Worm Farm

The kids spent yesterday digging. While they were digging, they discovered worms. Lots of 'em. Lots of little tiny worms and a few juicy fat ones!So we spent the day learning about worms. How they are natures composters and that they aren't "icky" but instead very helpful. We made a quart jar worm farm made with layers of mud, oatmeal, and sand with about 20 worms added. You can find the complete directions here. Now, we just have to be patient and wait about a week or so to see what those worms do! Find more earthworm facts:
National Geographic
The Adventures of Herman the Worm
Composting with worms

You know you're a "Housewife" when...

...you blog about amazing dish towels. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I'm in love with my microfiber dishtowels and I feel like I need to spread the word about their amazing-ness. They're from Casabella, makers of home cleaning products that promote eco-friendly cleaning.

Here's the story: I was shopping at my local World Market and they had the Casabella microfiber kitchen towels on super-duper clearance. So, I bought one thinking they were still a little more than I wanted to spend on a dish towel, not to mention that I already have a closet full of them, and I've had other microfiber towels, but just wasn't that impressed with them. Well, let me tell you, I tried it out and it picked up every drop of every spill, wiped dry each of my dishes even the last one, and just felt so soft that I went back to World Market the next day and bought up every last one of them. Now, you won't see me in my kitchen without one of those babies tossed over my shoulder. I think I would even pay full price for them. They're just that awesome.

Cut to two months later, I was again at World Market (you gotta love that place!) and they had the microfiber glass cloth and the microfiber dusting cloth on sale so I bought both of those. The glass cloth is amazing. I don't even have to use any cleaners, I just dampen a corner and wipe the glass and they're clean WITHOUT STREAKS, my glass cleaner can't even do that. And the dust cloth, well, it picks up just about every speck of dust in this house. It's just that good.

Casabella also sells floor-dusters with washable heads that I'm tempted to buy. Man, you just got to love a company that makes you feel so good about cleaning your house! So, there you have it. As you can see, I need to get out more so I can tell you about amazing music, or shoes or... anything but cleaning products.

Make Your Own Windsock Out of Recycled Materials

Here is a quick and easy craft project that uses things I guarantee you already have at your house. I'd like to thank Halo for being my model. My kids helped me make a windsock for my dad for his birthday. We hung it up outside to make sure that it worked. Halo saw it and everyday since she has begged me to help her make one. Today, I finally agreed. I think this would make one awesome Father's Day gift.
Materials:

• thick plastic bags (like garbage bags, not the thin grocery bags)


• an empty juice or 2 liter soda bottle, rinsed well


• yarn


• scissors


• duct-tape


• hole punch

1. Cut your juice bottle into a ring about 4 inches tall.

2. Cut the plastic bags into streamers that measure about 2" x 18". You'll need about 6 strips.

3. Roll out the duct tape with the sticky side up, but don't cut it yet. Lay your plastic streamers colorful side down onto the bottom half of the tape leaving about 1/2 inch between streamers.

4. Line up the bottom of the plastic ring with the bottom of the tape that has the streamers and roll the ring along the tape making sure that there are enough streamers for the size of the bottle. If there are not enough streamers, add more. Cut the tape.

5. Roll out more tape sticky side up, do not cut. Line up the top of the plastic ring with the top of the tape and roll covering the entire ring. Cut the tape. (This step is purely decorative, if you can call duct tape decoration.)
6. Punch 3 holes in the plastic ring at the top of the windsock. Trying to place them an equal distance from each other.

7. Tie a string to each hole. Tie the strings together so it forms a tri-pod in the center of the windsock with a longer piece to tie the windsock up with. (Sorry I don't have a better picture of how I do this, but I think you get the gist.)

8. Hang up the windsock. Voila! One beautiful windsock for your family to enjoy.

Homemade Laundry Soap

One of the ways that I've been trying to be a little more environmentally friendly is by making my own household cleaners. Truthfully, this has only made it as far as getting the books from the library, taking notes, and buying the ingredients. Mostly because I'm cheap and I refuse to throw away the stuff I already have. So, I've been slowly going through floor cleaner and bathroom cleaner and toiletbowl cleaner... Then, a friend sent me a link for directions to make your own laundry soap. At first, I wasn't thrilled because I don't really have the storage space for liquid laundry soap, I do live in a 700 sq. foot apartment, afterall. But, after a little more research I found a ton of links to making powdered laundry soap. I don't know why this intrigued me so much, but I had to go right out and buy the ingredients and make the stuff.


Powdered Laundry Soap
I ended up using the recipe that is on the Fels-Naptha Wikipedia page, go figure

• 1 bar Fels-Naptha soap, grated (or any other PURE soap)
• 1 cup washing soda (Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda)
• 1 cup borax (20 Mule Team)

Combine grated soap with washing soda & borax. Use 1 tablespoon for light load, 2 tablespoons for heavy or heavily soiled load. Use half that for front-loading washers.

Note: I used the the grater attachment on my food processor to grate the soap. Because I have a front loader washing machine, I was concerned that the big grated chunks of soap wouldn't dissolve so I changed to the chopping blade and chopped it up as fine as I could. Then, I added the washing soda and borax and pulsed a couple of times to combine.

From what I've read some of these ingredients can be hard to find, but I didn't have a problem. Borax can be found anywhere. I got Fels-Naptha at Kroger and the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda at Meijer.

By the way, I tried to find out the environmental concerns if any for using Fels-Naptha soap and I couldn't find anything. I used it, but according to what I've read, any pure soap will work, like Dr. Bronner's soap, which would smell better anyways as I find the smell of Fels Naptha to be a bit much for my taste. Plus, it's probably easier to find as they now sell Dr. Bronner's at Target!

I've only used this on four loads of laundry and so far everything has come out clean and super soft. My husband was concerned because there was no sudsing action, but apparently that is the case. No suds! Anyone else out there making homemade laundry soap? Any tips? Comments?