Good clean fun.

A few weeks ago my good friend Dara (Hi Dara!) gave me a jar of yellowish, somewhat gelatinous, liquid. It smelled very clean and slightly citrus-y. It was homemade laundry detergent!

And get this...it worked! Really well! Clothes came out clean and smelled great but without the overpowering smell that most detergents leave behind.  So I decided to whip up a batch myself. And we are now set on laundry detergent for the rest of our lives. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration. We may have to make another batch when we're in our 80s. 

It is ridiculously easy to make and cheap to boot. Like pennies per load cheap. Take that Proctor & Gamble. 

Dara found the 'recipe' on Nature Moms Blog.  Like I said it's really easy to make and it makes A LOT. 

Here's what you need:

1 bar Fels-Naptha soap (found in the laundry soap section)

1 c. Arm & Hammer WASHING Soda (Not baking soda!! Also found in the cleaner/laundry section)

1/2 c. Borax (same section)

5 gallon bucket

Clean, empty laundry detergent container

Essential Oils (optional)

1.Grate the bar of soap and throw it in a saucepan with 4 c. water over med-high heat. Stir until all the soap is melted.

2. Fill the 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water. 

3. Add the melted soap/water, washing soda and borax to the 5 gallon bucket.

4. Fill the bucket the rest of the way up with water. Give it a whirl, cover and let it sit overnight to thicken. 

The next morning fill your empty laundry detergent container half full with the soap mixture. Fill it the rest of the way up with water. Add 10-15 drops of essential oil if you so desire. 

And there you have it, homemade laundry detergent! 10 gallons worth once it's all said and done. Make sure to shake it before each use as it kind of gels up. In our HE machine we use ~ 1/4 c per load. 

If you're looking for a homemade cloth diaper detergent, I highly recommend this one!

 

Do you use any homemade cleaning concoctions?

The Land of 10,000

steps. 

Have you heard of the research that says we should all aim to take 10,000 steps a day?

In the 60s, a Japanese researcher was trying to come up with a way to improve the health and fitness of people in Japan.  He figured the average person took 3,500 to 5,000 steps per day. He reasoned that if they took 10,000 steps a day they would be healthier, thinner, happier and all that jazz. So pretty soon everyone in Japan was wearing pedometers and taking the stairs. Turns out he was right. The more steps people took, the more active they were and ultimately healthier (duh). Too bad it took the good ol' US of A a few more decades to catch on. But better late than never, right?

So what does that have to do with me? 

Last week I bought myself a fitbit. 

 (source)

A nifty little fitness gadget that I had been eyeing up for a few months. It's a pedometer and fitness tracker that you wear every day. It counts steps, computes distance, estimated calorie burn and overall activity level. You then sync the fitbit to your computer and it uploads your data to the fitbit website. The website is pretty neat in and of itself. You can enter foods eaten, input additional activities or exercises, journal and more. There is an online community as well. 

You can also wear your fitbit while sleeping to track how well you sleep at night. Which is kind of a moot point for me at this point since Penny still wakes occasionally during the night to nurse. 

And my husband hogs the covers. 

And sometimes the dog goes ballistic at 2 am when a party bus unloads a few houses down and two guys start yelling at each other in the middle of the road as their friends egg them on while turning their music up even louder. 

(Wow. When did I turn into a crabby old woman who gets pissed at the shenanigans of the after bar crowd? Oh yeah, when I stopped being part of the after bar crowd. Kids will do that to you. And driving a mini van.)

Back to the fitbit. 

So the goal is to log 10,000 steps a day. Which kind of seems like a lot. Ok, it is a lot. Approximately 5 miles worth of steps. But I figured my step count had to be up there considering I have a child who never stops moving* and another child who can't quite move on her own. So between chasing and carting, I move around a lot.

Or so I thought. Turns out I take around 5,000 steps per day. Which is still not bad, but a long way from 10,000. Now I will say, the four days I have been wearing it have been pretty cruddy out so we've been in the house for the most part. I am sure once we are back to playing outside and our daily dog walks that number will be much higher.

But I would still like to increase my step count to get closer to 10,000 every day. Not because I think it's some sort of magical number but because the higher my step count, the more active I am (again, duh.). And coming out of this very cold, long winter I can use all of the activity I can get! I have gotten into the bad habit of plopping down on the couch and opening my computer anytime I walked by it. Not good for anyone involved. Not to mention my couch, the poor thing has a permanent Lindsay sized butt imprint on it. 

So with that, I am going to close the computer, get off my butt and do a few laps around the house cleaning up as I go. Not only has this little gadget motivated me to move, but my house will probably be cleaner. I said probably. Don't hold me to it. 

If you're interested in getting yourself a fitbit, you can order directly through the fitbit website or from Amazon or REI. (I got mine at REI using my member rebate, 20% off coupon and a store credit. Final price? Free. Score.) Word on the street, er, the interwebs, is that it's better to order from Amazon or REI. Quicker shipping and better return policy.  

How many steps do you think you take in a day? 

*I would love to strap a pedometer on Olive and see how many steps she takes in a day. Pretty sure she takes 10,000 steps before lunch.

I was in no way, shape or form compensated to write this review. The fitbit people have no idea who I am. The words are my own. Just like the butt imprint on my couch.

Just one of those days.

Today was just one of those days. You know, one of those days?

