Thursday, April 15, 2010

a list of things I want to do.


Don't laugh at me, but I've come up with a list of things that I want to do. And these things are totally not me. Yet. Thanks to my natural-living, somewhat crunchy friend, Brittany, I've got it in my head that I want to try a few things:

  • Making my own detergent: I know, I sound like Michelle Duggar (YAY!), but this is totally doable! Brittany sent me this article, which gives the recipe, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to make it. They even go into detail about savings & compare it to Tide. It ends up working just as well and ends up saving loads (get it? loads? like laundry? HA!) of money. I'm excited!
  • Growing tomatoes: I can so grow tomatoes on my back patio. My grandma does it. I envision myself with two pots: one with a red vine and one with a yellow vine. Now, I have no idea what exact breed of tomato I will get. Or brand of tomato? Or whateveryoucallit. But that's what my mom is for. I'll just call her up in a jiffy and get the down-low. I envision myself plucking big, plump, juicy tomatoes off the vine and scarfing them down with a lot of salt. Holy macaroni, does that sound good for what? Baby really thinks that sounds good too. We also love us some lycopene around these parts!
  • Sewing. Or crocheting. Or something: I have like no ability to make anything. But I can always teach myself. Right? I could totally check out a library book (or YouTube it. Ahem.) and figure out how to work those little stick things. I mean, heck! I could make my own baby blankets. Quilt my offspring beautiful quilts. Knit booties to die for. I could so do that. I think. Maybe.
  • Refining my cloth diapering ways-to-be: I've come to a fork in the road. Do I take the road of bumGenius? gDiapers? FuzziBunz? Or another road less traveled? Who the fudge knows. Everyone has an opinion on CDing, but which opinion is right?! Cloth diapers are a big investment (however, this investment saves over $2,000 rather than going with disposables), so I want to get the "perfect" cloth diaper. Any cloth diapering (experienced) mamas out there? Help me out. Please!
  • Hunting for my own game and grounding my own meat: Doesn't that sound amazing? Just think how much money we would save if Mark went out and shot wild animals! Just kidding. I could never do that. But I had you for a second, didn't I? No? Oh.

I know. I sound like I'm turning into some kind of pioneer woman - with knitting and making my own household products. I think the baby is making me do it. Yep, pretty sure. I seriously yearn to be a crunchy mama. Except I'm all for vaccinations and circumcision. But, besides that, I'm pretty interested in the attachment parenting, all-natural ways.

Are there any other nifty natural-living tid bits that you're aware of? If so, do share! This summer, while working on my tan and preparing for our firstborn, I most certainly can pick up a few new hobbies. Right? Encourage me a smidge.


15 comments:

  1. I'm very excited to hear all about your first experience making detergent. It's so fun and easy and cheap!

    I am going to blog my own step-by-step instructions with pictures, but it's going to have to wait awhile considering I JUST made a batch last night. And, then I decided to start a blog after I had finished. Darn it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Does yours come out lumpy like in the video in that article?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want to make my own laundry detergent!!! Is it safe for cloth diapers? I opened the article but haven't glanced at it yet. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have no idea, BUT Brittany is going to ask her fiend who cloth diapers and uses this recipe! It would be GREAT if it worked!!!! All I know is that they say you should only use a smidge of detergent for cloth diapers, so a cup of detergent might be too much. I have no idea though, but it would be fabulous if it was CD-safe!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hmm...I read some of the comments on there, and got discouraged. Only because Chris & I are going to get a front-load washer once we move, and there's a LOT of info on why NOT to use anything other than HE detergent on an HE washer. Oh well. I'm sure if it is CD-safe, you can use the recipe yourself! :D :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brittney, a friend of mine just got a new washer & dryer and has the same problem.. she has to buy special HE products too :[ stinky. I don't think ours is like that.. ? Our washer loads from the top, and I've never seen anything on it saying that it needs HE detergent.. I hope not, because we've been using regular Purex sheets.. :\ I don't think ours is like that though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nope! Only the front-load washers are HE, that I'm aware of! Your top-loader should be fine. That's the "standard" style that pretty much EVERYONE still has. That's what my mom has, so we could use the home made detergent in that. :) The HE washers use less detergent and less water, and the soap suds from non-HE detergent can really damage the washer over time. Chris' parents have an HE front-loader and we ADORE it. It's really an incredible piece of equipment, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  8. We have a front-loader washing machine, and it works perfectly fine with our homemade detergent. We haven't had one problem!

    Shannon, still haven't heard about the cloth diapers, but I hope to soon. I don't really know how it would hurt them. It is more natural than even the "special" detergent you're supposed to use. Also, our first batch was lumpy, but now we stir it every hour the first night (or if you make it during the day, the first 5 or 6 hours), and it really helps the lumps go away. It's never going to be as smooth as store-bought detergent, but it's never caused any problems for us, and we've been making it for about 6 months now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry, just read Brittney's latest comment. The reason homemade detergent works in HE is because it doesn't sud. At all. Really. It cleans wonderfully, but there aren't all those chemicals to make it all sudsy. It's so wonderful. I promise!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So the clumps don't affect the front-loading, either?! Thanks for letting us know it still works with HE's!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nope, they sure don't! No problem. We have saved a lot of money making our own detergent. Plus, I buy the hippie-smelling soap (we really like Tom's of Maine), so our detergent smells really good. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Shannon, if you want some diy stuff, I suggest tipnut.com. My mother uses this site religiously for cleaning and homemade ideas. There's an article on how to make your own lip balm, hand balm, and there's even an article on how to make your own 'feminine napkins'. That last one's a little beyond me, but hey, it's still a cool article to read!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You could definitely pick up crocheting. I got the crazy idea that I wanted to make stockings for my husband and I for our first christmas (which wasn't actually spent together, thanks AF). Anyway I checked out some books from the library and got them done! The kids crochet books are the easiest to follow because they have pictures :) I had never crocheted before, and now I really like it. This wouldn't be a good first project, but here's a link to some cute finger puppets I just made for my new cousin. http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/patterns/farmyard_finger_puppets.php Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  14. we make our own detergant and love it. so easy

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'd definitely stay away from the bumGenius. I read tons of reviews, and loved the sounds of them... loved that they could "grow" with my daughter. So, before she was born, I went out and bought 10 diapers. You know, the ones with snaps that you can make bigger once baby gets bigger? They were SO bulky. SO BULKY! And went up past her belly button, so high in fact that she couldn't even bend her torso. I do recommend gDiapers though! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete