Going No Shampoo

Okay I have tried and failed before but now I am really serious. It has six weeks since I used shampoo on my hair. "Gross" some may say, but I am doing it. I knew there was a transition period of a few weeks but nothing like I have gone through. I was starting to get frustrated and I almost went back to my shampoo. But last night I had a revelation. It is the hard water! I read another gal's blog about going no poo as people call it. She was having the same issue but noticed when she stayed at a hotel her hair was soft and shiny. So she realized it was the hard water. Thank you, thank you. I used her method last night and my hair is almost perfect. I think I need more solution because my hair is sooo thick.

Here it is for you hard water folks

Boil 1 quart of water
Add 1/4 of Baking Soda (now be careful because I did not think about it and it overflowed on me, so pour in slowly)
Mix and let cool
Put it in a squeeze bottle and use like the normal solution
Get your hair wet in the shower
Saturate hair and rub in scalp and rinse
Follow with Apple Cider Vinegar solution for conditioner and rinse

My hair is soft and I can actually run my finger through it.
It looks great and I am so much happier

And it is cheaper too

Homemade Toothpaste Recipe

• 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons of baking soda
• few drops of pure Peppermint extract
  

I made this last night for the kids because I ran out of the Tom's Maine fluoride free and did not want to pay $5 for another tube. Simple Mom had these recipes and more.

I used this recipe last night minus the peppermint extract, I did not have any, but the kids liked it. Cool!
I love making things cheap and natural.

Kira's Recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
By: Kira

Step 1:
Use a mixing bowl and hundreds of flour

Step 2:
Mix it really hard and pour it into a cookie jar

Step 3:
Then put them into the oven to cool

Step 4:
Get the raisins on the cookies

Step 5:
Then you put them into the candy bowl and almost done,
then you eat them with milk and put them in the fridge

Now that is my kind of recipe!

Crayon/Marker Roll-ups

So I had theses two slings that I had bought, one for Eric and one for me, that we never really used. They had a great print and I am trying to re-purpose things. I seam ripped it and used only a portion of it to make a crayon roll-up and marker roll-up. Now the original fabric had seems already so I did not want to hassle with re-doing those so it is a little longer than the pattern calls for. I just made extra pockets. For Kira's I used a ribbon and button to close it up. Enzo can not do buttons so I used elastic to close his up. I did not take more than two hours in total between distractions and all. Fun and easy and re-purposing. So my camera is working but the dial up on my computer is taking forever to download the picture. Sorry, yet another craft without a pic. I will try to go to the library this week and use their wifi.

Sewing Machine and Sewing Kit for Kids Giveaway!

Skip to My Lou is having a super giveaway. An ALEX sewing machine for kids and a sewing kit. I have been teaching Kira how to sew using yarn and those plastic cut out shapes, like a star. She has been using a plastic needle and loving going down the rows and doing it right. Well I have wanted to get her a sewing machine because she constantly asks if she can help when I sew and she wants to know how it works. Here is my chance and yours to try to win a sewing machine or sewing kit from ALEX toys. Go to Skip to My Lou and either leave a comment, add her on Facebook, add ALEX toys on Facebook, add either of them on Twitter for entries. I hope you enter but I hope I win....haha! I really never win anything so I am hoping this is the one!


Good Luck All!

Library

I went to the library on Saturday after Farmer's Market with the kids and got some great books for the kids and a couple movies. My sister, the frugal expert, was the one who turned me onto checking out movies from the library. They usually do not have really recent releases but I can often find movies that I have wanted to see but forgot about. I got for the kids
"Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too",
"Toy Story 2",
"Arthur's Pet Business"
and one of my favorites
"Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave".

I love the whole series of Wallace and Gromit. Enzo cracks up about Wallace and his silliness. I mean a true belly laugh that is contagious. He thinks Wallace is hilarious.

Then for Eric and I,
I got,
"Penelope" PG
and
"Popeye" PG

Well I guess those are for the kids too but I was thinking about us.

Penelope is so sweet and funny. It has a great cast and a sweet lesson too. It was produced by Reese Witherspoon and she has a little part in it too. Penelope has been cursed with a pig nose and the curse is only broken when a blue-blood agrees to love her till death do they part.
There were two little parts that were a little scary, just the image of the witch and a scary pig faced flash back. I like to be sensitive to images with the kids because I remember really having a hard time getting them out of my head. Other than that it is an entertaining movie and we all enjoyed it. I think the PG rating is for some adult humor, that went right over the kids head.

Popeye, with Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall, was just as I remember it. I did not know Disney produced it either. It is a musical and just like the old cartoons. When I told the kids we were watching it they were not too happy because they had no clue who Popeye was. After we watched they were happy we watched it. It is a little slow but they stayed entertained. We had to put the subtitles on because we could not understand all of Popeye's mumblings. There is a little language at the end, another word for rear end, but on the whole it was a good movie.
I am excited to watch the old cartoons now with the kids. We found a DVD of old cartoons like Superman, Felix the Cat and Popeye at Wal Mart for a buck each forever ago.

