Perspiration Stain Remover and Presoaks May 29, 2009

Use this formula to pre-treat ring around the collar and perspiration stains.
1/4 cup white vinegar
4 drops lemon, lime or eucalyptus essential oil
1 TBS baking soda

Combine all ingredients. Rub the mixture into the stains with your fingers, a soft cloth, or an old toothbrush. Launder as usual.

Perspiration Presoak #1
Try this fresh-smelling pretreatment before you wash.
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 drops tea tree essential oil

Combine all ingredients and add to the clothes in a washer full of warm water. Allow to soak for an hour or two, then wash as usual.

Perspiration Presoak #2
This is another great vinegar-based stain remover.
1 cup vinegar
1/2 salt
3 drops tea tree essential oil
Place clothes in washer and add enough warm water to cover them. Combine all ingredients and add to washer. Let clothes soak for an hour or more, then wash as usual.

Recession Buster Entertainment for the Summer May 25, 2009

Not vacationing because of the recession ? There are still lots of fun and inexpensive things you can do with the family.

When we had children due to be born in the Summer time or when funds were tight that a vacation was out of the question we planned several “Staycations”. We’d plan a week off from work where we would get a list of assorted projects done around the house (painting the bathroom, repairing fencing, tilling and planting a garden etc.) and do fun activities with the family within our area or within a few hours from our home.  Here are some of our inexpensive staycation ideas:

Drive Ins: One of our favorite Summer treats is to take the family to the Drive In.  The closest one to us is about 35 minutes away but is worth the trip and experience. You may have to check with your local theater but the one that we like allows us to bring our own drinks and snacks. We pack up lawn chairs, a picnic blanket and a cooler full of goodies…pop our own popcorn before we leave and we’re all set. The average price is $3.00 per child (children 4 and under are usually free) and $6.00 per adult for a double feature.  That averages to $1.50 per movie per child and $3.00 per movie per adult.  You really can’t beat that for newly released movies these days.

Google search a movie theater near you or if you are in the middle TN area check out BlueMoon Theaters. You can find their list of rules, prices, current showings and concessions menu online. Usually in the peak of Summer they’ll run a kid friendly night where both movies will cater to the children. One Summer we watched The Fantastic Four  and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Of course the younger babes passed out about 1/3 of the way through the 2nd movie (that’s one reason why we bring their PJ’s to change into after they eat).

Speaking of picnics: This is a very inexpensive way to take a break with your family and enjoy an inexpensive dinner out. It doesn’t have to cost a lot as you are planning to eat anyway. You can revise your dinner to include picnic friendly fare. Cook a casserole and wrap it in a towel to keep warm. Make a jug of lemonade or tea, grab a blanket and you’re all set. I recently heard of a family who keeps a box of reusable plastic plates, cups and cutlery along with their picnic blanket and paper towels in the trunk of their car for impromptu picnics.  Parks are one of the most ideal places to go as there usually is no parking fee and they are family friendly with walking trails and playgrounds.  We pack a Frisbee, a couple of jump ropes or even some bubbles for the kids to play with. If we’re going to a park with ducks or birds we bring along a bag of stale bread…I keep a bag in the freezer where I add the uneaten heels of bread loaves, that last bagel that has been sitting in the bread basket for weeks, any extra crumbs or pieces. It is a great treat for our toddler to feed the ducks.   None of these items are expensive to purchase and provide hours of fun with the children.

If you are a seamstress here is a pattern for a picnic blanket with pockets on each of the corners to put rocks or sand to weigh down the blanket. What a thrifty and wonderful idea! How many time have you gone to put out the food only to have to fight the blanket on a windy day ? Here’s the link: Picnic Blanket with Rock Pockets. I also recently came across a site with a picnic planner checklist…with 6 children I’m constantly fielding questions while trying to remember what I’m suppose to be packing…this is a sanity saver. A friend also sent me a link to the Picnic Recipes and Games site. Full of wonderful ideas for kid friendly picnics, recipes, games for adult picnics and games for kid picnics. You can plan a fun and adventurous outing with your family for nothing. How neat is that ?

A day at the Zoo: On the more pricey side but still not as expensive as a Summer vacation…Spending a day at your local Zoo can be a nice break from the norm. For $15.00 more we realized that we could upgrade our entrance tickets to a one year family membership that would allow us to return to the zoo multiple times throughout the year. Our closests zoo is The Knoxville Zoo and they are open everyday during the year except Christmas. A serious value for your money. We liked to go in the Fall and Spring when the public and private schools were still in session. It was cool enough to be comfortable and not so hot that many of the animals were off their exhibits due to the extreme temperature. We also avoided many crowds that way. But then we homeschool so that may not always be feasible for the average family. None the less, Our Zoo allows us to pack a picnic lunch and bring it in with us…they have various drink and snack stands throughout the zoo but packing your own lunch is very economical. So check with a zoo close to you for picnic information.

