This summer I have been on a major "I wanna be a housewife" kick. I have put up vegetables, made homemade baby food, made jams and jellies, attempted to pick up sewing, put up some freezer meals... so why not follow the trend and make some homemade laundry detergent?
I know people have been making their own detergent for a while now... especially with the new Pinterest fad, but my mama and I finally jumped on the bandwagon.
We got our "recipe" from a lady she works with.
It SHOULD work with all this in it!!
Ingredients
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
Oxiclean
Borax
2 bars of Fels Naptha Laundry Soap
Purex Crystals (for scent, may use any crystal/scent of your choice if you want scented detergent)
Directions
1.) Grind your soap in a food processor until it forms fine crumbles. Mom & I cut our soap up first so that it would process easier.
2.) We used a 5 gallon buck to mix ours with and a big metal spoon
3.) Layer a little of each powder at a time and stir as you go (makes mixing it all a WHOLE lot easier!)
4.) That's it folks! If I had known it was this easy I would have done it lots sooner!
How to use
Use 2 tablespoons (1oz) per load.
This detergent is HE compatible.
This made 274 ounces of laundry detergent for $24.
That means 274 loads of laundry, it averages to only 8 cents a load!
I like to buy the industrial size Gain from Sam's Club which is about $20 for 225 ounces. The Gain only makes 146 loads. If you are a Tide user, it is about $26 for 146 loads. So, if everything goes according to plan... I should save a little money.
I also figured up if you average about 1 load of laundry per day (which is the case for my little family of 3), this batch of detergent would last you for about 9 months! That's crazy!
Mama & I halved this batch to make sure we liked it. I can't wait to see how it works! I was so excited I almost washed a load of clean clothes just to try it out!
Stay tuned... I plan on sharing my freezer meal making experience!
While I don't consider it a good milestone, I guess it is one I may want to remember one day... Norah Kate has her first cold. No fever, just runny nose, congestion, coughing and sneezing.
She had clear drainage two days ago, but this morning...let's just say it's yuck.
I have called the pediatrician's office to see if I should come in or not. I don't want it to turn into something worse.
Even though I am a nurse, babies are not my speciality... especially my own! Plus, because she has never even been sick... I have no clue what I can give her besides Tylenol and Motrin (which won't apply in this situation because she doesn't have a fever).
I still consider myself sooo lucky because she is 8 months old and we are just now getting "sick." No ear infection, fever, cough, runny nose, virus... nothing until now! Praise the Lord because it just breaks my heart!
I can't believe it! I can't believe I have been a parent for 8 months. I can't believe I am already starting to roughly plan her first birthday. I can not believe I am having to already "baby proof" the house. I can not BELIEVE we are almost walking! It is amazing :)
Mama's stinker
Here's what's happening now:
Norah Kate is crawling, standing, pulling up, letting go, squatting, walking while pushing stuff (i.e. laundry basket) across the floor, cruising along the side of the recliner, couch, cabinets, etc. She is on the move!
She is pulling out electrical cords and putting everything in her mouth. She is opening cabinets, drawers, and is on a mission to see how much stuff she can get into. She has discovered Hoss's food and water bowl.
She loves all things electronic. Computer, TV remote, camera, cell phones. I even gave her my old Blackberry to play with in hopes that she would leave my iPhone alone.
I bought her a walker to play in, but she hasn't quiet figured it out yet. She feels confined in it, but I have a feeling when she learns she can MOVE she will love it. She can only go backwards right now.
We also are using her pack and play more now. I just throw all of her toys in it, and she will play in if for about 30 minutes at a time. Long enough for me to cook supper or get ready.
She will follow me all through the house crawling. If Matt is watching her in the living room and she hears me in the kitchen, here she comes around the corner. So precious!
She still just has the bottom two teeth....
See my two pearly whites?
