...It melts pretty quickly. I kept string to even the heat and prevent it from scorching.
Now....
Looks like this....Soapy water....
Then....
Oh! I almost forgot about the fabric softener! Also SO easy! Smells very nice as well and makes towels feel fabulous! Who would have thought that vinegar makes clothing soft! I never knew that! But it's a proven fact!
What you'll need....
Anyhow that's it! I spent a little over an hour doing these. I put the boys to bed and was completely uninterrupted, which made for a very stress free time. I hope you try this and enjoy!
PS: People have asked how it smells? I think it smells nice. Plus, if your going to make fabric softener that should cover the soap smell if you don't like it.You can also use the fabric softener in the dryer! Gather some clean rags, and a spray bottle, spritz about 3-4 of the softener soultion onto the cloth and toss in the dryer. Re-wash and re-use! Also great for cleaning the TV, after they've been though the dryer of course.
I also made liquid hand soap from bared soap.
Baby wipes
and foaming baby wash!
I'll blog about those another time!
All recipes found on pinterest.com - Follow me!!!
I researched the recipe for the soap and pretty much every recipe was the exact same. Which made me feel really good about trying to make the soaps. It seemed fairly easy after all it's simply adding the proper amounts of soaps, melting and stirring. And the ingredients are fairly cheap as well! I spent nearly $10.00 to make both the laundry soap and fabric softener. Which landed me with over 200 ounces of laundry soap and 111 ounces of fabric softener. If your all about saving money on things you use every day, then this is the stuff for you!
I was nearing the end of my laundry soap stock pile. All purchased with the coupons that I had collected. We had 14 bottles and I went though it like water! So when I opened my last bottle two days ago I felt really upset, because I would possibly start paying a ton of money on more soaps. If you really stop and think about it, your basically flushing your hard earned money (and time by couponing) down the drain. I hate wasting money! Thus why I am a coupon addict! A bottle of Tide laundry soap is well over $10. I think that's crazy! We only have Tide when I had a great coupon deal, or the other expensive brands. Same goes with liquid fabric softener.
Yesterday, I went to Target with my list of items I needed to make my soap and softener. I had pretty much memorized the items, since I had read several articles on how to do. I picked up a box of Borax for $2.99. I searched all over for the rest of the items, and they didn't have the washing soda or Fles-Naptha soap bars. So we went to Wal-Mart. I thought I'd have trouble finding the last two things, but it was an easy find! Both right next to each other, it's like Wal-Mart keeps the soap making items together, very cool! I grabbed a box of Arm & Hammer Super washing Soda for $2.50 and a bar of Fles-Naptha soap for .98 cents. I also saw the Borax for $2.98, but I had already gotten it. I also bought a big bottle of vinegar for $1.88 and a bottle of Sauve Refreshing Waterfalls conditioner for .98 cents. All those items including a bag of marsh mellows for my marshmallow monster Nick and a pepsi cost me $11.00. So grand total for all the supplies is less than $10.
I started making the soap and follows these directions...
What you'll need:
- 1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
- 1/2 Cup: Borax
- 1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}
- Bucket {2 gallon size or larger}
- Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent. It makes over 200 ounces so use the biggest you have.
- Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over large pot or saucepan…
After you've grated the Fles-Naptha
- Add 6 cups of Water.
- Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
Now....
- Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
Looks like this....Soapy water....
Then....
- Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture.
- Stir, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water. Stir.
- Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.
- Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.
- Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works! great!
- Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
- Good job…you did it!
Oh! I almost forgot about the fabric softener! Also SO easy! Smells very nice as well and makes towels feel fabulous! Who would have thought that vinegar makes clothing soft! I never knew that! But it's a proven fact!
What you'll need....
- 6 cups HOT water
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}. I personally like the smell of the Refreshing Waterfall.
- Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
- Add the vinegar, and mix well.
- Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc} I used an empty rinsed milk gallon. Then transferred into a economy sized empty Shout container and and empty Downy container. The gallon makes for easier prep and shaking since you'll need two containers. Unless you have a huge one!
- Pour into a downy ball… or use approx. 2 tbsp. in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!
Anyhow that's it! I spent a little over an hour doing these. I put the boys to bed and was completely uninterrupted, which made for a very stress free time. I hope you try this and enjoy!
