DIY: Cheap, green, chemical-free laundry detergent

This is not really a DIY blog by any means, but this has just been too good for me this past month to not share it with you all!

So I've been on a quest to make my own laundry detergent since...well, ever. Ever since I started buying my own laundry detergent anyway.

My first and foremost desire in laundry detergent is that it be chemical-free. And by that I mean, not have weird stuff in it I can't pronounce. So that's left us with detergents like 7th Generation and Mrs. Meyers, and to be honest, I still don't really know what is in those and if they're legit (because, surprise, surprise, laundry detergents don't have to tell you what is in it!).

Secondly, I want something cheap! Most of us aren't made of money, so spending $10-$17 on a bottle of detergent just breaks the bank. (I wish I were kidding about the cost...)

And third, being kind to Mother Earth is always an added bonus, and a bi-product of it being chemical-free and safe for us!

So I took off on a google quest, and later Pinterest search, trying to find a good recipe that fit my needs.

Pretty much everything I found included Borax and/or Fels Napa soap. And those do not meet my requirements. So finally I just decided to do my own thing. And surprisingly, it works!

And it's easy. And relatively inexpensive (and very inexpensive compared to the store bought detergent).

Are you ready for this? It's so easy it will blow your socks off!

1 cup of washing soda.
1 cup of liquid castille soap (I currently am using Dr. Bronners Unscented)
Water
And if your soap is unscented, you can add some essential oils, such as lavender, to spruce it up a bit, but totally not necessary.

I just heat up 3 cups of water on the stove, not quite to boiling, pour the washing soda in and stir until it dissolves. Add the cup of soap. Stir. It will be a liquidy gel-type consistency. Pour it into your container (I use an empty 7th Generation detergent container - it's 100 fl oz.). Fill with more water to the top and shake before use.

It's awesome, gentle, chemical-free, all around green, gets things clean, and is CHEAP. (And works in a HE washer).

And it beats the diaper test. That means, it cleans out cloth diapers amazingly, and doesn't leave build up (or hasn't yet...).

So go make some! You know you want to.

Mod Podge is made by the devil himself

So I finally bought some Mod Podge because I have like a million DIY project pinned and figured, you know, I should actually do some of them.

I bought some canvases to make this wedding song lyric thing (great explanation, right?). And while I was browsing through canvas I kept thinking, "This would probably work better and be easier on wood." But since I've never done a anything involving Mod Podge, I figured my own input was worth nil. And because I'm cheap, and canvas is waaaay cheaper than wood, I went with it.

Um, it worked. I'll hang the finished product in my room. I think.

But holy cow! Mod Podge is made by devil.

There are like 10 different kinds to choose from. And I swear they are all the exact same thing. So I have no idea how you choose. I just ended up picking randomly and blindly.

There are all different sized bottles. Which now having used it, seems like a joke. What could you even do with the small bottle? Attach thumbnail picture to a quarter-sized magnet? Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

That's probably it.

Also, it's glue. Which annoys me. I swear it's just Elmer's glue in a round bottle with a Mod Podge label. I wouldn't be surprised. At all.

Canvas isn't flat. I mean, it is, but it isn't. It's not solid flat. Like would would be. So the paper ends up with bubbles in it no matter how many times you pulls it up and re-flatten it. I finally just had to accept it would be less than perfect. That is not an easy feat for me.

And because Mod Podge is just like Elmer's glue, my kids want to eat. Because it's glue. And something about glue makes kids hungry.

Needless to say, I'm less than impressed with Mod Podge. Don't get me wrong, now that I have it I'll have to at least try the other 12321 projects I have pinned, because I don't have a good reason not to.

And other people seem to have had great success with it. My little sister made us awesome ornaments of the kids using it. My friend B made us the best tea light vases with pictures of the kids that are so cute they are to die for! So others can definitely figure out.

Maybe it's all just user error.

Either way, Mod Podge is over-priced Elmer's glue made by the devil.

And all the people on Pinterest using it canvas probably never actually tried it. Just sayin'.

13 New Years Resolutions for 2013

Somehow it's going to be New Years Day tomorrow. I didn't even realize that today was New Years Eve until I saw it on a friends status last night. Yep. I'm so on top of things these days!

In my defense I'm night weaning B (you thought I did that back in May, right? I did. For one night. After that he went all ape shit crazy and I had a lot of guilt still from when H was a baby so I said fuck it.) He's actually pretty unphased, but he's also cutting 6 teeth, so pretty terrible timing of me. So now he thinks 4am is a great wake up time. But I can't really complain, since he's been super amenable to the night weaning with no tears or fussing...

Anyway, I've never been one for New Years resolutions, but I figure it can't hurt. Maybe actually putting it down to visibly see will motivate my bum to actually do all this. Maybe...

So here are my 13 New Years Resolutions:

1.)    The obligatory get my ass in shape by 25 and eat healthier (I know some of you are rolling your eyes at this one, but seriously, I can always do better)

2.)    Be a better parent.

3.) Upcycle more clothes for the kidlets.

4.)    DIY projects:

a.)    wedding song lyrics on canvases

b.)    H’s duvet

c.)    Paint fridge

d.)   And other things that float my boat

5.)    Coffee bar

6.)    H and B’s rooms set up and completed – waaaay too many details to list, but also includes a LOT of DIY

7.)    Picture frame wall in bathroom

8.)    Write people letters/postcards, and get the kids involved, too!

9.)    More random acts of kindness – it makes all of us happier filling buckets.

10.)                        Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!

11.)                        Finish project S&S

12.)                        Organize and print photos from past three years…

13.)                        Keep calm and carry on