The kind of day where everything is.....perfect. 

Not what you were expecting, huh? Well believe me, I am kind of surprised myself.

Don't get me wrong, most of our days are wonderful and I really don't have anything to complain about. I have a lot to be thankful for and have been blessed with so....much in my life. So much love and family and friends and good things. I truly am a lucky gal. 

But some days I lose sight of all of that and can only focus on the not so happy. And granted the not so happy could be a whole hell of a lot worse, but still. It's hard to focus on the so much when you have a little person knocking you down and blowing you up with their incredibly intense and passionate way of being. And it's even more frustrating when you know that the reason they are so passionate and intense is because you. are. too.  So now not only are you extremely frustrated and pissed because this little person is defying your very existence, your extremely frustrated and pissed because you know she can't help it because she is a mini you.  So yelling and crying and stomping ensues until you both get it out of your system. And then you cuddle and wipe tears and whisper 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' and all is well.

Today wasn't one of those days. Today was wonderful. Fabulous. Magical. Nothing exciting or extraordinary happened. But I think that's why it was so lovely. It was just extra ordinary. There was no yelling, no crying, no screaming, no "I DON'T WANT TO!!!!".   Just a nice day at home doing a whole lot of the usual. Playing, singing, eating, dancing, play doh-ing, cuddling, reading, etc. But the absence of yelling, crying, whining and hot tempers was like a breath of fresh air. Heck, I even got a workout in during pseudo-nap time. I am telling you, it was a great day. 

What did we do differently? Why was today so pleasant? I couldn't tell you. And honestly, I don't really care. I just enjoyed it and take comfort in knowing that there are more days like this on the horizon.  Who knows what tomorrow brings, but today was beautiful.

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day. 

According to the World Water Day website: 

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

I said it last year and I'll say it again. Don't we all deserve a clean drink of water? 

Aaaand I'm back!

Missed me, didn't ya? 

Not really sure what happened or where my blogging mojo went, but for whatever reason I just wasn't feeling it. 

While I have been MIA, I have been busy. Doing what, you ask? Well pull up a seat and I'll tell you!

*Watching this cute chunk of love learn how to roll from her back to tummy. And getting thisclose to crawling. 

* Watching this spitfire of a toddler learn how to do and say all sorts of "oh my god my baby is so not a baby anymore" things. 

*Soaking up all the sisterly love that's going on in this house. 

*Welcomed my niece Ruby to the world! She is the sweetest little peanut!

*Made Spicy Thai Chicken in the crockpot (really good, not so spicy)

*Made Crockpot Fried Rice with the leftover Coconut chicken. (really, really good)

*Read the amazingly good book, One Day

*Knit myself a cowl 

 (source)

*Started knitting a scarf for Chris. (A belated Christmas gift...from 2009. Better late than never, right?)

*Started running again. Woot woot!

*Stopped running again. Boo! (darn knees. and laziness. *sigh*) 

*Wishing and hoping for Spring and warm weather. 

I am sure I have missed a few things, but that's what's I've been up to. 

What's been going on in your neck of the woods?

Break out the air popper!*

Have you ever rented a Redbox DVD online and picked it up at a kiosk? No? Me neither. But you can try it for free by clicking on the link below (if it's your first online rental).

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I love you. 

Ok and because if you rent using this link, I'll get a free rental. But then you can sign up to get your OWN free rental. Winner winner chicken dinner! Er, free movie rental!

*What?! You don't make your popcorn with an air popper? You don't know what you're missing out on! I like to drizzle it with butter, add some S&P and chili powder. Or cinnamon if I am feeling frisky. Not that kind of frisky. The kind of frisky that makes me put cinnamon on my popcorn. Very different frisky**. 

Speaking of air poppers, I really want one of these bad boys

(source)

A microwave popcorn popper. No oil, no greasy bag, just toss in some popcorn and give it a whirl in the microwave. Works just like an air popper but I wouldn't have to worry about popcorn popping all over my kitchen when I forget to put a bowl under the popper. Not that I have ever done that (My four legged friend thought he had died and gone to doggy heaven). And you can melt butter in the silicone lid and it will drip onto the freshly popped popcorn. *drool* Here is a little video for your enjoyment. 



"That's what I'm talking about!"




**Frisky is a really funny sounding word. Frisky. he he.

I registered for a half marathon!!

And got denied. 

*sigh*

*heavier, longer, louder SIGH*

*and once again...you get the idea*

Well that stinks. I worked up the courage to register for the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and didn't get in. I know, it's nothing personal, just luck of the draw, but still. Talk about a let down. I didn't even know if I really wanted to run it until I found out I couldn't.  Boo, hiss and all that jazz. 

But I have decided I am going to train for it anyway. I honestly don't know if I can physically do it (bad knees, running affects my milk supply, yada yada) but I am going to give it a whirl. And if I find out halfway through training that it's just not going to happen, at least I won't be out the $75 registration fee. Silver lining? Sure. 

So, with that, I am formally announcing that I am training for a half marathon. 

Any suggestions on a training plan? I am going to look at Hal Higdon, Jeff Galloway and Garry Bjorklund's plans.

Wish me luck! 

(I wrote this on Tuesday and just realized today that it didn't post. I am having internet connectivity issues on my laptop. It's been a reoccurring problem since I got it in 2007. I think I got a bad Apple. boo.)