{Queen of the Home}

Another great book..............

In past generations, the role of wife and mother was viewed as a sacred calling. The committed homemaker was seen as strong, capable, intelligent, and irreplaceable. She was regarded not only as a crucial part of the home, but as a foundational bulwark of society. She was considered worthy of great honor, appreciation, and respect. Though in recent years feminists have sought to demean this glorious calling, the Bible’s hopeful vision of noble womanhood is one worth reclaiming. Queen of the Home seeks to cast that vision afresh through godly encouragements from writers past and present. This inspiring collection of essays, poetry, and poignant vignettes paints a beautiful picture of what it means for a wife to be a crown to her husband, the monarch of the cradle, and queen of the home, and calls upon daughters to embrace their rewarding role and sacred calling as regal women of God.

View a Sample Chapter Here :)

{Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap and Cleaners}

Get a 5 gallon bucket, some Fels-Naptha, Super Washing Soda, Borax,

and roll up your sleeves.....we're making Laundry Soap!

I love this recipe! I've been using it for about 6-7 months and I've only had to make it twice! It cost a little over $1 per 10 gallons and the borax and soda will last a year or two! The Fels-Naptha is $0.99, here in Idaho, and the borax and soda is around $3.00 a box. So in a year I will have spent about $10.00 on laundry soap. Is that not CRAZY!? Why do we spend $$$$$$ for brand name? This one smells nice and gets the stains out!

Front or Top load machines-best value!

4 cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*

1/2 cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)


*Baking Soda will not work

Inexpensive Fabric Softners

Recipe #1
1 Cup White Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.
Recipe #2
1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half
Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

Household Cleaners

All substances, even natural ones, have a chemical component (meaning they are made of atoms) and should be used with knowledge. Mixing a pinch of this and a touch of that can cause some harmful reactions if you don't know what you are doing. Vinegar and Bleach is one example. Most people know that mixing bleach and ammonia can cause harmful, possibly fatal, fumes. Did you know that mixing vinegar and bleach has the same effect? Also many handwashing dish detergents caution against adding bleach to the water for a similar reason.


If you are using cleansers with different ingredients whether commercial or homemade, it is best to use a clean cloth for each formula. This will prevent any mixing of chemicals.

The recipes listed below are compatible with one another and safe for children to use. That said, borax is not safe to ingest. If you find your baby happily eating a cleanser with borax in it, you should call poison control. 

Colors:
I like to add a drop of food coloring to my liquid homemade cleansers. This is completely optional, but some of the cleansers look like plain water without them. The colors help me see at a glance what recipe it is, although I still write it plainly on the bottle.. Silly as it sounds, the color makes me think it's more "real." I use blue for window fluid, green for all-purpose cleaner (if it's mint, or orange if it's orange flavored), and red for floor cleaner.

Containers:
For spray cleaners, I like to buy the empty 32oz spray bottles from the dollar store. Wal-mart has some for the same price next to their brooms. Theirs are only 24 oz in size but work just fine. For my homemade dishwashing detergent, I used an empty protein shake container. I washed it out and made my own label just for fun. The scoop just happened to be the right size to measure with. You can use anything. Leftover food containers are nice, because you know they aren't toxic. But I would stray away from using leftover commercial cleanser bottles. Even if you wash them out, there could be a chemical residue. It's probably safe, but I don't feel good about it personally.


Labeling:
Do label your containers with the name of the cleanser, what it is used for, the recipe (for easy refilling and just in case your baby eats it), and directions for use. A sharpee is usually fine for this, but if you want to make fancy labels on your computer {go for it}! :)

Orange Infused Vinegar Total Cost $.04 

Orange oil is famous for it's cleaning properties. It smells great too! Harness the power of orange by soaking your peelings in vinegar. It will absorb the oils and pigment boosting the cleaning power of the vinegar.


The most economical way to make this is when you are already buying oranges to eat because they are such a great price. This usually happens in winter. I try to make enough during this season, to last me until next year.

