DIY Laundry Soap!

Hey all, I'm back with yet another homemade laundry soap recipe. After fine tuning my previously used powder recipe (found here) I've come up with something super simple & quite possibly the easiest & most effective soap blend we've used to date!

What you'll need:
-Borax
-Washing Soda
-Baking Soda
-Zote Soap Flakes
-(OPTIONAL) Scent Boosters (Purex is the favorite around here)!
You can also swap out the scent boosters for essential oils as well! ;)

Recipe? Just mix 1 cup each of the Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda, & Soap Flakes together with one cap of the Scent Boosters. Seriously, SUPER easy!
If you're like us & do a lot of laundry on a weekly basis, mix 2 cups each of the Borax, Washing Soda, & Baking Soda with the entire box of Soap Flakes & 2 caps of the Scent Boosters.
To measure out I use a Scent Booster cap for my measuring cup. Typically 1 cap for small loads, 2 for large will do the trick! For a little extra cleaning punch (especially for those whites!) I add in 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to keep out clothes nice & clean.

Cost...
For starters a box of Borax, Washing Soda, & Baking Soda will run you about $10. A box of Zote Soap Flakes is slightly less than $3. Scent Boosters run from $5-8, depending on brand.
On average, our family of 5 (7, if you count the pups!) racks up about $15/month in laundry soap costs. In comparison, we were running at nearly $10 per WEEK for free/clear liquid laundry soap! Needless to say our wallets are slightly happier now with this new arrangement. If you still prefer liquid detergent to powder, check out my awesome homemade liquid detergent recipe on the blog!

Have a favorite DIY laundry soap recipe? Feel free to post below...I'd love to check it out!

DIY Scented Play Dough

So x3 has been on a HUGE play dough kick for the last month or so. Problem is I found myself continuously piking up dry crumbs and having to dump after only a use or two of the store bought stuff, which is an all around waste of money and product. So I decided to go back to a tried & true homemade play dough recipe I found when x1 & x2 were littler & added some scented oils in for a fun twist!

What you'll need:
3 cups flour
1.5 cups salt
6 tsp. cream of tarter
3 tbsp. oil (I just used vegetable oil)
3 cups water
20-25 drops essential oils of your choice
food coloring (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a large pot over medium heat, or closely monitor your little monsters doing so. :)
Consider CAREFULLY when it comes to oils, as some scents are more powerful than others & need to be used with a greater amount of caution around littles (peppermint, anyone?), so please make sure you do your homework here!
For this batch x3 chose a berry blend. Some suggestions are lavender, if you want the dough to have a "calming" effect, or even eucalyptus for those suffering from stuffy noses!

Continuously stir. Dough will start to form a ball/pull away from sides of the pot after a few minutes.

Flip dough ball onto smooth surface & knead when cool enough to handle until you get that play dough texture! I prefer wax paper for this part, as sometimes the dough will stick at first to a counter or cutting board!

Yields 4 "servings" of play dough (I added in the cream of tartar container for a size reference!). Store sealed when cool & not in use. I used some plastic dollar tupperware we had laying around. When stored properly (cool/dry place), I've had batches last up to 3 months before it began to dry out or crumble!

Optionally, if you'd like colored dough, you can add in the food coloring of your choice during the kneading process. I take each dough ball & quarter it, adding 2-3 drops of color per section, & then kneed it all back again whole.

And, yes, I use gloves. I hate having stain on my hands. :p

And there you have it! Quick & easy, the whole process took me less than 30 minutes for x3 & I to do, & over a week later we're still enjoying the play dough on a daily basis!

DIY Shower Soothers

I don't know about you all, but it's definitely cold season in our house! Which means lots of stuffy noses & congested children.

One of my favorite homemade remedies for these sickies are our homemade shower soothers! Quick & easy to make, & super affordable, especially when compared to their OTC counterparts!

For starters, you'll need some baking soda, water, baking molds, & essential oils.

Mix 2 cups of baking soda with 1 cup water until the mixture starts to ball up/stick together.

