Homemade Detergent

Tags

Aveeno, Detergent, DIY, Essential oil, Homemade, Homemade Soap, Laundry, Laundry detergent, Recipes, Saving Money, Soap

These days, I’m all about saving a buck!  So when I heard from my sister-in-law, Laurissa the DIY Mom, about making your own laundry detergent and how easy it really is, I was all ears!  Not to mention that she only spent $4 to make 2 1-gallon battles!  Hello, I spend close to $20 for a bottle of Tide.  That’s $36 big ones I’ll be saving!

I’m really bad about throwing out old laundry detergent bottles, so I know I have at least 2 or 3 sitting in my basement collecting dust.  That’s a great start already!  Now all I need is to pick up the following ingredients and I’m making me so homemade laundry detergent!

Motherhood Changes You

Tags

Child, Family, Mother, Motherhood, Parenting

I was doing a little blog hopping this afternoon and came across this one post by Loving Earth Mama about the 10 things she thought she knew about motherhood.  Her post got me thinking about the things I thought I had figured out before I became a mom.  My frame of mind pre-baby:

1. Motherhood would be a snap!  I nannied for years and I was totally ready for kids.  I knew all I needed to know about being a mom from my nannying experiences.
2. I wouldn’t be one of those moms who “freak out” at their kids in the supermarket.
3. Moms who let their baby “cry it out” were just plan WRONG!  I wasn’t going to be like that.
4. I can do it all, be a mom, have a career, and still be a social butterfly.
5. My relationship with husband would stay the same.  We’ve been through it all and nothing could pose a challenge for us.
6. Breastfeeding would be easy as pie.  I didn’t get why some women had such a hard time.
7. I would never be one of those moms who left their needs by the wayside.  I’d always make sure that baby and I were always presentable.
8. I’d still be able to get plenty of rest after baby came and all those nay sayers who keep telling me to “rest now, you won’t get to once baby comes along” don’t know me what I’m capable of.
9. I can handle anything that comes my way and I didn’t need anyone’s help.
10. My life would stay the same, just with a baby.

What’s a Mom without her Camera?

Tags

Bad Mommy, Camera, Milestones, Precious Moments

Photo: SheKnows.com

I’m dying here, people!  Not literally, but figuratively.  How the heck is it possible to have 4 cameras in the house and only one of them is working?  Of course, the one that actually does work is on my husband’s iPhone and is not around when I need it!  I mean, COME ON NOW!  Our cameras are only a couple of years old, yet neither will hold a batter charge and one won’t even turn on when I put fresh batteries in.  Then there’s my iPhone, which I can’t live without – partially because of its handy dandy camera – that at the moment is frozen and has been like this for the past few months.  I know, I need to get that checked out, but apparently it’s not a software problem according to the Apple Tech I spoke to on the phone.  It appears to be a hardware problem meaning I need to get a new phone.  Thankfully, mine is still under warranty so I shouldn’t have to pay for the replacement, but still!

The Natural Me

Tags

Beauty, Curls, Curly Girl Method, Hair, Personal Grooming, Style

After reading a post from fellow blogger, The Domestic Diva, about how she recently embraced her “curly girl side”, I was curious to see what that was all about.  She wrote about how another blogger had gone back to the “no-pooing” way of washing her hair.  Ok, that doesn’t sound good, right?  Wrong!  Apparently, the term “no-pooing” means not using shampoo.  As it turns out, most shampoos have some form of sulfate as a main ingredient and these sulfates are typically found in dish washing detergent.  These sulfates are lathering ingredients that break down oils.  Yes, our scalpe naturally releases oils and too much build up of these oils lead to hair looking and feeling greasy and totally gross, but a small amount of these oils is needed to help protect and nourish hair.

Here’s where I was really intregued: curly hair needs more of these natural oils than straight hair!  And if you have curly hair and you’re washing your hair normally with shampoo, you’re stripping your hair of these oils which in turn causes frizzy, unmanageable hair.  Also, most people who think that just have wavy hair can actually have beautiful curls and never even know it – CASE IN POINT, ME!

Mommy Needs a Time Out

Tags

At-Home Spa, Beauty, DIY, Home Remedies, Self Improvement, Spa Treatments

I don’t care if your a stay at home mom or a working mom, when it comes to having some “me” time, it’s damn near impossible sometimes.  Between work (whether it’s inside or outside the home), cooking, cleaning, bathing, entertaining and all the other minor tasks that every mom faces throughout the day, finding that little window of time to just gather your thoughts and regain your sanity is hard to do.  But it has to be done ladies!  We need that time, no matter how large or small that window may be, we need to seize it!  A little “me” time goes a long way.

 

I can’t remember the last time I really did something for me.  Yes, I went out a couple weeks back for a few drinks with friends and yes, I went out for lunch with a girlfriend earlier in the week, but I’m talking about taking a few moments alone and doing a little something just for me.  By the end of last week, I was simply at my breaking point.  I had been so stressed out from work (although I tried to not let my family see how stressed I was), my daughter starting camp for the first time and our well overdue visitor finally leaving and having to clean up after the disaster left behind, I just about had it!  My back was tense and I was snapping at people for no reason (SO NOT LIKE ME).  I needed a TIME OUT!