Make Cloud Sand – Summer Bucket List

This was such an easy activity. It only required 2 ingredients, and those are ones you most likely have in your house already.

I would say that this activity would be most enjoyed by a the preschool age group but my older two played for about 45 minutes to an hour.

all you need is

flour and baby oil

we used 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil

then mix together with your hands

once it is mixed together the “cloud sand” can be formed into shapes

my girls had fun with this craft and it would make for  a nice rainy day activity

Eat Frozen Grapes – Summer Bucket List

Another Summer Bucket List item completed!

my kids love this snack and it is so easy.

I wash and remove grapes from the stems, put them in a freezer safe container, place in freezer and Viola!

my aunt would wash her grapes and remove from the stems, then she would roll them in jello mix before freezing.

I would suggest eating the grapes straight out of the freezer, by the handful if you live in this house 🙂

they thaw pretty quick and get kind of mushy once thawed

 

√

 

Homemade Laundry Soap

I have actually been making powdered laundry soap for about 6-9 months now; I definitely say that it rates as a repeat activity.

I started making my own laundry soap for a couple of reasons: I like the idea of a lower cost alternative, I wanted to be more of a do it myself mom & the “natural” soap is a bonus

when I first looked into this idea I was inspired by the Duggar’s and all of their frugal ways to raise a family. The recipe I use comes from their family resources section.

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Top load machine

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1  Cup Borax

Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered.

Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon.

For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons.

Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

The Fels-Naptha and Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda in my experience are not always easy to find.  I have ordered both online using the Ace Hardware website to store free shipping.

I have also heard by never tried, that if you talked with the manager at your local grocery store they might carry items on request.

I have used Colgate’s Octagon soap in the place of Fels-Natptha; it is also an all purpose laundry bar soap.  The recipe also states that you could use Ivory, Sunlight, Castile Soap or Zote bars as an alternative to the Fels-Naptha.

This recipe costs about $2 a batch and yields about 40 loads

at my local grocery store: Purex 32 loads = $4.99 and Tide 32 loads = $8.39

that makes this recipe a cost saver of about $3-6

however to get started you would have to buy more product than just one batch:

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda – 55oz = $3.99

Borax – 76oz = $4.99

Fels-Naptha = $3.00

Let’s get domestic

so I have been a stay at home mom since June when the big girls got out of school for the summer…

5 months later I guess it is about time I started being more domestic

full disclosure… I LOVE crafts and I daydream about the romantic idea of “living off the land”

Pinterest, crafty magazines and the internet in general is like crack for someone like me… I don’t really come up with crafty ideas on my own but I am a always the one saying mostly to myself “I can totally make that/do that” or “I wish I could make that” or “why should I buy that I can totally make that”

ok but lets be honest… many of my “I can make” that declarations are a flop.  or those grand ideas cost a $75,000 to get everything you need to make that thing you could have bought for $3 and unless you make (and need) 25,000 really awesome things the money spent was a big waste.

so I am going to start a series of “I can totally make that”… but I really want to explore a few things:

was it really that easy?

was it really worth the time & money?

and would you make it again?

Wish me luck