Update on Laundry Bombs

So far, I love the Laundry Bombs.  My clothes smell fresh with out really smelling like anything... which I know doesn't make any sense! 

These are some changes I would make for the next time...

**I would make them using a teaspoon instead of tablespoon.  The reason behind this is that I felt like the bomb needed to totally dissolve before I could put clothes in (kind of the same thing as powdered detergent, that it might ruin the clothes).  With the bomb being so big, it took a long time to dissolve and I actually picked it up out of the water and broke it up a bit to help it dissolve faster.  Probably not a big deal, but I will try it out with a smaller size.

**I also like the idea of using a teaspoon sized bomb because I think that using 2 tablespoon sized ones for large/dirty loads seems a bit excessive!  So I think I will like the flexibility of teaspoon sized more.  

**I would probably put a some essential oils in the mix.  The clothes, like I said above, don't really smell like anything, but a little dash of an essential oil might be kinda nice.  Something light and fresh, and not perfume-y. 

But I hope you will enjoy laundry bombs as much as I am! And another quick thought, my price estimator will be even cheaper when I am using teaspoons and not tablespoons, because I won't have to use two tablespoons.  More like a tablespoon and half or maybe 4 or 5 teaspoons.  

That's all for now!  Check back soon to see what else is happening in my neck of the woods! :) 

Cassandra

Laundry Bombs

Doesn't that sound a little bit scary?! Laundry Bombs! 

Well I decided to make my own laundry detergent, and they are called laundry bombs.  I have been wanting to try this for a while, but all the recipes I found were kind of "boring" and didn't really sound like they were going to be that great.  I wanted something cool, extra-ordinary, etc.  I didn't just want to mix borax, washing soda, and oxi-clean.  That's what I use for cloth diapers to make sure they don't get clogged with detergent.  And people say that concoction isn't quite good enough for your clothes.

So when I came across this pin on Pinterest, I had to try it because it was exactly what I was looking for!

The blog that I originally got this off of was a small recipe and only made 28 bombs.  My theory is I might as well make someting if I'm going to make something.  In other words, I'd rather make a lot of something once than a little of something a lot of different times!  

Since I had plenty of everything else, I decided to grate up the whole bar of Fels-Naptha soap and then multiply my recipe by that amount.  I ended up getting a little over 2 cups, and since the original recipe said 1/2 cup is needed. I made a quadruple batch.  

Here's what you need to make about 80-85 laundry bombs.  

1 bar Fels-Naptha laundry booster - grated

6 cups washing soda

8 tbsp epsom salt

12 tbsp hydrogen peroxide

1 cup vingear

80 drops essential oil or about 3 tbsp water

Grater

Mixing Bowl

Tablespoon

Spray Bottle filled with half water and half vinegar

Air Tight Container 

Wax Paper

Pans 

First grate up the Fels-Naptha bar soap.  I went and bought a little grater at the dollar store because the thought of using my food grater just kinda weird-ed me out! 

Then add in the washing soda and epsom salts and mix around.

Fels-Naptha is a laundry bar soap that does a great job of attacking stains and cleaning your laundry. The boost of washing soda softens water while washing clothes. And the Epsom salts cut down on static cling and also soften fabrics once clothes hit the dryer.

Now mix in the hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and essential oil. 

The hydrogen peroxide naturally whitens clothes and leaves your colors bright.  Vinegar breaks through stains and odors and leaves your clothes soft.  The essential oil is for giving your laundry your own unique scent.  

I personally did not add essential oil.  My husband isn't a huge fan of "smelly" laundry, and I figured the Fels-Naptha had a scent all it's own.  This first batch I just added some extra water to replace the liquid of the oil.  I want to test it out and see what the clothes smell like first.  I did buy some clean linen oil that I might try out sometime and just use it when I wash my clothes.

Line a couple baking sheets with waxed paper to let the bombs dry on. 

After everything is all mixed together, scoop out the mixture with the tablespoon.  Press it on the side of the bowl and then tap on a baking sheet to get it out of the pan.  I will say this is easier said than done! :) I think I figured out the secret by the end and it is to really pack the mix into the spoon.  I pushed it in with my palm and then tapped it out.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't totally come out.  I just scraped the rest out of the spoon with my finger and put it in the lump.  

After they are all scooped out, spray the bombs with a mixture of half water and half vinegar.  You want to spray them pretty good so they set nice and hard.  I used about half of the spray bottle as pictured below.  