Grab your baking mold & fill each mold half way with the baking soda/water mix. While muffin tins w/liners will work in a pinch, I much prefer my silicone molds, as it's easier to pop the shower soothers out when done!

Time for oils! Add in approximately 10-12 drops total per soother. Typically I'll do 3-4 per oil.
The best essential oils for the job are rosemary, peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender, to ensure the soothers are family friendly & safe for all ages. I do add camphor oil to mine occasionally, but never for the monsters.

After the oils are added, use the remaining baking soda/water mixture to fill in your molds.

When everything is full, bake in the over for about 15-20 minutes at 350*.

When done & cool, pop out & store immediately in a sealed contained or Ziploc bag.

Usually will stay for a good 6-8 weeks as is, or, if you want to add additional scent before use, up to 6 months total.

To use simply place in the shower, out of the direct stream of water, but close enough that the steam activates the scent.

Just remember, while there are tons of variations online as far as amounts, times, quantities, this is what works best for us. Poke & tweak at the recipe if needed til it fits your family's needs just right!

DIY Custom Bathroom Cups

First & foremost, a huge HELLO from Idaho! PCS #3 went sorta smoothly & all 5 of us (& the pups!) are now safe & sound at our new home out west & absolutely loving life.
Between the deployment & move, this year seems like such a blur. I can't believe we're only 2 months away from 2015 already! o.O

Seeing as the holidays are right around the corner, the monsters & I decided to channel our craftiness this afternoon & make some easy DIY gifts!

I give you customized bathroom cups!

Of course, there's got to be one that doesn't cooperate & that just happened to be x3's this time, as her stickers (gwen) wouldn't all fit on one face of the tumbler. lol

*The materials? Plastic tumblers (don't recommend glass/mason jars for littles!) & wall art alphabet stickers. Extra wall art stickers could be used to decorate around the tumbler if desired!
*Why wall art stickers? Because, if you're like me, you're going to reposition something a time or two (...or ten) in order to line them up just the way you want it WITHOUT the image losing it's ability to stick!
*The cost? I got 8 tumblers (4 in each color) & 1 pack of wall art ABCs for just $5. That's 3 tumblers for the monsters, one for DH & I, & 4 to give away as gifts for the holidays!
*Use? Anything really. For us I'm using them as individual toothbrush/paste holders (we're in the "don't touch my stuff!" / "quit breathing my air!" stage. -sigh-). For gifts, the possibilities are endless. They can hold tooth brushing essentials, or serve as a hair brush/pony/comb holder, or even as a pen/pencil cup for say a teacher or coworker. Anything but an -actual- cup really, as I don't think the stickers would be up for that kind of wear & tear. ;)


Note - Not necessary, but brushing a coat or two of Modge Podge over the stickers always helps!

Hope you all enjoyed! Have a favorite holiday DIY? Pass this one & share yours here! :)

Backyard Summer Fun!

Around here we're always looking to add a new twist to our favorite games!
Because of the heat, the monsters have been all about water balloons the past few weeks. We've done toss contests, filled them up with different liquids to see what pops first, a shaving cream balloon fight, & finally, their favorite, target practice!
The game itself is easy enough. Grab a few different chalk colors & make a target board (sidewalk or fence both work great!) with different sized targets. The larger the target, the smaller the point value!



We decided to use smaller numbers this round since x3 is starting to get the hang of simple addition. Previous rounds have included skip counting by 3s, 5s, & a money round (1c, 5c, 10c, 25c)! Anything to keep those math skills sharp, right?
We'll also do a small "scoreboard" off to the side to tally up points after the game is over.



Now, the fun part. Grab a water balloon, take aim, & FIRE!



To add a twist, some rounds we stand on one leg for, use our opposite hand, close of eyes, or even toss backwards over our heads! Anything to shake it up a bit!
Water balloons & chalk...such a simple combination, but they love it! Personally I love the fact that they're playing outdoors while working on sharing/taking turns, math, balance, aim, & coordination, but hey, it's all in the name of fun so who am I to spoil that? lol
What are some of your favorite backyard summer games? I'd love to see some links/ideas below! :)

"Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"

As mentioned previously, x2 turned 7 back on May 4th. :)
We're still caught up in the madness of all things "Frozen" so it was no surprise to me when my own little Anna asked for that to be her theme this year.

