Laundry...

I have to say that since I started making homage cleaning/ laundry supplies, housework has become a lot more enjoyable.
A couple weeks ago I decided to try making the liquid version of the laundry detergent that I have been making for the last 6 months or so. I am excited to report that it is awesome!!!! The cost breakdown that was with the recipe is $0.01!
I have gotten so used to the minimal expense that even looking at a good sale price for the commercially made stuff makes me sick. I can't believe how much were spending to wash our laundry.
Spending 15 minutes making detergent is definitely worth it!!!!'

2 year old dr. visit...

On Tuesday Jeff and I took Abby to her 2 year old well child check up. She weighs a whopping 24.8 pounds and is 35 inches tall. She is growing and developing well. we didn't realize that there is an age cutoff for drinking whole milk, the pediatrician said we can start giving her the same 1% milk that we drink!!!! Yeah my grocery budget just became a bit more manageable.
She has discovered how to turn doorknobs to get out of rooms, which is making naps and bedtimes slightly more challenging. She also fell out of her bed early Tuesday morning, when we went in to console her we asked her if she had fallen, her response was.., "yeah, BOOM". It was actually a bit funny after the fact.
Oh and before I forget Abby has also become skilled at peeling the little Clementine oranges, she loves doing things for herself!

A two year old and a marker...

Thankfully it was a washable marker....







She thought it was pretty funny !

What we have been up to..........

The last couple months have been super busy with working, taking care of our home and Abby. Jeff finished his Bachelors degree this week, and is on the hunt for a new job!! Abby turned 2 on November 24th (which just so happened to be Thanksgiving this year) we gave her a family party the Friday before. We then all came down with the flu that has been going around, after about a week we were all pretty much back to our normal selves.
Birthday Pictures.... my moms camera has most of the pictures of the birthday girl herself. ....








Along with turning 2 came a "BIG GIRL" bed, which just so happens to be the same bed I slept in as a little girl( the bed rame that is, the mattress is newer and the bedding is new). We moved the crib to the opposite side of the room, and decorated the Big Girl side of the room.









Abby has not had any trouble making the switch, has not fallen out of bed at least not that we have noticed.

Quick post..

This is just a quick post. This morning Abby and I went to get flu shots at her pediatricians office. Before we had the shots I had the nurse weigh her.... she weighs a whopping 25 1/2 pounds, I didn't think that was too bad for a skinny little thing. Tonight I was curious as to what the average two year old girl shoud weigh, so I "googled". I found a childrens BMI calculator and put in her height ( I guessed) and weight and the result was .... she was in the 1% and is considered under wieght acccording to the calculations. I thought that was hilarious.
It also said se should be seen by a healthcare professional to figure out the cause of being underweight. HAHAHA.
All I can say is I sure wish I had her energy or metabloism, whichever it is, I would sure weigh less than I do with very litte effort.

Climb...

a couple of weeks ago, Jeff had put Abby in time out, when he went back to her room to get her, he found her like this. Of course I told him ( like any good mom) "keep her there, don't let her fall we need a picture of this".



She was indeed stuck, but has since mastered getting in and out of her crib. Mostly during time outs. She still waits for us to go in and get her out in the mornings and after nap time. Hopefully we can keep her in the crib a bit longer.

Stumbled upon.......

So today during my lunch I was looking online for a few more cleaning recipes, and stumbled upon a do it yourself / frugal living blog. While looking through the blog I found a post about feminine hygine items. This blog had instructions and patterns for making pads and patterns for crotcheting tampons. I just about died when I found this.
Obviously it makes sense though because women around the world have been having to deal with this issue from the very beginging of time. I just can't imagine having to reuse these products, but there was a time when women wouldn't have had any other choice. I believe this is one of the many reasons I am living in this day and age. I feel very spoiled after finding this information.

More cleaning recipes...

Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
• 1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Strong Glass Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
• 1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon clear, non-sudsing ammonia

Strong All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
• 1 T clear, non-sudsing ammonia
• 1 T clear laundry detergent
• 2 cups water

Tiolet cleaner:
sprinkle borax into the toilet bowl, let it sit for about 10 min, scrub as usual.

State Fair...

last Thursday we went to the opening day ( half off admission) of th Utah State Fair. It was a pleasant evening, every time we have gone the last few years it has rained. Abby had a ton of fun watching and peting the animals. We also discovered a kids "farm" area. they walk through "A day on the farm" and at the end they are given a fake dollar bill to buy a treat at the "Store".

