I'm Going Green - Part 2

I remember when I had the conversation with my husband two weeks ago and told him I wanted to go green. I think he is amiably indifferent, so that's easy for me. But I feel like I had to say it out loud and say it to him so he could be aware of any strange behaviors he encounters over the next couple weeks. She's using baking soda or vinegar to clean everything? Including her hair? She's crazy... (FYI, the no-'poo method is really effective. I've been trying it for 3 weeks now, and my hair feels super healthy and clean. It is a little bizarre if it's something you're not used to, but the way it makes my hair and scalp feel makes it worth it.) I know my husband loves me and my quirks, though. He even verbally acknowledged the work I've been doing to keep our family safer, healthier, and happier. As a man of few words when it comes to "words of affirmation" (See "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman), I will take that as compliment to my efforts. 

Before I made the commitment to change, I first wondered: Isn't this kind of weird? Will it really be that weird for me? But, you know, the more I thought about, I don't think it will be. It fits into my recent quest to simplify and declutter (Inspired by Marie Kondo). I also feel like we've moved towards a lot of sustainable practices in our family. We have a garden and use our home-grown fruits and vegetables for our food. We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat (they cage-free, and very happy ladies, until we kill them.). We generally buy used (from clothes to furniture to vehicles, etc.) and recycle a LOT with our DIY projects. We carpool or use a pretty fuel-efficient vehicle for Brett getting to work. We love to be frugal and save money by doing or making things ourselves. I was also raised to be very environmentally conscious. 

In the third grade, I won a city-wide art contest that all of the Mesa, AZ elementary schools grades 1-6 participated in (it's a pretty big school district). The topic was "Recycle Today For A Better Tomorrow". As prizes, I got to shake hands with the mayor at some city council. I also had my original artwork hung in the Mesa Public Library for years (it was gone the last time I went there. They did some remodeling...so I wonder where it went, or if it moved to a different part of the library, or if it's in storage or just gone. The city recycling company also came and gave a presentation to my third grade class where they taught about the benefits and importance of recycling, and gave us lots of fun little freebies. Recycling and taking care of the earth have always been a big concern of mine, even when I was young.

So...going green with cleaning products and home products is totally not a stretch for me. I feel like it will give me satisfaction on many levels. I'm excited to experiment and to get started. I'm sure I'll learn a lot through trial and error, and will eventually have lots of anecdotes and advice for anyone who wants to got the DIY Green Cleaning route as well. 

Here are the list of homemade household cleaners I would like to make and have on hand (some of which I already do. Follow the links to see what I've tried.) I'm still investigating beauty products (soaps, shampoos/conditioners, lotions, moisturizers, lip balms, salves), so a post on that are soon to come. 

• All-purpose Cleaner
• Glass/Window Cleaner
• Dish Detergent (powder, borax-free)
• Laundry Detergent Powder (omit the Purex crystals and use a plant-based bar soap to make this truly green. An alternative recipe that looks similar to the one I've used, but have not tried, can be found here.)
• Disinfectant
• Fabric deodorizer/Air Freshener (like homemade Febreze)
• Soft Scrub/Toilet Scrub 
• Floor Cleaner (for mopping)
• Carpet cleaner (shampoo)
• Carpet Freshener/Deodorizer
• Foaming hand-soap
• Wood cleaner 
• Gel Air freshener

DIY All-Natural Dishwasher Detergent (Borax Free)

I made the plunge into an all-green DIY cleaners lifestyle. I may have jumped into this a little prematurely, because I just packed up all the old cleaning supplies in my house (ALL OF THEM), and put them in a giant box, and gave them away to a neighbor friend who would use them. (The above image doesn't show the laundry products, dish soaps/detergents, or hand soaps. In the end, it was a very heavy box full of cleaners.) I was so pleased with myself, and realized how much I not only cut down on chemical cleaners, but also on the overall clutter. I've reduced the space dedicated to keeping my cleaning supplies by half. Quitting traditional cleaners cold turkey has caused some initial inconvenience, because I haven't made all of my own green DIY products yet. If I need something, I kind of need to figure it out right away, and get a recipe together quickly so I can address whatever cleaning need I have. Luckily with DIY cleaners, a lot of them are made from the same ingredients, and as long as you have the basics on hand, you can get things together pretty quickly. 

