Checking in....

It's been quite some time but with two part-time jobs plus home-keeping (another whole fulltime job in my view) I have been kept very busy.

Just wanted to note outcome of my using bicarb soda venture - I'm sure my salt/bicarb mix whitened my teeth quite a bit which was a huge bonus other than the money saving side of it BUT I found with continual use that the roof of my mouth would get sore (a little skin would peel off) or I would end up with an ulcer if I didn't rinse my mouth properly which was more my fault than the bicarb's. I was so upset about this because I loved using it. I really got use to the taste and feel of it and it made my mouth and teeth feel especially clean. I have read contradicting things about the harshness on teeth - some saying dentists reckon it will damage teeth and others saying it it just fine. So, armed with all this info I have decided to try using the bicarb/salt mixture once or twice a week tops and toothpaste for the other times and see how that goes.

I also liked what it did for my hair - felt like it had more body BUT again, I started to have breakages along the front of my hair line and that was enough for me to stop that little experiment :(

Love to use it for cleaning though. My DH cleaned out my oven the other day using the vinegar / bicarb trick and some steelo it came up a treat - thanks DH!

Next Challenge!

Okay I'm really hoping that bicarb soda is okay for you - not only am I using it as shampoo and to clean my whole house with we have been using it in our homemade toothpaste!

I cannot remember where I got the recipe from but we just use a mixture of bicarb soda and salt - six teaspoons bicarb to 2 teaspoons of salt.  It takes a little getting used to but in all honesty I think my teeth and mouth feel cleaner after using this mix.  In fact, I normally have a slightly yellow tinge to my teeth (yuck, but it's genetic I'm afraid) and I think my teeth actually look whiter after using this!

I was looking for a container at the shop the other day to keep my bicarb soda in seeing as I'm buying bigger boxes these days LOL!  It was about $6.95 to buy a glass jar from Coles that would have been a suitable size.  I decided to drop into the op-shop instead and I'm very glad I did.  I found a lovely white Maxwell Williams brand one for $3.99!  (container on right)

Although I bought it for bicarb I ended up putting my bicarb in the salt container which is kept in the cupboard and the salt in the new one as this is kept out on display.

The salt pig (I think that's what they were called!?) on the right was also from the op shop and only cost $2.99 - it is also a Maxwell Williams brand.  This is what I keep our homemade toothpaste in on the bathroom bench.  We just wet our toothbrushes and dip lightly into the mixture.

There are lots of different toothpaste recipes out there with oils, etc in them but I find this to be perfectly acceptable once you get used to it which really did not take long at all.  Happy brushing!

I've been slack!

Oh my goodness, I've been so slack lately.  I've been fighting a sore throat for what seems like weeks now but I think it has finally gone but now my asthma is playing up!  I went through and thoroughly cleaned out my bedroom just in case some dust was setting me off!

Well, I'm up to Day 18 without using shampoo!  I must say I haven't really noticed a difference in my hair other than perhaps, more so in the beginning at least, it has a bit more body but I'm hoping that is due to it not being coated in goodness-knows-what from the shampoo and conditioner and not because it is damaged from the bi-carb soda!?  LOL 

When I washed it with shampoo I had to do it every day.  I make my hair go every second day now (will just tie it up if it's not looking too crash hot).  I have not really had to deal with "greasies" thankfully!

So for now I am going to keep on going with the bicarb (1 tablespoon disintegrated into cup of water and thoroughly rubbed into scalp) and rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tablespoon mixed in cup of water and poured over after).  Will keep updating progress.

I have done absolutely nothing in the vegie garden.  I'm really letting it all just die off now ready to start again.  My DH is going to take some holidays in March and that is when we will really get stuck into it again as well as all the other jobs that need doing around here.  Why does there seem to be so many of them!?  I'm hoping we may be able to get our chicken house built then too :)

Bye for now!

Day 5 of No 'Poo

I can't believe I've made it to Day 5 of not using shampoo!

I didn't use anything yesterday - not even bicarb/vinegar as I had read that it is best not to use the bicarb every day and as I spent the day mostly at home I thought it would be a good day to give it a rest but by the end of the day it was feeling pretty yucky though it didn't look as bad as I thought it would.  I mean, I managed to endure it!  (When I told my husband what I was doing he said he hadn't even noticed and that it didn't look too bad at all).

I washed it with bicarb again this morning but this time I disintegrated it first in a cup of water as suggested elsewhere which made it easier to distribute.  I also used the vinegar rinse for the first time just on the ends of my hair.  I must admit although it doesn't feel clean when washing it like it does with shampoo, once it is dried it actually looks fine.  And I'm not sure whether it is my imagination but I feel it actually has a tiny little wave in it (you got to understand, my hair is so straight that even using a curler is a waste of time!) so this is encouraging me to persist with this!

So onwards I go in great hope that I will eventually be able to get rid of another product off my shopping list that isn't particularly good for me anyway!

No 'poo

I have heard about other people going the no-shampoo route.  I cannot stand to not wash my hair every day - because it is so fine, it looks very lank if I don't so I was not really tempted to give this a try.  But this site has motivated me in the direction of giving it a go:

http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html

I also have straight-as-a-board and fine hair so it was good to read that this type of hair coped well.

I'll let you know what I think!

Needing a kick....

Oh what is wrong with me?  I know I am sick to death of this hot weather - I feel so frustrated because I can't get outside and work on my vegie patch where everything is pretty much dead except for the capsicums and one sick cherry tomato bush!

And I have lost all interest in my housekeeping or anything for that matter.   I feel frustrated and tired and I feel like I need a holiday (which is not going to happen for at least another year).  Does anyone else have times like these??

School Lunch Ideas

I don't know about you but I am always trying to come up with new ideas for kid's school lunches.  It's boring having sandwiches day in and day out (I am not even very keen on sandwiches myself!

One of my kid's favourites is Cheesymite scrolls.  I just whip up a batch of bread dough in the bread machine.  Roll it out a bit and top with grated cheese and vegemite.  Roll up like a scroll and slice.  Sprinkle with extra cheese and bake in a moderate oven for a while.  Of course you can put any toppings on you like.  I used to do bacon or ham and cheese ones too.

My kids also like mini pizzas on English Muffin bases but all the ones you purchase from the shops have horrible preservatives so I tried this recipe here  http://www.recipezaar.com/English-Muffins-Bread-Machine-Method-63244

and made my own.  I divided the dough into 6 largish portions (which will later be divided into two - so you end up with 12) as I wanted them to be a good size so they would fill them up!

I didn't have much in the way of toppings as I was just using up some leftovers but here is the finished result:
They turned out really nice and are very yummy.

It was really easy and will definitely be making these again because I like easy!