Category Archives: Household

Everything and anything relating to the household structure.. From organization, living frugally, natural living, or fun ideas for families.

21 days to a more natural home series part 16…wipes

all natural home series

 

Convenience that is the name of what we want nowadays.  We want convenient foods, convenient people, and definitely our cleaning to be convenient.  So what if it is more of a pain to drag out the spray bottle and paper towels to clean up our messes all of the time??  What if we didn’t want to get a washcloth wet every time we changed the babies bottom??The answer is wipes.

It is so easy to make your own cleaning wipes at a fraction of the price of store bought ones.  All it takes is some time and creativity to make some.

There are numerous ways you can do this. You will need good sturdy paper towels.  I would recommend Bounty, for the extra cents it costs the quality will be better and easier to rip apart.

We then need to decide which type of container you are going to be using for storing the wipes in.

Option 1:  You can take an old wipey box and unroll and fold paper towels to neatly fit inside your container, would probably take awhile and I know would drive me crazy.  images

Option 2:  You can take a roll of paper towels and cut in half with either a sharp serrated knife, an electric knife,  or use a band saw to easily do the job.  images (2)

Then place them in a smaller plastic container.  You can use numerous containers— ice cream buckets, large coffee cans with lids, or regular plastic tupperware containers.images (1)

Option 3:  Get a roll of paper towels, and find a container that it will fit into and you will have no need to cut or fold your wipes.  I believe they will fit in a large reusable store bought wipe container.

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I gave all the options I knew of because it all is going to depend upon what size container you have to put them in. If you have the money save some heartache and go buy a store bought wipe container and use it up and then start making wipes from it next month:).

For your type of wipes you can make all sorts.

  • cleaning wipes—using our all natural all-purpose spray solution.  Just pour over top of the wipes and you are ready to use them.
  • baby wipes–2 cups distilled water–or boiled then cooled
    1 tablespoon castile soap (or other natural, mild soap)
    1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
    1 tablespoon witch hazel extract
    1 tablespoon sweet almond oil (or olive oil)
    10-15 drops essential oils of choice (optional)
    combine above and pour over your paper towels.  You may have to invert the container a few times to make sure that the towels get completely wet.
  • window cleaning wipes.  Pour in the all natural window cleaner solution and you have instant wipes.
  • makeup remover wipes.  Just cut your paper towels into a smaller size and use like a sour cream container to store these in. 2 cups of distilled water–or boiled then cooled, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 2 squirts of castile soap.

This is just one way to start making those small steps from convenience to homemade.  The more steps you take the more you are on your way to a more simplier and plainer lifestyle.

21 days to a more natural home series part 15….household items

all natural home seriesOn part 15 of our series we are going to find yet another way to make our homes more natural.

When we think of “all natural” we can think of things that have sustainability, things that we will have for a while, things that don’t need to be thrown away.

One item we replaced in the last few years is cloth napkins.  We wasted alot of money on paper napkins.  I ended up going to Goodwill and finding multiple sets of cloth napkins that we reuse again and again.  I find that cloth clean up better than paper does and then we just throw them in the washer, ready for the next time.

Grocery bags———–oh the numerous bags we have in our household each month.  For our family, we do once a month shopping, it isn’t very feasible for me to buy reusable bags for our grocery shopping, we would have to have much.  But we do recycle and reuse our grocery bags from lining the bathroom trashes, to scooping out the kitty litter.  After each month has passed we are usually in need of more bags.

We do use the material  reusable bags for library books and for toting things to friends homes.  I try to keep some in the car, so that if I do not remember they are always there.

Another way to add to your “all natural home” is by cutting down on the obvious–paper plates, cups, plastic silverware, plastic bags, etc.    We try to reuse our ziploc baggies, by rinsing and hanging with a clothespins on the window to dry.  We don’t wipe off foil and reuse  but I try to use a piece that does not have food on it more than once.  (we do not have a microwave, so we reheat items in the oven and need foil to cover them).  Anything you can do to reduce the amount of items that we throw away in the trash.

Paper towels are a biggie for some of us.  You can use small pieces of cut up rags and then just throw them into the wash to help save on buying paper towels.

Up tomorrow……wipes…….wipes……..wipes……the new “instant” craze

21 days to a more natural home series…part 14 cloth diapers and sanitary napkins

all natural home series

On part 14 of our series this will discuss our cloth diaper routine.  As well as discuss options for woman to use a natural alternative to maxi pads.