A higher-priority cleaning product on my list was dishwasher detergent. I've been putting dishes off for a couple of days because we've been sick and I just hate doing dishes (and I had not made detergent yet). That's always the ONE THING in the house that really seems to get away from me. So, this weekend I had a lot of catch up to do. 

I didn't want to just throw things together, though. I researched a lot of different methods and recipes. Several DIY recipes called for Borax...but I also saw several that were anti-borax for possible health reasons. I found recipes for liquid gel detergents and powdered detergents. Ultimately, I decided to go the Borax-free powdered route because it seemed the simplest and was the healthiest and very effective. Since I'm experimenting and trying to find the right fit for me, I made a trial size based on some recipes I found on the internet. I got the original recipe from realfoodrn.com and thankyourbody.com (it was the same recipe on both sites), and just cut it down considerably. I didn't want to mix together stuff for 50 loads if I didn't like the outcome. If this recipe doesn't pan out, I'm going to try a slightly different recipe that I found on drkarenslee.com.

NOTE: I did manage to try this recipe with one load tonight. It seemed to clean everything pretty well. I really don't have any complaints. I've read that a lot of people will also put vinegar in as a rinse-agent in the second compartment. It's supposed to reduce spots and really make things sparkle. We lost the cap to that second compartment...so I haven't tried that. But my dishes came out clean, so I don't feel like I'm missing anything. 

DIY All-Natural Dishwasher Detergent (Borax Free)

RECIPE: 

Though this is a "trial size", it still makes enough for 15 loads of dishes! The only harder-to-find ingredient was the citric acid. I found it in the canning section of a Walmart Supercenter for under $3.  I had to go to two different Walmarts to find it because the first one was out of stock. You can also buy in bulk through amazon...but I've found that you don't need too much, and I didn't want to wait for it to ship to me.

Ingredients:

3/8 cup Citric Acid

3/8 Cup Washing Soda

1/8 cup Baking Soda

1/8 cup Sea Salt

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients and combine in a storage container (I used a disposable tupperware container). Use 1 Tablespoon per load. This Borax-free recipe will clump up a little in the container. I give mine a good shake before using it to loosen everything up. I've read that if you have really hard water, use a little more citric acid.

DIY Green All-Purpose Cleaner

All-purpose cleaner: 

I've tried a few different recipes, and settled on this one as a favorite (for now. I'm still new to this, so it may change). It's simple and effective.

• 2 cups infused vinegar (see Joybilee Farm's Thieves Vinegar recipe, or other recipe ideas below). 
• OR use 2 cups plain distilled vinegar plus 10 drops of a good cleaning essential oil (like anything citrus, or tea tree oil, etc. You can research good EOs with cleaning properties). 
• 2 cups water (I use our RO water for cleaning solutions).

I have come to think that vinegar infusions are GREAT. They don't require essential oils, which can be expensive, and they pull even more beneficial agents from the items you're infusing into the vinegar. Infused oils & vinegars will have different (and sometimes more) health benefits than essential oils do (read a good article about this here.)

Things I learned About Vinegar + Baking Soda: 
I've really enjoyed using a vinegar combo cleaner. I've tried a few different combos. One thing i learned is that you DO NOT combine baking soda and vinegar in the same mix. A lot of online recipes call for a little of both. But if you remember back to elementary school science, this creates a fizzy reaction that will eventually stop fizzing and will just be salt water, essentially. Salt water doesn't clean. Vinegar cleans, and baking soda cleans, but not together. 

Things I learned About Vinegar: 
If you don't want your house smelling like a pickle factory while cleaning, use infused vinegar or essential oil. The first time I put a cleaner together, I just used water and vinegar because I didn't have any essential oils like the online recipe called for. While I was cleaning, and the surfaces were wet, it just smelled like vinegar. I didn't really like that, and was afraid it would stink up the whole house. Vinegar is a strong smell. But after it dried, the smell went away and the surfaces were clean and smooth. I didn't want that smell again, so I looked around my kitchen and used citrus peels (grapefruit and clementines) and put them in the cleaning solution. It sat overnight and then next day when I used it to clean, it somehow changed the acidic vinegar smell. It didn't smell like vinegar anymore, and the smell got better day by day. 