Norah Kate will eat just about anything! She LOVES the Gerber rice puffs and the baby cheetos things. They are great finger foods to occupy her while I am warming up her supper. Unfortunately, the same goes for what she finds on the floor. Fuzz, hair, pennies, you name it, she has probably tried to put it in her mouth. I have become OCD about sweeping and mopping our floors!
She is still a breastmilk baby! She nurses about 3-4 times a day. She isn't taking a bottle very well at the babysitters, but she makes up for it on my days off.
She is getting good at drinking out of her sippee cup. I give it to her in her carseat and when she is in her high chair. She likes to drink it and spit it back out. She also likes to throw it on the floor just to see me pick it up.
She loves to talk, sing, make any kind of noise. She sings along with the radio, and she tells me all about her day on the way home from the baby sitter (in baby talk of course). Instead of crying when she wakes up in the morning, we hear her in her crib in the mornings just talking up a storm. It is the sweetest noise. Baba, dada, mmm, gaga, dedede, haha, heeee, heyyyy... are some of the sounds she is making. She said "ma-ma" the other day clear as a bell... but she will not say it for me. I still don't thinks he was referring to me as "Mama" but just babbling. It still made my heart leap though... Matt is the lucky one... everything is dadadadada....
She will squeal for no reason.
She is also getting to be very expressive. She can make a suprise face, she will smile and scrunch her nose up, and when she gets mad or excited she will grunt and ball her fists up.
She loves smiling and scrunching that little nose up!
We play peek a boo and patti cake. She loves patti cake. She just learned to clap her hands too!
She is starting to test her boundaries a little bit, so "no" is becoming a frequent word in my vocabulary. "No, no Norah Kate don't touch." "No, no Norah Kate don't put that in your mouth." "No, no, no, no, no...."
Wake up 8-9am
Nurse
Breakfast around 10am
Morning nap Nap around 10:30-11am
Lunch around 12-1pm
Nurse
Afternoon nap around 3-4pm
Sometimes she likes to nurse again around 6, but here lately we have been skipping it some.
Supper around 7 (when I am working, it is more like 7:30)
Bath 8-8:30
Bedtime 9-9:30
She is sleeping through the night for the most part. We have random wake ups some.... usually because she is hot or teething. It's amazing to me because she will sleep through the night when I am off, but on the days I have to work she will wake up once or twice in the night!
I am so super blessed to have such a good baby. She is my sweetheart!
August 16-19th we went with Matt's family to Panama City Beach, FL. I must admit, I was pretty nervous about this excursion. After the Steinhatchee trip back in July, I was praying that Norah Kate wouldn't be so out of sorts. Also, it is about a 3 1/2 hour drive to PCB which is the longest amount of time Miss Priss has been in the car. I couldn't have asked for a better behaved baby though!
Our chauffeur!
We left at about 6pm Thursday evening. She took her a little hour nap while we were driving and woke up when we stopped for a bite to eat. We got her out of her carseat while we were eating, then I fed her while we were driving down the road. She just talked and played for about another hour. When she got fussy (about 9pm) I pumped her a bottle and gave her the bottle while she was still in her seat. She went right to sleep and slept until we got to the house we were staying at. I was so proud!
Friday morning we got up and went to the beach. There was a storm rolling in so we only stayed at the beach until about 2pm. We all came in and got us a nap, then we went out to eat at the Shrimp Boat Friday night. I highly recommend eating at the Shrimp Boat when you are at Panama City! It was SOOO good. It is a nice place to eat, kid friendly, around $20-$30 a meal, and has a spectacular view! Because it had rained, it was so nice and cool outside.
Kisses from Daddy
Sweet baby girl
I was craving ice cream after my meal and was bound and determined to find a creamery. We went to Pier Park and ate at the Marble Slab creamery. My ice cream was HUGE but very tasty. It has chocolate ice cream, Reese cups, and chocolate chunks all mixed up in it! Talk about a chocolate fix!
