Packing and Sorting Through The Mess!

Our little family sure has been a busy one lately! Our summers are usually packed with 2 church camps, Upwards basketball camp, Revival, and Vacation Bible school. But then add in the fact that I am pregnant and we are moving states and the summer becomes that much more hectic.

Thankfully I am over morning sickness and feeling more like myself. Praise God! Packing the house has begun, and I feel like I am living in the middle of a disaster area! I am the kind of person that is able to relax best when things are clean and basically tidy. So living in a house that looks like mine does now...is not so peaceful.

 I have been working to declutter and remove as many unnecessary items from our home. I am shocked to find that we have a lot of stuff. Not stuff that we need, just stuff stuff.  Letting go of things has not been easy for me. I tend to think...but maybe in the future some time we just might need this! But I have set my mind to it and decided that anything that has not been used, worn, enjoyed, or played with in the past 6 months is going. I am working to sell and donate as much as I can and hopefully pare down our items to what we really need and love. I think in the end that will make for a more easy to keep and peaceful home when we move. 


My boys have a lot of toys. I'm not even positive how we have accumulated so many. There are many toys we have decided to donate. But there are still quite a few very nice toys that special friends or family have given to us that I just wouldn't feel right getting rid of. So I decided to pack up two boxes full of toys. One would go to my parent's house and one would go to my In-laws house. This way we are able to still keep the toys and they get a new life at Grandma and Grandpa's house! 


So for the next two weeks I will be doing lots of this...yep that is what my house really looks like at this moment. Disaster area!!!

All Purpose Cleaner Revisited: Infused Vinegar

Today I am going to share my second favorite short cut I have found in making cleaning products. In my very first post ever (found here) about making your own cleaning products I share my super simple All Purpose cleaner. It is hands down my go to, favorite cleaner! Honestly, it is not hard to make and doesn't even take up much time. But one thing I have realized since being pregnant is that I do not like the smell of vinegar. It never bothered me before, but I am struggling with it now. I always added lemon to the gallon of my water vinegar solution to give it a fresh lemon scent. But that just wasn't cutting it for this sensitive nose.

Solution: Lemon and Orange Infused Vinegar

What you need:
-2-3 whole lemon and 2-3 orange rinds
- 2 old spaghetti jars or canning jars with lids
-Vinegar

What to do:
Place the lemon peels into the jar, pour vinegar in and fill to the top. Repeat with orange peels in a separate jar. Put lid on and let solution sit for 3-5 days before first use. The longer it sets the better. It will begin to change color over time. Lemon will become more yellow, and orange will become more brown.

Once it is ready to use grab a spray bottle and add 2 tablespoons of your lemon infused vinegar and fill the rest of the way with water. You are now ready to clean! 


Infusing the vinegar this way will give it a much more pleasant lemon or orange smell! My nose certainly does appreciate it! 


Additional notes....


You can do lemon, orange, lime, or grapefruit...get creative and use smells you enjoy. I am sure this would work with just about any citrus peel!


 

Turning Three

Today my first baby boy turned three. This beautiful little blue eyed, red haired baby is now...

...this fun, energetic, hilarious, kind, loving, and full of life, 3 year old big boy. 

Jack,

You bring so much joy to my life. You are my little buddy. My first sweet baby. I love when we snuggle on the couch and watch Power Rangers. I love how you play, and your incredible imagination. I love how you always want to help me cook and insist that you can 'do it yourself'. I love when you retell me the stories daddy tells you every night before bed. I love when you say "hey mom, watch this!" and then do a flip on the couch or so other crazy move.  I love your sweet spirit and your desire to do what is right. I love that you are always wanting to learn. I love the wonderful example to your little brother. But even if all that were to change, I would still love you no matter what! Just know Jack, that you are always and unconditionally loved by me, your dad, but most importantly by God. 


Happy Birthday big boy! I love you!  

Laundry Soap Revisited: An Awesome Shortcut!

The first trimester of pregnancy is hard. This particular pregnancy has been kicking my butt. I'm not sure that it has just been a more difficult first trimester, or that having two little ones to chase around and care for has made it more exhausting. Thankfully I am not one of those who is violently ill, however, instead I feel miserably sick all day long. From the time I get up, to the time I go to bed. That alone is exhausting. I have not even been able to blog lately. Just looking at a computer screen makes me nauseous. Weird huh?!

But, I know all of this is so completely worth it! I feel blessed to be able to carry this little one. So, I count it all as blessings and take the sickness as a good sign that baby is healthy and growing.

In order to *attempt* to keep my house in order, clothes clean, and food on the table, I have been looking for short cuts to anything and everything! Here are my two absolute favorite shortcuts that I have found thus far for making some of my routine cleaning products! I will share one today and save the other for another post later.