That's when I decided I would create an infused vinegar that I could always have on had. My infused vinegar I'm working on now includes: distilled vinegar, citrus peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, rosemary sprigs, lavender springs, lemon balm leave (I took some of the herbs I had in my herb garden last year, and I dehydrated a bit before the winter came. I'm so glad I did! I never thought I would use my lavender, especially, but I'm finding a use for it now.) The suggestion from Joybilee Farm is to let the vinegar solution steep for 4 weeks before use. But you can honestly use it any time. The longer it sits, though, it will be better infused with all these great items I listed, and it will smell less like vinegar when cleaning. 

If you have mason jars, this is probably something that you could get working on right away. You can make your own infused vinegars with a variety of herbs, spices, fruits and plants that hold known health benefits. 

Here are some other vinegar infusion ideas: 

• pine (read more about pine health benefits here)
• herb-tastic: lavender, clary sage, rosemary, mint (or whatever your favorite herbs form your garden may be)
• lime & mint (there are many benefits to any kind of citrus oil like lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit.)
• orange & cinnamon (see benefits of orange or cinnamon)
• lemon & rosemary (read about the uses of lemon and of rosemary)
• thieves vinegar: citrus peels, whole cloves, rosemary, lavender, cinnamon stick (learn more about these ingredients here)
• ginger spice: Ginger root, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, nutmeg (read about the uses of these ingredients here.)
• rose petal (read about the uses and benefits of rose here.)

There's Nobody Like Mom

I had the wonderful pleasure of seeing my mom this week. She came to visit us in Utah, and it made me so happy to see her.

This was the first time I've spent time with her in person since her cancer diagnosis. I think it did me, her, and the kids lots of good to see each other. It filled a sad little void in my heart that I've had for a while, and I think it was very healing and motivating for her.

We had visited AZ just last November for Thanksgiving. My parents had decided to sell their home (the house I lived through Jr High, High School, and College in) and I knew it would be the last time I'd get to spend there. It was a nostalgic visit, and I was able to spend time with old family and friends. By the time we headed back home, I felt very content and was excited for my parents and the new adventures that were ahead.

My mom spent a lot of December in and out of the hospital. She was experiencing severe abdominal pains, and no one could figure out why. Eventually, after several different non-invasive methods, they went in for surgery to investigate a blockage. That's when they discovered lots of tumors.

I remember when I got the call from my dad. I knew my mom had been in the hospital and that she had gone in for surgery. We were thinking about her and glad she had good doctors to perform the surgery. I was confident that she'd be well.

"Hi. I'm calling about your mom. Is Brett there too? I have something I want to tell you about your mother and I think you should sit down," he said. Now, my dad can be a jokester sometimes. He likes to have an ambiguous sense of humor that leaves people wondering whether he's serious or not. But I DID NOT find his joke funny this time.

I scoffed. "DAD. Seriously. That's not even funny. How's mom really doing?"

"I'm being very serious" he said. Then he went on to explain more of the situation.

I've never to this point in my life received such information that was so life-shattering to me. It just scared me and broke my heart. I didn't know how to process it. When my dad called, I had been preparing a belated Christmas dinner for some of our Utah family. I remember being in the kitchen listening to my dad as he calming tried to explain things. I just kneeled down on the floor and started to sob. I felt so very helpless...and so very far away from the person I wanted to be closest too. When I got off the phone, I told Brett, and my brother and sister in law who were there. I explained to the kids that Grandma was very sick, and we needed to always pray for her from now on so she could get better. Then I went into my office, shut the door, sat alone for a while, and cried.

We learned a lot over the next several weeks: what stage, what type, what to expect.

The baffling thins is that my mom is one of the healthiest people I know... She's probably in better shape than I am. Well...I think I eat better :) , but she is definitely more physically active than me. She's done amazing things in her life! She's hiked the Grand Canyon TWICE, gone on bike rides that are miles longer than my first grader can count, and she would often enjoy evening powerwalks with my father.

