Random

Let's play "catch up" shall we?

Kera working out with me.

• School is nearing it's end, I think there's something like 6 weeks left, and almost every single of those 6 weeks is already jam packed with school activities, volunteering, field trips, etc. I think it's almost busier than Christmas time! I'm really loving the opportunity to be involved in both girls' classes, but I'm also looking forward to the freedom of schedule that summer vacation will surely bring!
• Remember a couple weeks ago I posted a music video of an Aaron Shust's song? And I talked about the beautiful piano music? Well I'm super excited, and Kera is probably even MORE excited, that we're going to his concert here on Friday night. I'm eager to see what the girls think of a true blue music concert. 
• I'm still lifting heavy stuff, although I had to take about 1.5 weeks off of all working out because I caught a really nasty cold that just hung on and on. I'm finally feeling better and am starting to get back into the "gym" this week. 
• We are in the process of sorta looking at summer and what we'd like to do for fun, and I'm pretty sure I've got Erik convinced that this is the summer to take the girls to hike and camp in Glacier, and I'm beyond excited about that! :)
• I'm still LOVING my oil cleanse method of skin care. I realized today that I haven't had to use any tea tree oil on any blemishes for a couple weeks, even through my monthly time. I just love how my skin looks and feels right now.
• Treated myself to some new duds recently and ordered these puppies. So comfy and fit perfectly, I love them and can't wait for warmer weather to actually wear them.
• A couple weeks ago our church had a couple from California up to do a parenting/evangelism workshop for our marrieds ministry. They stayed a couple nights with us, which allowed us an opportunity to talk with them and it was so encouraging to share our lives with each other. I learned a ton from their classes, but one thing they talked about was about how when our children started to become pre/teens, it's an age of opportunity for us to really impact their lives. They recommended this book: Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Second Edition (Resources for Changing Lives). I ordered it and have read a couple chapters so far. It's really convicting in that it talks about how instead of dreading the teenage years and treating it like a time we just have to survive, we should be embracing the opportunity it holds for us to help our kids. I'm hoping that it'll have some great practical advice as I get into it more.

Well, that's all for now. I gotta go do book club w/ some fourth graders now! :) We're reading a great book: 

It's about a boy born with cerebral palsy in the 40's and lives most of his young years at the Montana State Hospital. It's really interesting and sweet and heart breaking what Petey goes through in his life before people realize what is truly wrong with him. It's a kids book, so it's a fast and easy read, but it has some beautiful language in it that I truly enjoyed reading it. It's also been interesting to talk with the kids about how people get treated differently based on how they look or how we perceive them. 

Another round of lotion and lip balm

I finally scraped the bottom of my first/last batch of of lotion, which meant it was time to try another batch. I decided to try this recipe for homemade moisturizer lotion. It seemed like having both things the same temp before mixing would help with the lack of incorporation I was experiencing before.

Instead of using plain ol' filtered water, I decided to make some chamomile water. I'd ordered some dried chamomile from Mountain Rose Herbs a while back to try my hand at a chamomile tincture and have a whole bunch left. So, I boiled some water (about 2 cups) and once it was boiling, I added 4 Tbsp of the chamomile, then removed the pan from the heat. I stirred it a bit and let it sit. After it was a bit cooler, I used some cheesecloth to strain the dried herbs from the water. That was the water I used in the lotion recipe. I actually made WAY more than I needed, oh well!

So, how did the lotion work? I think okay. It didn't blend as long as the recipe stated, it just got really thick in the blender (or maybe my blender is a poc). So I spooned it out into a jar. It smells good, I'll let you know if it separates or how it feels when I lotion up next.

Shampoo ingredients (unpictured is coconut milk)

Next on my agenda was homemade natural shampoo. I used this recipe from the Wellness Mama. I've actually tried it before, and added the extra oil at the end. Turns out I don't need extra oil and my hair was a grease pit after using that. So, I made a new batch w/o the extra oil. I'll let you know how it works!

I used an old empty shampoo container for my homemade one!

Next, I had to try a new lip balm recipe, this time without the honey. I didn't like how that didn't incorporate before, so I Googled another lip balm recipe and found this one. They are still currently in the process of firming up/cooling, but so far so good. I'll keep ya posted on how they work, but I think they'll be just fine! :)

Have you made the plunge into any homemade beauty products? 