We got books too of course! The big surprise book was "Backbeard Pirate for Hire" by Matthew McElligott. Truly one of the best children's stories I have read in a long, long time. It is really funny. If you have a pirate loving kids in your house like we do they will love this book.

I just love the library and the fact that I have to get them back by the due date really forces me to schedule time to go to the library to return them and get more books and videos for free.

Vast Wisdom

So we are down in Southern California dealing with what is left of my grandparents estate. Long story and too tired to write about it :)

As I went through their house I found what I thought was her bible. In the bible was a written note, with no date, but the most profound amazing words of wisdom I have heard in a long, long time. Take some time, read it over a couple times. I did. Enjoy this and I hope it blesses you even 1% of how it has blessed me today.

******************

Bible

By Clara Ann

This book reveals the mind of God
The state of man, the way of salvation
The doom of sinners and the happiness of believers
---------------------------------------------------------------
Read it to be wise
Believe it to be safe
Practice it to be holy
--------------------------
It contains,
Light to direct you,
Food to support you,
Comfort to cheer you
---------------------------
It is the travelers map,
Pilgrims staff,
Pilot’s compass,
Soldier’s sword,
And Christians charter,
Here Heaven is opened and gates of hell disclosed.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Christ is its Grand Subject,
Our good its design
And the glory of God its end.
------------------------------------
It should fill the memory,
Rid the heart,
Guide the feet.
Read it slowly,
Frequently,
Prayerfully.
It is a mine of wealth,
A paradise,
Glory in river of pleasure.
-------------------------------
It is given you in life,
Will be opened in the judgment,
And be remembered forever.
It involves highest responsibility,
Will reward the greatest laborer,
And condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Owned, it is Riches.
Studied, it is Wisdom.
Trusted, it is Salvation.
Loved, it is Character.
Obeyed, it is Power.

Reuse, Recycle and Renew

For sometime now I have really been trying to make each dollar go extra long. Even if it does not save money but is good for the earth than I am trying to do that too. I have not always been on board with the whole "Save Mother Earth". But if I think of it as taking care of what God has given to us, then it is makes more sense to me. I use my reusable bags for groceries and am trying to remember them at other stores too. I have been saving my coffee grounds for compost and plan to get a composting bin too. I have been saving tanks and tees that have a small hole or stain and I am planning on making either doll clothes or even flour sacks for my gluten free bulk flours.

My newest favorite recycle idea is making a jean skirt out of old jeans. My jeans seem to constantly be shrinking, getting shorter. So I took this great pair and cut them off and made them into a jean skirt. I love it. I have been looking for a jean skirt that is the perfect length, either right at my knees or just above. For some reason clothing companies are only selling hoochie momma skirts that barely cover your tush. I am sorry, I am a mother of two, devoted wife and I do not need to show off my assets to anyone other than my husband. (No pun intended).

This one is just right at my knees and not too tight or too lose. I feel so girlie wearing it and I have been loving wearing a skirts lately. I have been reading this book called "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn. It is about the inner lives of men. There are seven basic ideas as women we need to understand about the men in our lives.
Men need Respect.
Men are Insecure.
Men are Providers.
Men want more Sex.
Men are Visual.
Men want Romance.
Men care about Appearance.

The last one is the chapter I am reading right now and it basically says that your husband cares about your appearance, but different than we think. I knew this to a degree and I remember Elizabeth Elliot writing about how she would fix her appearance up before her husband got home. I have been trying to shower and at least put a little makeup on before he gets home. I may keep pj's on during the day somedays and get things done around the house. But I am trying to dress cute for him and look presentable for him. I have noticed a difference in his countenance. So the skirts have been easy, cute and comfortable too.

Recycling has been a great idea by going to the Goodwill or the local thrift store. I asked Eric if he wanted anything in particular from the store and he asked for popcorn. Well we sold our popcorn maker and microwave before we moved. So I went to the Goodwill and found a Whirly Pop. It goes on the stove and you turn the hand crank and it moves the kernels around in the pot and it pops wonderfully. They normally retail for about $20 and I got it for $2.25 including tax! I have been also making my own gf bread instead of buying the rice bread from Trader Joe's. It is $3.99 a loaf and we have been going through three loaves a week. That is $12, so instead I have been making my own and I have not yet figured out the cost but I know it is cheaper and it tastes way better. So I found a bread slicer, it helps you make even slices out of homemade bread. Because I was getting all of these obscure size bread slices. I got it for $2.00, sweet normally probably $10 to $15 at least. I also got videos for the kids there for a buck each instead of $5 to $20 for new ones. Plus I like the older movies instead of some of the junk that is out there now. So I have been thrifty and it has been fun. What kind of deals do you get?