When I was a new mother I just did what everyone else did and that was to buy disposable diapers.  I never really thought much about what that was doing to the environment or to my children.   There are many websites devoted to cloth diapering facts, The real Diaper association has many up to date facts about why it is better to use cloth diapers.

After years of wasting money on disposable diapers we finally had to for financial reasons start using cloth.  At first I just use the old-fashioned pre-fold, pins, and rubber pants and that was okay.  Then as time went on and I was able to buy a “better diaper” I came across these.

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BumGenius4.0  these are the best diapers for our family.  They are a one size fits all diaper.  I have used these for the last 5 babies and they are still working like a charm.  When my  babies are new-born they snap down to a smaller size and as they grow, you unsnap and elongate the diaper.    I love them and would recommend to anyone that is having a baby or wants something that will hold up for the next 5 babies!!

 

This is our cloth diaper routine………. when I need to change a diaper, I grab a wet washcloth and use that instead of wipes.

333 014 Here is our diaper pail, lined with a diaper bag.  I think we bought the “trash can” at Lowes.333 018 Throw the diaper and washcloth inside the can.  I only dump the messy diapers into the toilet, if they will easily come off the diaper. I used to wring the diapers out in the toilet water, but got so tired of that, I realized that if the diaper solid was hard it will roll off but if not the washer will rinse it away just fine.  I do not separate the inserts from the diapers takes way too long.333 019 Full can, time to do a load333 029 Grab your diaper liner bag with the diaper contents inside333 030 dump it into the washer333 032 do a cold rinse cycle on high speed333 033After the load has rinsed out, I then reach into my washer and find the diapers that didn’t spin themselves apart and separate the liners from the diapers.  Usually there are only a few that don’t make their way out.  To me this is way easier than separating them into the can.

I then add a scoop of homemade laundry detergent.  Never use commercial laundry soap on your cloth diapers it leaves a residue that will make your diapers not absorb and hold in “pee” smell.333 035 Do a hot water “whites” load, heavy-duty with an extra rinse.  Do not add additional things like fabric softener or vinegar just the homemade soap will do the trick.333 037As the washer is going, put in another diaper pail liner so that your pail is ready for the next dirty diaper.  I still have the same liners after 5 years of washing and they are in great shape.
333 039 After the washer has finished, you can put the inserts into the dryer and dry on a high heat, when finished you can put your covers on a low heat for about 20 minutes.  But if you have dry weather get those diapers outside.  Nothing is better for your diaper stains and smells than an all natural bleaching from the sunshine.  I use a drying rack and let it sit out all day long.  Makes the smells and stains completely disappear,333 041When dry, bring them inside, I usually put them in the dryer on fluff air cycle to make sure there aren’t any bugs inside of them.333 047 I stuff each diaper and set in the basket, ready for the next days wear.  333 048We love our cloth diapers and would recommend to everyone to use this brand.  ****please note I am not being paid to say this, I just want to share what works for us.

UPDATE

So I am out of the cloth diaper stage.  Would I do it all over again? Absolutely, the only difference is that I would have started out right away with my first children.  There are so many positive benefits as to why you should cloth diaper your babies….unfortunately I have never sat down and crunched the numbers….but there is a Mom who has done that:) Jenny over at Mom’s Know Best has a great article on the 10 Cloth Diapering Benefits.    

There really is a lot of neat information with images.  Check out the photo of the landfill….it may just inspire you to change:)

 

The other part of this post was about the woman’s alternative to maxi pads.  We would never even think that disposable diapers are good for our babies but what about for us woman???  The sanitary pads that we use are just as harmful as disposable diapers.  I have never even heard about using cloth sanitary pads, until a friend showed me years ago,  I will admit I do not do this personally but think it is worth noting for those seeking a more natural household.  You can do an internet search and find hundreds out there.  Many woman make them homemade like cloth diapers or you can buy them.  I have heard you use them just like a cloth diaper.  With a separate container to put them inside for washing.  I would recommend using peroxide as a natural stain remover as I know it removes blood easily.  Hey something new for everyone.

Next up…….switching cloth items for disposables in your household

How to make a homemade pinata

For my daughters’ birthday this year, we made a homemade piñata.  It was a fun undertaking.  We have always purchased them before but at $20 for something you are going to smash to pieces in a matter of minutes kind of seems like a waste.  I remembered doing one in kindergarten when I was a child and thought the experience would be fun for the little ones.  Make this at least a week in advance to give it proper time to dry.

