TGIF! Have an awesome weekend everyone!

As an update to my post about my youngest son and his speech issues I just wanted to mention that I am having him tested by a speech pathologist. I am just waiting on a time and place from them but I figure there is no harm in testing. If he has a problem then we will discuss recommendations at that time. So that will be a big relief for me to have that done.

Hopefully this weekend I will start planting the seeds for potty training. I am kind of lost when it comes to this since I didn’t potty train my other two kids actually. My mom did, although I can’t exactly recall the circumstances or the reason, LOL. I just know I had to do bupkiss to train them. I have asked her if she wants to make the third time the charm but she has declined to train “the one that can’t even talk”.

Okay on to interesting links:

My friend Cara at The Household Helper has a contest going on that I thought you all might like to know about. Her site is a treasure trove of info for running a frugal, organized home. And today she has added a FREE report that addresses Uses For Vinegar, Baking Soda and Salt: Tried & Tested Uses For Health and Home and contains 60 uses for each! So if you want to know how you can use these pantry items as more than just food check that out. She is also giving away two cleaning kits! Each kit contains three sponges, a couple rags, cleaning gloves, a spray bottle and a box of baking soda in a handy-dandy caddy. These tools will help you get started cleaning with the recipes in her free report.

If you are looking for a reason to get crafty this winter might I suggest crafting for a cause? Candace recently sent me a link to a project she did with her daughter and it is part of a bigger crafting project that will benefit a holocaust museum in Texas. 1,500,000 innocent children perished in the Holocaust. In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies. The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember. So take a couple hours to craft some butterflies for a good cause. We will be. :)

Another link I loved recently was this tutorial for taking boring white burp cloths and embellishing them with quilt binding, ribbon, or Ric Rac. This same procedure could be used on prefold cloth diapers which is actually what was used for this project. So cute!

I am always on the lookout for good anti-vaccine info and I found this link really interesting. If you have ever wondered if vaccination may cause allergies like a peanut or egg allergy you may be on to something. It shows how certain vaccines are actually used to cause anaphylaxis (allergic reaction) in laboratory animals. The stuff we are giving to our babies is then a substance KNOWN to cause allergic reactions in animals. It is NUTS! This link was passed on to me by a mom had her child vaccinated only to have him become allergic to eggs immediately after.

And lastly I loved this article from Jennifer Lance about how a British study found that adults who choose vegetarianism had higher IQs as children, leading us to conclude that Smart Kids Become Vegetarian Adults.

Have a weekend all!

When I announced a giveaway for BabyGanics I had many commenters ask that I share some of my own personal cleaning recipes and methods. Well, I would be happy to do so. I actually LOVE cleaning. That sounds kind of strange but I really do enjoy it and I can’t use harsh cleaners and chemicals because I will break out in hives. Give me a bottle of Windex and I will be puffy, itchy, and gasping for air in a few minutes. It is NOT pretty.

So here is a run down of what I generally use to clean:

Furniture Polish - 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 lemon juice. Mix in a spray bottle and shake before every use. Spray on rag and then rub furniture.

Window Cleaner – Put 1/4 cup vinegar in a spray bottle along with several lemon peels and then fill to the top with water. Spray all surfaces and use a lint free rag to wipe off. Crumpled newspaper works well to wipe up after too.

Scented Soda Scrub – Mix several cups of baking soda with several drops of peppermint or Candy Cane blend essential oils. It smells heavenly and can be used as a deodorizer too. Often times I sprinkle it on carpet and then vacuum to make the whole house smell yummy. I use this along with my window cleaner to clean tubs and sinks.

Floor Cleaner- For floors I use a small amount of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap diluted in water and a 1/2 cup vinegar. Plain vinegar and water works too. I use a broom and dustpan to sweep them first (no vacuum) and I wash them by putting two cloth rags on the floor and sliding around on them with my feet…no mops. It is a good workout. Just put on some music…The Hustle…and away we go.

Natural Dishwasher Soap Recipes – Follow that link to 2 homemade recipes I use.

Natural Carpet Cleaner Recipe- I also use soap nuts on occasion but I am using BabyGanics now. I have white carpet…these natural cleaners DO work.

I also use lemons to clean my garbage disposal, bleach cloth diapers in the sun, and boiled in enamel pots to remove stains. Also, because I have white Corian sinks (and counters) I will throw some cut up lemons in the sink and them seep in boiling water to remove stains…which I find that Corian is prone to get. They come right out.

For rags I use old towels cut into squares and I have some microfiber towels as well.

So…as you see my cleaning regimen is pretty simple and no fuss. I hope you enjoy trying some of these recipes in your home!

For additional info I really like the book Clean House, Clean Planet.

Today when I made my bi-weekly trip to Whole Foods I decided to replenish my cleaning supplies. So what type of ‘green” cleaners do I like?

Here was my shopping list:

Dr. Bonners Peppermint Liquid Soap
Dr. Bronner’s SAL SUDS
Mountain Green Glass and Surface Cleaner
Baking Soda
Peppermint Essential Oil

I use the baking soda and essential oil to make secnted scrubs for tough jobs like soap scum in the shower, the toilet, or cleaning my oven. I also like to use white vinegar for cleaning too but I have plenty of that still. :) I use the Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint soap as an all purpose cleaner. I just dilute it in warm water and use a spray bottle. The Sal Suds I use for cleaning my hard floors.

Right now my whole house smells faintly of peppermint and it looks oh so clean. There is just no need to use harsh chemicals. I swear it is even more fun to clean when you know that you are being kind to the planet while doing your chores.