Laundry Soap: No cooking required!

I shared in a earlier post about my homemade laundry soap (here). It really is fantastic! I was so in love with it that I had no interest with making anything else. Enter the first trimester, and the fact that heat/ cooking over the stove makes nausea so much worse. I found that I simply could not make my laundry soap. What little energy I could muster was going into playing with my boys, keeping the house tidy, ect. So I began looking for options. I went back to the original blog where I first found the recipe I use and saw that she had made a powder version of her laundry soap. I was skeptical at first. Would it really work as well? But I was down to my last load of laundry soap and needed more. So I went for it, and I couldn't be happier!!!!!

Here is what you need...


2 cups Borax
2 cups Super washing soda 
2 bars Fels Naptha
2 Quart sized canning jars


Shred your two bars of Fels Naptha. Place the shredded soap into your blender or food processor until it becomes a fine powder. It should be the same consistency as the Borax and washing soda. If you skip this step it will be too think and have a hard time fully dissolving in your washer. Next I added the Borax and Super Washing Soda to the Soap in the blender so it would mix it completely together.


This is what you want it to look like...

 Pour mixture into your quart sized jars and you are done! That simple.


To use: 


You only need 2 TEASPOONS, yes you read that right, for a LARGE load! I was so skeptical that this would actually work. But it does! It really does. Both my mother and my aunt have tried this powder recipe and are very happy with the results. 


Notes: This will make (2) 3/4 full jars...it does not fill all the way to the top. I have not done the math yet as to how long this lasts, but it is lasting me a long time so far! I have not had any problems with any residue and the detergent dissolves great. 

Have you tried a powder version of homemade laundry soap?


 

Natural Bathroom Cleaning: At the Cheap and Choosy

Today I am contributing over at The Cheap and Choosy! Stop by, say hi, and get super simple tips on cleaning your bathroom naturally for pennies!!!

Week 8

Every few weeks (possibly every week, just depends on how busy/tired I am) I am going to post a pregnancy update and picture. I love seeing the belly progression pictures and this time around I figured I would do it. :-) I do have a little tummy already. Of course, I know this is all bloat and not actually the baby. But it is still fun! Just 4 more weeks till morning sickness is hopefully over!

Any other pregnant, first trimester mommies out there?



Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! 
                                                                                                                     Psalm 127:3-5a

Menu Planning For the First Trimester

Trying to plan a menu while nauseous is seriously miserable. When that queasy feeling hits, the last thing I want to think about is food. I remembered from my last pregnancy just how miserable of a task it was and decided to do some pre-morning sickness (I should say ALL DAY sickness) meal planning. I actually found out I was pregnant at 4 weeks. It makes for a long pregnancy, but it also gives me time to prepare for when I am so completely exhausted that I can not pick my self up off the couch or even look at a picture of food let alone get near any.

I decided this time around that I would be more proactive in preparing meals ahead of time for my family. This way they would still be able to eat good home cooked meals rather than cereal of fast food for every meal. I don't want their nutrition to suffer just because momma can't even stand to look at food. Here a just a few of the steps that I have taken...

1. Make a List of Meals

    Plan out your meals for at least a month: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner. I know when I am feeling queasy I don't want to sit and think about a bunch of food. Having a meal plan already laid out will take all of the thinking out of it. Try to include meals that are meatless or that are simple and easy to put together, yet healthy.


2. Pre-cook meat and freeze it.

    During my first trimester I usually can not cook meat. Especially ground hamburger. Just the thought, let alone the smell, makes me sick. So, I bought several pounds of ground hamburger and chicken and took one day to cook it all up. I then divided it, based on meal types, into freezer bags. This way when we want to have Spaghetti with meat sauce later on I can just pull the meat out, defrost it and warm it up with some sauce. When I want to make up some chicken enchiladas, all I have to do is grab a bag of precooked, shredded chicken, and defrost it. This cuts out one step from cooking that I just cannot do while experiencing my all-day sickness. If you are already feeling that aversion to meet, ask hubby or another family member to cook up a bunch for you. Loved ones are usually happy to help, they just need to be asked.

3. Make up casseroles and freeze them.

    Take a day to make a few lasagnas or other easy casseroles that you can freeze for later. Or simply double the meals you are currently making for dinner and freeze one for later. This allows you no prep later on when you are feeling exhausted and can hardly get up off the couch. Simply pop it into the oven and you are done. To make this even easier put the casserole in a disposable pan that you can easily toss when you are done. Easier clean up.


These three simple steps have already made a big difference. I am not yet to the worst part of my all-day sickness, but it has helped tremendously not to have to cook any meat!

Have you ever done anything to prepare for that inevitable first trimester sickness?