Instacram: August 2013

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Top Row:  1.) Snug as a bug 2.) Nolan blowing bubbles,  3.) Daddy and Everett fishing,  4-5.) Nolan and I got all snazzy for Brittany and Kenny's wedding

Bottom Row:  1.) Brittany and Kenny's wedding,  2.) Everett cheesing it at the doctors office, 3.) Big boy in the stroller,  4.)Nolan cheesing it at the doctors office,  5.) Sweet shades 

Top Row:  1.) Throwback Thursday: The dad crew 2.) Pig Paw and Everett,  3.) Playing quietly at the train table,  4.)  View from the barn  5.) Is anyone home?  

Bottom Row:  1.) Climbing up the ladder,  2.) Video: Hello animals!, 3.) Video: Ahhhh echo!,  4-5.) Lazy afternoon 

Top Row:  1.) Uncle Scott playing with Everett at the pool  2.) Fresh picked blackberries,  3.) Making laundry soap,  4.)  Snickerdoodle anyone?  5.) Rest in Peace "Mo-Mo" 

Middle Row:  1.) "If I could only reach this...",  2.) Old town Fredericksburg,  3.) More baby wearing,  4.) Video: angry morning  5.)  Love that bed head

Bottom Row:  1.) Video: Happy morning,  2.) Backyard butterfly, 3- 4.) Love this face,  5.) Peek a boo Everett

Top Row:  1.) Everett playing around at a farm  2.) Sleepy Nolan,  3.) He is becoming more and more obsessed with trains,  4.)  A photo grid of Tyler, me, Everett, and Nolan  5.) An unwelcome visitor in our yard

Middle Row:  1.) The many faces of Nolan,  2.) Baby wearing,  3.) Say cheese,  4.) Backyard bliss 5.)  Sweet boy

Bottom Row:  1.) Brothers,  2.) "Time in" for Everett, 3.) Sleeping brothers,  4.) My happy boys,  5.)  Everett playing on his swing set!  

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Thanks to Jess for the original inspiration for this post! 

Suds in the Bucket

For the past few months I have been making my own laundry detergent using borax, castile bar soap, baking soda, and washing soda. I started with the Duggar's powdered laundry detergent recipe and then started modifying it to better suit the needs of our house.  

You can find all these ingredients at your local grocery store or super center

Yesterday my friend Gina was telling me about some research she had done about laundry detergents and some disturbing information she came across about borax.  She pointed me to this blog which stated "Due to studies linking this chemical to reproductive problems, many European nations require the box be labeled with warning such as 'may damage fertility' and 'may damage unborn child'."  So I looked a little further into this issue and came across this blog which has a few links that have more scary warnings listed. 

What the WHAT?  I have always assumed that since borax was all-natural (i.e. not man made) that it was a "safe" product. I have been washing my baby's diapers in this stuff... it's on his butt! I have been washing our clothes, our sheets, everything in it. Ugh! I wonder if the Duggar's know... I digress. 

So today I made more detergent and removed the borax (which I just bought yesterday) and substituted in Sun Oxygen Cleaner.  Rather than having two different detergents (one for cloth diapers and for clothes/everything else) I make one and use it for everything; if you want to make your own detergent and aren't planning on using it for cloth diapers you can leave out the baking soda.

You can also find all of these ingredients at your local grocery store or super store

Check out my new (and nontoxic) recipe:  

1 cup of Washing Soda

1/2 cup of Sun Oxygen Cleaner

1/2 cup of Baking Soda 

1 bar of Castile Soap 

I quadrupled the recipe so I won't have to make it as often

Start by chopping up the bar of soap and then send it for a whirl in the food processor (I use my Baby Bullet and it works so great.)  You can use a cheese grater if you don't have a food processor.  Next, add in all of the remaining ingredients and mix together.  That's it! Use 1-3 tbs for each load (1=small, 2=med, etc.)

If you try it, let me know how you like it!