The month following this news was long and slow and full of lots of emotions. I was so jealous of everyone that was able to visit or see her. All her siblings were able to spend time with her. All her children (except me) were able to be with her. Many dear friends were there to serve and help and support her in many different ways. And I was in a different state, over 700 miles away. I felt like there wasn't anything helpful that I was doing, that I was just useless to her at this point. I was just being sad. My parents had requested I didn't come visit. My mom was worried about us traveling in bad winter weather, and she told me that all she really did all day was sleep, and that, at this point, she couldn't hold any of the kids. It was counterproductive to be there. I tried to respect their wishes, and we never went to visit.

Her recovering has been slower than she would like it to be. But again, It was major surgery. She wanted to be up and recovered in less time than it takes women to recover from C-sections. And her surgery was a lot more extensive than a C-section. But she finally hit a point where she felt good enough to get back to a modified version of things she loved (holding grandkids, going on short bike rides and easy hikes), and she seemed so much happier not being restricted to the house all day. She met with the doctors again, and they scheduled chemo (for this upcoming Friday). That's when she decided to visit Utah.



She was here for 2 1/2 days, and the time with her had to be toned down and a lot more quiet than we were used to. She's the type of person that is go go go. She will come in town to visit and magically whip my house into shape in what seems like an hour. The floors will be clean, laundry folded, dishes done, and dinner cooking. I've been spoiled, and have always looked to her visits as a sanity-saver for me. With 4 kids and a work schedule, it's hard to find the balance I need to keep the house orderly (hence my recent conquest to declutter and simplify). This visit was a little different, though, but it was still just as wonderful. She spent her time sitting on the couch with the kids and snuggling them. She read them stories, or played tablet games with them, or watched their favorite movies. This was the first time that she really didn't lift a finger to try and clean my house, and I thought it was great. All her attention was directed towards the kids, or towards having good conversations with me.

My mom will continue to recover from her surgery, and hopefully that will be the worst of it. Maybe we'll get lucky and chemo will treat her body well, with minimal negative side effects. It will still be a long road, and there are a lot of unknowns. This is such a new element for our family. Either way, my mom is the definition of grit, and she can do just about anything she sets her mind to. There's no one else like her. I'm so glad to call her mom.

Living the Adventure

I had a really good birthday this year. I just felt like I made some good time for me, and that people I love made good time for me as well. It wasn't stressful or full of unrealistic expectations. It was easy-going, and I just did things that I wanted to do, and that made me happy.

So what are some of those things that make me happy?


1)The thing that brings me more joy above anything else is just being with my family. 

I love my husband and my children so much. And it seems like the more children we add to our family, the more joy I find. If I had a million children, I would love them all and just be such a happy mother. I've learned to embrace the crazy and to not expect perfection. This has helped me be a little more relaxed in my parenting, and has provided opportunities for me to see value in ALL types of situations.

Life is crazy with littles running around, but I find so many moments throughout the day that make everything seem so worth it. Sure, they punch, hit, and tease each other on a daily basis. I think I have everyone come to me at least once a day crying as well. That's not always fun to deal with. But the joy in those situations is that I'm the mom and the comforter and the teacher, and they choose to seek me out. I've been told that won'r always be the case, so to "treasure" these moments that I am so needed by them. I find that those moments of tears (whether angry, sad, or frustrated) are opportunities I've been given to help them feel more loved and confident, or to help them understand a situation and learn a good lesson.

I feel like since I've taken on this decluttering approach, my parenting attitude has become healthier, but it has also helped my children behave better too.

Good consequences of decluttering:

• We've taken the little TV out of our kitchen. We have one TV now, and it's downstairs, and I will put on some PBS kids shows for quiet time so they can be down there relaxing and watching a show while I'm upstairs getting work or house stuff done. I didn't think that I would notice a difference in their behavior by limiting TV; I actually thought they'd act worse. With all that free time, wouldn't they just be making more messes and fighting more? Quite the opposite. They take more time to play together and explore/imagine/get creative/collaborate. 

  

  Building a castle with paper towel rolls on Amazon delivery day. They have so much fun playing and using their imagination with the paper towel stacks they have.
  
  

  

  Taking time to color and work on alphabet pages rather than watching TV.