To make: Stuff the peelings of 4-6 oranges into a glass quart canning jar. Cover with vinegar and seal with a lid. Shake every once in a while for 1-2 weeks. Strain out peelings. When finished the orange vinegar should be a dark orange color.

It is okay to start the jar with your first orange and add peelings to the vinegar as you eat them. Just be sure to leave room in the jar for the peelings when you pour the vinegar.

Use this in any of the recipes below in the place of white vinegar.


Note: When making infused vinegar, any citrus fruit will work. I've used lemons, limes, grapefruit, and tangerines with success.



Organic Disinfecting All-Purpose Spray Total Cost $.59 
This recipe is based on castille soap and awesome healthy cleaner. Just a touch of borax makes it disinfecting without becoming a toxin. It is a mainstay around here. You can change the scent by adding a few drops of essential oil, or by buying the castille soap already infused with oils.


1/4 C vinegar (white or orange, see recipe above.) $.04
2 t borax (less than half a cent)
1/4 C liquid castille soap (Dr. Bronner's is the best brand. Shop around online for the best price. Any flavor will work--I like peppermint.) $.55
2 C hot water
1 drop food coloring (optional)


Swirl all ingredients together in a spray bottle. Shake before using. Spray and wipe. Ideal for counters, table tops, stove tops, high chair trays, etc.

Window Cleaner Total Cost--Less than 1 cent

I've tried a lot of homemade window cleaners, including vinegar based ones and they all left a streaky film on the glass. Not this one!

4 C water
2 drops Joy brand concentrated dish detergent (I can't promise any other brand will work. But for $1.12 you have a life time's worth of glass cleaner.)
1 drop blue food coloring (otpional)

Combine in a 32 oz spray bottle and shake to combine. Use as you would any glass cleaner. Surgical Huck Towels are the best wipers!

Dusting Spray and Wood Polish Total Cost $.04

This next recipe can be used to clean pretty much anything. I've even seen it as a window cleaner, but I didn't have good luck with it used that way. It won't harm your wood floors or leave vinyl ones slick. Sprayed lightly on a surgical huck cloth, it makes the perfect dust attracter. If you want to also polish wood add a couple of drops of olive or linseed oil to the cloth. I've seen it recommended to add oil to your wood floors also, but this sounds down right dangerous! I don't have wood floors in this house to try it on. If you decide to try it, test it for slickness in an out of traffic place first.

The essential oil is optional, but helps it smell better. Peppermint is a great inexpensive choice. Orange or other citrus flavors are also good.

2 C water
1 C vinegar (white or orange-above recipe ) $.04
5 drops essential oil (optional)

Mix in a spray bottle and use as you would commercial cleanser.

Commercial Floor Cleaner Total Cost $.06

This recipe is not natural, but if you are loyal to a particular brand, you can still use it and save money. The traditional way of cleaning a floor is to fill a bucket with a gallon of water and add 1/4 C of commercial cleaner. Used this way, a normal 32 oz bottle of cleaner will give you 16 cleanings. If your floor is particularly dirty, you will need to change water partway through. Otherwise you will be depositing the dirt from the water back on your floor. To test and see what I mean, try taking a white towel and drying your floor after you clean it in the traditional way (eww!)

A better way to clean your floor is to fill a 32 oz spray bottle with 4 cups of water and 1 T cleaner. (I add a drop of red food coloring and label the bottle well.) Wet down your microfiber towel with water, spray the cleaner and wipe working in small sections. You can rinse your cloth periodically in the sink, or carry a bucket with plain water to rinse in. Changing your water this way is practically free, and your 1 T of cleaner will wash your floor many, many times!

If you are using a Clorox R Ready Mop R or other similar device, try using the microfiber cloths in place of the disposeable ones. They should pinch right in! I used my above formula to refill the cleaner container with great results.


Microwave Cleaner Total Cost: Practically Free!

Harness the power of steam! Fill a glass measuring cup with a cup of water and a dash of salt. (The salt prevents exploding water syndrome.) Microwave on high for 2 minutes and let set with the door shut for 5-10 minutes. The microwave will wipe clean easily, even the baked on stuff. This works great.