After scouring Pinterest with her (& finding some extremely awesome ideas!), we decided on doing our version of the Arendelle banner &, of course, we had to add Olaf in there along with the paper snowflakes & streamers.

& while I love to craft & bake, I stink at cakes. Anything above the very most basic of marshmallow fondant designs & I'm way out of my league. x2 had spotted her dream cake, a multi-tiered "North Mountain" masterpiece with Elsa, Anna, & the gang placed all around to celebrate.
Solution? Powdered donuts!

Okay, so not the most elegant of creations, but it worked! The kids loved it & it was so much easier to just pull apart the donuts & serve vs cutting into & messing up a beautiful cake.

Now, the tricky part of a "Frozen" party in May, especially in Georgia, is the frozen aspect itself. It was 80*+ at party time, so we set up sprinklers, squirt guns, & water balloons for a "melted snowball fight". The biggest hit, I think, was a DIY snow recipe I found over at Growing a Jeweled Rose. We took 2 big boxes of Baking Soda (the jumbo size, found in the laundry aisle!) & mixed it with 3 cans of shaving cream. After a few minutes of working the 2 ingredients together we had moldable snow! & it was COLD! A nice contrast to a hot & sunny day.

The little kids had a BLAST & honestly I think the adults enjoyed playing with it just as much. I will admit I was surprised to find that the "snow" stayed cold as long as 24 hours later! Definitely a keeper for the summer!

As for "Frozen" itself, I don't see our house jumping off the bandwagon anytime soon. Both x2 & x3 have asked to dress up as the sisters this year for Halloween, which means costumes are now in the works!

Stay tuned to see how they turn out!

DIY Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

I've gotten quite a few questions about green cleaning products & how to make your own while on a budget, so I decided to share one of my favorite recipes today!

Super simple (only 2 ingredients!) & cost effective, this little mixture works on practically anything I need disinfecting in both the kitchen & the bathroom with no harsh chemicals or residue! Awesome, right?
First, gather up some of your favorite citrus & start peeling!

The Monsters are addicted to "halos" (mini oranges) at the moment, so I usually buy the big 5lb bag & divide the peels between 2 glass jars. Peeling all the fruit at once isn't exactly necessary, but it helps ensure that all the peels are equally fresh when it comes time to add the vinegar!
Once everything is peeled, fill the jars to the neck (leaving about an inch or so under the lid) with white vinegar, screw on the lid, & store in a pantry or cabinet for at LEAST 2 weeks (no more than a month). After 2-3 days I'll usually check on my jars & see if the peels have settled & add more white vinegar if necessary.

After time is up, put a strainer in a bowl & pour our the jar's contents so that the peels are separated from the citrus-infused vinegar.

Toss the peels (or use them to freshen up the garbage disposal!) & pour the citrus vinegar into a spray bottle.

If necessary, add just a bit more white vinegar to the bottle to help mix & fill it up!

Now you're all set to start spraying & scrubbing away! Seriously, one of the best things I've every used as far as tub stains & greasy stoves are concerned.
Have another favorite green cleaning recipe? Feel free to link it in the comments! :)

DIY Flip Books!

01.Sept.13 - The Monsters

Last Sunday we checked another "first" off for x3....her first zoo trip!  And a first visit for all of us to Zoo Atlanta, as our previous zoo trips were to either Jacksonville Zoo (FL) or Denver Zoo (CO).  The life of a military brat, right? lol
Needless to say the kids (as well as DH & I) had tons of fun seeing all the animals, but it was x3 who really fell in love with everything, leading to the inevitable meltdown as we left the gift shop without the "zoo aminals" book she had her little hopes set on. 
While looking through the day's pictures (& trying to ease the guilt of feeling like a "mean momma") on the drive home I got an idea.....MAKING x3 her very own zoo flip book!

