summer

Summer is well under way. It's been a scorching one too. I turned 26 a few weeks ago. It feels old. Comparatively speaking I know it's still young, but when I tell myself I am 26 I feel like I am past the prime of my youth.

My kids are getting bigger and learning so much--so quickly! Asa is learning to read from the book I am using called "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" It really works, seriously. It's totally different from the way I was taught, but it's good and he gets it really well! Evie likes to sing songs about everything, she reminds me of Frances. Songs like: "I'm walking down the stairs, I'm walking down the stairs" "It's raining on my arm, it's raining on my arm!" She's very original in her lyrics.

When I am 52 my youngest (as long as there are no more) will be 29. I think that is crazy and good. Hubby just celebrated his birthday as well, though it felt like it lasted forever..birth-week it should be called. Growing up we had a saying "birthday brat" Everyone became the birthday brat on their birthday, this is how I am defining the Birth-week...the week of too much attention on one person given by themselves and others and causing a serious case of the birthday brattiness.

I bought these cotton towels recently that work like paper towels only are washable and re-usable! I love them and now I see the woman who makes them has new ones with different colored borders which I am interested in to designate certain towels to certain jobs. Blue for Bathroom, Green for kitchen etc etc..

I also started making paper. I figured out how to make the seeded kind which you can plant in the ground. I was going to use it for invitations to a large shower, but now I think it'll be a bit too much work!! Time is running out. When the shower is over I will make a post on all the details. I am so excited for it, it's going to be great.

This summer has been pretty quiet so far though. Vacation is in August and I am so excited for that.

I have been only throwing out 1 to almost 2 bags of trash a week for our entire family..kitchen sized trash bags mind you. Someone asked me how I did it and honestly it's just being aware of all the waste that is generated from everyday use of everyday items. It was prompted by the smelly trashcan out back, I didn't want to sit on my patio near it. So I decided to be careful with what I threw out and it became pretty easy. I am saving more food instead of scraping it into the trash, compacting every little thing I can and of course recycling everything I can recycle. It's fun and worth it. I like to go easy on the hardworking trash-men who come out every week in the heat and carry heavy bags of smelly waste to their trucks.

I recommend:

being conscious of the packaging of your weekly purchases; buy the least amount of waste possible.

cotton Bird-E towels

Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

More stuff...

I have a hot dog cutter called the Guard Dog which scores the hot dog horizontally but keeps it intact. That way when my kiddies bite into the hot dog it'll fall apart into small pieces they won't be able to choke on. It's a lot of fun to use and I was really excited to see it mentioned in The New York Times!
It was invented by the creator of Pop Corn Chicken and Steak Umm's: Eugene Gagliardi of Creativators. They cook really well once they've been scored...it actually tastes better!

It's always great to have easy food options that are kid friendly and safe!

Another thing I wanted to talk about was the 7th Generation dishwashing tabs I mentioned before. Though I only used the Free and Clear type, I really didn't like it at all. I probably wouldn't try the scented kinds because they are all lacking rinse aid. They cost more than other brands which include it. Oh well! Back to my old Cascade Tabs!

I am still loving the laundry detergent though, bought it again and love how little I need! My washing machine has been staying nice and clean too since I've been making sure not to use too much soap!

Next plug: GoGo Squeez Applesauce pouches.
What a great idea! I love the no mess idea. So great for packing a lunch too! The kids like them too and the different flavors are great! About 50 cents a pouch but nice for a treat!
My baby turned two a few weeks ago. She is 95% for height! I can't believe it, she seems so petite to me! She is really getting verbal though. She loves colors and told me her flip flops were purple and pink today...I was shocked!

