... and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go. Well, not really, I'm pretty sure we are not going over any rivers and through any woods, but we are going to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. We leave tomorrow at 4am and this time we are driving. The trip to Illinois should take at least 12 hours, but that is if we don't make any stops. Not likely with a rambucious, newly potty-trained 2 year old and me with my arthritis... this should be an adventure!

We always thought that we would fly to Illinois until the time when we had a bigger car and it would be more comfortable to drive, but when we started looking at airline prices, it was going to cost over $1000 for the 3 of us. We just couldn't bring ourselves to pay that kind of money, along with the fact that we are trying to avoid the swine flu, which I can only imagine the planes will be full of, so we decided this year we would give driving a try.

We are all set with lots of snacks, a few new toys, a borrowed portable DVD player and some Advil for me, all in hopes to make this a more enjoyable ride for all.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May it be a wonderful time reflecting upon all of God's abundant blessings in your life!

Just wanted to post a few random (but cute) pictures that I had taken of Aiden over the past couple months. I thought they were too cute not to share with Grandma's (and anybody else who might be interested).

He's a very scholary boy, reads from the dictionary every day. Not really, I have no idea why he found this so interesting, but I had to snap a picture because I thought it was so cute!

Whenever we run into Kroger to pick up something quickly, Aiden likes to push one of the little carts. I was quite nervous the first time thinking he would take out all the end caps and the customers, but he really navigates it pretty well.

Walking into church with daddy! Just so sweet :)

I had just got Aiden out of the bath and was cleaning up the bathroom. He had snuck off and when I came looking for him, this is how I found him. He had positioned his puppy and one of our pumpkins just like you see it and was enjoying one of his puzzles. Just so funny!!

Aiden just adores his daddy. It is no secret that he is definitely a daddy's boy. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that sometimes I feel a little twinge of jealousy that he is not so much a mommy's boy (although he definitely loves his mama), but I know that it is so good for little boys to develop a healthy, strong relationship with their daddy.

One way that is so evident how much Aiden loves his daddy, is by the excitement that arises each evening when Carl gets home from work. From the time that Aiden gets up from his nap in the afternoons, till Carl gets home, Aiden asks me at least a few times "daddy come home soon?". Last week Aiden and I were on the couch together reading books and waiting for Carl to arrive. I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to capture this nightly excitment on camera. You'll see he gets a little distracted by the thermostat that evening, but you get the idea :)

I'm so glad that many of you are excited to try the laundry detergent!! Have fun!

Here is the powdered version, the only difference is doubling the Fels Naptha bar:

• 2/3 cup Fels Naphta bar
• 1/2 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup borax
• Container large enough to hold 2 cups of laundry detergent

Grate soap with grater. Add borax and washing soda. Mix well. Use 1 tablespoon per wash. Yields 32 loads.

 A couple more things I forgot to mention:

• If you make the liquid variety make sure to stir before each use (if you keep it in a tub) or shake (if you keep it in laundry containers). It does tend to settle.
• I use it for all of my washing. From socks and underclothes, sheets and towels, to Carl's work clothes. I have not noticed any fading. It does a great job on all!

 I also was asked to post my other cleaners that I use for the house. So here you go:

You'll need: Hydrogen Peroxide and a dark spray bottle (it breaks down when exposed to light), Distilled White Vinegar and a spray bottle, Baking Soda (buy the bigger box in the laundry detergent aisle - more for your money) and a container to store it in so it is easier to take around the house (I use one of the formula holders from Munchkin) and finally dish soap. You can also add essential oils to any of these ingredients if you would like to have a scent, lavender or lemon smell wonderful.

Basic Cleaning Spray

• 1/2 vinegar
• 1/2 water

Combine in a spray bottle. Uses: my all-purpose cleaner - counters, windows, inside the fridge, baseboards etc, etc. anywhere!

Disinfectant Cleaning Spray

• Hydrogen Peroxide (all it is is water with an extra oxygen atom, so it completely breaks down)

Make sure to keep it in a dark bottle to prevent it from breaking down before use. You also have to give it a few minutes to work. Uses: cleaning the toilet (I first spray the toilet, then clean the sinks before I wipe the toilet down to make sure it disinfects), mirrors, windows, faucets (shines better than windex - try it), counters, cutting boards. Anytime you need to disinfect. It can bleach clothes so do be careful!

All Purpose Scrub

• Baking soda (sprinkle it around)
• A little vinegar squirted into the sprinkled baking soda (makes it bubble)
• A sponge with a scrubby side to it

Scrub with the sponge. Uses: use as you would Ajax or Comet for scrubbing showers, bathtubs, sinks and counters. I use it for all these things in my once a week deep clean. I often spritz a little hydrogen peroxide and give it a wipe down when I am done, just to make sure things are disinfected too :)

*I do still use Ajax for one thing. Toilet bowls! I just feel that this is one area of the house that needs the bleach. I just sprinkle some in, scrub with the toilet brush and then flush. I have read that you can use borax to disinfect this way. I might try that soon.*

Floor Cleaner

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 T dish soap/baby wash
• 2 gallons hot water

Dilute baking soda first in the water, then add vinegar (it will bubble a little). Add the dish soap right at the end, or else it will be too foamy. Mop the floor. I like how this cleans my bathroom floors, but our kitchen has very slippery (when wet) linoleum and it feels like this cleaner leaves a slight film on it?? It's alright for now, but I am hoping hubby gets me one of those Shark Steam Cleaners at some point (hint hint, honey) since they sanitize the floors with just hot water, and since mopping is one of the harder physical tasks for me to do!