Flip book!

 I let her pick out her favorite dozen animals that we saw on our zoo trip & printed them out, laminated them, punched a hole through the top corner of each (once before laminating & once after) & then attached them all to an index card ring!

Front side - Pictures

 All in all I think the final product turned out pretty cute!  I even wrote the names of all the animals on the back of their picture so that she can use them flashcard style.

Back side - Animal Names

Total cost for our flip book ended up being just under $4 total!  Prints were .30ea (4x6 pictures x12), I already had the laminater & paper, & I found index rings 20/$4.  MUCH more budget friendly than the $16.95 they were offering up at the gift shop.

"Look momma!  It's the lion!  RAWR!"

I've caught her flipping though the book several times a day since talking about the different animals & sounds that they make.  I think it's safe to say she's happy with mommy's modified version too.

Bonus perk - They're also compact enough to stuff in the purse or diaper bag!

Making the zoo animal flip book also sparked other ideas.  You can do colors, numbers, the alphabet, body parts, a memory/family member book....the possibilities are endless! 

Anyone else interested make their own flip books?  I'd love to see the final products! 
Feel free to share the links below!

"Mooooooooom! I'm bored!"

Is it just me or does it seem like once the newness of summer wears off, the "I'm bored!" brigade breaks out into full swing?!?

To combat that this year we've come up with a pretty successful boredom buster...

Every time one of the monsters mentions how bored they are, I remind them that there is PLENTY to do around the house!  They pick one of many smaller magnets off the fridge & go about completing the task at hand.  Be it cleaning up, reading a book, helping out in the yard, or making sure the pups are taken care of, these little "chore buttons" have helped x1 & x2 especially become more active in necessary daily routines.

Best of all?  The monsters have realized that by helping out more & more, the needs of the day are met quickly & there's more time for outings, play, & crafting.  Win/Win from my perspective. :)

Note - I have had a few people ask me why I don't do assigned chore taskings with them & it's simple.  DH & I feel that, because we all make the mess & live in the house, it all of our responsibilities to WILLINGLY keep it clean & functioning in some capacity.  Taking away rewards for forgetting to take out the trash or make their beds just doesn't make sense in the way things run around here.

Either way, this has work great the last few months for us!  Any tips/tricks that you use around your house to combat the summer "I'm bored!" blues?

Dog Days of Summer

Yesterday our little fluffball, Remy, celebrated his 3rd birthday!  Naturally the monsters decided it was only right to throw him a party.

"I has a birthday gift!"

Little background info on Remy....although he loves all the monsters, x2 is by far -his- girl.  She found him in October '10, the lone & sad older puppy in the back of the cage amidst all the little jumpy lickers scrambling for her attention.  She went to pet him, he wagged his tail at her, & nothing else mattered.

"Yep, she loves me."

It hasn't always been easy with the stubborn little schnauzer, but as far as she's concerned, it was love at first sight. 

Fast forwarding back to the party...everyone, human & pup alike, had a blast! 
We made cheap/easy party hats using this template.  Monsters colored & then cut out their hats, ran them through the laminater (w/help, of course), punched a few holes, added yarn, & rocked their new creations!

Party on!

We also were able to enjoy the weather outside for a little while, which has been a welcome change considering we've been plagued with rain for the past month or so around here.  Party games included lots of fetch, bubbles, & rope tug-of-war!

And what would a party be without cake?  We found this awesome puppy cake recipe on Pinterest the other day & the dogs devoured their pieces immediately & hopefully awaited seconds. 

nom nom nom

 It's a super quick & simple recipe & I even added in a few pieces of bacon for extra flavor.
We humans, however, stuck to brownies. :)

Anyone else celebrating a monster's (human or fur!) birthday this summer?  If so, what all do you have planned?

Classroom Organization - Desk Bags!

For those of you who don't know, we'll be homeschooling the monsters come August!  We've got the books, started the lesson plans, but I'm finding that my biggest problem lies in room and organization.  I want each child to have their own "space" for their daily books and supplies, but I'm limited to using a corner of my living room as our classroom.  Doesn't leave much room for shelving/storage.