Let them dry for about 8 hours, then put them into an air tight container.  

Use one bomb for small/not heavily soiled loads.  And use two bombs for bigger/dirty loads. 

I haven't tried these little bombs yet, but I will be doing laundry in the next few days and I will report back how they worked.  

I also figured out prices... which are probably a little high, but it turns out to be a pretty cheap way to do laundry! :) 

Fels-Naptha bar - $0.97

Washing Soda - $2.00

Epsom Salt - $0.20

Vinegar - $0.19

Hydrogen Peroxide - $0.48

Total Spent for 83 Bombs = $3.84

I use All Free and Clear and it comes out to about 10-15 cents per load depending on where I get it and if it's on sale.  

This detergent comes out to 7-8 cents per load.  (I used 50 loads because I know I will need to use two sometimes.) And like I said, I might be using a higher price than I actually paid.  

I am hoping these little bombs make an explosion in my laundry and clean my clothes super well!

That's all for now!  Be watching for an update! :) 

Cassandra

Check out my review of laundry bombs to see how well they worked!

http://cassandrarodgers.blogspot.com/2014/01/update-on-laundry-bombs.html

Here is the original site I got the recipe from:

http://www.savvysugar.com/All--One-Laundry-Bombs-31354476

Valentine's Day 2013 - A Revisit of the Ideas...

I know... I'm super cheesy, but I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

I love it so much that I celebrate the 14 days of Valentine's with my husband.

The funny is that my husband really doesn't think all this love and hearts stuff is nearly as cute as I do.  Last year when I did them for him (he was my boyfriend), I think I enjoyed making the things more than he enjoyed the cute sayings, hearts, and bows I used! :) LOL! But I guess that's what I get for marrying a manly mechanic! :)

This year because I am so busy with working two jobs and learning how to do this thing called being a wife, I am mostly using premade labels from http://www.mommybydaycrafterbynight.com/2012/01/14-days-of-valentines-free-printables.html

I do try to keep these gifts low in cost!  I mean, as much as I love Valentine's Day, I don't need to spend an outrageous amount of money to get the point across that I LOVE MY HUSBAND!  I do spend more on the last gift (the one given on Valentine's Day) because that's the actual gift.  But the previous 13 days are just for fun! 

Here is what I am doing this year...

Day 1

Life would UN-BEAR-ABLE with out you!
I made my own tag real quick using Word and then used a little glitter.  (My husband thinks glitter is ridiculous and silly, so I try to use it as much as I can to make his life have a little more sparkle! )
I then taped it onto a bag of gummy bears and voila!  Day 1 is easy as pie!

Day 2

You are one HOT TAMALE!

I used a tag from the link above and added some glitter glue to make in special.  Then you guessed it... I attached it to a box of hot tamales and day 2 is complete!

Day 3

It's a JOY being married to you!

I printed out this tag (which could be made for any kind of relationship... dating, courting, being engaged, etc).  I colored in the bubble letters and attached it to a pack of Almond Joys.  

Day 4

Just wanted you to know I'm NUTS about you!

I got this tag off of my Pinterest board and printed it out.  Because I have a black and white printer, I colored in some things with red marker.  I think attached it to the nut mix and day 4 is done!

Day 5

I SODA think you are amazing!

I printed out this tag from a site off my Pinterest board and colored some of the things in.  I am going to be putting this with some root beer because that's my husbands favorite soda.  And I am kinda going to cheat on this one.  We don't drink a lot of soda at our house, but for the super bowl we bought a 12 pack of root beer.  We won't even drink this pack before it expires, so I figured why buy more to go bad!  I am just going to use one from the pack we already had!  Kinda not as much fun, but as least we won't be wasteful! 

Day 6

I HEART you!

I found this heart container at the dollar store, but it was filled with SweetTarts... not my husband's favorite.  So I opened up the heart and filled it with peanut M &M's (his all time favorite!) and closed it back up and taped on the tag!  I got the tag from the link above and just added some glitter!  Day 6 done! And I even got a treat because I love SweetTarts! :) 

Day 7

You stole a PIECE of my heart!

I printed out this tag from my Pinterest board and colored it a bit and added hearts.  I then put it on a box of Reese's Pieces.  Easy as pie!

Day 8

DONUT you know I love you  HOLE bunch!

