Going Natural

Hey....Wow it's been a while hasn't it! A lot has actually happened since I last wrote. The first thing I want to talk about though is......Homemade Laundry Detergent

I for the first time this evening made my own Laundry detergent from a recipe I found online. On YouTube.com. It was so easy. I took about 30 minutes to make from start to finish. Including the clean up afterwards. I spend 14$ at Walmart getting the Borax, Washing Soda(not the same thing as baking soda) and 2 bars of Sunlight Laundry Soap (used to treat stains apparently) but you can used Ivory soap too I've read. I also needed to buy a 6 gallon bucket. I was lucky and got one at a local wine store for $2.5o. Their wine kits come in them so they are used but good for what I need it. :) All that ingredients will make 2 batches of 5 US gallons of Laundry detergent.

The kicker is that it is good for those who have sensitive skin (I will test this out), which is very cool for me. Because I have eczema and I break out really bad this time of year... I'm talkin' I scratch so bad sometimes I bleed. It drives me up the wall. And with all this hand washing as of late my hands are now starting to crack and bleed. So I'm planning on doing something about that too. But that is another post.

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

18 Cups Water

1 bar Sunlight Laundry Soap or other soap of your choice :)

1 and 1/2 Cups Borax

1 and 1/2 Cups Washing Soda (you can find it in the laundry detergent aisle)

One very large pot

One very large spoon (slotted is good)

One very large bucket 5(US) or 6 gallon Canadian

4 US gallons of water (15 liters + 140ml) I used warm water

and another 2 cups of water

oh and a grater for the soap

So you grate the bar of soap finely. Bring the first 18 cups of water to a small boil. Reduce heat and add the grated soap. Stir constantly and surprisingly enough it takes no time at all to dissolve. Add the Borax and the Washing Soda. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add mixture to the 4 gallons of water in the bucket. Stir for a second. Add the last remaining 2 cups water and stir again.

And then I took some of the mixture and put it in a smaller more manageable container for the top of the washer. Let stand for 24 hours to gel. It should look like egg white consistency but mine isn't finished yet so we will see.

Add 1/2 cup to each Laundry load.

Everything washes easily and can still be used as normal.

I've been using White Vinegar recently for a fabric softener. I just put it in the little cup in my washing machine. It works great and is a natural clothes whitener that is easy on fabric too. The clothes don't smell like vinegar either but the washing machine does a bit.

How very cool is that...I love it! I'll tell you all how the first load of laundry turns out.

:0)

Trip to Pointe Sapin

Although this isn't one of my pictures of our trip. It was most certainly just as beautiful as this picture. I wish I had an image of the shoreline at night when the moon reflects off the ocean and the jellyfish where glowing from the reflected lights on the wharf. It was a time I will remember for years to come. We had the most wonderful time. Not only was the weather fabulous. The people where so kind, genereous and helpful. Phillipe is a very lucky guy to have such a wonderful family.

We camped the first night near the families house but the second and third nights we decided to move the trailer to just in front of the beach. It was the best camping trip ever! When I went to bed at night the last thing I saw was the moon reflected on the sparkling ocean and I awoke in the morning to the sunrise over the ocean.

I believe the universe sent this experience so that I could practice accepting kindness and generousity from others. And appreciating what wonderful moments life has to offer. Perhaps it was also a lesson in giving. I learned that when you give your time and help to others without being asked for it you make them very happy and grateful. It becomes a wonderful, uplifting and fullfilling experience for all.

I must say I left with the hope that we will be able to return soon. Next time I will have my camera to share the experience with everyone.

