Homemade laundry detergent-good for clothes and cloth diapers

Make your own laundry detergent. 

Ready .... Set.... GO!!

You'll need:

• Borax,
• Oxygen cleaner
• Washing Soda

You can get it at:

Borax:
 http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/
 http://www.walmart.com/ip/20-Mule-Team-Borax-Horizontal-Laundry-Booster-76-oz/11027366

Oxygen Cleaner: 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oxygen-Cleaner-All-Purpose-Stain-Remover-Powder/13908578

Washing soda:
http://www.armandhammer.com/fabric-care/laundry-boosters/Products/arm-and-hammer-super-washing-soda-detergent-booster.aspx
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3549579

What do do with it:
Mix equal parts of borax + washing soda + oxygen cleaner.


For cloth diaper laundry use 2-3 Tbsp per load.

Enjoy!

Have a happy crunchy green healthy day :-)

Juppy Baby Walker giveaway at Growing Up Naturally In Home Childcare

A Juppy Baby Walker Giveaway over at Growing up Naturally In Home Childcare
So head on over to her Blog to enter.

Have a happy crunchy green  healthy day :-)

My cloth diapering Journey- The beginnings

When my firstborn came along 2 1/2 years ago I thought about cloth diapering but decided against it without really doing much research. Word of mouth was that cloth diapering was hard, messy, something of ancient times.
I got a reality check with the arrival of my baby girl last year. Disposable diaper costs went thru the roof with two kiddos in diapers.  So I did a bit more research and found out that pins and boiling diapers are a thing of the past. So begins my cloth diapering journey in November of 2011.
So far we have gone 100 % cloth diaper and I have not looked back. I managed to put together a stash of very easy to use cloth diapers that are mostly pocket diapers.
Pocket diapers are ones that have a pocket that you stuff with inserts.  I have an all in one which doesn't need to be stuffed and the rest are all in twos; which have a snap in insert. There are also the prefolds which are used with a waterproof cover.
I use biodegradable liners which makes diaper changes a breeze, just throw the liner with the poop in the toilet and flush, rinse the diaper and throw it in the bag awaiting laundry day. Easy peacy lemon squeezy. :-)

The internet has a wealth of information this is just a tidbit of info, check out sites like Ehow, here is an article on how to get started with cloth diapering.

Have a happy crunchy green healthy day :-)

Making Mama's Milk & More - Lactation Cookies

I really need to try these cookies from Making Mama's Milk & More .
They are lactation cookies that help increase the milk supply of breast feeding mothers.
They are 100 % Organic and dairy free and come in Oatmeal chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin and Oatmeal butterscotch.
The contain fenugreek which is commonly used to increase milk supply, flax seeds which increases DHA levels in the breast milk, brewers yeast, whole rolled oats and whole wheat flour.

Have a happy crunchy green and healthy day :-)

Temper tantrum messes- Green products to the rescue

Oh My! It's one of those mid day meltdowns along with the messes temper tantrums sometimes make, thank goodness for my small collection of green products!. 
My dear 2 1/2 year old toddler decided to have a meltdown and upchuck all over the wood floors and hallway wall, waking up his 10 mo. old baby sister who had just gone down for a nap. She was not happy and decided to scream while I took care of her brother.  I quickly took care of the ominous mess armed with  Mrs Meyers clean day all purpose cleaner, which left behind a lovely lavender scent.  Stripped the now somewhat calmer toddler of his pukey clothes and gave him a wipe down with a mixture of Delish Naturals Body Wash and Shampoo.  I love this stuff, an ounce of it in a 8 oz spray bottle filled with water goes a long way as a wipe solution, get some wash cloths and you're set, leaving baby clean and smelling great. Next it was the stinky clothes turn to get a nice healthy dose of Clean B natural detergent in the autum blessing scent,  AHHH Heavenly!.  The baby got a nice tall Glass Evenflo bottle full of liquid gold.  Toddler now napping and baby happy as a clam.
Balance has been restored.. for now

Have a Crunchy Green and Healthy Day! :-)

Bean playbox project

My son's occupational therapist thought it would be a good idea to make him an indoor "sand" box. You see, my son has sensory and textures issues, the box would provide him with the opportunity to get in it and slowly get comfortable with feeling the different texture around his body and on his hands without him totally freaking out. 

I set out to the local Super Walmart and got a hold of a 41 QT Sterilite underbed box with lid and instead of sand I bought two 8 lb bags of pinto beans.. yes.. PINTO BEANS :-)

Sterilite box sticker- it's the 41 QT Underbed Box thats 35 X 16 X 5

Two 8 lb Bags of Pinto Beans :-)

= The new Bean Box ;-)

This bean box is long enough for a toddler to sit in it and stretch the legs out, even lay in it.

We are starting out playing for just 5 minutes a day till he gets more comfortable in it, then will slowly increase play time to 20 mins a day. So far He likes playing with the boat, the current game is finding the shapes in the beans, that makes him actually dig around :-)

Wish us luck!

Have a Crunchy Green and Healthy day!

Homeschooling- The basics

I have been searching the internet lately trying to find some useful info on Homeschooling; how to get started. 
I have found that basically there is no set way or curriculum to follow, you make up your own, as long as the basic subjects are covered. 
According to Ga law, a declaration of intent to home study must be submitted to the local superintendent 30 days after the establishment of the home study program and by Sept. 1 every year thereafter. 
The children must have 4 1/2 hours of instruction  a day for 180 days, and ttendance records must be kept and submitted every month and a progress report must be written every year. 
As far as testing, national standardized testing must be taken every 3 years starting at the end of the 3rd grade. Parent must have a GED or hire a tutor.
Link to Ga law mentioned above
Follow this link for Declaration of intention form and Attendance form

Will post more info as I come across it :-)
Have a Crunchy Green and Healthy day!