Who doesn't love donut holes!  They are so fun!  I made this tag in Word and then printed it and added glitter.  I usually give the gift to  my love at dinner time, but today, I gave it to him in the morning so he could eat them for breakfast!  This is one of my favorites!  I just love the saying!

Day 9

I've got a CRUSH on you!

I still have a crush on my husband!  He is just the best!  I got this tag from the link listed above and added some glitter glue (which you can't see because it's not the best picture) and put it with some Crush pop.  I liked this because I was giving my love so many snacks he wasn't able to eat them all.  So now he had some drink to go with the snacks and one less day of having something to eat!

Day 10

Ring for a Kiss!

I found a bell at the dollar store that was just too cute to pass up.  It said Ring for a Kiss on it and I gave that to my husband for Day 10.

The bell is sitting on the right shelf on the top.  Kind of hard to see in the small picture... sorry!

Day 11

I'm WILD about you!

I found this cute little red Valentine's monkey at the dollar store and I went behind my husband and wrapped it around his neck.  It was one of those monkeys that have Velcro on the hands.  At the time I couldn't think of a cute phrase to go with it, so I just said I love hugging you.  But after I gave it to him, which is what always happens, I figured I could use I'm WILD about you!  Because monkeys are wild.

Day 12

What are the chances I have a SHOT at being your Valentine?

I got the tag off of the website linked above.  I used bullets because my husband is big into shooting, but like the link shows, you could use a Nerf gun, water gun, or something like that. 

I don't know about you, but in our town in is IMPOSSIBLE to get bullets.  Our stores have rules about the amount you can buy each day.  So needless to say, I couldn't find any for the guns my love has, so I went with plan B.  I had bought a Phineas and Ferb popcorn tin after Christmas and wrote out this saying "I"m going to POP a question... Will you be my Valentine?"

Day 13

You're the BOMB!

I made a tag using Word.  Then I wrapped three Rolo's packs in red paper.  Next I held all three together (using a little piece of tape in the middle) with black yarn and attached the note.  I added a fuse on top with a little more black yarn. SUPER CUTE if I do say so myself! ;)

Day 14 - VALENTINE'S DAY! :)

Valentine, you've made a BIG BANG in my heart!

My big present for my husband this Valentine's Day is season 5 of The Big Bang Theory.  I made a tag and put it on the season pack.  I am also going to put in a few other things that he likes, just haven't quite figured that out yet because I don't want to get him any more candy and junk food!


I just thought I might add, that my husband used to think that Valentine's stuff was so silly and that I was kind of silly for doing all this.  But I will tell you all that he has gotten me a few things throughout this 14 days of Valentines!! Which has been really, really fun!  He's such a great guy!! :)  

Also, check out my Valentine's Board on Pinterest for LOTS more ideas.
http://pinterest.com/cassandraheber/valentine-s-day/

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is so delicious!  Everyone I make it for always raves about how tasty it is! :) 

It is pretty easy to make and gives you a lot of flavor and fun!

Here's what you need to do...

Chop the carrots and green peppers into strips.  I use baby carrots and cut them into four pieces the long way. 

Then cube the chicken.  I personally like smaller pieces than bigger ones.  One inch cubes at the biggest, but I probably do about 3/4 of an inch pieces. Once cubed, cook the chicken in oil. 

When the chicken is about half way through being cooked, add the pressed/minced garlic and the bouillon.

  

When the chicken is almost done, add in the green peppers and carrots.  Cook until the veggies are a little tender and browned. 

Once all of these are cooked, add in the rest of the ingredients.  

Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes to let all the flavors mix together.  

Stir in the rice and turn the heat down to low.  Let the rice cook for five to ten minutes.

Fluff the dish up with a fork and serve. 

Delicious! :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 - 1 1/2 pounds chicken - cubed 

2 tbsp oil 

2 cups baby carrots - sliced

1 whole green pepper - sliced

2 tbsp minced garlic

Chicken bouillon - to taste (I use about 1 1/2 tsp.)

20 ounce can of pineapple chunks in juice

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp vinegar

6 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/4 cups water 

2 1/4 cups minute rice

Cook the chicken in the oil in an electric skillet.  (I think this works best, but a pan on the stove would work also.)  Once about half cooked, add in the garlic and bouillon.  Cook until almost done and add in the green peppers and carrots.  Cook for about five more minutes, or until chicken is done and veggies are tender. 