Blue Sky Counrty

It's kind of ironic I think that we spend all our time and money on a daily basis working towards a better/easier life. A more convenient way of life (dishwashers, bathrooms, laundry machines, pools, air conditioning) Then we go on vacation to the middle of nowhere. To live in a small one room camper without air conditioning. To sit outdoors practically all day and most of the night. We have to walk a block to get to the bathroom. And we spend about 50% of our time making food, cooking food, cleaning dishes up after eating the food. Then there's the no matter how hard you try you can't sleep in because it's either too hot, the crows are too loud or the sound of fellow campers. But I love it. LOL

Nothing beats it! I love the sound of the raindrops on the roof at night. The crackle of the campfire as everyone sits around it talking and sometimes singing or listening to music. The hot dogs that taste the best cooked on an open fire. Oh and of course roasted marshmallows and s'mores (or the more recently discussed about peanut butter s'mores or strawberry s'mores which i can't wait to try out the next camping trip.) I probably end up walking to the bathroom about hum teen dozen times a day but my favorite time is at night. I love to look up at the stars. They are so much brighter and there is so many more of them there then you can see in the city. One of these days I'm going to get a book about constellation's out of the library and we can have a star gazing party at the campground. That would be excellent! :0) And of course when you get too hot it's time to hit the beach and spend all day (or at least a couple of hours) playing in the water.

We have a few regular visitors too at the campground. A family of Blue Jays that are just beautiful. Every morning and early afternoon they come looking for crumbs. They are huge compared to what I've seen in the past. Probably because they get well fed at the campground. And Chippy the chipmunk who has actually taken a tour of the camper once but he was a clean visitor amazingly enough he didn't get into anything at the time.

Our neighbors are fantastic ;0) Jason's parents Mary-Lee and Robin (aka Mere mere and Papa) This picture was taken before the lights where put up and the wood was moved so it looks even more beautiful now!

Mary-lee and Robin spend most of the first few trips to the campground working but it payed off. I'll have to get a new picture to post once i get my new camera.

It's my kind of Summer Fun! :0)

A Lifestyle Change :0P

Well I have been keeping track of my food consumption on and off for a few months with this program Jason gave me called Weight-By-Date. I keep track because studies show that those who do loose twice as much as those who don't. I have been doing it off and on but the program tells me that given my current results I will reach my ideal weight in February....2017 :0O What! Eight years....My problem is ... i think.. that i loose a couple of pounds or even up to five pounds then i decide to reward myself with a half to 3/4 of a twelve inch frozen pizza. (not to mention i add extra cheese) So I'm thinking i may need to stop doing that. LOL

Seriously though this program did open my eyes to the fact that when i thought that i was burning 500 or more calories a day since i was eating the amount i should. I actually wasn't because i didn't do any exercise that day so i didn't burn anything. Poop! Mostly that's because as my weight lowers so does my BMR (which is my basal metabolic rate i believe) So the lesson here is always exercise even if it's a half an hour walk around the neighborhood.

I also got this log book at Chapters so that i can carry it around with me and make sure i write down what i eat. I then record it on my trusty program when i get home. It's helpful.

I think that i am going to have to take some more drastic measures though and start exercising regularly again. Probably walking and running. I also like Pilate's, Yoga as well as lifting free weights and using the Pilate's Ball...man i have some exercises for that thing that really change the shape of my bum. From flabby to fabulous. LOL So that is the plan...i say plan loosely though because i still need to find a way to fit these exercises into my day. Not to mention that i spend at least 3 days a week at the Campground. ? ..... I will find a way. A little at a time i guess.

Some really cool benefits of exercise that i discovered the first time on my way to my ideal weight were: Increased Energy, I was always in a better Mood, I was more fun, and it was well...good for some other activities as well. *giggle*

I'm a little overwhelmed these days with trying to loose this 40Lbs. I'm think that I'm just going to focus on loosing 5 Lbs for now and then adjust my goal once I reach that one. A smaller goal may be just what I need to make some smaller changes that will hopefully lead to bigger changes. Funny how exercise is so hard when you weigh more. :0P It's frustrating too because I think I'm capable of so much more, which I am when i weigh less. *sigh*

Here I Am :0)

Well here I am! :0)

I think that i will use this spot to write down my ideas and thoughts inspirational and otherwise....