I sure love having a girl. She enjoys helping with dinner and calling in the boys for me. It's so amazing how differently male and females are wired even from birth.

good deals

Since everyone in the world could potentially read this I thought I would let the world know my good deals


$4.09 total for all of the following:





Bertolli Olive Oil and Garlic Tomato Sauce
reg. $2.29 sale 1.89. cpn: .75 doubled Final: .39

Classico Vodka Sauce
reg. $1.99 cpn: 1.50 Final: .49

Capri Sun Sunrise Valley(x2)
reg. $2.00 cpn: 1.00 Final 1.00

Viva Single Roll Paper Towell
reg. $2.19 sale: 2.00 cpn: .85 doubled; Final .30

Carolina Yellow Rice packet (x2)
reg. $0.66 sale 0.59 cpn: .75 off two doubled; Final: two for free

Scott Flushable Wipe refill
reg. $1.99 cpn.50 doubled; Final: .99

Silk Almond Milk
reg. $2.99 cpn: Free!

Silk Almond Milk Vanilla
reg. $2.99 cpn: Free!

Reg Total $19.76
Sale Total $18.83
w/Coupon Total: $4.09

YAY!

rainy day

Today is a pretty boring day!

I read an article saying that most americans use too much laundry detergent and that some loads can be washed without any soap at all. The agitation from the machine loosens dirt and it's then rinsed away. Interesting. I am going to use less now. It also said that if you use too much it causes the suds to come up too high in the machine where the lint and dirt that are also lifted with the suds cannot get rinsed away. This makes bacteria grow and causes odors...they say it can also cut the life of your washer shorter. Its funny because I always think to myself, the more soap I use the cleaner the load will be...they said most people feel that way but it's not true!

A little helpful tidbit I hope!

I am starving right now.
Time for a snack! oh, and to wash some laundry....

Do YOU really need it?

So after trying the laundry detergent, i can say it works great. Though I used too much the first time, filling the cap to "3" is for normal loads, but I guess our water is really soft of something, so the second load got less. The smell is wonderful though, I love it.

I was thinking about how I used to reach for the plastic wrap, or plastic baggies regularly about a year ago. Now I don't even think about them. It wasn't like I stopped using them on purpose. We ran out and I forgot to get them at the store. I started using re-usable(and recyclable!) plastic containers with lids instead. Now I just say to myself when I'm in the that aisle of the store, "Do I really NEED them?"

Obviously not if I've gone so long without them!! They are convenient but not necessary! It seems really wasteful if you sit down and think about it. Tin foil on the other hand is a must and can be recycled, unless it's totally soiled. Even still I don't feel bad about some of it going to a landfill--it will break down.

Speaking of breaking down, We live in a town home, so cleaning up pet waste gets annoying. I usually keep a bag outside and wait till it's half full before putting it in the trash ON trash day. It's still gross though to have outside waiting to be full. I found this product which I think is ingenious for my scenario--or others with sewer connections and tight outside quarters!It's a flushable doggie bag! I love that idea, because it gets rid of it quick, and the doo-doo goes to a place where it gets cleaned out of the water! It seems like such a "sanitary" solution.

I have to see if they have them at pet smart now.

I also have to say, before I run and get my children out of the mess they've made while I've posted this is:

What and incredibly faithful God we have. Faithful to us when we wonder. He is so faithful to me, and I want to be faithful too.

I'll expound later, there is shrieking going on...

for becky

I went to the grocery store today. I bought a lot of "green" cleaning products--which I had coupons for. We have a very tight food/household needs budget, yet I do pretty well with being able to get organic fruits (apples and greens today) and natural-ish cleaning products. The products which I have used before really do work too, you don't sacrifice anything, well maybe except headaches from fumes or overly strong scents.

I got some Seventh Generation Laundry detergent because I had a $2 coupon, which brought it down to $3.99. It's usually so much more than my normal stuff(Purex Natural Elements)--which I still love btw--that I don't even try it. It has a very fresh scent that smells real, haha.. First load is just about ready to go into the dryer, then we'll see how good of a job it does!

