Archives for October 2017
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Farmers who wait for the perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
It is so easy to procrastinate, find excuses, get busy. Next thing you know, life passes without accomplishment.
Chemical Dependency: Reducing the Chemicals in Your Home, part 2: The Kitchen
Chemical Dependency Part 2:
Reducing chemicals in the kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so they say, and I tend to agree! We spend a lot of time there, making a lot of memories and messes! In fact, when I think back to some of my funniest memories, many are tied to the kitchen and a mess! Something got burnt, sat on, spilled or sprayed, and everyone laughed hysterically! Until they had to clean it up! Of all the cleaning I do, most of it happens in the kitchen. I probably clean the kitchen ten times before I clean any other room even once. It’s in constant use! With all this emphasis on the kitchen, I knew we had to focus on reducing chemicals in the kitchen!
We, at The Winsome Wanderer, are a participant in the Amazon Service LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This site may contain other affiliate links as well. For more details, you can see our full but boring disclosures here.
My first DIY (Do It Yourself) cleaner was my glass cleaner.
(You can find that recipe here.)
I created it first simply because I had run out of it and needed some more glass cleaner, but hot on it’s heels came a surface cleaner for use in the kitchen. I needed to stop using those unknown chemicals on my food prep surface! I also needed something that I could feel confident was actually cleaning and sanitizing my counters, safely. After much research, I came up with this recipe.
(DIY surface cleaner – not for granite).
My previous house had laminate counter tops, and this cleaner worked great! Then we moved to our current home which has granite counter tops. I was warned not to use anything acidic on natural stone or else it could cause etching and/or pitting. Vinegar is very acidic and was in my previous cleaner! For a while I just cleaned my counters with some soapy water until I could figure out something else. Then it occurred to me there was a much easier way! You won’t believe how simple and convenient this one is!
(Click here for the DIY surface cleaner recipe for granite and more)
I spray this cleaner generously on all the granite surfaces in my home. If I have a stuck on mess, I soak it with the solution, and come back to it after having wiped down everything else. Just make sure to wipe surface completely dry for a beautiful shine. With these three Do it yourself cleaners, I am getting ever closer to my goal of reducing chemicals in the kitchen!
From my nest to yours,
Jo
P.S. We would love to hear fun memories from your kitchen… Oh right, stay on topic, and we would also like to hear how you have found ways of reducing chemicals in the kitchen.
DIY Granite Surface Cleaner (good for just about any surface)
I had a discovery that led me to create a (Do It Yourself) DIY Granite Surface Cleaner.
“Let me preface this by stating that I don’t consider myself to be a health nut, or environmental activist, but rather a homemaker who wants to make her family’s environment as healthy as possible.”
We, at The Winsome Wanderer, are a participant in the Amazon Service LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This site may contain other affiliate links as well. For more details, you can see our full but boring disclosures here.
About ten years ago, I had a revelation about my homemaking.
At the time, I had embarked on some dietary changes, and was reading labels. One day while cleaning, I thought, “Why not read the labels on my household cleaners?” I couldn’t find a list of ingredients anywhere. There were catch phrases on bottles such as “Now with Bleach!” but no list of ingredients.
“I had never noticed this before. “
However, I did notice on one of the bottles it said that you needed to rinse the surface (the one you just wiped down with this product) before using for food preparation. I hadn’t been doing that! I was horrified! I didn’t want to have to wipe my counters down twice each time, and I certainly didn’t want to worry if I missed any harmful residue!
So led my search for less harsh chemicals!!!!!
(see my 1st article: Chemical Dependency: Reducing the Chemicals in Your Home)
(You can also check out my follow up article: Chemical Dependency: Reducing the Chemicals in Your Home, part 2: The Kitchen)
Looking for an effective Surface Cleaner while not wanting all the harsh chemicals that normally come with household cleaners? Here is a simple yet effective (Do It Yourself) DIY Granite Surface Cleaner. Click here to Download your (Do it Yourself) DIY Granite Surface Cleaner Recipe
You can also get our Do It Yourself Surface Cleaner (NOT for granite) which is effective and affordable without several harsh chemicals. (Click here for your DIY Surface Cleaner Recipe)
Additionally, I have developed a Do It Yourself Glass Cleaner which is effective and affordable without several harsh chemicals as well. (Click here for your DIY Glass Cleaner Recipe)
From my nest to yours,
Jo
Surface Cleaner Recipe (NOT for granite)
I had a discovery that led me to create a DIY (Do It Yourself) Surface Cleaner (not for granite).
“Let me preface this by stating that I don’t consider myself to be a health nut, or environmental activist, but rather a homemaker who wants to make her family’s environment as healthy as possible.”
We, at The Winsome Wanderer, are a participant in the Amazon Service LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This site may contain other affiliate links as well. For more details, you can see our full but boring disclosures here.
About ten years ago, I had a revelation about my homemaking.
At the time, I had embarked on some dietary changes, and was reading labels. One day while cleaning, I thought, “Why not read the labels on my household cleaners?” I couldn’t find a list of ingredients anywhere. There were catch phrases on bottles such as “Now with Bleach!” but no list of ingredients.
“I had never noticed this before. “
However, I did notice on one of the bottles it said that you needed to rinse the surface (the one you just wiped down with this product) before using for food preparation. I hadn’t been doing that! I was horrified! I didn’t want to have to wipe my counters down twice each time, and I certainly didn’t want to worry if I missed any harmful residue!
So led my search for less harsh chemicals!!!!!