PS: People have asked how it smells? I think it smells nice. Plus, if your going to make fabric softener that should cover the soap smell if you don't like it.You can also use the fabric softener in the dryer! Gather some clean rags, and a spray bottle, spritz about 3-4 of the softener soultion onto the cloth and toss in the dryer. Re-wash and re-use! Also great for cleaning the TV, after they've been though the dryer of course.
I also made liquid hand soap from bared soap.
Baby wipes
and foaming baby wash!
I'll blog about those another time!
All recipes found on pinterest.com - Follow me!!!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Pamidronate
Since Nick is now considered in the "danger zone" of OI it has started to make life more scary. Especially since he is walking now. If I could earn a nickle for every fall he takes daily I'd be rich, and fast! So with that being said it prompted me to start to really push for him to start on a medication called Pamidronate, also know as PAM in case some one my facebook friends have wondered. PAM is an infusion that he would get probably every 4-6 weeks. It takes around 4 hours to administrator. It won't completely stop him from breaking his bones, but will help him build more bone and mass so that he won't break as easily. Around the middle of October we took him to a doctor that specializes in giving kids this medication. This appointment was long awaited. Considering I scheduled it in June. I was very nervous about this appointment. Because we had been turned away from this medicine about three times in the past. Since Nick had a fracture in August, I believe it pretty much opened the gate for him to get a yes answer to start. Some blood was taken to make sure his vitamin levels are perfect because this medication takes a huge drop in calcium among other vitamins. Also, while we're talking about calcium. You should know that Nick doesn't lack calcium. He lacks collagen. Which is what give bones it's flexibility. I'm sure that his levels are normal, since he's fed fairly healthy. His hair and nails are growing at a normal level. Unfortunately I have been waiting for the blood work results for nearly four weeks. What was said to be only a two week waiting period. I have made several calls and no body has called me back. It's starting to get very frustrating. But I also wonder if since I haven't gotten a call that means his levels are normal. And won't need to start on a supplement.
I think Nick needs to start this medication soon. Because like many OI children he is starting on a 6 week break cycle. I'm certain that he has a fractured finger. I made the call to the Orthopedic doctor yesterday and he said that since it's not bothering him we could just continue with Motrin. He said we didn't need to make the long trip to Pittsburgh for an x-ray. As many of you know I refuse to take Nick to the emergency room for breaks that are not an emergency. It's just too much of a possible abuse accusation that we just don't need to deal with again! Going back to break cycles. Looking at the calendar it's been over 6 weeks since his last fracture. Something that is common to see in the OI world. I plan to call the doctor at Children's again tomorrow and explain to them (again) that we need to schedule this soon, before we're in for a serious break! We have been lucky that he has not suffered any serious breaks. Obviously any fracture is serious, but we haven't had to have anything set. When he fractured his clavicle that was probably the most serious of all his breaks. We were told that it would possibly need set, but he did not need to be.
I meant to post a blog about Nick's last fracture. The last week of August we took Nick to meet the Orthopedic doctor at Children's hospital in Pittsburgh. Let me say that the doctor and Nursing staff was top notch! They were just fantastic and very accommodating to us. Which really takes some of the pressure off us. When we went in they wanted some x-rays because it had been several months since his last set. The x-ray techs were super nice and allowed me to do all the positioning to take the pictures. Nick was awesome! I assumed he would be his normal "leave me alone" self, but I was shocked that he laid so still and let us hold an arm of leg still! If you know Nick, you'll know that is very rare! We took the pictures and went into another room where another Nurse pulled up his x-rays and asked if I wanted to view them? Of course I won't turn down a learning experience, so I started to view. He wanted to explain to me how to work the computer program to read the films. But I had already known how to do so because I had a copy of older x-rays at home on a disk. I took some pictures using my digital camera so I could upload and show my OI group. While doing so I noticed a fracture in his tibia (lower leg). I kind of did a double take! Because I was totally shocked to see this! Here I thought we were on a long break free cycle, he had been fracturing this whole time! I was totally flabbergasted because here he has a fracture, but never complained! He never stopped doing things like jumping up and down in his bed, or crawling, or practicing walking, or even during changes of clothes and diapers, did he ever wince to show that his leg was in any sort of pain. Even the Ortho doctor was shocked and said I can see that this is not a bother to him at all! It was a total bummer to me. Because I thought we were on this long stretch of being break free.....Did I jinx it by talking about it? It really depressed me. Because how could his mother not know something was wrong? After talking about it with my cousin and mom's in group I realized that this is just how kids are. And he didn't show any signs of distress so I shouldn't beat myself up over it so much.