• We've removed and minimized a LOT of our toys. We had WAY more toys that we ever needed or that we could ever keep track of. I've set a three-strike rule that the kids have been quick to pick up on. If I find toys or belongings on the ground, I will pick them up only two times. The third time they either go in the donation box, or are thrown away. I'm trying to teach them that if they don't care enough to take care of their things or put them back in their proper place, they don't need them anyways. (Now...there are some toys that are really special to them. Those I'm a little bit more lenient about. But I also find that those are the ones that they actually do take care of. But things like the happy meal toy that I'm always stepping on?
  
  They don't really take care of that, and therefore don't need it around. It just ends up being clutter in our home, so it's best to get rid of it. ) We also keep four sets of toys upstairs–that's it. We have a wooden block set, a wooden train track set, a bag of legos/duplos, and a small collection of hot wheels. I love these toys because they promote imagination play and creativity, and they're something that all the kids can play with at any stage. We also keep a small basket of baby toys for Lillie, but she likes playing with the blocks and cars just as much as the other kids. The toys we have out are easy for everyone (including Lillie) to pick up, and we can have the living room looking nice in a matter of 15 minutes if everyone helps clean and put things away.
• With less toys and TV, the kids spend a lot more time exploring outside, reading books, or doing art projects. It's hard in the winter here, because it's COLD, and I think the snow is gross. But we've adapted somewhat and it's finally consistently in the 40's, so having on some boots and a jacket make it decent. The kids will go outside in our backyard and explore, or talk to our chickens, or play with our new dog (notes on dog to come). I feel like most of my happy memories as a kid took place outdoors. It's something our current culture doesn't get enough of, so it makes my heart joyful when I see my children enjoys nature.
  
  
  
• There are also less things lying around for them to get in to. I cleaned up my yarn stash, and put it all in my downstairs craft closet, with the door LOCKED. When I was deculttering my bedroom, office, and upstairs linen closest, I quickly felt like I had some serious mental issues as I realized I was a yarn hoarder. I filled up two large garbage bags FULL of yarn (garbage bags to store, NOT to throw away. Yarn brings me joy, too, so I'm not getting rid of that). Yarn was in my bedroom closet. Yarn was in both drawers of my nightstand. Yarn was underneath towels and sheets or high on the shelf in my office. It was in the kitchen junk drawer. Why was there so much yarn in all these places? Marie Kondo, in her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing", said that we should keep all like items in the same place. It helps to avoid confusion, and keeps you from buying MORE than what you need because you can easily see what you have on hand. I've tried this approach of consolidating like-items around the house, and it's really helpful. So now, there is a designated area for my craft and art stuff. AND, I've learned to keep it very locked in order to avoid little hands accessing things they shouldn't. This has magically helped me avoid things like:

 

2) Another thing that brings me joy is taking care of plants and animals. 

There is something just so fulfilling about cultivating a garden or raising animals that give things back to you (like chickens). Maybe I'm a little too hippy, but I just feel so connected with the energy of the universe when i'm t taking care of my plants or animals. It's very zen.

• For my birthday, Brett and I made design plans to build a hanging herb garden in the kitchen out of metal cable and pallet wood we had (post to come). We haven't actually built anything yet, but I did get some herbs together. Dollar Tree has all it's garden stuff out right now, and I found some cute little terra cotta pots 2/$1. I already had some mint, green onion, and basil growing on my windowsill, but I bought cilantro and parsley from the grocery store (you know, the "living herbs" found in the produce section), and planted everything in the new pots. Some day soon we'll get to building the actual garden stand. Brett's been pretty busy with work...so it's been delayed. But just having the pots on my windowsill and being able to water them make me happy. (I really look forward to springtime in another two months, and being able to plant flowers and start my vegetable garden.
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• We must seem totally crazy, but we got a new dog. AND WE LOVE HER. 

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  We had another dog when we moved up here, and I liked him. He was a beautiful red tri Australian Shepherd, but he was also stubborn, not well trained, and aggressive some people. He bit a neighborhood teenager, and I quickly found him a new home with a family that had the time and patience to train him and take him on the adventures he deserved. We probably could have made it work...but at the time It was just too much effort. I was pregnant and working a LOT, and still settling into the house and getting used to a new school routine for a kindergartner and preschooler. It was just too much, and I decided it was better for everyone if he went to a better home. The family we found was kind of a mirror image of our own, and our dog quickly warmed up to them all. I feel like it was meant to be, and that it was a good decision. But a year and a half later, we get another dog.
  