So when I found this easy desk bag tutorial on Pinterest a few weeks ago, I had to give it a try!

They ended up turning out REALLY cute! :)




The black material is duck cloth and the accent fabrics are cotton.  The one above is for x3, our resident animal lover, while x2 picked out pink and orange peace signs and x1 went with a pirate/shark pattern.

I ended up simplifying the pattern a bit and cut out the trims and bias tape.  Also had to tweak the measurements a little bit, since not all chair backs have the same dimensions.

All in all, each bag took me maybe an hour to put together and is pictured holding 1 composition book, 6 spiral notebooks, 1 folder w/activity sheets, and one small book with no sign of stretching/popping seams.  Looks as if it has enough room to throw a pencil pouch in if needed as well! 

Definitely a cute little project that will be a BIG help to us this fall!

7/10/13 - UPDATE!!!
The desk bags have been going strong for us all summer, but I've noticed they like to slip off the top of the chairs when pulled/brushed against.  Solution?  I added 2 snaps to the flap of the bag to help keep them on the chairs!  Almost a week later & they haven't budged! :)

Picnic Table Redo!

While scanning thru potential DIYs for the house this year I stumbled across this gem from Caroline's Crafty Corner!
We were gifted a Little Tikes table 4 years ago now from a PCSing family back in Wyoming. It was well loved, but still in great shape! It's been a favorite of the monsters, but has definitely been getting dingier as time has worn on.
TADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much better, right?

Following Caroline's post I took apart our table, painted the sides, & stapled fabric and vinyl on top of the table and seats. & yes, it was really that easy! Budget friendly too, as all my expenses (2 cans of plastics paint & 1.5 yards each of cotton fabric & 006 vinyl) totaled in just under $20!
The redo is a hit & perfect timing too...Gwen will soon be using it as her desk when homeschooling starts this fall!

Ready...Aim...Fire!

Katniss. Merida. Hawkeye. 2012 has definitely been the year of the bow & arrow! Needless to say the monsters have caught on to the trend & have been asking for little archery sets for some time now.
Problem? Price & durability. We've gotten small sets, which have broken within a day's use. So when Lynneth asked to be Brave's Merida (complete with a bow & arrow fit for a princess!) this year for Halloween, I went on the hunt for a cheap & easy way to make something that would last!

Ta Da!

Not too shabby for a few dowel rods, some fishing line, hot glue, & feathers, huh? Monster Man loved it.
I sliced a groove maybe 1/4-1/2 inch deep into each end of a 3/16x36in dowel rod & knotted fishing wire around the ends, pulling til the line was taught, but not overly tight.

-Important- You can NOT use too much hot glue to secure the ends of the bow's wire. Let me tell you, it hurts like #%&* when that line pops (note the band-aid!) & I was super glad I was the tester versus the monsters. PLEASE use caution if making your own!
For added safety on the arrows I used pencil erasers for arrowheads! Just fill with hot glue & spin the arrow in til it hits the bottom. While the arrows do go a lot farther/faster without the eraser caps, I'm glad we chose the safer route. Hurts a lot less getting hit by a rogue arrow when they're capped. >.<

Hot gluing a feather on the tip & slicing a small notch to help 'grip' the line round out the finished arrows!

For the hand grip I used half a shop towel my hubby had laying around outside on the porch, hot glued one end on to the bow, wrapped the towel around several times, & them taped the whole thing down & painted it. The only real flaw I've found so far is that the paint started to rub off the more the monsters used it.
As for Lynneth's request....here ya go. A bow & arrow set worthy of my very own red headed princess. =)

Not to be left out, Gwenna got a half size 'practice' set. You barely have to pull on the line & the arrow goes!

*gasp* "For me!?!?!"

Now the real question...do they actually work?

So much fun! My kids spend a good hour this afternoon playing with their new toys, which held up just fine to all the use & abuse! I'll admit, I'm actually kind of jealous...might have to go back to Hobby Lobby for some mommy-size supplies. ;)