Laundry...the bane of my existence

You may have heard me lament on my laundry situation before.  With three, well four if you count my Go-With-The-Flow Husband, crazy, active boys in my life it seems as if the laundry multiplies by leaps and bounds.  Just when I think I have caught up with it, it's spilling out of the hampers yet again.  As one can imagine, I go through A LOT of laundry detergent.  Now I have been using the Ecos Brand laundry detergent for a number of years now due to sensitive skin issues with myself and the Risk-Taker.  It really is not that pricey, but I decided that we needed to cut that expense out of our budget and I searched for a cheaper, yet just as effective detergent for us.  Here is what I came up with:

Now, I know that this doesn't look like much in the way of laundry detergent, but let me tell you about the process that all of this undergoes.  First off, I grate about 1/3 of the Fels-Naptha soap and melt it in about 3 pints of hot water on the stove.  I then added 1/2 cup each of the washing soda and the Borax.  This mixture is then stirred until thickened and then removed from the heat.  I put one quart of hot water into a  2-gallon bucket and added the soap mixture to it.  This mixture is then stirred completely and hot water is added to top it off.  This mixture needs to set for 24 hours in order to "gel".  After 24 hours it is ready to use, you may need to add more hot water to the mixture if it is gelled too much, and you will need to mix before each use.  I poured my mixture into empty detergent bottles that I already had.  It takes approximately 1/2 cup of this mixture to wash a large load of laundry...the cost per load of laundry is approximately .03!!  Our clothes are wonderfully clean, no fragrances have been added, and we save money over the long run!!

I know that it is "weird" to do this sort of thing, but so far these "weird" things work for us!

Now, if I could just find a way to have the laundry folded and put away I would be a happy camper!

Dinner on a whim...Cream of Anything Soup

While trying to figure out what would grace our dinner table last night I was struck with a craving for a thick, creamy soup.  Since Go-with-the Flow Husband has been trying to lose some weight and has decided to go the no carb route (and won't listen to me tell him that whole grain carbs really are ok, in moderation) it has become increasingly difficult for me to make dinner.   However, planning and executing last night's meal wasn't too terrible. 

I found a head of broccoli and a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator and decided that they would become that thick, creamy soup that I was craving.

I chopped these up to yield approximately 8 cups worth of the cruciferous vegetables.

*Note:  These are the veggies that I had on hand, but 8 cups of any veggies will do, I've used asparagus, potatoes, spinach, etc before.  You can be as creative as you wish!

While I was chopping the broccoli and cauliflower I had 2 tbsp. of butter melting in a large stockpot.  To this melted butter I added one chopped onion and one chopped celery stalk and sauted until tender.  Once the onion and celery were tender (and smelling divine), I added 3 cups of  homemade vegetable stock and the chopped broccoli and cauliflower.  I brought it to a simmer, covered the pot and let it continue bubbling for 10 minutes.  During this time I prepped my Vit-a-Mix in order to puree the veggies once they were soft.  I could really use an immersion blender to help prevent me from pouring the veggies back and forth, but alas I do not have one in my cabinet yet.  Once the veggies were soft I pureed them in batches and put them back in the pot.  I then made a roux from 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour.  To the roux I added 2 cups of milk and stirred continuously over low heat until it was thick and bubbly.  This was added to the pureed veggies and the whole pot was then stirred and seasoned with some white pepper and salt.

I serrved this soup with the option of sour cream dollops on top and slices of homemade cheesy bread.  It was a hit...well, not so much with the Explorer...he is having 4 year-old moments with ALL food lately, but he did finish in order to have the all coveted dessert!

I am so bad at this...

So I was "gently" reminded by my friend, Granola Mom 4 God, that she has been staring at the same page on my blog for the past month.  Every time I try, in earnest, to start this project again it falls by the wayside.  It is not because I don't care, it is because I am intimidated! 

It is very intimidating for me to write my thoughts and actions down.  I am not sure why this is.  Perhaps it is because I am a "private" person, perhaps it is because I don't want to be judged, perhaps it is because I don't have the words to express myself...who knows?

The past month has seen some difficulties for us, but we are pulling ourselves back together and finding it easier to move on....family does that for you, and for my family I am extremely grateful on this day (all days, really, but today in particular). 

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu

Flu vaccine for my family? I don't think so...