Cleaning...

The last few months I have really gotten into finding ways to make cleaning solutions at home. It has been very fun and eye opening, I would have never thought so many basic supplies under your sink or in the cupboards would have so many varied uses.
I am going to post the recipes I try as I go along, here are some that I have found so far( I have tried most of them).

Laundry detergent:
1 cup borax ($4.99 a box)
1 cup washing soda($3.59 a box)
1/2 bar fels naptha soap ( grate bar) ($1.69 per bar)
mix powders and grated soap. use 1- 2 tablespoons per load of laundry.
This won't get suddsy like other detergents, the soap flakes may also float to the top of the water initially but will dissolve .

I have figured that making aproximately 160 loads worth costs about $6, compare that to $12- $28 for 160 loads worth of whatever brand you would normaly buy. VEry cost effective and an awesome way to get your laundry clean and fresh.

Vinegar can be used a a fabric softener in your washing machine also. just add 1/2 cup to the load.

Laundry stain remover:
split spray bottle into thirds
1/3 water
1/3 amonia
1/3 liquid laundry detergent
shake before use

Febreeze:
I haven't decided which one I like best:
1) 3 cups water
2 tbs rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup liquid fabric softener
2) 3 cups water
2-3 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 cup liquid fabric softener

Drain cleaner:
1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
put baking soda in drain first, then vinegar let it sit indrainfor about 5- 10 minutes, then run boiling water throught the drain for a few minutes.

Glass cleaner:
I don't remember the exact measurements
Vinegar
Water
Rubbing alcohol

Carpet cleaner
combine equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle.
For carpet cleaning machines, fill the "formula" tank with vinegar instead of "formula/ cleaner".

Borax or baking soda can be used as a "Comet" type cleaner without the horrible smell.

I am loving that this will be a way to save money and know what I am using to clean with. These are also very safe to use around children and pets and they don't have harsh chemical smells.

My stockpiles.....

They aren't too impressive but it is a start. I wish I had more room for food stockpiling, I may just have to organize my kitchen cupboards a bit more in order to create some sort of food storage.



Baby goods, I figure there is at least a year or two supply of shampoo and baby wash, about 4 months of wipes and 2 months of diapers. Diapers and wipes have to be replenished more frequently than the others, obviously!





Hygeine items for Jeff and I. There is about a 6 month supply of most things in this closet.
Now I need to get more creative when it comes to finding palces to put food storage items! This is a small bookshelf in our bedroom closet.

No more tears..

Sunday was the first time Abby walked into nursery on her own without shedding a tear, (I may or may not have shed one myself). I was hoping that the day would come, and there it was, I walked her from the chapel to the nursery room , about halfway there she let go of my hand ( almost pushing it away) and walked on in the room. The teacher said "hi Abby are you ready to play?" and her response was "yeah".
About a month ago we discovered that if she had her blanket with her she would do much better, so it has been at her side in church ever since, hopefully soon we will be able to break that.
As one lady in our ward always says to us young mothers, "Nursery, the best program in the church".
IN the last couple months the little girl that has always needed us for anything and everything has started to become more and more independent. It is amazing how quickly she is growing up.

Stressed...

This morning sarted just like any other, but after running few errands ( and spending some money on things we needed) I realized several things...
- We haven't been able to save much if any money in the last several months
- I don't know how we will ever pay off our creditcard debt ( not really much but seems like alot to us)
- I don't know how we are going to pay Jeff's school loan payments when the time comes( that time is comming quicker and quicker as he is finishing his schooling)
-We will probably not get out of apartment ( rental) living for several more years
-We have very little food storage/ emergency preparedness items ( or the money to creat much)
-And hopefully we don't have to put having a second child on hold for a little longer.

I realize these are problems/ issues that we all face a one time or another, but it all hit he at the same time this afternoon.
I am very greatful for the opportunity I will have to go to the temple for my cousins endowment session in a couple weeks. I will be able to ponder these issues and hopefully come up with some answers and guidance. I have not been for several months, constantly making up excuses. I really just don't like going by myself.

Now that I have typed all these things I actually feel a bit more relaxed.

I am truly greatful for my two most wonderful gifts and how much we all love each other and support each other in trying times!

Stockpiling....

