Thursday, January 5, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
Olivia's Christmas List
Please note, these are in no particular order:
- Legos (the real, original size for big girls)
- Highlights High Five Magazine Subscription
- Board Games
- Books - Anything age appropriate or educational (she likes space and dinosaurs right now)
- Colored Socks - She loves these. No ankle socks - they bug her
- Puzzles - 25 to 45 pieces are age appropriate
- Preschool Computer Games
- Tag Reading System and books
- Leadpad Tablet
- Gift Certificate for Build-a-Bear
- Preschool Workbooks
- Dress Up Clothes
- Kids National Geographic Magazine or Videos
Monday, October 17, 2011
Home Made Laundry Soap - DIY Project
1. Sort by Color - Whites, Darks, Lights
2. Sort by Type - Delicates, Jeans, Towels, Cottons
3. Jeans should ALWAYS be turned inside out to assure minimal fading
4. Water temperature - Towels, sheets, and whites all require HOT water... everything else is cold
5. Whites always use bleach
6. Olivia's laundry requires search and application of stain remover on every piece... also requires an added laundry boost such as Oxy Clean
Ok.. those are the basics. :p There are much more 'sub rules'. Needless to say I am a little nuts. But please note that this method allows my daughter to sport expensive labels (that were bargain shopped) and I never throw away stained clothes. Stains don't happen in my house... ever. So quality of laundry care is important. I loved the initial idea of making laundry soap.. its green and better for your family (less chemicals).
However... what my family DOESN'T know.. is I will gladly continue to subject them to harsh laundry chemicals for the sake of my laundry. That's terrible.. isn't it? However after MUCH research I was convinced that:
A. My laundry will, in fact, get cleaned
B. Stains will NOT be an issue
C. It will not wear my clothes out any faster
So This was a go-ahead for me! I bought the supplies at my local walmart and a cheese grater at the Dollar Tree for... you guessed it... a dollar.
REQUIRED ITEMS:
Washing Soda - $2.00
Borax - $4.00
1 Bar Fels Naptha Soap - $1.00
1 Cheese Grater - $1.00
TOTAL COST: $8.00
** Please note teh above supplies will make FAR more than one set of detergent!!!
Directions:
Grate 1 Bar of Fels Naptha Soap (I hear Zote works great too)
Combine the grated Soap with 1 Cup Washing Soda and 1 Cup Borax and mix well.
Thats it! I use 2 tablespoons per LARGE load of laundry. I did laundry all weekend and the clothes look GREAT!!! So how much does it cost per load of laundry? I don't know.. dirt cheap... pennies maybe?? I made one batch of the detergent and did about 6 loads of laundry.. there is no dent so far. It is clearly going to last a LONGGGG time. If you want to give it a try, I encourage you! However, I know there are special instructions for people who have hard water so you may want to do some research if thats you.
The recipe I used is from the diynatural site.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Nap time for everyone... except the pregnant momma!!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Talks with a Preschooler
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Criminals, Media, and our fellow Americans - A Small Rant
This is something that I had no intention on blogging about. However, this is something that constantly resurfaces in my mind especially since the Casey Anthony trial exploded through the media.
I am experiencing frustration and disappointment, not just with the despicable crimes that are becoming even more common, not just with the common failures of our justice system, but also with my peers. We can expect our media to glamourize crimes, it happens all the time. It's news. The media is filled with speculation, assumptions, arrogance, opinions, and even entertainment. The justice system is imperfect. No one has the solution to common problems and everyone wants to make an example of someone to promote their own agendas. Lawyers do this, judges do this, and now... jury members do this. But sense when do Americans feel it necessary to play God and determine another person’s fate without proof?
Everyone seems to be on a modern day witch hunt with the Casey Anthony trial. Everyone is emotionally fueled and not thinking clearly which is why our justice systems motto is "innocent until proven guilty". There was no proof of anything substantial in the trial and yet everyone wants to see this woman get the death penalty. People scream that the justice system failed.... failed how? My letting a woman go that the government couldn't prove did a crime? Perhaps we should give people life in prison and the death penalty based on assumptions? Would they feel the same way if the person on trial was their mother, father, or child?
It is a terrible tragedy that a child was harmed and her life was cut short, this is undisputable. However, without any motive or proof for Casey Anthony it is now between her and whichever god she prays to. It is not our job to hold our peers accountable... it is the lords. Perhaps we should all practice love, forgiveness, and focus on our own lives instead of promoting a witch hunt fueled by vindication. Let us ask ourselves not what can we do to punish but what can we do to help keep our own loved ones safe?