Friday, August 13, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
How having a baby changed my perspective, AND how to make your own cleaners
So, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm going to start adding some more posts here about me, Tom, our stuff. I've been having a hard time coming up with things to say about Jemma on a frequent basis. Don't get me wrong, she's adorable, and I love her dearly, but mostly her days consist of eat, play, sleep. You can only talk about that so many ways. So, I've opted to start adding some things about our parenting and lifestyle, mostly because Jemma has had such a profound impact on my view of the world. She's kinda turning me into a hippie, frankly. Before Jemma, I never put much thought into what or how I ate, what kind of cleaners and toileteries I used, what kind of impact I was having on the world. Now, I have someone to worry about, someone who needs me to be healthy, needs me to protect her, someone to leave a legacy for. I want to leave her with the best world that I can.
When I first got pregnant, I had just read Marly and Me (awesome book, by the way). In it, the author's wife has a miscarriage shortly after using some heavy duty chemical cleaners, and although the doctors said that didn't have anything to do with it, the couple was convinced it did. Being newly pregnant, this scared the dickens out of me, so I started looking for some more "green" alternatives to my household cleaners. I searched loads of websites and found that I could make safe gentle cleaners on my own! And on top of it, it was super cheap!
I've been making my own cleaner for over 2 years now, and I would not go back to buying commercial products. In fact, I bought some bathroom cleaner a few months ago because I could not get rid of this mold in our grout, but the smell made me so dizzy I got rid of it. (Fixed the mold problem with bleach, by the way) This weekend I made everything I'll need for several months, and I did it in a few hours with things I keep at home. I wanted to share my recipes and show you how simple and easy this is. I purchased some essential oils at Cincinnati Natural Foods, but really they are not necessary, they just add a pretty smell :)
My ingredients!
Supplies!
All-Purpose Cleaner:
1/2 tsp castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's in Peppermint)
1/2 tsp washing soda
1 tsp Borax
1 cup water
*optional* 10 drops essential oil of your choice
Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
1 cup water
1/2 cup soap (I like Dawn for this)
1 cup bleach *The bathroom is the only place I use bleach and only because our toilet bowl seems to grow this obnoxious mold I cannot get rid of in any other way)
Window Cleaner:
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp castile soap
Soft Scrub - Baking soda mixed with liquid soap to a frosting like texture.
Deodorizer - for the trash cans, carpet, etc. - BAKING SODA! Sprinkle and let it be or vacuum if it was put on carpet. Sometimes I mix some essential oil with the baking soda before I sprinkle it if I'm wanting to smell something pretty.
Those are the main cleaners I use for everything. I've learned to use vinegar, baking soda, and soap to clean. There are lots of nice alterantives at the store, too, but they cost a lot more and really, this is so easy. My friend makes her own laundry detergent and I can't wait to try that out. I'd also love to learn to make my own soap!
On a side note, I'm on the lookout for a kid-friendly bug spray, so if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear it! Jemma is a mosiquito magnet.
When I first got pregnant, I had just read Marly and Me (awesome book, by the way). In it, the author's wife has a miscarriage shortly after using some heavy duty chemical cleaners, and although the doctors said that didn't have anything to do with it, the couple was convinced it did. Being newly pregnant, this scared the dickens out of me, so I started looking for some more "green" alternatives to my household cleaners. I searched loads of websites and found that I could make safe gentle cleaners on my own! And on top of it, it was super cheap!
I've been making my own cleaner for over 2 years now, and I would not go back to buying commercial products. In fact, I bought some bathroom cleaner a few months ago because I could not get rid of this mold in our grout, but the smell made me so dizzy I got rid of it. (Fixed the mold problem with bleach, by the way) This weekend I made everything I'll need for several months, and I did it in a few hours with things I keep at home. I wanted to share my recipes and show you how simple and easy this is. I purchased some essential oils at Cincinnati Natural Foods, but really they are not necessary, they just add a pretty smell :)
My ingredients!
Supplies!
All-Purpose Cleaner:
1/2 tsp castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's in Peppermint)
1/2 tsp washing soda
1 tsp Borax
1 cup water
*optional* 10 drops essential oil of your choice
Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
1 cup water
1/2 cup soap (I like Dawn for this)
1 cup bleach *The bathroom is the only place I use bleach and only because our toilet bowl seems to grow this obnoxious mold I cannot get rid of in any other way)
Window Cleaner:
1 cup water
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp castile soap
Soft Scrub - Baking soda mixed with liquid soap to a frosting like texture.