So these are what I use in our house! Like I said before, I really do love how well they clean and I love not having to breathe in the harsh fumes. If you have any others that you love cleaning with. Please leave a comment. It is so fun to hear what others are doing!

Over the past couple years I have slowly been switching out my household cleaners for homemade ones. Having a small child in the house now, and with both Carl and I having autoimmune diseases, I figured it was time to get rid of all the harsh chemcals and toxins in our house and create a safer, healthier environment for our family (and not to mention save a few dollars along the way). I love how well they clean and I couldn't be happier that I don't have to endure the strong smell of chemicals anymore. 

I switched out all my cleaners except for one. Our laundry detergent. I just wasn't sure about making the switch. I had often read how women make their own, but I always brushed it aside thinking that it couldn't possibly do a good job. It was probably just a few months ago, while reading a blog post on homemade laundry detergent, that I figured that I really couldn't knock it till I tried it. Boy am I ever so glad that I did. I tried it and I LOVE it!! It is completely all natural with no chemicals and toxins, it cleans fantastically, and best of all, it costs just .01 a load!!

So I decided to do this blog post to tell you that if you have ever contemplated making your own laundry detergent before, but you weren't sure that it would work, it DOES, and in my opinion, better than any soap you buy at the store. So with that said, I thought I would actually blog about how to make it (with pictures too). That way you can get a good idea and see if this is something you might want to try.

Here is what you will need to make liquid laundry soap:

• 1/3 Fels Naptha bar (find it at the grocery store in the laundry detergent aisle)
• 1/2 cup washing soda (find it at the grocery store in the laundry detergent aisle)
• 1/2 cup borax (find it at either grocery store or Wal-Mart in the laundry detergent aisle)
• 5 drops of essential oils if you would like your clothes to have a smell. Lavendar would work well.
• a larget container to mix it in and store it in and/or smaller previously used laundry detergent containers.

Grate soap and put in saucepan. Add 6 cups water and heat until soap melts. Add washing soda and borax and stir till dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups of water into the pot. Add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Leave in container or pour into separate containers. Let soap sit for 24 hours. Use 1/2 cup per regular load of washing. Yields 110 loads of laundry per batch.

Ingredients you will need!

Cut 1/3 Fels Naptha bar

Grate Fels Naptha finely.

Mix grated bar with 6 cups of water in saucepan till it melts. (I recommend having a saucepan designated to making laundry detergent)

Measure out 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup washing soda.

Add borax and washing soda to pot and stir until dissolved. It will start to thicken slightly.

All stirred up!

Pour 4 cups of water into the pot and stir.

Pour into a large container. I have a 5 gallon container which also works great if you want to double the quantity so you make it less often.

Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. I keep an old gallon bottle that I use just for making the detergent.

Mix it up well and there you have it! You can either seal it up with a lid or put it in old laundry containers and let it sit for 24 hours. I don't feel comfortable leaving it in the bucket with my inquisitive 2 year old around, so I put it in old laundry containers that I had kept.

Wallah! All done and ready to go. It couldn't be easier :)

A few things:

• The laundry detergent can be used in any water temp and in either a regular washing machine or high-efficieny machine.
• It will not suds up, which I like a lot, that means that it will rinse out from our clothes well.
• The consistency of the soap will be gel-like and slightly goopy (for lack of a better term)
• Adding distilled white vinegar to rinse cycle is a wonderful softener!
• You can adjust the ratio's if you feel you need a little more cleaning power. Add a little more borax and washing soda next time.

I also have a recipe for powdered laundry soap that I can post if anyone would like. It uses the same ingredients, it just doesn't stretch as far. It is, however, still way cheaper than the store variety... .03 cents a load

That's it. It really is very easy to make. Hope you give it a try!

Over the past week, we have enjoyed doing some fun fall activities. I have split each one up into different posts, so all the pictures are not overwhelming, but also that Grandma's can get their fill of their grandson :)

Last Wednesday night was our annual fall festival at our church. We told Aiden about it a week ahead of time and he kept talking about it all week long. He was so excited! 

This year Aiden was a little mouse again (or maybe it is a rat, I can't tell??, but mice are cuter so we'll call him a mouse). I bought if for him last year, but got it a size bigger so it would last us 2 years. With all the growing he has done this year, I was glad that it still fit!

Aiden LOVED playing all the games and getting all the candy!

Petting a pony.

More games

Very cute!

mmm, love my little mouse :)