I also always get Seventh Generation all purpose cleaners. They were on sale too plus I had a coupon. When it comes to window cleaner though, I usually just get cheap-o store brand vinegar cleaner--92 cents is good for me!

Another thing I am trying out for the first time is the Seventh Generation Dishwasher Tabs They come in a easily recyclable cardboard box, Finish also has recyclable packaging...but Cascade doesn't. If this stuff works well, I might buy it again, the ingredients aren't as harsh as the ones I normally buy. It was on sale for $3.25 for 15 washes. I usually get the Cascade which is $3.99 so I thought I would try this kind out. I ONLY use their Dish Soap which works amazingly and has such a wonderful fresh REAL scent--so the company has a good reputation with me!

I have also been buying Marcel Small Steps Paper towels, toilet paper and napkins. Out of those three, the paper towels seem to go very quickly, like there aren't as a normal roll or something. They are all great quality and cheaper than the leading brand---which at least doesn't advertise as recycled paper.

I also got a hand soap refill bag: Method brand. It was on sale for $4.5 and fills about 3 normal sized pumps -- I have a bunch of those plastic pumps in a cabinet so I got to re-use them which was cool. Less waste is good, plus the soap is biodegradable and made from plants--meaning no petroleum. (I like this because as I've said a while ago, less dependency on oil and plants are quickly renewable)

All of these products are great for people with allergies too--like mi familia.

But the best thing I did today was go through my cleaning cabinet and get rid of the products which I don't use anymore...mostly floor cleaners. I have a Shark Steam Mop now and love the fact that it only needs water and it sanitizes and easily gets up stuck on food. I read a while ago about how indoor air quality is however many times more polluted than outdoor air because of the cleaning products. I wouldn't be so gung- ho about it if these cleaner, healthier products weren't so readily available and affordable.

I guess saying that was the best thing I did today is pretty shallow. It was even better to take my kiddies to the park and play with them on this amazingly gorgeous sunshiny spring day :)

good deals

I shopped at Aldi today. It was my first time and I probably won't be back, at least for a while. It's pretty far away. I did really enjoy shopping there though. VERY inexpensive. The produce was so cheap and nice! I got a beautiful Del Monte Pineapple for 1.49. I got two bags of iceberg garden bagged salad for .39 each! Hots dogs for .79. The stuff is their own brand for the most part, but nothing is out of date and dented or bruised! I wish we had one close to where we live! I wouldn't shop for everything there, because I try to get whole foods as much as I can, but for produce (from the US) and freshmeats, frozen meats, deli and dairy, I was super impressed. I don't mean to sound snobbish, the products I mean mostly are cereals that we are used to, and crackers, frozen meals for hubby's lunches and so on. They had some health food options too, overall, i saved a big penny and like I said, wish we had one close by!

One thing I will appreciate when the kids are grown, is not having to clean up every possible body liquid that a child could manage to spew. Today was one of those day... wow I guess it's better to all happen at once than to have a little bit every day?

Evie hasn't been napping well lately. She isn't going to sleep well at bedtime either. In fact, she is in her room screaching right now. Ear plugs would be nice.

I have been working on my family tree through Ancestry.com. It's very addictive! I want to spend the extra $10 to get national records so I can try and find the families left behind in Europe. Yes all my ancesters came from Europe. Italy, Germany, Ireland, England, Lithuania and possibly Poland. My family migrated from Italy mostly in the 1910's, and that was only two generations ago. Same with Lithuania. Half of the Germans too. So that would make all of my great grandparents from those countries, naturalized here. The Irish and English have been here as far back as I can trace(1790). I would guess they came over before the country began. Though some may have, and some may not, there are many families involved in them.

It is fun. There is no one famous in my lineage, but it's fun to hear stories about people. I interviewed my grandfather and he told me stories that I was able to jot down. I hope to add them onto my tree. Ancestry really makes it very organized. My goal now is to save and file all the records I connected to my tree before my membership runs up!

I think she's about done whining. I hope she is.