A day at the pool: We also found that our local State Park pool offers Seasonal Pool passes that save a dollar or so off the daily entrance fee. You might check with a Pool near you for this kind of offer.

Dollar Movie Theater: In some larger cities there are Movie theaters where you can catch a show for $1.00.  Google a theater near you.  We happen to have a local historic theater that has been restored and throughout the Summer they show older films and for $1.00 – $3.00 per person (depending on the film) you can get your ticket, a bag of popcorn and a soda.

Backyard Camping: A nice (free) staycation trip with all the fun of off site camping without leaving your own yard.  In the outdoor gear department at Wal-Mart you can purchase a set of 2 adjustable marshmallow/hot dog roasters for @$2.50 each pack.  This is a nice cheap little gadget that makes those backyard camping feel extra “special”.  We have a wood stove and so make “smores” all Winter in our living room. For Christmas this past year we bought each child one of these gadgets as a stocking stuffer.

Flashlight Tag: Another fun and inexpensive Summer activity. Along with watching and catching Firefly’s we play flashlight tag…inviting the neighborhood makes it even more fun…the more the merrier!

Send me your “Staycation” ideas…

Large Family Living: Logistics; Sleeping May 22, 2009

Having a large family and a small house can make for great excitement when determining where to put everyone.
In a large family of course the children don’t have rooms to themselves. I know of a family during WWII that had 12 children and 5 bedrooms. They slept 3 children to a room all in a full size bed.
In a large family its natural to have a roommate or two and the children really aren’t being deprived. If anything, they are getting a leg up on their single room dwelling peers.
My oldest daughter used to constantly complain about having her own room. Her younger sisters were cramping her style.
Occasionally one of the others will pipe up expressing the same wishes. And here is what I tell them.
1) You are part of a large family. Something bigger than yourself. A roommate comes with the territory.
2) Everyone has moments of getting on each others nerves. Learning to work through those issues provides a wealth of maturity and personal growth opportunities that many don’t have until adulthood and some never navigate successfully until they seek counseling during a failing marriage.
3) You are going to have to learn to live with a roommate at some point in your life….when you go to college you’ll have a roommate. When you get your first apartment, you might have a roommate, when you get married…guess what ? You get a roommate.
So you might as well learn how to do it now with family rather than strangers who have no investment in your best interest.

Bunk beds are a great way to provide each child a “space” of their own. One of the things I’ve learned having a large family with multiple ages under one roof, is to put those with the most interests together. Our teen girls are very different but similar in that they are more into electronic entertainment and not so much toys. I’ve also learned that allowing the children to have control over (within reason) the decorating of their rooms, gives them a sense of ownership. Girls especially love taking a space and making it their “own”. I gave each room a decorating budget and it has been interesting to see how the girls have chosen colors, fabrics, designs to personalize their rooms. Even if they weren’t what I would personally have picked I have learned to relax in this area as 1) I’m not living in that room and 2) when they grow up and move out I can repaint, redecorate etc. accordingly
So there really isn’t a need for me to impose my own tastes on my children. I can make suggestions but in the end if I take my hands off of the project then their creativity isn’t stifled and its a great learning process for them to come up with creative ways to decorate on a budget. It also gives me some insight into their interests that I might not have been aware of. It has also provided an opportunity for the girls to work together as a team to decorate their rooms. My older girls currently have a kind of Asian theme going on in their room and my younger girls have more of a garden/outdoor theme with flowers, birds and butterflies. They could have chosen to go in different directions and divide the rooms in half but they chose a theme that they both liked and worked together to shop and choose items that would give the room a uniform feel throughout. It has also been interesting to see the younger girls consulting with the older girls on decorating ideas and has given the older teens an opportunity to mentor and encourage the younger ones while still allowing the younger ones room for individual expression and control over the choice of their room colors, theme etc.

My son doesn’t really have a theme he’s more into function than colors. I think that can be fairly typical of most boys. Joshua likes clean lines and lots of drawers, shelves and containers for all his little collections. Legos, cars, screws, rocks and pebbles, marbles etc. A place for everything so to speak.

Having a large family and providing a place for everyone and their “stuff” can be tricky. However with a little creativity, grace and a lot of organization, it can be done.

Homemade Tub and Tile Soft Scrub Cleaner May 18, 2009

Use an empty plastic dish washing liquid or shampoo bottle with a squirt top is an ideal container for this recipe.