I love The Krazy coupon Lady's blog, I found this list tonight while browsing the blog, and found it very informative and helpful enough that it deserved a post all of its own. I also printed the list but I probably won't be able to find it next week.( our apartment always seems to be in a chaotic form of organization). I love the idea of stockpiling the things that we use daily. I have a good baby item and adult hygeine item stockpile, but could use some work on our food stockpile. I am getting excited to start looking out for case lot sales, and following this handy- dandy little guide.......


Everyone knows that produce is seasonal. If you want to make a triple batch of strawberry or apricot freezer jam, the best time of year to do it is during the summer when the fruit is in season, and thereby at its lowest annual cost. A savvy shopper waits until a product is on sale and then stocks up! The idea is to create a stockpile that will last you 3-12 months, or until the product again reaches its lowest price.
Packaged Foods are seasonal just like produce! Each calendar month brings a new batch of sales. Here’s the predictable sale cycle for each calendar month:

January:
National Oatmeal Month: Quaker
Diet Foods including: Healthy Choice, South Beach, Lean Cuisine, Special K, Kashi, Smart Start, 100 Calorie Packs
Super Bowl Sunday: Pepsi, Coke, chips, dips, cheese, sandwich items, crackers, snacks, wings
Seasonal Produce: oranges, pears, grapefruit, tangerines, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, kale, kiwi, avocado, cabbage, spinach
Clearance: Christmas decorations, toys, wrapping papers Winter Health: cold medicines and vitamins

February:
National Canned Food Month: canned fruit, vegetables, meats: tuna, chicken, salmon, pie fillings
National Hot Breakfast Month: Malt O Meal, oatmeal, Eggo Waffles, syrup
Valentines: chocolate, Hershey’s, KY Lubricant, etc
Chinese New Year: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, noodles
Seasonal Produce: artichoke, asparagus, raspberries, potatoes, strawberries, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, kale, kiwi, avocado, spinach

March:
Frozen Food Month: frozen meals, TGI Fridays, Contessa, Foster Farms chicken, Eggo, Sara Lee, Healthy Choice, DiGiorno, Freschetta, Breyers, Dreyers, Marie Callendars
Seasonal Produce: artichoke, asparagus, avocado, Haas, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, fennel, kale, leek, lemon, lime, mushrooms, onions, orange, peas, radish, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, tangerine

April:
Easter: ham, eggs, some baking supplies: sugar, spices, baking mixes, chocolate chips
Earth Day: organic foods, Energy Saver
Seasonal Produce: artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, grapefruit, Hass Avocado, mushrooms, onions, peas, rhubarb
Clearance: after Easter sales are the time to stock up on decorating, baskets, etc for the next year.

May:
Memorial Day: BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, charcoal, salad dressing, potato chips, dips
Paper Products: plates, utensils, insect repellant, sunscreen
Cinco De Mayo: salsa, tortillas
Seasonal Produce: artichokes, asparagus, avocado, beans, green, beets, blackberries, carrots, onions, sweet vidalia, peas, edible pods, English/Shelling peas, new potatoes, raspberries, strawberrie
s
June:
National Dairy Month: eggs, milk (free milk Catalina, wyb cereal), ice cream, cheese, butter, yogurt, Cool Whip, in-store dairy coupons or booklets
End of June is Fourth of July Sales: hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, charcoal, salad dressing, potato chips, dips
Seasonal Produce: apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cherries, corn, cucumber, eggplant, grapes, honeydew, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, raspberries, red onions, summer squash, strawberries, sweet Vidalia onions, tomatoes, watermelon

July:
National Ice Cream Month
More 4th of July BBQ Sales: hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ sauce, ketchup, condiments, charcoal, salad dressing, potato chips, dips
End of July, Back to School Sales begin: crayons, pencils, folders, binders
Seasonal Produce: Asian pears, Bartlett pears, green beans, blueberries, corn, cucumber, eggplant, figs, garlic, grapes, nectarines, red onions, Valencia oranges, peaches, peppers (sweet, bell), plums, potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes, watermelon

August:
Back to School: pudding cups, lunch meat,
Staples and Office Depot penny items
Disinfectant: Clorox, Purell
Clearance: insect repellant, sunscreen, charcoal
Seasonal Produce: Apple (Gravenstein), Hass avocado, beans, green beans, berries, corn, cucumber, eggplant, figs, grapes, melons, onion, peaches, Bartlett pears, bell pepper, plums, raspberries, summer squash, tomatillo, tomato