That being said since he had the fracture in his tib and now the finger, he's again not showing signs of distress. He has a very high pain tolerance. He's gotten shots before without a wince. He's just a really tough kid. Which makes me some what proud and some what nervous. I have to wonder how many more fractures he has that we cannot distinguish because he is not giving signs. I wish I could buy an x-ray machine so I could see more clearly what is going on with my little boy. But for now I just pray that we keep on with out OI journey and he keeps being the tough kid he is, like the many, many other kids.
Thank you for reading my blog. I'll keep you updated on when PAM will be flowing! Happy thoughts for one stick! :) Farewell
I think Nick needs to start this medication soon. Because like many OI children he is starting on a 6 week break cycle. I'm certain that he has a fractured finger. I made the call to the Orthopedic doctor yesterday and he said that since it's not bothering him we could just continue with Motrin. He said we didn't need to make the long trip to Pittsburgh for an x-ray. As many of you know I refuse to take Nick to the emergency room for breaks that are not an emergency. It's just too much of a possible abuse accusation that we just don't need to deal with again! Going back to break cycles. Looking at the calendar it's been over 6 weeks since his last fracture. Something that is common to see in the OI world. I plan to call the doctor at Children's again tomorrow and explain to them (again) that we need to schedule this soon, before we're in for a serious break! We have been lucky that he has not suffered any serious breaks. Obviously any fracture is serious, but we haven't had to have anything set. When he fractured his clavicle that was probably the most serious of all his breaks. We were told that it would possibly need set, but he did not need to be.
I meant to post a blog about Nick's last fracture. The last week of August we took Nick to meet the Orthopedic doctor at Children's hospital in Pittsburgh. Let me say that the doctor and Nursing staff was top notch! They were just fantastic and very accommodating to us. Which really takes some of the pressure off us. When we went in they wanted some x-rays because it had been several months since his last set. The x-ray techs were super nice and allowed me to do all the positioning to take the pictures. Nick was awesome! I assumed he would be his normal "leave me alone" self, but I was shocked that he laid so still and let us hold an arm of leg still! If you know Nick, you'll know that is very rare! We took the pictures and went into another room where another Nurse pulled up his x-rays and asked if I wanted to view them? Of course I won't turn down a learning experience, so I started to view. He wanted to explain to me how to work the computer program to read the films. But I had already known how to do so because I had a copy of older x-rays at home on a disk. I took some pictures using my digital camera so I could upload and show my OI group. While doing so I noticed a fracture in his tibia (lower leg). I kind of did a double take! Because I was totally shocked to see this! Here I thought we were on a long break free cycle, he had been fracturing this whole time! I was totally flabbergasted because here he has a fracture, but never complained! He never stopped doing things like jumping up and down in his bed, or crawling, or practicing walking, or even during changes of clothes and diapers, did he ever wince to show that his leg was in any sort of pain. Even the Ortho doctor was shocked and said I can see that this is not a bother to him at all! It was a total bummer to me. Because I thought we were on this long stretch of being break free.....Did I jinx it by talking about it? It really depressed me. Because how could his mother not know something was wrong? After talking about it with my cousin and mom's in group I realized that this is just how kids are. And he didn't show any signs of distress so I shouldn't beat myself up over it so much.
That being said since he had the fracture in his tib and now the finger, he's again not showing signs of distress. He has a very high pain tolerance. He's gotten shots before without a wince. He's just a really tough kid. Which makes me some what proud and some what nervous. I have to wonder how many more fractures he has that we cannot distinguish because he is not giving signs. I wish I could buy an x-ray machine so I could see more clearly what is going on with my little boy. But for now I just pray that we keep on with out OI journey and he keeps being the tough kid he is, like the many, many other kids.
Thank you for reading my blog. I'll keep you updated on when PAM will be flowing! Happy thoughts for one stick! :) Farewell
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