Deodorizer - for the trash cans, carpet, etc. - BAKING SODA! Sprinkle and let it be or vacuum if it was put on carpet. Sometimes I mix some essential oil with the baking soda before I sprinkle it if I'm wanting to smell something pretty.
Those are the main cleaners I use for everything. I've learned to use vinegar, baking soda, and soap to clean. There are lots of nice alterantives at the store, too, but they cost a lot more and really, this is so easy. My friend makes her own laundry detergent and I can't wait to try that out. I'd also love to learn to make my own soap!
On a side note, I'm on the lookout for a kid-friendly bug spray, so if anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear it! Jemma is a mosiquito magnet.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Blog edits
I'm going to be updating our blog layout, changing things around. I've decided to expand this to more about our lives, as really Jemma's life is only so interesting every few months :) So forgive me if everything is a little messy for a few days.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Jemma's Dollhouse
About a month ago, we were purging all our toys at work since we are being renovated soon, and I was able to save this lovely wooden dollhouse from the garbage can.
It needed a lot of love, but I thought it would be great for Jemma. I have wonderful memories of playing with our dollhouse at my Grandma's and ours at home, and it was always so fun. I knew Jemma would like it. Every girl should have a dollhouse! It needed a lot of love though - sanding and painting. My youngest sister spent the weekend with me a few weekends ago, and she helped pick out the paint and we got started! We did a lot of sanding and smoothing and then all the painting started. We wanted it to be bright and cheerful. This is our finished product. I'm so happy with it, and Jemma seems to enjoy it so far! She tried to climb in, which is pretty fun. I also found a little bunny and bear family to live in it, although she still puts her big babies in it :)
It needed a lot of love, but I thought it would be great for Jemma. I have wonderful memories of playing with our dollhouse at my Grandma's and ours at home, and it was always so fun. I knew Jemma would like it. Every girl should have a dollhouse! It needed a lot of love though - sanding and painting. My youngest sister spent the weekend with me a few weekends ago, and she helped pick out the paint and we got started! We did a lot of sanding and smoothing and then all the painting started. We wanted it to be bright and cheerful. This is our finished product. I'm so happy with it, and Jemma seems to enjoy it so far! She tried to climb in, which is pretty fun. I also found a little bunny and bear family to live in it, although she still puts her big babies in it :)
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Littlest Robben :)
I'm so proud to announce Jemma has a new baby cousin! Her name is Ella Grace Robben, and she was born today weighing in at 8lbs, 4oz and 21 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing great and recooperating at Bethesda North hospital. I am so excited to have a beautiful little niece.
This is making me feel quite sentimental abour our own little bean. She has gotten so big, and is turning into such a toddler. It's so hard to believe she was so small once, too. We are so blessed to have these 2 beautiful little girls in our lives!!
This is making me feel quite sentimental abour our own little bean. She has gotten so big, and is turning into such a toddler. It's so hard to believe she was so small once, too. We are so blessed to have these 2 beautiful little girls in our lives!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
3 month hiatus...sorry :)
As you can imagine, we are quite busy with our lovely little lady. So much has happened since my last post!! We had her a simple little birthday party with just family at hour house. She had fun, but she wasn't really into the cake so much.
She is soooo close to walking, but mostly just stubbornly refuses to do it (hmm...I wonder where she gets that from). She's taking around 5-8 steps most of the time if she doesn't realize she is walking. She can walk all over holding your hand, but the second you let go, she sits down and crawls. She'll get it soon though. She loves using her push toy. Here's a picture from us walking outside with her push toy today:
She also LOVES outside. It is her new favorite thing. She loves to walk around and point to everything. We just got a zoo pass so we're looking forward to lots of fun trips this spring and summer.
I promise it won't be another 3 months before I post again, but off to get the munchkin to bed.
She is soooo close to walking, but mostly just stubbornly refuses to do it (hmm...I wonder where she gets that from). She's taking around 5-8 steps most of the time if she doesn't realize she is walking. She can walk all over holding your hand, but the second you let go, she sits down and crawls. She'll get it soon though. She loves using her push toy. Here's a picture from us walking outside with her push toy today:
She also LOVES outside. It is her new favorite thing. She loves to walk around and point to everything. We just got a zoo pass so we're looking forward to lots of fun trips this spring and summer.
I promise it won't be another 3 months before I post again, but off to get the munchkin to bed.
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