Lip Balm & Solid Hand Lotion

So, there's been some development in my no poo movement. (That sounds so wrong). First, is I finally ordered some metal tins so that I could whip up a batch of lip balm and some solid hand lotion!

I used the recipes here. Seemed pretty easy and I had all the ingredients on hand. I wanted some portable lotion for my purse, and well, the girls and I use a lot of chapstick/lip balm.

They turned out pretty good. The hand lotion is pretty greasy, but it does sink into my skin nicely. I threw one of the lip balms into my purse, and then when I went to use it the other day, I noticed some honey leaking out. So I'm not sure if that didn't incorporate all the way or if it got warm and then separated. That's been the only lip balm so far to do that, so I'm not entirely sure why. We'll keep using them and see how it goes.

The other newest beauty product for me to go no 'poo, is my facial care. I had planned on waiting until I'd used up all my Mary Kay stuff that I just bought, but I just got tired of my skin being dry and my eye-make up not coming off even w/ the fancy remover. So, I decided to start now. 

I followed the ideas that I found over at CaveGirlEats and here. What I'm basically doing is using the oil cleansing method (castor oil & sweet almond oil mix) twice a week at night. I'm moisturizing w/ jojoba oil when my skin feels tight. I'm using coconut oil to remove my eye makeup and cleanse on some of the days I don't do the oil mix. Other days I just use some lye soap. I've stopped cleansing in the morning, instead I just use a warm washcloth to wipe off my face and the sleep from my eyes. I've been doing this for almost 1 week and so far, so good. My skin feels great and I haven't had any breakouts. I've not quite figured out a good make up to use, I've been just putting a dot of concealer on spots that need it and covering it w/ some powder. My favorite foundation has been a tinted moisturizer from Mary Kay , but I hesitate to use that- I don't want to put a "poo" moisturizer on my skin after using all "no poo" things. So I'm still brainstorming/researching actual makeup w/ "no poo", but otherwise, I'm really liking this method so far!

Homemade Shaving Cream

I can remember the first time I shaved my legs. I suds-ed up a bar of soap and used it, and that time as well as every time afterwards I would get little nicks and cuts. I didn't like that so then I started to use the foamy body wash. That worked better and I used it for years. The last few years, however, I finally started to purchase the shave cream in a can. You know the kind that comes out all foamy and soft? It worked like a charm and I finally stopped cutting myself. Or, you know, it could be because I've had like 20 years of experience in shaving my legs by this time. Oh well, all I knew is that it worked, so I used it.

But then I started to educate myself on what is actually in our beauty products and how you can make your own w/ more natural ingredients. And that's a great reason to switch to homemade, but I also have 2 more important reasons and their names are Lindsay & Kera. Yeah, my daughters who will both probably someday also be shaving their legs, using deodorant and all those other beauty products. I don't want to knowingly put chemicals into their bodies through a poor diet, so of course I don't want to put chemicals onto their bodies either.

So, their health is a big reason, but so is cost. Have any of you that have daughters thought about the expense associated with their increased use of beauty products? Seriously? When they are little, kids don't need more than baths a couple times a week--they might use a little shampoo, conditioner, some lotion and a comb. Pretty simplistic. But they will be teenagers some day and then their use of beauty products will dramatically increase. Think about it, in my house that means I'll not be purchasing stuff for me, but for the two of them too! That's a lot of health and beauty products, which can get pretty expensive. Making your own out of mostly natural products is way cheaper, and so yet another reason I'm switching us over.

My most recent switch was with shaving cream. Yes, I used up the last of my can o' cream and promptly whipped up a batch of homemade shaving cream.

I gathered my ingredients: almond oil, aloe vera gel, shea butter, castille soap, white kaolin cosmetic clay, vitamin e and baking soda. All available at your local health/grocery store or  Mountain Rose Herbs.

This was super easy--way easier than the lotion. Here's how it looks when the oil/butter has been heated and the rest is mixed in. 

Then I put it into containers. I really need to invest in a plastic container that will hold it all that will fit into my shower. I cringe to use glass in there and have it fall on a toe or worse, the tile. 