September:
Back to School Sales through Labor Day: crayons, pencils, folders, binders
Diabetes: Bayer glucose meters, Glucerna cereal
Seasonal Produce: apples, artichokes, beans, bell peppers, chili peppers, cucumber, eggplant, grapes, onion, Valencia orange, pears (Asian, Bartlett), pomegranate, squash, tomatillo, tomatoes, winter squash

October:
Halloween: candy
Beginning of the baking sales: canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, baking chips
National Seafood Month
Adopt a Shelter-Dog Month: Pedigree, Purina
Seasonal Produce: almonds, apples, artichokes, arugula, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, chestnuts, cranberries, lemons, parsnip, pears, pomegranate, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, winter squash, turnips, yams

November:
Baking Sales in full swing: nuts, chocolate chips, evap milk, sweetened condensed milk, coconut, cake mixes
Canned foods – soup, broth, condensed milk, vegetables, fruits, spaghetti sauce
Turkey, canned pumpkin, stovetop stuffing, Betty Crocker boxed potatoes, gravy mixes, Rhodes rolls, frozen pies, cranberry sauce, Jello, marshmallows
Seasonal Produce: Anjou pears, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, Comice pears, cranberries, kiwi, lemons, oranges, potato, squash, yams
Clearance: After Halloween Sales are the time to stock up on things for the next year. I like to buy the Halloween candy-alternatives like halloween crayons, erasers, watches, spinning tops, etc. I mix this in with my next year’s candy bowl, and it stretches my loot for all the neighbor kids!

December:
Holiday Dinner: egg nog, deli platters, instant potatoes, gravy mixes, Rhodes rolls, frozen pies, cranberry sauce, Jello, marshmallows
Baking: flour, sugar, butter, cream, cake mix, brownie mix, muffin mix, breads, pie crust, marshmallow, whipped cream
Canned foods – soup, broth, condensed milk, vegetables, fruits, spaghetti sauce
Clearance: Buy all your Thanksgiving Decorations, extra table settings and turkey carving products now once they’re at least 50% off.

2 phone books and a roll of duct tape....

These two items saved me a bundle, since Abby has now out grown her highchair.



Walla! a booster seat ( custom may I also add).

New bathtime routine...

For the last week or so as soon as Abby hears the bath water starting she runs to the bathroom and begins to throw all of her bath toys into the tub....I caught her the other day and of course instead of helping her down I ran to get the camera first...

More hair dos...

I am trying to document the different dos I try in Abby's hair for future refference, here are some recent dos...

Trip to the Zoo....

This week we took a trip to the Zoo, going to the zoo is kind of a big deal for us, we usually only go once a year, in the summer. So this was a big outing for us. This year at the zoo there are dinosaur figures, that move and make sound and a couple of them squirt water. When we first got there we saw the ones that were squirting water and decided to have Abby stand in front of one and see what would happen. That turned out to not be the best decision we made that day. After the initial shock wore off Abby cried for a few minutes until we got far enough away from the dinosaur that she could no longer see it. Then everytime we showed her anohter one alongthe way, the tears would begin.
We watched the elephant and bird shows, both of which Abby found very entertaining. Throughout the bird show she was squealing and cheering as the different birds would soar over our heads.
As we were coming out of the reptile building I ran into a good friend that I worked with at Primary Childrens,it was great to see her and her new baby.
We then headed out for lunch at McDonalds, then headed home for a nap.

Here are some pictures of our adventue that day ....



Checking out the prairie dogs, one of her favorute animals of the day.







The bird show



The elephant show



You can't leave the zoo without a picture by the "Do you measure Up" gorilla sign.

Feeding ducks/ geese.....

Feeding ducks has been a great activity for us to do with Abby Lu this summer. She really enjoys watching the ducks eat the bread she throws to them ( she will squeal with delight when anyone mentions going for a walk to feed ducks). We visisted Liberty park again this week, and feed the ducks/ geese. At one point Abby had the geese eating right out of her hands ,she thought that was pretty cool. Jeff caught this video of her feeding the geese....

Creativity and a new DO...

I have had a creative bug all day, so I have been googling kids hair do's and how to make hair bows. We will have to wait and see if I actually make some bows or not, it looks pretty easy though.
After her bath tonight Abby was intentlty watching Toy Story so I figured then would be a perfect time to try something different with her hair.





This is her new cheesy face, she now gives us this face when we pull out the camera and say "smile".