(see my 1st article: Chemical Dependency: Reducing the Chemicals in Your Home)
(You can also check out my follow up article: Chemical Dependency: Reducing the Chemicals in Your Home, part 2: The Kitchen)
Looking for an effective Surface Cleaner while not wanting all the harsh chemicals that normally come with household cleaners? Here is a simple yet effective Do It Yourself Surface Cleaner.
Click here to Download your Do it Yourself Surface Cleaner
You can also get our Do It Yourself Glass Cleaner which is effective and affordable without several harsh chemicals as well. (Click here for your DIY Glass Cleaner Recipe)
From my nest to yours,
Jo
How I Got My Three Year Old To Sleep In Her Own Bed, and Discovered the Best Lullabies Ever!
How I got my toddler to sleep all night in her own bed!
About two and a half years ago, I made the discovery of a lifetime! We had just moved into our new house, and my three year old daughter now had her own bedroom. She was, understandably, feeling rather insecure when it came to sleeping alone in her own room. I needed to figure out a way to get my toddler to sleep all night in her own bed.
Many of us have faced the challenge of getting our toddler to sleep all night in her own bed. I decided to play music for her at bedtime to help her sleep. The trouble was that we didn’t have one single CD that had calm music all the way through. A more up tempo song would play, and she would awaken. I tried playing the radio, but even on K-LOVE they have breaks between music, and more up tempo songs.
So how did I get my toddler to sleep all night in her own bed!
Each night she would wake up and cry out, not going back to sleep until she was in our bed. This was exhausting. So I prayed, “Lord, how do I calm her fears, and get her to sleep in her own bed?” Just like that, it came to me…Lullabies. Of course! This was my third child, but I never before had really needed to rely on lullabies.
We, at The Winsome Wanderer, are a participant in the Amazon Service LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This site may contain other affiliate links as well. For more details, you can see our full but boring disclosures here.
I headed to my local store and found nothing. The next store had some, but I wasn’t thrilled with the choices. Amazon was my next stop. Honestly, every time I shop on Amazon, I wonder why I didn’t check there first. I searched, “Christian lullabies”, fully expecting to find songs that were more, well… juvenile. There were some of those types, but one stood out. Scripture Lullabies, Hidden in My Heart, by BreakAway Music. I was already in love with the name. I headed on over to their website where I could listen to samples of the songs. I found out so much more!
Each song is scripture. These talented people have made it come alive like never before! The entire CD has one “sound”, while each song is different. One song just flows into the next. It provides a steady stream of God’s word flowing through, and filling your child’s room. It is so symphonic, and more like a movie score, than just a collection of songs. Each volume features both male and female vocalists, and one instrumental song.
However, I didn’t just listen to the songs. I read amazing testimonials from others. Several of those testimonials actually led me to tears. Like the cancer patient who discovered this music while going through treatment, and has since blessed others with this music to listen to during their treatments as well.
Another reason to love Scripture Lullabies, is their mission. One out of every ten Hidden In My Heart CDs is donated to Crisis Pregnancy Centers around the nation.
So they had me! I ordered Hidden in My Heart Volume I. The first night we had it, I sat in my daughter’s room beside her bed listening to every song. I found myself with tears streaming down my face. It was so beautiful, and touched the depths of my soul. My daughter grew attached to it right away, too. More importantly, these lullaby CDs helped my toddler to sleep all night in her own bed in her own room! The peace and reassurance this music gives is astounding!
You might also like our Post “Back to School Again.”
Check that out here.
It wasn’t long after that, that I ordered volumes II and III. Now we rotate through the three CDs. I honestly don’t know which one is my favorite. I have given them as baby shower gifts several times. Even Jack and Jill were recipients of one. They instantly fell in love, too.
In Deuteronomy, it says to fix God’s Word in your minds, and teach your children, even when you lie down and when you get up. This is an awesome tool to have in your arsenal, moms and dads! I can’t tell you how happy it makes me, when I catch my daughter singing one of these songs! My heart leaps because she is learning the word of God from this music. It is hidden in her heart!
From my nest to yours,
Jo
Here are the links to Volume 1, 2, and 3 through Amazon.
You can click on any of the pictures to take you there as well.
Hidden In My Heart: A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture
Hidden In My Heart, Volume II, A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture
Hidden in My Heart, Volume III, A Lullaby Journey Through The Life Of Jesus
P.S. We would love to hear how this music impacted you or tell us about other lullaby CDs you love!
P.P.S. This is not a sponsored post, but rather a heartfelt sharing of a set of music CDs that WE LOVE for many reasons. Having said that, feel free to click on the CD mentioned to buy through Amazon. (This does, at no additional cost to you, provide a little income for our blog family.)
P.P.P.S. Our two boys listen to one of the Hidden in My Heart CDs every night and at naptime every day. Our youngest has since the day we came back from the hospital, and I think Jo gave us the other CD when our oldest was only 1. We truly love them! Jo is right. We fell in love immediately!
P.P.P.P.S. Last one really!! (Jack says I’m not supposed to do that many P’s. I told him it is our blog, and we get to make the rules :> ) After I published this, and was looking over the post, I got a chuckle looking at the image of my little boy (now three – how fortuitous for the article) immediately followed by the title “How I got my toddler to sleep all night in her own bed.” So Jo wrote the awesome article, but I did the images, and didn’t have a handy one of her little girl sleeping…
Jill
Matthew 6:26
Word of the Week: Funtastic
Funtastic [funˈtastik] Adjective: imaginative or fanciful, light-hearted
You got me! Funtastic is not a real word unless you live in the realm of young Wanderers!
To see what I mean, check out some of our free downloadable funtastic coloring pages!
Jack Wanderer