It turned out really cool--light and fluffy. I used it today for the first time to shave my winter legs. You and I both know that winter legs aren't shaved nearly as often as summer legs, so I put this cream to quite the test! It worked like a charm and my skin felt really hydrated afterwards. It was really luxurious, but it was kind of a pain to dig it out w/ my fingers. I think I'm going to find myself a foaming bottle and try out the foaming shave cream posted over at Wellness Mama. That would be way more convenient.

But, my can of foaming shave cream has officially been replaced, and that makes me happy! Next up for "the switch" is probably gonna be shampoo! I'm mentally preparing myself for some greasy hair days--should be interesting!

Homemade Cleanliness

I was on fire this week when it comes to all things homemade in the cleanliness department. My laundry room was in desperate need of cleaning and re-organization, so I took the opportunity to cull out some old/chemical laden cleaners and make my new "no poo" cleaners!

I started w/ an all purpose cleaner. Once again, I got the recipe from WellnessMama. (I'm really starting to love that blog!)

All I needed was borax, washing soda, liquid castille soap and essential oils were optional, but who wouldn't want to smell a nice lavender scent while cleaning!? The washing soda and borax I found at Target, and are probably at any drug store. I ordered the castille soap from Mountain Rose Herbs, but I've seen it in the natural food section at my local grocery store, too. I found the spray bottle for cheap at Shopko.

I put my new all purpose cleaner to the test today when I cleaned the tops of my kitchen cabinets, which get coated w/ dust mixed with grease. All it took was a tad bit of elbow grease with some spray and a scrubby and now my cabinet tops are whiter than they've been in a long time! I also used it in the girls' bathroom and it cleaned the sink and counter beautifully. I'm keeping it!

Next, I whipped up a homemade "oxyclean stain treater". Anyone with kids need a laundry stain treater  and I was all over trying something cheap that works. 

All I needed was some hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and water. Oh and an opaque spray bottle, but the hydrogen peroxide one works perfect just add a spray top!

I've tested it but don't have anything to report as I've yet to fold the clean clothes sitting in the hamper. This weekend, probably. I put it to quite the test, I used it on Lindsay's blue sweatshirt that she wears all.the.time.

Next up on the list was homemade laundry detergent, even though I still have a large container of store bought stuff. I was going to wait til the store stuff was gone but I got impatient.

This time I needed baking soda (that big bag I found at Costco for way cheap/weight), borax, washing soda and soap (I used Ivory).

And this is what I came up with for a holder. I overestimated how big of a container I'd need, but it works. (It's a pet food container w/ a sealing lid). I'm in the process of testing the detergent right now and will let you know how the laundry looks once I get around to folding it. (That really is the worst part of doing laundry).

So, there you go. Have you switched to any homemade cleaning/laundry product yet?

Homemade Lotion

So, my second excursion into homemade beauty care came about because I finally scraped the bottom of my Vitamin E Body Butter. I also finally looked at the label for that and was disappointed to find it had wheat germ in it. *sigh*. Luckily my order from Mountain Rose Herbs came just in time and so my quest to make homemade lotion began.

I started with a basic recipe from Wellness Mama...

I decided to do two batches, one with coconut oil and one with almond oil as the base. I haven't quite found any essential oil that I really love the smell of, so I decided to do one batch w/ just a touch of lavender.

I followed the directions but found that my oil/water mixture didn't quite emulsify very well. In both batches I poured the mixture back into the double boiler and reheated it, stirring vigorously, which seemed to work okay.

I ended up with:

One small jar of almond oil lotion and one of coconut oil/lavender lotion. They both rubbed in really nicely and smelled great. Unfortunately, in the morning the coconut oil one was really hard and we ended up throwing it away. The other one was still fine.

Because I was less than excited about how that recipe worked out, I went back over the blog w/ the recipe and all the comments to make sure I wasn't missing something. I also did a quick Google search for other recipes that might possibly work better.

I found a really cool one for hard lotion and lip balm that I really want to try once I find the right type of containers. I figure it would be perfect for hand lotion in my purse. Then I stumbled upon this really simple recipe which called for just oil, water and beeswax. Not really that different from the other one, but I thought it was worth a try.

Once again, I assembled my ingredients:

Beeswax, almond oil and some sweet orange essential oil for scent

And this is what I ended up with:

It definitely emulsified better and I love the slight scent of the orange. We'll see how it holds up over time, but for now the girls and I have a pretty decent supply of lotion!