  Brett came home from work one day last week and said "I got us a dog today. She's a hunting dog I found on KSL for free". I looked at him like he was crazy. He hates dogs. "It's only for a little while, though. I want to get her and then have my dad work with her then sell her so I can have money for a new gun." We had a discussion on being responsible with animals and if bringing a dog into our house is something that was wise to do. I love ANY animal, especially anything fluffy and cute and fun to pet. But I remembered the last dog(s) that we took on, and it was unwise and ultimately selfish of us and not good for the animals. I didn't want to do that this time, so I told Brett no thanks. But then he showed me a picture of the dog that the owner texted to him. Uh-oh. That was a mistake. NEVER SHOW ME PICTURES OF ANIMALS. Self-control becomes a lot harder after that. I saw her picture...and she just looked so adorable and loving.
  
  
  So I took a good 24 hours and thought about it. A LOT. I researched the breed, the pros/cons, the temperament and lifespan of German Shorthair Pointers. I watched Youtube documentaries on the breed, and on dog training. I even prayed about it. Something about her spoke to me. But I didn't want this to be a impulsive decisions. I didn't want to get her just because I felt bad for her, or felt like she was a helpless creature that needed a home. I sure she could find a home. There are lots of people that would take her in a flash - especially since she was free. But the question was, did she need to be in our home and part of our family? I really pondered the situation. I hardly slept the night before we got her, because I was researching and reading up. The next day, I decided that I'd just take the kids to meet her, no commitments. If it didn't feel right, we'd say good luck and goodbye.
  
  The owner was an hour's drive away. Brett was working late, and it was (more) convenient to go during the day time while Lillie could nap and when we could avoid rush hour. I loaded all four kids in the car, and off we went to Ogden. We got to the place, and the girls were both asleep, so I let the sleep while I took the boys inside. (I could always see the car from the window. They were safe, don't worry.) As soon as we walked in the door, and she looked at me I knew we had to take her home. She was meant for us. So we spent a couple minutes talking about her past, and petting her, and giving her treats, then we loaded everyone back in the car and headed home.
  
  She has added a fun energy to our home, and she really is like a member of our family. She's 2 years old and out of the obnoxious puppy stage. She's housebroken and is just a lot easier to deal with than a new puppy. She also adds some extra safety to the house because she's a good watchdog. When someone comes in the front door, or walks past the backyard gate, she'll give a quick bark to let us know. She doesn't bark excessively, though.
  
  We like Bailey. She immediately fell in love with our family and claimed us as her own. She doesn't have very many manners (either good or bad). She's kind of a clean slate that hasn't really had any training, but she's very intelligent and very quick to learn and loves to please us, so I think she'll be great.
  
  
  
  
  Brett also loves her. And she loves him.
  
  
  
  I plan on working with her and doing obedience training. SHE WILL BE A WELL-TRAINED dog. I will not have an ill-mannered dog again. 

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  Other animals:
  Like I said before, we have backyard chickens. I LOVE them. I love seeing them walk around and do their chicken things. I love taking care of them. I love that the kids learn responsibility through feeding and watering them. I love that the kids also get to learn about nature and life and how things work. I love how surprisingly low-maintenance they are. I love having fresh chicken eggs.
  
  Brett wanted to be adventurous again. He researched some chicken breeds and decided that he wanted chickens that would be good for both meat AND eggs. Enter the Brahma chicken. It's "One of the largest breeds, good layers of winter eggs, good in cold climates; Large roasting fowl, capon, or early broiler." So we found a place to order some and we ordered 15 female Light Brahma chickens that we will get as chicks in about 10-12 days from now. They send them to us the day after they hatch. I thought it was weird to have mail-order live chickens. But I guess they just drop it off at the local post office, and we pick them up there. So, I've been spending time getting a chick area ready with proper bedding, heat lamp, feeding equipment, etc. This is another fun learning opportunity for our kids (and for me and Brett too). We're excited. This is what these guys look like. I'll take actual pictures of our own chicks and set up when they come in.