Soft Scrub

This non-scratching formula works really well for baked on greasy stuff, like the stuff that accumulates on the front of a stove hood, or the stuff baked on around the burners.

Make a paste with baking soda and handwashing dish detergent. Rub in with a stiff brush or non-scratching pad. Rinse well. Adding water to this to clean really dilutes the cleaning power. Save the water for the end.

Tub and Shower Cleaner Total Cost: $.04

The best homemade cleaner for the tub and shower is the good old 2 C water with 1/4 cup vinegar. It works well on soap scum and hard water deposits. If it has been years since you last scrubbed your shower (you know who you are) you will save time with a bottle of Tilex. But this recipe is a great maintenance shower cleaner. Be warned that undiluted vinegar
(not this recipe) will dissolve grout. Diluted (like in this recipe) and rinsed well, it will do fine.
{Baking soda is scrubby and may help too. I had a hard time rinsing my tub completly clean of the baking soda, and it left a gritty residue. Rinsing with vinegar at the end would have helped.}


Toilet Cleaner 1 $.27
Add 1 Cup Borax to the toilet bowl and leave overnight. (Protect your pets and babies who like to drink from the toilet.)

Swish with the brush in the morning and flush--Voila!

This is more expensive than buying "The Works" and works slightly less well, but a lot of people love that it is less chemically.

Toilet Cleaner 2 $.05

A squirt of cheap shampoo! {I tried it and it works great as a maintenance cleaner and smells even better!} It is not disinfecting, but I'm not overly concerned about that unless someone has the flu. A drop of tea tree oil on the rag works great in that case.


Caution: This will save you alot of money, so you may find yourself {overjoyed} at the thought- time and time again! I know I am!

Visit Grocery Shrink for original post......

Happy Cleaning!

{Tip Junkie}

One of my favorite sites...check it out!

Click link below...

Organize With A Clip Board

{Net Nanny}

Top Ten Internet Safety Tips

1.First educate yourself, then your child.Banning a child from certain sites may only motivate them to spend more time on them, whereas educating your child on how to keep safe will give them the tools they need to navigate their online world without being hurt; from not posting personal information to a site to understanding that people they are talking to may not actually be who they are. If the parents know the dangers themselves, this sets an example to the child to understand them as well.
2.Teach children the obvious identity rules.Tell your children NOT to put photos of themselves on the Internet or to give out their names, addresses, phone numbers, schools, or other personal information online.
3.Install an Internet filter or family safety software.Family safety software is becoming extremely advanced and an effective way to filter dangerous content. Additionally, this software usually comes with tools like time management, remote monitoring and reporting, and keystroke recognition, giving families greater peace of mind and manageability.
4.Know the dangers associated with sites your children frequent.An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Whether it's MySpace, Facebook or another social networking site, by knowing what people are doing on your children's favorite sites that could put them in harm's way, parents can educate their children and show them the warning signs of potentially dangerous situations.
5.Teach children what to do if they encounter pornography on a home or public computer, such as at a school or a library.In a similar fashion to the fire warning of "stop, drop and roll," you can teach children to quickly turn off power to the computer monitor and go to get an adult. This can prevent a child from attempting to stop the situation by clicking more buttons (and thereby spreading the attack and being exposed to more porn).
6.Manage your children's time on the Internet.Scheduling times when a child can be on the Internet and the amount they can be online ensures that you know when they are on the Internet and how long. By not allowing them to have free reign reduces their chances of being exposed to inappropriate content.
7.Set specific Internet guidelines for your children to live by and consistently enforce consequences, if they are not being followed.Giving your children specific guidelines to follow will ensure they know where they stand when it comes to how they use the Internet as well as the consequences when they breach the rules. If a parent enforces consequences consistently, their children will be more likely to follow the rules.
8.Keep computers out of children's bedrooms and in open areas.With PCs in the open, children will be less inclined to view and access material that may not be acceptable.
9.Create a relationship with your children that is conducive to open communication.Open communication and trust is extremely valuable. By letting children know what is expected from them and that their safety is a top priority, they will feel that if something happens --whether they are approached by a cyber stranger or bully or receive an inappropriate e-mail - they can approach a parent to resolve the issue without feeling they are in trouble.
10.Understand Internet Privacy Policies as they apply to your child.According to the FTC (http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/childrens.html), parents should be aware of the following as it pertains to protecting their childrens' privacy on the web:

What Website Operators Must Do: Post their privacy policy.Websites directed to children or that knowingly collect information from kids under 13 must post a notice of their information collection practices that includes:
~types of personal information they collect from kids-for example, name, home address, email address or hobbies.
~how the site will use the information-for example, to market to the child who supplied the information, to notify contest winners or to make the information available through a child's participation in a chat room.
~whether personal information is forwarded to advertisers or other third parties.
~a contact at the site.

Get parental consent.In many cases, a site must obtain parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information about a child.

Consent is not required when a site is collecting an email address to:

~respond to a one-time request from the child.
~provide notice to the parent.
~ensure the safety of the child on the site.
~send a newsletter or other information on a regular basis as long as the site notifies a parent and gives them a chance to say no to the arrangement.

What Parents Should Do:Look for a privacy policy on any website directed to children.The policy must be available through a link on the website's homepage and at each area where personal information is collected from kids. Websites for general audiences that have a children's section must post the notice on the homepages of the section for kids.

Read the policy closely to learn the kinds of personal information being collected, how it will be used, and whether it will be passed on to third parties. If you find a website that doesn't post basic protections for children's personal information, ask for details about their information collection practices.

Decide whether to give consent.Giving consent authorizes the website to collect personal information from your child. You can give consent and still say no to having your child's information passed along to a third party.

Your consent isn't necessary if the website is collecting your child's email address simply to respond to a one-time request for information.

Official Site for Net Nanny Parental Internet Controls Net Nanny

{The Listening Game}

Just read this post on Grocery Shrink...

The Listening Game

By Angela | Published: June 6, 2011

I’m about to reveal the single thing that has been the most effective obedience training in our family. It’s fun for everyone and you only need one supply–tiny treats. Our favorite is Reeces Pieces, but mini marshmallows, MM’s, fruit snacks, or yogurt covered raisins would also do the trick. The only rule is that the treat has to be something that your children absolutely love. This is not the time to get all worried about nutrition.

Here’s how to play: Line all your children up, sitting on the couch. If you have a baby or toddler too small to play, have Mother sit with the children and hold the baby. Dad calls out a child’s name and gives them a command. It can be something silly, or a small chore. We often get our house picked up at night playing this game.
An example of a silly command is, “Heidi, go put your nose on the front door.” An example of a chore command is, “Warren, go pick up 3 books in your room and put them on the shelf.” If the children pop up immediately and say, “Yes, Sir” and cheerfully complete their command, they get a treat. If the children pop up to obey right away and forget, “Yes, Sir.” Then we cheerfully sit them back down to try again next time. (Similar to Mother May I.) Dad gives Mother a command for the baby and she pops up with a cheerful, “Yes, Sir” and helps the baby do it. As he grows baby learns to say “Yes Sir,” and play right along. “Yes, Sir.” is the first phrase I remember Brandon saying as an infant.
Play the game for about 30 minutes, giving each child several turns. Be sure to stop the game while everyone is still having fun and they will be excited to play again the next time.
Mother can play the game with the children when Dad isn’t home, and I highly recommend it. The game should be played 3 nights in a row, and then space it out to every other night, then every 3 nights. Eventually playing it once a week or twice a month will be enough to keep the children on their obedient toes.
This is basic behavior modification training, but it helps our children so much. It works by changing the chemical reactions in the brain to make being obedient pleasureable for them. You can keep this positive chemical reaction going all the time by giving lots of praise when a child remembers to say, “Yes, Sir” and obey right away even when you aren’t playing the game. This moves the child’s need for extrinsic (outside of themselves) rewards to intrinsic rewards (the good feeling that comes from doing the right thing.) My dream for my children is to raise them to do the right thing, even when no one is looking .

