DIY Homemade Laundry Soap (Review)

I saw a great tutorial found here on how to make your own powder laundry soap. It's supposed to be great for babies, stain removal, and those with sensitive skin. Eventhough we have so much laundry detergent from buying it on sale, I decided to give it a go. I mean, who doesn't like to make things at home and save money?

The first thing that you need is a few ingredients.

(found on the tutorial listed above)

Now, I couldn't find Zote soap, but I was able to purchase FelsNaptha bar soap. I made a half-batch of what is shown above.

I was able to find all of the products easily in my laundry section at my local Walmart. It cost less than $30 and I still have a lot of leftovers for next time!

The great thing about it is that you can use this on your colors and whites and it comes out smelling great! And the best part?

 You only need to use 1-2 Tablespoons per load!!!

That makes it super affordable, right?!

Of course, there are other tutorials out there if you only want a basic blend with three ingredients, but I really love the look, texture, and smell of this laundry soap.

I would definitely recommend giving it a try and would love to hear how it works for you!

P.S. This laundry soap works well in a High Effeciency Washer as it is has very low suds

Saving Money

It's no surprise that my new role of being a stay-at-home wife was a little unexpected. It kind of just came out of nowhere and happened suddenly. Despite these things, we both feel that it is a huge blessing for me to be able to stay at home.

The most difficult challenge from me working to not is definitely changing our spending habits. Going from two incomes to one is a bit of a change. Of course, we have done our budget and should be able to make it work, but there are some things that we are changing to make things more comfortable.

•  Couponing. I had started this a couple of months before leaving my job and it has really paid off! I'm not  a crazy-couponer (yet), but I do love to get a good deal and save some money.
• Driving. I make sure limit my driving when I run errands. I make sure that if there are places that I need to go and they are further away, I wait and get them done while I am in that area so I don't waste gas.
• Dining out. Has been cut back majorly. We invite people over, if possible, instead of going out to eat.
• Clothes shopping. Everyone needs new clothes at some point or another. I was able to score some name brand clothes (gap, american eagle, etc.) at the Goodwill for less than $5 per piece! I know many people frown upon this, but there is a really nice, clean, and kept up store that I only shop at!

These are just some of the ways that I am able to save money to make things easier on our budget. I will be going into more detail about these things and if you have any questions, please let me know!

It's Official!

I am a stay-at-home wife! At least I will be for the next six months!

I know many of you have questions on why I left teaching, but please know that it was the best decision for myself and for my marriage.

Yes, I am ok with our decision. In fact, I am thrilled to be able to take this time and focus on myself, my husband, my business, and our apartment. I love being at home and taking care of everything and having the energy to do so. I am considering this to be a blessing from God!

I do have a job lined up for late summer/early fall that I am really looking forward to. In the meantime, we will be making a lot of changes financially to be able to afford me being home so if we can't go out as much right now, that's ok. I hope you all understand.

Phil and I are really excited about this new opportunity and are looking forward to this change.

Moderation is the Key

Everything in moderation. That's what I'm aiming for this year. I've tried eating gluten-free and reducing my dairy, but when they told me to also avoid all things containing corn...that's where I realized that it had to stop.

The reality is that the only thing I would be "allowed" to eat would be meat, fruit, and veggies. Most other things wouldn't work except for rice. Knowing how my body works, I've realized that this is not something that I could do.

Moderation is still allowing myself to eat some of the foods that I like with adding more foods that are anti-inflammatory.

Basically it makes me feel better to not have so many restrictions. The chiropractor was always telling me to eat bread if I wanted, but just not to do it all the time. I need to make sure to make better choices overall, but a sandwich won't kill me. I'm not allergic to gluten, corn, or dairy...they just are more inflammatory.

Moderation is what I'm striving for. I hope to be able to make it work and make better choices overall.

Progress

It's the second day of the new year an with the new batch of medicine I got for my bronchitis I'm feeling much better!

So far this year, I have rearranged the kitchen and living room! I love staying home and having the energy to get things done...and it gives Phil a lot more time to do other things which makes him so happy.

I've also been doing a lot more cooking and worked on our budget. We decided to try a couple of different things to help control our spending and I'm really excited about that.

Hopefully this new year continues to be good to us!

Welcolme 2012!

2011 was good to me. I finished my first year of teaching, got MARRIED, went to Jamaica for our honeymoon, and began my second year of teaching. I also started my own business sewing purses and learned that through dietary changes and exercises, I don't have to be in pain all the time.

I am looking forward to this new year. I don't have any specific resolutions, per say, but one overall...

I want to make better choices.

This doesn't just pertain to any one thing, but to many things. Diet, exercise, overall health, and budgeting are just some of the things that I am looking forward to working on.

What are you working on this year?

Giving up Control?

I have to be honest here, I'm a little bit of a control freak. I like things to go my way and know what is going to happen at all times. I like to have my expectations met and know that things are going to run the way that I have envisioned them.

Unfortunately, life is not that way. I can't be in control all of the time and there are many situations that there is nothing that I can do to change them. The thought of having chaos in my classroom makes me anxious and I have a hard time letting go of the control.

The truth is that middle schoolers need some time to be themselves and to express themselves in a way that I may not be thrilled with. Sometimes they talk too much or too loudly and don't follow rules....and you know what, that's ok. I need to learn to modify my expectations and work with them instead of against them. Middle school is a difficult time for so many kids and it's my job to educate and nurture them, not be a drill sergeant!

This is something that I will be working on. I need a lot of prayer and support to be able to look outside of myself and give the students what they need. I know that I can do this especially with God's help.