Saturdays... and projects

Saturdays at our house are pretty much the same every week, mommy is home and daddy is at work. We take a walk to feed ducks at the river take naps, color, and just hang out. With naps now being combined into one long after lunch nap we have to find lots of things to occupy our morning.
Today has been another typical Saturday, except I was able to get some me time with my mom and sister yay!!! We went and had pedicures, I love a good pedicure. Abby stayed behind and played with grandpa.
While I was sitting there have my feet masaged and nails painted I was thinking about the awesome website fisher-price .com, not only does it have information about all of their great products, I have discovered the online games that children can play, there are infant, toddler and preschooler versions. A few weeks ago I came across the section that has printable coloring pages. That find alone made my day! And has given me all kinds of project ideas. There are counting, alphabet and other learning coloring pages also.
So in an effort to save money ( a common theme around here) I decided to make an alphabet book (flip book) with the pages. I also thought these would make great birthday/ christmas gifts for our crazy girl.





These are just a couple of the pages that I have printed. Can you tell I am excited to start this project? !

An afternoon at Liberty Park

Today we wanted to do something fun and get out of the house, so we headed down to Liberty Park after lunch. It has been sooo long since either Jeff or I have been there ( oh five years or so). I didn't realize the park had many playgrounds, sand areas and best of all water fountains, and you can't forget the pond and ducks.



Not to sure about the fountains at first.




Loving the water







Checking out the ducks with mom and dad







The wading streams were also alot of fun

Call me "Mother of the Year"

Saturday Abby and I wwnet over to my moms to go get smoothies at Roxberry, I highly recomend! When we left after playing for an hour or so it was abut 4 - 4:30, I had all intentions of coming home and givng Lu dinner, since we were having left overs. But being a mom and a wife I got busy doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen, not even thinking that Lu might have been whining because she was hungry. ( I did give her a cup of milk not thinking again, that it was her dinner time). I had a big smoothie just a few hours before so I wasn't hungry and therefore wasn't thinking about dinner.
I later looked at the clock and realized it was 6:30 and her bathime is 7:00 and I had not given her dinner yet. I have never felt so dumb and emarassed for myself. I quickly made Lu some easy mac and got the bdtime routine rolling ( thank goodness for modern convieniences).

Another crazy story to remember...

Last Thursday during my phone call home during lunch JEff told me how his and Lu's day had been going, Lu had been up to her usual mischief.
While playing on our small deck/ patio she had gotten her head stuck in the rail ( refer to picture below) I am not sure how she managed to get her head through but she did and could not get it out. Jeff said he was ready to start dismantling our setup to prevent this from happening to get her out. Just after that thought he was able to get her out. She got her head stuck in it last summer also but was only stuck because she kept turning her head in the panic.



As you can see in the picture the original slats go up and down, we purchased and tied ( using the outdoor "zip" ties to hold it to the other slats)a latice type thing. We thought this would prevent her from getting stuck. She is one determined little girl !

our crazy little helper.....

This afternoon while on my lunch break Jeff told me of his experience cleaning the bathroom today with Lu ( Abby).
While cleaning the sink Lu wanted to help so badly and Jeff wasn't letting her get up to the sink tohelp, so she took matters into her own hands. She proceded to get her own towel from the kitchen drawer, and also decided that it needed to be wet. In order to accomplish this she dipped the towel into the toilet, and began to wash the cupboards. I just about died laughing, thats our girl. ANd pretty resourceful if you ask me!
What will she come up with next ?

Start em young....

I was looking at pictures on our camera and found this video Jeff took earlier this week....

Park City

Last weekind we went to Park City for a weekend getaway with my family. We spent Saturday at the resort, the alpine slide, mountain coaster and zip line were great as usual. This was a bit of a different of a trip for Jeff and I , we haven't been up there since Abby has been around, the last time was the summer that I was pregnant. It was fun to beable to ride again.
Abby did well considering she hasn't been on any sort of vacation, sleeping away from home and being in an unfamiliar environment was kind of freaking her out!

I didn't get many pictures although my mom has a bunch, thanks mom! We were too busy trying to keep Abby entertained. Which if you know her can be quite the task.


Loving the carousel ride.


Trying a hand at miniature golf.




She only got on the plane ride once, then cried when we put her on again, leaving us to ride the carousel over and over and over again all day long !!!!

New Dress

I love putting Abby in a new dress there is something about this one in particular that makes her seem so grown up.....



Although I am begining to hate that I need to buy new ones every few months ! She is growing so fast !