I know that there are many opinions out there on modern medicine, and while there are many good aspects we are still wary of quite a bit.  Take the Flu Vaccine, for example.  After listening to the media and doing our own research, we are very much against giving our children this vaccine.  Take a look at this video: 




We are not willing to give this to our children due to these reasons.  We have found ways to combat the flu in our home, and while we may get a small strain of something, we get rid of it in 2 to 3 days.  We always try to keep our family's immune system in tip-top shape by utilizing a whole foods diet, but at times things happen. When they do happen, we have natures toolbox to help us out...it hasn't failed us so far.  Granted, if my children were to get extremely sick and I couldn't nurse them back to health on my own I would most certainly seek medical advice.

The Explorer had a fever and diarhea two weeks ago, and after much rest, many cups of warm honey chamomile tea laced with coconut oil and raw, local honey, and use of Young Living Essential Oils he was on the mend after 48 hours.

Our methods may not be everyone's cup of tea (pun intended), but thus far they have worked for us and we enjoy the fact that we do not need to run to the doctor's office for every sniffle, cough, and sneeze.

Be well,

My, oh my, how the time does fly!!

Since my last post I have done much soul searching trying to figure out why I even started this darn thing. Well, in all honesty it was to be a "scrapbook" of sorts since I no longer have time for the "paper pushing" kind of scrappin' that I love (sorry, Babe, I know you want me to go digital but there's just something about the feel of the paper and embellishments in my hands that I can't leave behind). I now know that I would like for my blogging to be a record of us; who we are, and why we are raising our family the way that we are.

We are a family of 5: Hip(pie) Mama,my wonderful Go-With-The-Flow Husband , and our 3 amazing sons:  The Seeker, The Risk-Taker, and The Explorer.

I promise, we don't usually color-coordinate!

One of our missions in this life is to give our boys all of the tools that they will need in order to become amazing men.  We do this through various routes and you will find many of them explored through this blog. 

We live as much of a holistic lifestyle as possible, and I must say that my Go-With-The-Flow Husband  has been amazing in this aspect and listening to my ideas and research and helping me implement them, or giving me the tools I need in order to see my ideas to fruition.  He had NO IDEA what he was getting into when our hearts connected.

I've always been a bit of a hip(pie), my Mom and Grandmother like to say that I was born in the wrong generation.  In high-school I really started to embrace the type of lifestyle that I now live.  Of course, I was de-railed here and there, but the ideals have always stayed with me.   Once I had my own children it became very apparent to me that I needed to follow the path that had been set for me when I first fell on it all of those years before.

So, hear we are.  A happy, holistic-minded, organic eating, raw-milk drinking, homeschooling, gardening/preserving, all around "crunchy" family.  Now, that doesn't mean that I can't sport my beloved 17 year-old Birkenstocks and sport a fancy pedicure to boot...after all, I am a Hip(pie) Mama!!

An update

I must admit that it is due to an addiction that supplies immediate satisfaction that I have not updated my blog. This addiction is called "Facebook". Ok, I guess it's not really an addiction since I can go a day or two without logging in. But the immediate satisfaction is not a lie. I can post my thoughts at a moments notice for all of my friends to see and they can respond to me if they wish. It took me awhile to jump on that bandwagon, but once I did I was hooked.

Anyway, since I have been lax in my updates, the month of June shall take the form of several haiku (thanks for the idea, Sarah!)...quick and to the point. Here we go:

Baby boy breaks free
Four years old no training wheels
Growing up too fast



Middle one turns eight
Day at the zoo was his plan
Animal lover

Oldest son jumps in

Open water half a mile

Finishes sixth of twenty-four

Garden is growing

Lots of work in store for me

Rain makes weeds grow fast

Busy month for us

Hopefully we can slow down

Unlikely forecast

Garden gratification

After the rain stopped today, I took a much needed trip to the compost bin to empty our overflowing bucket. As I made my way out towards the bin and adjacent garden there was a guilty looking rabbit scurrying away. Looking over his shoulder as he paused from his flee, he decided that yes, I definitely was staying in the garden and continued on his way. Upon examination of my garden, I noticed that either my radishes had pushed their way out or my intruder had been grazing on them. My guess is the latter. I was able to harvest quite a few of them and my mouth is watering as I type this in anticipation of slicing them up and sprinkling them with my Real Salt sea salt...my very favorite way to eat radishes, YUM!



Now, I know that readishes are an early crop, but this just gives me a wonderful anticpation of things to come!