Cleaning without Chemicals

So, in my quest to become a better and more joyful homemaker I have been looking up ways to create a clean and organized home that is a safe and fun place for my family. One thing that I have repeatedly come across is homemade cleaning solutions. I am not about being ‘green’. Actually tree hugging is one of my biggest pet peeves. While I agree we should all do our part to take care of the environment it is ridiculous how it is being shoved down our throats (okay I digress). The main selling points for me on trying to make my own cleaning solutions were no chemicals in my home, they are incredibly inexpensive, and so easy to make. So here is what I have found. While I have not tried all of them yet, I plan to. One of the coolest things I learned is that vinegar is a disinfectant, did you know that? I did not.
All Purpose Cleaner: You'll need a large spray bottle, a half cup of baking soda, and enough water to dissolve. To this, slowly add a cup of vinegar (it will fizz like mad for a bit), then top off with more water. Let this mixture sit overnight, and then flip end over end to mix. Be prepared for more fizzing. When fizzing ends, it's ready to use.
All Purpose Cleaner that Cuts Grease: Use the same recipe as above, but add a teaspoon of dish detergent. Organic detergent was my one splurge. After all, you are spraying this into the air.
Window Cleaner: Mix warm water, one cup of vinegar, and two capfuls of ammonia. Be careful and try not to inhale too much. This mixture should be kept away from children.
Toilet Cleaner: Pour two cups of baking soda into toilet bowl, scrub the inside, and flush. Now, pour two cups of vinegar into the toilet bowl, swish around the inside, and flush. Do not do this if you have a clog, as you will quickly have a reenactment of Old Faithful in the toilet. However, regular application will keep your drains sparklingly clean.
Carpet Cleaner and Deodorizer: Sprinkle baking soda over carpet and let it sit. You'll get better results if you let it sit for an extended period of time. It's okay to walk on it and grind it into the carpet. Then vacuum thoroughly.
Stainless Steel and Fixtures: To clean, use vinegar and cheesecloth.
Furniture Polish: In a small bottle, preferably foaming variety, add two parts lemon juice to one part olive oil (plain). To scent your furniture, add some essential oils to this. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator and discard in under a month. This does not last long.
Tile Cleaner: Mix equal parts baking soda and warm water, scrub into tiles, and then clean with all purpose solution.

(http://www.stretcher.com/stories/05/05apr04d.cfm)

Vinegar
Uses: Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your home. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. Always test on an inconspicuous area.
It is safe to use on most surfaces and has the added bonus of being incredibly cheap. Improperly diluted vinegar is acidic and can eat away at tile grout. Never use vinegar on marble surfaces. Don't worry about your home smelling like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries. Here are some uses for vinegar in the rooms of your house. Use it in the…
1. Bathroom - Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet bowl to get rid of rings. Flush the toilet to allow the water level to go down. Pour the undiluted vinegar around the inside of the rim. Scrub down the bowl. Mop the flour in the bathroom with a vinegar/water solution. The substance will also eat away the soap scum and hard water stains on your fixtures and tile. Make sure it is safe to use with your tile.
2. Kitchen- Clean the stovetop, appliances, countertops, and floor.
3. Laundry Room- Use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. This can be especially helpful for families who have sensitive skin. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down laundry detergent more effectively. (A plus when you have a family member whose skin detects every trace of detergent.)
Lemon Juice
Uses: Lemon juice is another natural substance that can be used to clean your home. Lemon juice can be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits. Lemon is a great substance to clean and shine brass and copper. Lemon juice can be mixed with vinegar and or baking soda to make cleaning pastes. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. Mix 1 cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice and you have a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture.
My favorite use for the fruit is to put a whole lemon peel through the garbage disposal. It freshens the drain and the kitchen. Orange peels can be used with the same results.
Baking Soda
Uses: Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleansers. Baking soda is great as a deodorizer. Place a box in the refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Put it anywhere you need deodorizing action. Try these three kitchen ingredients as natural cleaning products in your home.

(http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm)

A Time For Change

With the New Year in full swing I have decided that it is time to reprioritize my life. Over the last year I have found that I have let my walk with the Lord slip, and it is time to step it up. I have really been thinking about my family and the legacy that I want to leave. I want to make a difference for Christ in this world and the first place to start is with my children and my home.

My PPD was pretty serious, but I am feeling better now. Back to my normal self (still taking medication for about a month before I go to the doctor to reevaluate things). I came across a verse the other day during my devotion that summed up my depression perfectly.

“Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold to stand on.
I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched and dry.
My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.
But I keep right on praying to you, Lord, hoping this is the time you will show me favor.”
Psalm 69: 1-3, 13 NLT

So as I mentioned my new focus is a shift in priorities. Recently my priorities gradually shifted to
1. Myself/Hubby

2. My kids
3. My home
4. God.
I also became a very discontent person. I found that I was trying to meet the needs of my husband and children my own way, and taking care of my home grudgingly – angered by the constant work to be accomplished.

Lately I have been trying to focus on scripture and encouragement to help me reprioritize. My new focus is going to be
1. GOD: (above all else) There is no way that I can accomplish anything without setting aside the time to make him FIRST

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
Psalm 37:4-6

So this has become my prayer

Lord, keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law. Help me choose the way of truth; and set my heart on your laws. Help me to hold fast to your instructions, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame. I need your help to run in the path of your commands, for only you can set my heart free.
(From Psalm 119:29-32)
2. My Husband
3. My Children
4. My Home
5. My Self
6. My Service

I plan to post more on scriptures regarding my other commitments, but my aim first and foremost has been relocating God to priority numero uno!

