Oil and vinegar don't mix...or do they?

You know that old saying, "Oil and vinegar don't mix" ?  Well, they actually do!  I recently started making my own natural cleaning solutions, and my favorite is baking soda, vinegar, and essential oils.  It's amazing how cheap this solution is to make, how well it cleans, and how amazingly it makes the house smell!

I've been using a cleaning spray by re-filling an old Windex bottle 3/4 of the way with water, adding a 1/2 cup vinegar, and several drops of Eucalyptus Oil and Lemon Oil.  It's been working great for me for weeks. I clean countertops, sticky messes off the tile floor, the toilets, sinks, and even mirrors and windows.


For a couple weeks I've been noticing how dirty the carpet in our family room is.  How can it not be with three boys!  With company coming over in several days, I had the motivation to break out my steam vac today.  Then I realized I didn't have any cleaning solution.  So I turned to the trusted Google, and I wasn't surprised when it said I could use vinegar.  So I filled my vac most of the way with super hot water, added 1 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 10 drops of Eucalyptus Oil and 10 drops of Lemongrass Oil.  My carpet looks so good, and it smells even better! It's been several hours now, and it's dry and smells so fresh and clean. I just want to lay down on it and smell it, but I'm resisting the urge.

I also used this amazing cleaning scrub for our shower/tub a while ago.  I mixed 1/2 cup baking soda, 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil and 2 drops Peppermint Oil, and just enough vinegar to make a thick paste.  Using a rag, I put the paste on the floor and just using a little bit of elbow grease it came clean.  Just a couple days prior I was on my hands and knees scrubbing with bleach, Scrubbing Bubbles, and other cleaners that made me want a face mask, and the tub wasn't coming clean.  But this natural solution was so effortless and smelled really good, it made me have the motivation to want to clean more showers....for just about two seconds.

S'More bar in a jar

With Christmas break coming soon, you might be like me: scrambling in the final few days to put together presents for not only the classmates but for the teachers as well.

Here is a super easy, really inexpensive, and yummy gift!

Get a clear container.  I used a .88 cent plastic cup from Walmart!  Or you can use a quart size mason jar.

Then you can use chocolate chips, or break a chocolate bar in small pieces.

You'll also need graham crackers and mini marshmallows. 









Take a sleeve of the graham crackers, and smash them.  You can smash it until it's a fine powder, or leave small pieces - it's up to you.  Measure out about a cup of the graham cracker, and place it in your container.

Then measure a cup of the mini marshmallows, and place it next on top of the graham cracker.

Finally, place a cup of the chocolate in your container.  In the recipe I found, it called for 1/3 cup of brown sugar as an option, but my container didn't have any room for it, so I just wrote that you can add it when you are mixing the ingredients together.  If you have room in your container, feel free to add 1/3 cup of brown sugar on top of the chocolate.

 S’more Bars
• 1 jar of s’more bar mix     • 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (optional)

1. Pour jar contents (and brown sugar) into mixing bowl.
2. Add melted butter and mix well.
3. Spray a 9×9 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Pour mixture into pan then press lightly.
5. Bake for 15 minutes at 350º F.
6. Let cool and enjoy

After you seal your container, add a ribbon or other decoration, and then make sure to attach the recipe!

Countdown To Christmas

14 days left until Christmas...

We took a red and green bubblebath!

Fill your kids' bath like usual, and make sure there are extra bubbles.  

Then add the food dye, and mix it around in the bubbles. 

 It fades after several minutes, but didn't stain my kids' skin.

House decorations for Halloween

I spent a total of $3 on this, and even had enough caution tape to decorate inside.

Went to the $ tree and got the masking tape, caution tape, and streamers.  For the eyes I used paper plates I had in the pantry, and colored the circles with a marker.

Refill Foaming Hand Soap

I love foaming hand soap, and with three little boys who are always getting their hands dirty (especially the older two) we go through a lot!  The only problem is this stuff isn't the cheapest. The small 8 ounce bottle is about $2.50, or you can buy the 32 ounce refill bottle for $4.00 or more.



To make your own foaming hand soap, you'll need just three things:

Water
Empty foaming hand soap bottle
Regular hand soap

Fill the empty bottle with warm water, but leave enough space at the top so when you put the dispenser back on it won't overflow.

Add about 2-3 TBSP of soap to the water, depending on the size of the bottle.

Put the dispenser back on the bottle, and gently swirl it to mix the soap and water.  I found rocking it back and forth slowly worked the best.

You'll have to pump a couple times, but you should see soap foam dispensing after that.

Reusing food pouches

My boys love those food pouches - especially the baby. He will suck down the entire pouch in less then a minute (I've timed him!) They are portable, but not very affordable, especially when my three can easily devour six of them in one sitting.  

I have figured out how to easily refill them. You only need three simple things:

• Cake decorating bag, with a medium tip
• Empty, flat, food pouch (that has been washed out and dried)
• Your food of choice (I'm using raspberry applesauce.) You can easily make your own puree, and even put veggies in it. I have found that it's very important to make the puree smooth. If there are chunks in it, it will clog up

 So you will fill the cake decorating bag with your puree, then place the tip into the opening of the food pouch.While squeezing the puree into the pouch, apply slight pressure downward so it forms a tight seal. Or else you will get sprayed with puree!
 
After it starts to fill up, you might have to pause, tap the pouch on the counter to settle the contents. 

When it's full, place the top back on and place in the fridge.

Pumpkin Poop

Okay, so it's not real pumpkin poop - but it makes for a cute snack.

I designed the labels, and used generic snack-sized ziploc bags. 

The "poop" is simply cheese balls