You see my Dad just had a heart attack and is lucky to be alive. He has prostate cancer. Which he already had surgury for but they didn't get it all so he now has to fight off the cancer with radiation treatment. An experience like this makes a girl start to take a more serious look at her life decisions and wonder if she is on the right path... You know?

I'm a 32 year old stay at home Mom of two (one 4 1/2, one 14 months) absolutely gorgeous and loving girls. I'm married to a wonderful man whom I love! :) I'm about 40 lbs overweight. I still have dreams that i haven't really made much of an effort toward. (Well sort of) I spend the majority of my day taking care of my girls, cleaning my house, checking out the web and sometimes shopping (mostly for groceries). I use to exercise quite a bit before i had my last baby and i was at an ideal weight for my body type, which i absolutely loved. Now i find it difficult to get the energy up and the time to do any sort of exercise without making my kids suffer by needing to wait for me... to ...umm...well ..i guess just wait for my time. Oh ... i also love music. I love to sing, i can play twinkle twinkle little star on the piano and the guitar. I would like to learn to play both instruments better. I love Camping, The Beach, Swimming and Hiking. Also Drawing, Painting, Taking pictures of what i think are really cool people and things.

I have this dream of being the super Mom/Person/Wife/Women... you know. Where i have time to feed, play with, and teach my kids and be all that they need. As well as be the supporting perfect wife. Be at an Ideal weight, eat healthy, have the energy to excercise and have fun everyday. Have a clean and organized home that my kids, husband and I can feel proud of no matter when someone happens to drop by. Also have a career,..no a calling, that i am passionate about, really good at and find very fullfilling.

Needless to say my house is always a mess even though i feel as if I spend most of my time cleaning it. I rarly have time to excercise or so it seems. I'm a chocoholic and i loooooove chips, pizza, nachos, ...umm... and pasta ....oh and bread ..fresh from the oven...yummm! (now i'm drooling) I'm sure i don't spend enough quality time with my kids. Even though i spend all my day with them most of it i end up telling them what to do, feeding them, bathing them, telling them "NO!", picking up after them, trying to make sure they don't seriously harm themselves. Not a lot of relaxed playtime. And well as for my Calling...i don't know?

I want to be an artist. Am i good at it? Well i'm better at drawing then some. I need more practice. I also like to paint. I have a few paintings. Two watercolors that basically look like a kid made them(Maya, my 4 1/2 year old, loves these she says they are "So Colourful" lol) . And a few of acrylics. One unfinished and the other two well some days i like them some days i don't. The most recent painting, which was kind of an experiment anyway. I feel is flawed and in trying to make it better, meaning wise, it lead me in an interesting direction. For now I'm just focused on just learning as much as i can. I can be really good at it...I think.. if i practice...and practice some more...and More... It's hard to find time for anything other than my kids and cleaning though these days. Hell some days it's hard to find time for a decent shower. Some days i just say F#$@k it and do whatever i want. ( instead of clean, i obviously still take care of my girls) Then i end up spending the next week trying to catch up. *sigh*

I find that becoming a Mom you kind of loose yourself for a while you know. Or maybe forever really... then when you go to find yourself you find someone new or someone you don't really recognize anymore. After all i don't drink much..i don't do drugs anymore, not for a long time... I don't have time or desire for Bars or Watching large amounts of TV or Movies (well i still love a good movie or show of course but i don't spend all my time on it anymore) i don't even spend time with or even talk with the same people anymore because.... well i grew up ...most of them haven't yet. I don't really get to talk with anyone over the age of 5 much so i feel i need an outlet. My husband doesn't get home till late and he works at a call center so he doesn't really want to gab when he gets home. He more or less wants to veg out in front of the computer.

So Here I Am. This is my journey...my journey to make my goals a reality. I know though that i will never be a perfect Mom or Wife or even Person, but i can be, at least, a perfect Me. :0) Just FYI it may be a little boring but i'm gonna write it anyway because... I want to. :0)