We didn't stay at Pier Park very long, because it was late and we were all pretty tired. It was neat though, it has a carnival/fair in the center of this outdoor shopping mall. Lots of good eating places and cute shops.
Saturday morning we were on the beach by about 10 or so and stayed out until about 2pm. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be on the beach! I absolutely love the Gulf. The water is so clear. Norah Kate loves the ocean too. She would kick her feet and try to stick her face in the water. She wasn't afraid at all! I went to Walmart and bought the kids a little blow up swimming pool and we filled it with a few inches of water and set it up under the umbrella. It was a nice cool spot for them to play.
We came back to the pool and swam some more. We were all a little big water logged, but I think the big kids (us) had just as much fun in the pool as the little kids. My husband has a big family, and we always have a blast when we all get together.
I love my little family!
Saturday night we went to eat at Boatyard. It was another good place to eat. I swear, I think that was the BEST grouper I have ever put in my mouth!! It was along the same price line as the Shrimp Boat, and just as tasty! After that we went to find go carts for the kids (big and little alike :)) to ride. They had so much fun!
I wasn't joking when I said a big family!
I got to see one of my best friends too!!
Mother-in-law and her "girls"!
I guess I was a bad parent during this trip because we kept NK out waaayyy past her bedtime every night. She would usually go to sleep in the carseat, then I would just push her around in the stroller. She was out! But, hey, we don't go on vacation all the time. Of course, she would not sleep in her pack and play. She would start out there every night, then about 1 or 2 she would end up in bed with us. Oh well... At home she sleeps by herself just fine!
Norah Kate slept great on the way home. She woke up around Tallahassee, so we stopped and did a little window shopping in the mall. Then she slept the rest of the way! My idea of a perfect car ride!
I love, love, love my in-laws and we had a grand time!! I hope we make it a yearly thing! We are already planning a winter time trip. :)
So, today has been one of those "poor pitiful me" and glass of wine kind of days.
I woke up exhausted because NK woke up three times during the night last night, which isn't like her at all.
My milk supply has been dropping which always gets me stressed out because I am not quite ready to switch to formula yet.
Norah Kate was having a clingy day today and I know that she was feeding off of my energy. I was grumpy to say the least. I napped with her every time she slept today and have been eating like crazy and drinking plenty of fluids trying help out my milk supply. My plan was to pump every two hours, but she would not let me put her down hardly any today and when I did she was fussy.
I go to dayshift Friday which has me a little stressed out I think. I have no clue why I am stressed about that, but I have been having nightmares about my transition for a couple of weeks now. I am also really restless when I am sleeping. I keep waking up really panicked feeling in the middle of the night.
By the time Matt got home tonight I was practically in tears and very frustrated. I sit down to blog about my troubles and almost have to laugh at myself. I have so much to be thankful for... so instead of whining about what may being going wrong, I am going to list things that are going right.
I have a beautiful, healthy daughter who has my whole entire heart! Even on the days she is clingy and whiney, I need to embrace the fact that she wants me and is dependent on me right now. I need to stop being so darn selfish because there will be a day where she don't want anything to do with me.
My husband loves me. God bless him, because I know that I am a hormonal nagging mess. So for him to still love me and call me beautiful is just a blessing in its self. Even if he don't pick up his dirty dishes or mow the grass... he puts up with my craziness and is a WONDERFUL father! So many woman are married to complete butts that are lazy and do drugs or drink and are emotionally or physically abusive. My hubby is a wonderful provider and has a loving heart.
I have a supportive and loving family. I am so close with both Matt's family and my own. My mama is my best friend, and I don't know what in the world I do without all of them!
I have a JOB! Not to mention, I have a job that is for the most part rewarding; a job that I enjoy going to on most days.
I am healthy! No illness that I wake up and face every day. Thank you God!
I have a beautiful home. I am so proud to have a roof over my head and absolutely love our house!
I have a bright future and many things to look forward to. Unlike a lot of people in todays time, there is no reason for me to dread tomorrow.