You can find the article here:

http://groceryshrink.com/2011/06/the-listening-game.html

{Snappy Jobs and Pretend}

My kids love “jobs”. They are constantly asking for something special to do. Jesse never lets me take out the trash anymore. He loves feeding the dogs every morning and starting a load of laundry for me. Chloe pushes her chair up to the sink and washes dishes for me. She tidies the bathroom and she loves to chop vegetables. (I find that if I let the kids shop for vegetables and then let them prepare them for supper, they eat their veggies like it’s chocolate cake!) Elijah…has no clue how to clean anything! He begins picking up toys, but very soon is lost in a “story”.  They play “brother & sister”. This game has been going on for about 2 years. It’s fun to listen to them play. Of course the game ceases for the moment I walk in the room and resumes as soon as I leave. Chloe and Eli have begun playing school together. They take turns being the teacher. I was cleaning the closet in the room next to the school room where they were playing and I was enjoying their lessons. Eli says to Chloe, “lets sing our ABC’s”. Then I walked in and he said, “Chloe, don’t sing yet, Mommy’s in here”. He gets so embarrassed when I catch him being cute.   Chloe is going to be a great teacher.

                                                          Personalities:                                                            Elijah runs around the house with his cape (blanket tied around his neck) jumping from couch to couch and declaring, “I’m PowerMan!” He started Kindergarten and is doing very well… he loves to print letters. Elijah~“Mom, I’m big enough now, right?” Mom~”Yes, Elijah! You are big enough!” Elijah~ “So I can climb on the top bunk now, right” He is always reminding me that he is “big enough”.

Jesse is the same Jesse he’s always been. Forever building something, reading science books or Garfield comic books, and dreaming of all the stuff he wants to buy with all that money he’s going to make recycling cans! He constantly has a wish list going. He enjoys listening to Adventures in Odyssey,  Jonathan Parks, and Hank the Cowdog.

Chloe collects junk! Her room is full of letters, cards, receipts, notebooks full of doodles, homework papers,….She has a hard time getting rid of things. She has never been one to play with toys! She loves anything from the Office Depot. I catch her sneaking her cursive writing workbook for practice. She loves reading anything and everything. Junie B. Jones is her favorite right now.

{State Fair Coming Up}

The South Eastern Idaho State Fair is just about 6 weeks away. We plan on cookin up some beignets and some glazed nuts to tempt passer-biers and those parking in our yard. My good friend is going to be making Indian Tacos! If you’ve never had one, than you just haven’t lived!

Christi

{Just Stuff}

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We built dog kennels and Jesse took the leftover wood to make a seesaw. He got his own drill, because Wal-mart had $70.00 drills on sale for $7.00 :) Chloe likes fixing daddy’s hair. Summer fun and no tellin’ what else :)

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{Curious?}

Come back soon to find out what I'm making with these!

{My Junk Drawer}

I made chocolate covered pretzels for my Bible Club class and the Almond Bark came in this tray...

I was about to throw it away when it hit me...my junk drawer in the kitchen needs something like this! So, with my hand-dandy scissors, I easily turned the tray into a junk drawer organizer :) I really should have taken a before picture, but since I didn't than you can just go glance at your own junk drawer. :)

{Spring is trying to spring}

Working in the yard-getting it ready for spring!

{Control Center}

I bought this "thing" at a thrift store about a year ago,

thinking, "I'll do something with it". It was an ugly french

memo board. Just found it this morning and took it to the

 garage for a makeover. I have fallen in love with spray paint!

We use this board to post receipts, hold bills, stamps,

envelopes, address labels, keys... I have recently posted

a financial record chart so that my husband and I can see

where the money goes and a schedule of bills to be paid.

{Nifty Thrifty}

A little bit of spray paint, alot of charm!

I picked these up at the thrift store. It seems that my Grandma had some like this in her house years ago. The before picture actually looks really good compared to what it looks like in person. It's actually a buttery yellow color and looks very plastic. I want to find some kind of small, artifical plant to put in these and hang them up in my room. Maybe small white flowers, like baby's breath?

Any suggestion?

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