Practical living

So, since I've been out of town for the last couple of weeks, I've gotten out of my routines. Yesterday, I decided to get back on track, so Emma and I were up and ready for our walk at 6:30 - stroller, water, snacks, keys, tennis shoes - the works. We stepped outside and... YUCK! HOT!... we quickly came back inside. I jumped onto weather.com and discovered that it was 85 degrees outside at 6:30 in the morning!! The high was to be 109!! Oh good grief.... so much for my morning walk routine, which I had proudly done for the last few weeks (before going out of town). I was quite distressed about this yesterday, but was soon rejuvinated from Enrichment last night. We had dinner and then classes focussed on organization, cleaning, and time management. It was very informative. I even learned how to make my own laundry detergent (powder and liquid)! During the time management class, we talked briefly about fitting exercise into our schedules. As part of the discussion, I shared my woes in trying to go walking that morning... many sisters excitedly shared their ideas, the best being 'mall walking'. I remembered Emily had mentioned she had been doing this recently. Apparently, our nearby mall (as well as most others, I am sure) opens at 6:00 am, even though most stores stay closed till 10. So, you can walk the halls of what I thought would be a deserted mall. This morning, I tried it out - it takes about 10 minutes to get there, but it was very worthwhile. I loved it because it was air conditioned, and Emma loved it because of the music being played over the loud speaker (she danced in her stroller much of the way). We were there from about 7:30-8:15 this morning. There were a couple of things open... Mervyns, and Paradise Cafe. I was mostly surprised at how many people were there walking - it was mostly old women, but also a handful of stroller pushers, couples, and lone walkers with their headphones on. It was quite pleasant. And the children's play area was even open for use, so next time I think I'll leave 30 minutes earlier so there is more time for Emma to play (and get her exercise) as well!

Anyhoo, that is my story. Today, I don't have a whole lot planned. I need to make a meal plan for the week. I may even try making a monthly meal plan - it was one of the suggestions at Enrichment last night from the time management class. I've already made a list of our favorite meals; now I may try putting it into a calendar. Oh, the joys of motherhood and of being a wife... I'm always surprised at the things I find to make mundane tasks new and interesting. It's definitely important to keep busy. Speaking of busy, I have a new tutoring student that I've started working with a couple times a week. I'm helping his mom prep him for Kindergarten in the fall. I also start training next week for a summer playground inspection job. So, I'll be plenty busy this summer!

Oh, here are some of the cleaning solution recipes I received last night:

Powdered Laundry Detergent-
1 cup grated soap
1/2 cup washing soda (can find this in laundry isle, and comes in a 55 oz yellow box, made by Arm & Hammer, but very different from baking soda)
1/2 cup borax
Put ingredients in a container and shake up. Apparently you only need to use a Tablespoon of this detergent for a light load and 2 T for a large or heavily soiled load.

Laundry Softener-
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups baking soda
4 cups water
Combine slowly and carefully over sink. The baking soda and vinegar will fizz. Pour into plastic bottle, cover, and shake.

All Purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant-
1 teaspoon borax
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
In a spray bottle that will hold at least a pint, combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup very hot wather and shake well, mixing and dissolving the dry ingredients. To use, simply spray and wipe. This can be used indefinitely.

Automatic Dishwasher Soap-
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
Mix the washing soda and the borax and store in a plastic covered container. To use, add 2 tablespoons to the dishwasher soap compartment. If you have hard water, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups white vinegar to the rinse compartment (in place of Jet Dry) before washing.

This is just a handfull of the cleaning recipes I gathered last night. I was amazed at how they all basically use the same set of ingredients, so this would be very cost effective! I haven't tried any of it myself yet, but the lady who taught this portion swears it all works wonders (just as good or better than store bought products). Let me know if any of you have a different cleaning recipe or advice or thoughts on any of the ones listed above.