I look on Facebook and see a lot of people who post about how miserable they are and rant and nag about their husbands or their kids and I NEVER want to be that person! I hope that even on my worst days I can be optimistic. I have sooo much to be grateful for, and could kick myself now for even feeling sorry for myself today.
Being wife is hard, being a mother is harder, but you could not give me any amount of money in the world for me to trade places! Count your blessings and you may just realize how good you got it :)
"A happy heart makes the face cheerful" Proverbs 15:13
I am a little late posting this update, but I have been so busy chasing after one active little baby. Norah Kate was always active in my tummy and now I guess it is just carrying over. I have sat down several times in the last two weeks to blog but I have had someone trying to climb into my lap, chew on my laptop cord, or eat my toes.
She is learning so fast! She is now crawling, sitting up, pushing herself into a sitting position, and pulling up without any trouble. She has been pulling up and crawling with her tummy off the floor for about two weeks now.
into everything!
She is seriously into everything. She started pulling up on lower things, like her diaper bag, carseat, pillows, or us when we were laying on the floor with her. Now she is pulling up on chairs, tables, kitchen cabinets, door frames, floor lamps (yes, that one almost gave me a heart attack!), pretty much everything in site. This week she is trying to let go while standing! (Slow down, Norah Kate, lets just learn one things at a time please.)
She has bruises on her head and last week had a little busted lip... I love our wood floors, but they make me so nervous right now and I think they are freaking Matt out even more. She is tough as nails though. Norah Kate can fall and half the time she doesn't even cry, but if she does it is for just a second.
Norah Kate didn't have her six month check up until just a few days shy of seven months. She weighed 18 lbs 1 ounce (72th percentile) and was 26.5 inches long (58th percentile). She is meeting and surpassing all developmental milestones and healthy as a horse :)
She babbles and talks and squeals all the time. She says "dadadadada" constantly and "mmmm" occasionally. She will say "Ahhh" and something that sounds like "Hey." The other day in the car we had a 15 minute conversation of babbles. She talks to Hoss, her toys, me, Matt, and pretty much anyone that will listen.
She will do anything that will get your attention. Her new thing is making this gasping/croaking noise to get you to look her way.
Hoss is her favorite playmate right now. She will laugh at him and flap her arms whenever he runs play. They play chase and tug of war. She will giggle so hard when she gets his toy that she can't hardly hold on to it. He is good entertainment for her.
I don't know what I would without him to entertain her during the day!
What she likes:
-cardboard books
-Sophie the teether giraffe
-her little four key piano (I couldn't have left Walmart without it, she almost lounged out of the buggy for it!)
-kisses on her cheeks and neck
-Hoss
-an empty plastic bottle
-Mama's car keys
-any and all music
-Gerber's cereal puffs
-playtime on the floor with Daddy
-stroller rides
What she doesn't like:
-being confined (she thinks she is supposed to be down on the floor everywhere we go)
-having her diaper changed (this goes hand in hand with being confined). I am not really sure when this started, but it is WWIII to change her diaper now. Usually I am putting her diaper on while she is crawling away or standing up.
-She is still a generally happy baby. Not many things make her upset.
Food:
She is pretty much eating any and everything. We are now eating three meals a day (rice/oatmeal cereal in the morning, fruit at lunch, and vegetable at supper) and nursing about 4-5 times a day. If she is hungry she will eat anything, but if she is not hungry... you may as well hang up your hat because you will end up with sweet potatoes or peas on the floor, in your hair, or on your clothes.
I am still doing homemade babyfood, but when we are traveling or out to eat I either use the jarred stuff or just order something I can mash up for her. She actually seems to prefer the homemade stuff though (veggie wise, I don't blame her, that jarred stuff is gross!)
No food allergies yet! Thank goodness!
How could you not love this sweet face!