1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap (I like Dr. Bronners)
2 vitamin C tablets, crushed
3-5 drops tea tree oil, eucalyptus essential oil
water

Combine baking soda, soap, vitamin C and essential oil in a plastic bottle. Add just enough water to make a smooth liquid paste. Shake or stir to mix. Aplly paste to surface and rub with a damp cloth or sponge until area is clean. Rinse several times with water.

Liquid Fabric Softener:Minty-Fresh May 13, 2009

Helps remove tough odors from clothing.

1 gallon vinegar
10 drops peppermint essential oil

Add essential oil directly to the bottle of vinegar. Add 1 cup to the rinse cycle for each load.

Bleach Alternative May 12, 2009

This recipe makes enough for one load of laundry.
You can make larger amounts, but keep the lemon juice mix separate until ready to use.

1/2 cup Basic Laundry Soap Liquid (see recipe below)
1/4 cup Borax
1/4 cup lemon juice or white vinegar, plus 6 drops lemon essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a heavy plastic jug or other container of choice. For extra whitening power, let the clean clothes hang outside to dry in the sun.

Basic Laundry Soap Liquid
The addition of glycerin and essential oil gives extra cleaning power while still being gentle on clothing.
1 oz liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronners)
2 TBS glycerin
1 cup washing soda
1 cup baking soda
6 cups warm water
10 drops essential oil of choice

Combine all ingredients in a heavy plastic container (don’t use plastic milk or water jugs – they are not heavy enough)
Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on the size of the load and how dirty the clothes are.

Liquid Fabric Softener:Lemony May 11, 2009

Fresh lemony citrus scent
6 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup baking soda
15 drops of lemon or lemongrass essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a heavy-duty plastic container. Add 1 cup to rinse cycle for each load for truly lemon-fresh clothes.

Homemade Soap Scum Remover May 8, 2009

This is a recipe that will remove soap scum build up on soap dishes, toothbrush holders, bath tub and shower shelves etc.
The vinegar will cause “fizz” action.

1 TBS baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 drops essential oil of choice
vinegar

Combine baking soda, salt, and essential oil in a small cup. Add just enough vinegar to make a paste. Apply to surface and scrub with a damp cloth or sponge. Rinse well.

Guarding Against Energy Vampires May 5, 2009

Energy Vampires are electronics plugged into your outlets that are constantly draining electricity. For instance, If you leave your cell phone charger plugged in when not in use…it is using electricity. Appliances that are not in use…tea makers, coffee pots, blenders, toasters etc. all drain some energy when not in use. Some items such as your microwave (that is used frequently) or your bedroom alarm clock isn’t feasible to unplug but other items you can get in the habit of unplugging while you are out of the house or not using them.

Extreme Energy Saving:
One of the things that we are considering doing is moving all of our unnecessary outlets onto a single switch. Installing that switch by the main entry door so that when we leave the house we turn off all of our outlets that we don’t want in use while we are gone. This would turn off all of our computers, our toaster, coffee pot, cell phone and camera chargers, MP3, MP4 and Ipod chargers, TV/VCR/DVD players, electric/ceiling fans, baby monitor, noise machine, automatic night lights etc. But it would not turn off our Freezer, Water Heater or Refrigerator.
I know this may seen like an extreme move but not unfeasible and I don’t think its particularly extreme given the economical climate that we are currently living in. Especially considering that our family has been paying $40.00-$60.00 more a month in “fuel surcharges” on our electric bill to Volunteer Electric Cooperative since gasoline went to over $4.00 a gallon during the Bush administration…we are STILL paying those fuel surcharges to this day even though the price of gasoline has gone down.

So for a weekend project that isn’t particularly expensive or unreasonable to do (if you have electrical know how) and that would potentially save us a smallish fortune over the course of the year…I’d say its worth it. In the mean time, We have power strips that certain appliances and electronics are plugged into…we unplug the strip when not in use as I find it is more convenient than going around the house unplugging all the energy vampires for a family of 8. Each of our children have a strip in their room and I can unplug each child’s strip rather than unplugging 3 cell chargers, 4 MP3 player chargers or equivalent of, all their laptops etc.
If you are single or a couple it’d probably be easier to unplug your items after you use them. But in a large family where there is 1 of me and 7 of them…I find the power strip method easier….at least until we get the “Vampire” switch installed.

Homemade Laundry Detergent for Brights/Colors May 2, 2009

This recipe makes enough for a single load.
You can make enough to use as a stored detergent but don’t add the liquid castile soap. Add the castile soap to the washer then add 3/4 cup of the detergent to the wash.

1 oz liquid castile soap (Like Dr. Bronners), (scent with 2-6 drops of essential oil if desired)
1/4 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Epsom salts

Add the liquid castile soap, then add washing soda and Epsom salts. Wash as usual.