So, what have I learned?

If only there were enough hours in the day to tell you!! I am once again settled (see nathanandcherie.blogspot.com for pictures/commentary). I haven't really gotten "bitten" by the bug that would inspire me to write my thoughts out, but I've decided that perhaps that means that I should force myself and we'll see where that goes!

Despite my absence from the digital world, I can't even begin to tell you all of the things I've learned in a very short amount of time. I'm currently undertaking some pretty big changes in how we do things. I've taken small steps over time to change (more like CORRECT), things that I have found deficient. With Nathan's help we've embarked on making bread at home, finding out how to make and perfect different foods we enjoy, cutting out corn syrup & hydrogenated oils, supporting organic farms via Organic milk/eggs, and after a few years of teetering on the edge of what "school" would like like for our children, last year we found A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille (the first edition, I recently bought the second edition because our other one found it's way into a puddle, but I haven't been able to finish it because it doesn't seem as well written.... that may be for another post), and now we've 100% committed to keeping our children home, and I couldn't be happier!

So, what other changes could we possibly make? Much to what may be my husband's dismay, (only time will tell!), I received an e-book through The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I had signed up to read their e-magazine a few weeks ago, and have been very inspired by the issues, I'll have to share some thoughts on that sometime, but this particular e-book was on a natural home and baby. I didn't imagine as I was reading it that I would now be supporting even more change in my home.

I really enjoy being able to do things myself. Having the knowhow to complete day-to-day tasks on up to spectacular things is so much fun! I've had a drive to figure out how to make foods at home because I have a hard time buying products that are subpar, more expensive then what I can produce, and full of preservatives, so I don't! My solution to that problem has been to avoid the bad stuff and either shell out money for the goodstuff, figure it out myself, or do without. This philosophy has been a lot of things: a fun learning experience, a sad commentary on the junk that's available, and a BIG reminder that we need to be more prudent in our habits. I walk through aisles stocked with box after box, and at this point see so many products with chicken and beef and turkey, that it's nauseating. Sorry for the diversion, but have you noticed how many dead animals there are in your store just waiting? Add to that the fact that your store is only one of the 100's in your area, then multiply it by the rest of the US, and it's an amazing number. It makes me sad that our nation has necessitated having such a stockpile of food, and to think of the amount that goes to waste. When did it become okay to kill just because? I really don't think that we're being very good stewards over animal's when we not only kill them at an alarming rate, but also inject them with drugs to make them grow faster and produce more quickly, and feed them diets that are not suited for them.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox for the moment. Again, sorry for the detour, but it's been bugging me for so long! I don't even know that I articulated all my thoughts well enough, but at least I got something down. Anyway... since you've waited so patiently to find out how I'm driving my family crazy this time... da, da, da, da!!! ................

Cloth Diapers, wipes, homemade laundry detergent, and homemade cleaning solutions. Yep, all at once no less.

Why? Well, it probably starts with me being a little off my rocker, but that's okay by me! For a while now I've been buying diapers, wipes, and cleaning supplies at a pretty good rate. Having 3 kids 3 and under has provided me an opportunity to pay a HUGE amount of money to keep everybody diapered and the house clean. I've never found it easy to shell out over $100 each trip to a big box store for these things 1-2 times a month. In fact, I dread it and it makes me quite sick to my stomach, which always makes me wonder "HOW CAN I REDUCE THIS COST!" To which the world and my brain says, "Suck it up, pay the money... do it!" to which I say "FINE!" and I make my purchase and then forget about the money and go on with life until the next time.

Well, NO MORE!! I have been empowered further and I'm not turning back! To diaper my two that are still in diapers I have spent what I would spend in a month on disposables, but put it into cloth diapers... which means... NO MORE BUYING DIAPERS AND WIPES!! Yay, there was much rejoicing in the land! I no longer will be literally throwing away my money. There's something that feels so great about that. It's great for my pocketbook and the environment. A two-fer! And when we have our next child(ren) we'll be able to use this investment to diaper them as well. Plus there's a very easy wipe solution of distilled water, lavender, and tea tree oil to keep them clean and adds an antibacterial element that doesn't exists in the store bought stuff. And what's BEST OF ALL?!?!? Just like our food, I know EXACTLY what's touching their skin. Love it, love it!!!

Hee, hee... that makes me giddy. Plus when my Fels-Naptha bar soap gets here I'll be making our own laundry detergent of grated Fels, washing soda, and borax. Again, I don't have to pay someone else, I get to control what's in it, and it is more cost-effective! Oh, and I'll be cleaning my bathroom today with a mixture of borax and essential lemon oil in a homemade shaker (an old jar that we had anyway), and I'll be able to have a clean bathroom minus harsh chemicals. Again, a two-fer! Good for us, good for the environment.

So, those are the new changes around here. Someday I'll have a garden and an energy-efficient house.... we plan it out everyday! But for now, we're at least making some steps towards saving money and being self-sufficient! Now I'm off to make graham crackers... why? Because it's fun, and I'm sure you guessed it! The store bought stuff is full of junk :-D.