Our schedule, goes a little something like this:
(I am most definitely not a schedule stickler, but I try to adhere to three naps a day and three meals.) It is just too stressful for me to try to "force" her to take a nap and "force" her to eat. When she acts sleepy, I get her to sleepy. When she acts hungry, I feed her.
She gets herself on a pretty decent schedule though.
7:30-8am: Wake up
8am: Nurse
9-10am: Nap
10am: Breakfast (sometimes she gets a good morning nap and will skip breakfast and sleep until 11)
11am: Nurse
12pm-1ish: Lunch
2pm-3pm: Nap
4pm: Nurse
5-6pm: Afternoon catnap
7pm: Supper
8pm: Bath
Somewhere between 8:30-10 she nurses and goes to sleep.
I am trying to make her get to a more dependable sleep time at night. I would prefer 9pm (especially since I am going to dayshift this week and will be waking up at 5!) I think once Matt slows down and starts coming in earlier and it starts getting darker sooner, I will notice a big difference.
Tonight for instance, I started trying to get her to sleep at 8:30 and she just now went to sleep (at 10). Oh well....
She still has just two bottom teeth, but her gums are pretty swollen and knotty so I think some more may be getting ready to make their appearance.
I love my sweet girl so much! Time is most definitely going by more quickly than I would like.
Sorry this has been such a rambling post, I felt like I had lost of catching up to do :)
For the past several years my family has been vacationing in the BIG town of Steinhatchee, FL (pronounced : STEEN-Hatch-EE). Actually, Steinhatchee barely makes the map. This town consists of a Hungry Howie's, a Dollar General, gas station/grocery store, two seafood restaurants, a couple of marinas and a few hotels and condos. It is a very small scale vacationing spot that mostly consists of locals. We love the place though. It has this sort of peace and quiet about it that you can't get anywhere else. There are really only two reasons to go to Steinhatchee: fishing and scalloping. My family usually does both. Scallops are small, clam/oyster like things that you snorkle and dive for and get out the grass. There is a small ball of meat inside the shell that is good fried or with pasta.
I absolutely, love, love, love to fish. Scalloping is fun but I freak myself out a little bit while snorkeling in the water. I am a scaredy cat when it comes to sharks, stingrays and jellyfish. This year I didn't do either, though. Both Mom and Matt offered to watch Norah Kate while I went, but I felt pretty guilty about leaving her.
Almost every day a thunderstorm would roll in. One day it rained all day long!
Needless to say, I got stir crazy. Norah Kate was not her normal self either. She was incredibly fussy, did not sleep through the night any during the whole week we were there and pretty much refused to sleep in her pack and play. She slept with me every night, which meant this mama didn't sleep. I would try to put her in her pack and play but she would wake up and cry everytime I laid her down. I could hardly put her down during the day without her falling to pieces. To top it all off, I think we went through a growth spurt because she was nursing throughout the night too. Bless her heart, she was all out of sorts.
Matt came down later in the week and gave me some relief. On Saturday, he watched her for me so I could get some much needed R&R. I laid out by the pool and read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. Matt would put her in her stroller and roll her around outside. She would go to sleep every time! I wish I could have found out that trick earlier in the week!
We cooked and ate a lot while we were there. I got addicted to the TV show Criminal Minds and watched The Vow. I fell in love with pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot), and relearned to play the card game Speed. I went running one afternoon in the misting rain (which was much cooler than running in the blazing sun!) and almost got bit by a dog.
Saturday afternoon, me, Matt, and Norah Kate went for a ride to check out the local scenery. Norah Kate got the best nap while riding in the truck; she slept the whole ride. We stopped for ice cream, which has seemed to start up our new ice cream habit because I have had ice cream every day since then. Saturday night, Mama and Daddy watched Norah Kate so that Matt, my brother, his girlfriend and myself could go to dinner.
Overall, it was nice to have some good quality time with my family and just to be somewhere with different scenery. I am looking foward to vacation in August with Matt's family!