Cut up strips of newspaper into long strips.

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Mix up your paste.  2 cups water,  2 cups flour, and 1 Tablespoon salt069

Protect your work area, as this gets very messy.  Lay lots of newspaper down on the table.

Blow up a large balloon, we used the punch type balloons.  They were 3 for $1 at Walmart.

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Dip your newspaper strip into the glue and lay on your balloon.

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I had 3 children each make their own pinata.  The child that did not put much glue on the strips, their pinata balloon popped as it was drying and then it lost its form.  The child that left a few holes and did not properly cover all the areas, her balloon popped too and it was ruined.  The child that made sure to cover their strips in glue completely and even wiped some glue on top of the strips when done to make sure, that is the one we ended up using.  
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We covered our balloon completely and then set them outside in the sun to dry.  We then put another layer on and let it dry as well.  By this time our balloon had lost its air.  If your balloon stays in-tack cut a hole in the end of it large enough to place your treats inside.  

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We pierced a hole in the top and then threaded rope, attached to a washer, all the way through the balloon and then tied the ends.DSCN2055We used crêpe paper to decorate ours.  Just use glue and stick on strips of paper.DSCN2057 DSCN2058 DSCN2059

 

Your completed pinata.

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We used a wrapping paper tube as our bat.  It was a sturdy roll.  You can use a child sized bat as well.

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We filled ours with suckers, gummy worms–in ziploc baggies, chocolate bars, party blowers, and air heads candy.

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Fun, easy, simple, and frugal

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Plain and simple summer birthday party fun for children

With 12 of us celebrating birthdays throughout the year, we pretty much have one for every month to celebrate.  Our 8-year-old daughter is the fortunate one to enjoy her birthday on the 1st of July.  She is the lucky recipient to enjoy “Daddys’ awesome fireworks show.”  My husband enjoys the 4th of July holiday more than any other holiday during the year.  The excitement and anticipation of fireworks and seeing the joys of the childrens’ faces is what gets him excited. He is a good Daddy. Here are the highlights of a plain and simple birthday party in summer.

we started off by riding go karts around the yard.  The 8-year-old was taught to drive the go-kart herself this year.  DSCN2155

here she is chasing her 17-year-old brother on his Odyssey.DSCN2148we did a water balloon toss game, and our daughter diligently filled up 200 water balloons for this occasion. By the way my daughter is wearing our bathing suit…they are made by wholesomewear.com a wonderful durable bathing suit.  I love them.DSCN2154here are the 1,2, and 3 year olds getting into the water balloons
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On the menu: macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and………

hot dogs cooked over a Dakota hole fire—very cool google this idea

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fresh fruitDSCN2169 blt chicken saladDSCN2171 veggie pizzaDSCN2172 a homemade water slide fondant cake made by big sisterDSCN2177
We then made a treasure hunt, that sent the girls around the yard looking for clues. One example of a clue was…..in the tree that Tarzan swings from you will find me……..(we have a willow tree).  We did 6 clues and that seemed to be sufficient for them.

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In the end they found a box filled with glow sticks,(for our fireworks show)bubbles, candy, slap bracelets, and silly string……which they decided to get the older siblings while they were driving the go-kart.
DSCN2192My 15 and 20-year-old, yeah better not get mom…………..DSCN2197Then on to more games…….. Our neighbor gave us a refrigerator box this week out of the blue and it worked out to be a blessing.  We found some paints in the garage and came up with a homemade bean bag toss game.DSCN2203We made the “bean bags” out of felt squares and rice.DSCN2206Next, we made a homemade pinata.  The children really enjoyed making that this week.
DSCN2218 DSCN2219 DSCN2224Dad brought out the potato gun to shoot.  Another great fun family project.
DSCN2284 DSCN2287 Here is the 8 year olds first time shooting.DSCN2288 Then to top it all off fireworks!!  This was our first year in…….forever…….that we all got to sit outside and enjoy.  We usually have a little one that does not enjoy the noise.  But this year everyone stayed for the whole thing, it was beautiful.  DSCN2294

Thank you for a fun weekend Daddy!  and Happy Birthday to my daughter Jadyn, truly a girl after God’s own heart.  We love you.

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