Our Trip

We just got back from spending Christmas in California with the families. It was soooo wonderful. My heart hurts to go back and be with family. Hubby and I (well really just Hubby), decided that we would save money if we drove the 1200 miles over 2 days. We would have had to purchase 4 tickets since J turned two while we were down. The trip down was a breeze. We took the minivan with gifts for the kids, all of us and the dog. We packed a cooler and a DVD player (but forgot the charger) and some games for the kids to play with. We drove from 11pm on the 20th until 3pm the next day and then stayed the night in Stockton and made the rest of the trip the next day – total time in the car 22 hours. The drive home was a different story. We were packed to the limit with gifts so there was little wiggle room in the van. The morning we were supposed to leave J got the throwing up flu, she puked pretty much the whole way home anytime she tried to eat or drink. We also we pummeled by the worst storm to hit the West coast in 5 years. In some of the places we traveled they had winds of 165 mph. And for some reason the dog decided to pee on my seat twice when we stopped to change diapers and get food. We left at Midnight on January 4 and didn't stop until 4pm, and then we got up at 7am and drove until 9 pm – total drive time 30 hours. YiPes! Needless to say I NEVER want to drive it again. All in all with food, lodging and gas I don't think it saved us any money. But it was nice to have our own car while we were down.

Aside from the hellish drive home the trip was amazing. We both miss family soooo much, it was hard to leave. I got physically ill when we had to go. Now we are back and in the swing of things. School started for both of us again on the 7th. Baby M has started sleeping through the night, J and L are going to bed at 8:30 now (we still have to lay with them, but that isn't not so bad). Once we got home L and Baby M started throwing up, but it only lasted for each of them for about 24 hours. Baby M has started rolling over. Yay.. can't wait for him to sit up.

PPD

I am so blessed by all that I have; my kids, my family, and all of our health. I am very much looking forward to this year. It is weird; last year was so hard for me. It was a accumulation of several things. My sister, N, moved back to California after graduating college, so all of my family was in the same area again, except for me (and my sister, T, but she never lived by us – she's a Florida girl). L had to have two corrective surgeries for his urethra. I lost my grandma and couldn't go down and be a part there for her service. I continued to go to school through my delivery of the baby with no breaks, and then things kind of felt like they were falling apart. When I should have been feelings so blessed to have my beautiful babies, to be able to continue my education and the fact that Jeff and I were getting along great – I didn't feel that way. I felt (as I can even see in my blogs) run down, overwhelmed, hopeless, anxious, irritated and angry. One day when I went to MOPS I heard someone say that they felt that way. While other women in the MOPS group gasped at her honesty (the things she was saying weren't pleasant) I felt like she could have been reading a page from my life. She said she had post-partum depression. I felt relieved to know what was wrong with me and that I was not this horrible mom and wife, like I felt like I had been. If you have known me for any amount of time you know that I usually a very happy and goofy person and I just hadn't been myself. So after lots of debating with myself on whether or not it would make me a "bad" Christian, I decided to go to the doctor. I was diagnosed with severe post-partum and put on Zoloft. After a week of taking the medicine there was a definite change. I was able to feel happy and not irritated or frustrated.

I look forward to this New Year. I am hopeful and grateful for all that I have. I am writing this blog just in case someone else has felt this way. I thought that PPD was crying all the time or wanting to kill myself or my kids, but it's not just sad, it's much more than that. I struggled with taking the medicine; I don't even take pain killers so I was nervous. But my dad said that it's like a diabetic needing insulin, just like them, having 3 babies in 3 ½ years made me have a chemical imbalance. I have to tell you I am so thankful for the medication. I did not take it while I was on vacation and there was a definite change in me. So now I am back on it, I just have to remember that it is not something to stop taking because I feel better, that just means it is doing its job.

Exhausted

Ever since Marcus' got here I have wanted nothing more than to go to bed for an entire weekend and sleep. My days are so hectic and there is not a minute for myself or to spend alone with Jeff. Landon and Jay still have to be watched at bed time, so that doesn't give Jeff or I the option of alone time until after 9pm and once Marcus' colic got better he started teething. So he is still up all the time, not really settling in for a full night's sleep until after midnight. On top of those little monkeys Jeff and I are still going to school full-time. So if we are even up with just Marcus one of us is doing homework and if Marcus is sleeping we both are. I spent all of this last Sunday in the library writing papers rather than hanging out with my family. Anyway, all of this is to say that I have let my walk with God slip. I have no time for anything and unfortunately I told myself that I was too busy to read my bible because there is a constant laundry list of things to do. I practically fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow so my prayer life has suffered also. Because of my lack of time with God, I have felt too guilty to come back to Him and get back on track. All of my "busyness" has left me drained and empty with little to show for it. I am not doing anything well. I am behind in cleaning, homework, and severely lacking patience. I have known that I need to bring the Lord back into the picture but I have been bitter and grumpy. Yesterday I came across some verses that gave me hope and wanted to share:

"My wayward children," says the Lord, "come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts." Jeremiah 3:22 NLT

When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and you stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Psalm 32:3-5 NLT

Create in me a new heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
Psalm 41:10, 12

Crazy how God knows just how to speak to me even when I don't want to listen. :D