Why I've Stopped Making Laundry Soap

I am back, again!  After 3 years of busyness and trying to stay sane with 4 kiddos, homeschooling, 2 moves, and life in general, I had to write a quick post about my new laundry soap findings.  Let's face it, laundry is the revolving door that never stops revolving, and my laundry was getting annoying.

I  love making my own laundry soap.  I have loved it for over 6 years. It was so easy and cost effective, why would I want to stop making it?  I'm pretty sure I've saved hundreds of dollars making my own, (I'd even venture to say close to $1,000!)  I hadn't had any problems getting my clothes clean, except for the past few months.  Clothes were starting to look dingy, more gray, and getting smelly.  I mean really smelly, like moldy smell.  What??  I thought it could be my front loader washing machine.  I started washing it out with bleach more often, cleaning the rubber seal, and making sure I drained the water in the front more than once a year.  (I had no clue you even had to do that, until I started reading the washing machine manual! The things you learn!)  Regardless of all my efforts, my clothes were not getting any more pleasant smelling.  And on top of that, my clothes were getting gray spots on them.  I was tired of rewashing and eventually throwing away towels and shirts.  So I did the one thing I always do, I turned to Google for answers.  I was shocked by what I read about homemade laundry soap.  There were multiple people all saying the same thing. Here is what they were saying:

Laundry Soap is NOT the same as Laundry Detergent.  

Well, obviously they're different names, but don't they do the same thing?  Not even close.  Laundry soap is not good for fabrics.  The soap in the recipe does not rinse out easily and is left behind, which is a breeding ground for mildew.  Hence the gray spots, dinginess and smell.  I was definitely appalled reading this, but hesitant to give up my laundry soap.  I went into the grocery store with the mindset of, "I'll try one bottle of store bought laundry detergent and if it doesn't give results, I'm going back to my homemade soap until I figure something else out."   I chose a brand that was as chemical free as I could find and afford.  Amazingly, my clothes didn't smell anymore!  After one wash, they had a completely different look, feel and smell.  I was shocked at the transformation, but relieved as well.  I didn't even know we were WEARING mildew, breathing it in from our clothing, bed sheets, you name it.  No longer do I have to worry about smelly clothes, nor the health hazards of mold and mildew in our laundry.

Since I no longer DIY my laundry soap, I'm finding plenty of other DIY ventures for me to try.  Next on the list: remodeling our pop up camper!  Yes, that's right a POP UP CAMPER.  :)  Fun adventures await the Davis clan!

Blessings,

Amanda

Garage Mayhem

Weekend Project #4: Organize the Garage

Nate was in charge of this one.  I get stressed out looking at "the corner."  It is mayhem.  We have tried finding things in the mountains of boxes and bins, but it is nearly impossible to find anything.  It was time to start the task.

Lulu had to, of course, be right in the thicket of the work.  She can be quite the "helper."  (I use the term "helper" VERY loosely!)

Nate started by assembling the shelving system we bought (ON SALE!).  It was super easy to put together.  

He also used an app on his phone to make an inventory list of everything he was putting away.  I was impressed!  He always does a good job, but he really hit it out of the park on this one.  He labeled the boxes to correspond with the lists on his phone.  Next time we're looking for something, we can track it down by his phone.  Awesome!

 Nate did get it organized and everything put away that would fit, but decided he wanted to get a workbench as well, so it isn't completely finished.  Once we get the workbench fit in, we'll be able to get it done!  

Blessings,

Amanda

Backyard Storage

Weekend Project #3: Backyard Clean Up

Our backyard has been kind of a mess.  The patio area isn't huge and we've managed to fit our large patio table, 6 chairs, a zero gravity lounger, a water table, 3 hoses, a slide, grill, miscellaneous yard tools and toys all in the small area.  It hasn't been pleasant.  When Nate's parents came to visit, they brought an outdoor storage chest they bought at Menard's per Nate's request.  You can see how small the patio area is below.  It was a bit crowded!

We put the kids in charge of filling it up with their toys.  It also helped clear out a few boxes from the garage too!  It worked out great!  And we know that it is waterproof.  We have had a ton of rain and it has been dry inside.  Perfect!

To take care of the hoses, I screwed some yellow hooks into the fence and hung two of them up.  Now we don't have to move them when Nate mows either!  

We cleaned up our outdoor living space with just a little organizing, storage, and handy work.  Now we can enjoy God's creation without tripping over toys to get to our chairs!  

Blessings,

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

I got this idea from a friend of mine who makes her own hand soap.  I decided to try it a while ago.  It saves a bunch of money on hand soap and it's much easier for my kids to use than regular soap.  Yes please!

 First step, you need to buy a foaming soap dispenser and use up all the soap inside.  I bought mine for about $6.00 at Target.

  

Once you finish the foaming soap, put 2 tablespoons of liquid hand soap into the dispenser.  Fill with cold water and shake it up a little bit.

And that is it!  Super easy!  I refill my dispensers on average, once a month.  It really does save a lot of money on hand soap.

Saving money and staying clean is every mom's dream come true!

Blessings,

Chores Galore!

I have been tripping over toys, shoes, books, papers, you name it, I've seen it on my floor.  If we clean up the house, it takes about 20 minutes before it is a disaster again.  I finally had had enough and decided to get some sort of order.  I'm not saying my kids don't clean up, they do a great job when they stay focused, but if there are other things on their minds, picking up does not get done.  It was time to get our chores organized. (YIPPIE!! Organization!!!!)