Pour in the pineapple chunks with the juice, soy sauce, vinegar, water, and brown sugar.  Let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes to let the flavors all mix together. 

Just before serving, add the rice.  Let cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.  

I also serve this meal with egg rolls. (just the frozen ones :) with sweet and sour sauce).

I trust you will enjoy this meal.  It is really easy and fast (except for chopping the veggies.)  

Until next time,

Cassandra :)

How to Make Your Baby Sleep Advice... Or Something Like That!

There is so much advice out there for new moms. Everyone seems to have a "right way" to do things. And since every baby is different, I think there really is no right or wrong way, just do what works best for you and your baby!

And that's what brings me to today's post...

Now that Isaac is 12 weeks old, I have been thinking of getting him on a loose schedule. I am not talking a minute by minute schedule, but just something with a little routine in it so I can plan my days a bit instead of flying by the seat of my pants. (But I hear that's just the life of a mom! :) lol!) 

I had been wanting to do this right before Christmas, but I knew that the Holidays would be all over the place, so I waited until all that was over. 

And now they are over, and he is going through his three month growth spurt, so any form of regularity we had is OUT THE WINDOW!

While on babycenter.com today, I saw this post and this is exactly what I feel like right now! So many ways to do things. It gave me a chuckle, so I just had to share! :)

"You shouldn't sleep train at all, before a year, before 6 months, or before 4 months, but if you wait too late, your baby will never be able to sleep without you. College-aged children never need to be nursed, rocked, helped to sleep, so don’t worry about any bad habits. Nursing, rocking, singing, swaddling, etc to sleep are all bad habits and should be stopped immediately.

Naps should only be taken in the bed, never in a swing, car seat, stroller, or when worn. Letting them sleep in the car seat or swing will damage their skulls. If your baby has trouble falling asleep in the bed, put them in a swing, car seat, stroller, or wear them. Use the crib only for sleep and keep it free of distractions. If the baby is having trouble adjusting to the crib, have them play in it first. If the baby wakes up at night and wants to play, put fun toys in the crib to distract them.Put the baby in a nursery, bed in your room, in your bed. Co-sleeping is the best way to get sleep, except that it can kill your baby, so never, ever do it. If your baby doesn't die, you will need to bed-share until college.

Keep the room warm, but not too warm. Swaddle the baby tightly, but not too tightly. Put them on their backs to sleep, but don't let them be on their backs too long or they will be developmentally delayed. Give them a pacifier to reduce SIDS. Be careful about pacifiers because they can cause nursing problems and stop your baby from sleeping soundly. If your baby sleeps too soundly, they’ll die of SIDS.

Don’t let your baby sleep too long, except when they've been napping too much, then you should wake them. Never wake a sleeping baby. Any baby problem can be solved by putting them to bed earlier, even if they are waking up too early. If your baby wakes up too early, put them to bed later or cut out a nap. Don’t let them nap after 5 p.m. Sleep begets sleep, so try to get your child to sleep as much as possible. Put the baby to bed awake but drowsy. Don't wake the baby if it fell asleep while nursing.

You should start a routine and keep track of everything. Don’t watch the clock. Put them on a schedule. Scheduling will make your life impossible because they will constantly be thrown off of it and you will become a prisoner in your home. Using the "Cry It Out" method (CIO) will make them think they've been abandoned and will be eaten by a lion shortly. It also causes brain damage. Not getting enough sleep will cause behavior and mental problems, so be sure to put them to sleep by any means necessary, especially CIO, which is the most effective form. CIO is cruel beyond belief and the only thing that truly works because parents are a distraction.

Formula and solid foods will help the baby sleep longer. Solid foods shouldn't be given at night because they might wake the baby. Don't stop the baby from nursing when asleep. Be wary of night feeds. If you respond too quickly with food or comfort, your baby is manipulating you. Babies can’t manipulate. Babies older than six months can manipulate.

Sleep when the baby sleeps. Clean when the baby cleans. Don’t worry. Stress causes your baby stress and a stressed baby won't sleep."

This is exactly what day to day feels like in my life right now... so much information and I never know what is best. So today, after reading this article, I have decided to just do what feels right for me and my little love bug! :)

Hope this brings a smile and is a reminder to all moms that you really do know what is best for baby! Just follow the signs of your little one and do what your heart tells you!

-Cassandra