I first saw this chore chart on Homeschool Creations blog.  I looked at it and looked at it, and finally decided to print it off.  I am glad I did.  My boys want to do chores now.  They love being able to take off their picture tags when they've completed a chore. 

I attached the tags with Velcro Sticky-Back Hook and Loop Fasteners, 0.625 Inches Diameter Coins, Clear, 75 per Pack (91302) .  They are super easy to use and I don't have to cut them this time!!  :)

  

I taped the boys' charts onto the side of their bed.  I also taped an envelope below it for their completed chore cards.

  

I knew my 5 year old could water the plants if I helped him a little.  I took a plastic cup and marked a fill line with a Sharpie inside of the cup.  I labeled the outside as well and drew a picture of a spider plant.  (Each child has one that was started from my parent's spider plant.)  Jman gets really excited when this tag comes up!  

One of BG's chores was to pick up books.  The majority of the books were under his bed. 

I needed a few extra tags, so I made my own in the above table.  I added a picture for putting books away, wiping off the kitchen chairs, and 2 pictures of a boy reading devotions.  If you want to print these off, right click the image and choose 'Save Image As'.  Then print away!

It eases my stress (and foot pain) to have these chores in place.  I am thrilled that my kids enjoy doing their chores.  This is instilling values of good work ethics, responsibility, and helping them stay out of trouble!  It's a win-win for mom and kids.  :)

Blessings,

I'm 30!

What a day!  I turned 30 yesterday.  When my husband turned 30 last year, he exclaimed that 30 was the new 20.  I don't really necessarily want to relive my 20s, but I sure want to stay young in spirit and heart!

It turned out to be a great day.  I started my morning with coffee, breakfast and God's word.  I got the kids dressed and we had some time playing and relaxing.  Apparently, the ant colony outside decided to move inside as well.  I have never seen so many ants in our house.  There was quite a lot of shoe stomping!  

The boys broke an empty applesauce jar that we used as their money jar.  I had to sweep up the broken glass which turned into a glass sliver in my thumb that is STILL stuck in there.  It is not very comfortable.  I'm hoping Nate can dig it out for me, otherwise I'm headed to the doctor.  On the up side, breaking the jar resulted in mopping our floors.  They were in desperate need of cleaning.  The kids had lots of fun helping and making more clean up for me, but it was a lot of fun!  

I got a surprise in the mail today too.  I got a bouquet of flowers with a card that said, "Happy 30th Birthday to you!  Love you lots!"  I was super excited, except I had no idea who they were from!!  I was talking to my brother on the phone when they came and he did not claim them.  This started a hunt for my mysterious secret admirer!  Not my husband, mom, mother-in-law, dad, sister, brother, or my friend Angie.  There was only one more logical solution.  If it wasn't my friend Jenny, I was out of ideas.  Well, it turned out that they were from her!  It was quite the story telling her about my scavenger hunt.  

I decided to bake my own cake.  If it didn't turn out, I could only blame myself.  :)  I made a double layer, lemon filled white cake.  The filling was a little too runny, but it did taste delicious.  Jman kept telling me how much he liked it.  Always a good sign!

We went out for dinner to Olive Garden and enjoyed some family time together.  It was an all around great day!  I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  

I am looking forward to my 30s.  It is not your physical age that dictates how old you are; it is your heart that reveals your true age.  Live with a reckless abandonment for Jesus and you will be rewarded greatly in peace, mercy, grace and strength.  He is all you need!

Blessings,

Laundry Soap Update

UPDATE (8/30/17):  I NO longer make my own Laundry soap.  Find out why here:
Why I don't make my own laundry soap anymore

I am still making my own laundry soap.  It has been one year and I'm still loving it!  I just made my 3rd batch last month.  I did adjust my recipe a little: I used only 1/2 a bar of Fels Naptha instead of an entire bar.  (I got lazy while grating it.)  It is a HUGE money saver!  It is $11 for an entire 12 months of laundry soap.  I recommend it for moms out there who do lots of laundry!!

Get the full recipe and pictures here.

Blessings,

Laundry soap

UPDATE (8/30/17):  LAUNDRY SOAP UPDATE - I no longer make it. Click here to Find out why.

I've been forgetting to say that I just made my second batch of laundry soap about 3 weeks ago.  I made the first batch in May.  Six months of soap for about $8...and the only thing I had to buy this time was the bar of soap for about $2!  So a years worth of soap for about $10.  That's what I like!

Homemade Laundry Soap

UPDATE (8/30/17): I no longer make my own laundry soap.  Click here to read Why I stopped.

I decided to make my own laundry soap this week.  I first heard about it during the Hearts at Home mom's retreat I attended in November.  I just hadn't actually tried it yet.  This week was the week.  We were almost out of detergent and I didn't have any coupons for detergent, so why not try it!  It is a huge savings in cost.  I got my recipe from www.jillsavage.org.  She was the speaker at the conference that talked about it. 

Here's how I made it:
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, grated
1/2 c Borax

1 c Washing Soda

I warmed the grated soap in 4 c water on the stove, until melted.  Then I added it to the dry ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket.  I stirred it and filled the rest of the bucket with water.  Let it sit for 24 hours.  Then I filled an empty detergent bottle 1/2 full with the soap and filled the rest with water.  And it's ready to go!  Just shake it before every use.

The grated soap bar

It has worked great so far!  And it smells really fresh and clean.  The total cost for the ingredients was about $8 and I'm sure it's going to last for a LONG time.  Great for our budget!!