Homemade Laundry Detergent...Great Money Saver...

Having alot of children creates alot of laundry about 35 loads per week, since we are on such a tight budget we make our own laundry detergent it costs approx. $3.50 every 2 months for laundry detergent. Below is the receipe.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Saving Money with Coupons...

Need to save or have little money for food/necessities, start couponing.  I started really couponing a few months ago and while I can't get to be an Extreme couponer as seen on TV, I have found that you can get items for free or nearly free. For instance I have a stock pile of fly swatters (40) and fly tape (60 rolls) mens and womens body wash to last at least a year for my large family, mens and womens deoderant for a year. Food I have stock piled pasta about 40 boxes and hot sauce approx. 25 bottles, I could go on and on all of these items I got for free with the execption of ordering the coupons and having them mailed to me. So when you are on a low budget all it takes is a little effort to look up the deals and order the coupons, here are two sites you can look up the deals by your store,  http://thekrazycouponlady.com/ and
http://coupondivas.com/ and them you can go to http://www.couponsthingsbydede.com/All_Coupons_s/43.htm  and search out the coupons you want and order them. It's super easy and save's lots of money you may not need 40 fly swatters however they were free and I will never have to buy them again.  Check out these sites for the great deals.

Fall is here..Fun fall printables

Fall is my Favorite time of the year the crisp air, apple picking, going to the pumpkin patch with the kids. Spending time with the family there is nothing better.  Here is a link to some great FREE Fall fun Learning unit printables.

http://homeschoolcreations.com/FallFunLearningPrintables.html

Free Homeschool Worksheet links

Are you on a tight budget or just need to fill in the gaps of your homeschool here is a resource link for free homeschool worksheets. I found these worked well just to add to my current curriculum.

http://www.schoolexpress.com/

Remember this as you start your day......

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Balancing Act...

Some days I feel like I am doing a balancing act...3 girls being homeschooled a toddler and an infant not to mention the laundry, cleaning, cooking, trying to figure the bills out, etc. Through the crying baby and toddler running around screaming and my house that seems to be a complete mess the girls asking school questions, for that brief moment I think what am I doing am I crazy everyone else seems to thinks so about homeschooling when I could have them in public school.  As soon as I feel like this I ask God to give me the strength to continue and teach my children the way he intended. I refer to proverbs 3:5-6  and my day always gets better.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct^[a] your paths.

About Me..

Hello my name is Michelle, I am a mother of 16, Megan,David,Danielle,Faith,Isabella,Irelyn, Paityn, Joylynn and Tyler(my angel baby),(8 early losses), I decided to be a stay at home mom after 20 years of working in the Healthcare Industry. We lost or son Tyler at 16 weeks gestation on March 2, 2010 from that point God layed it on my heart that I needed to be home and teach my children and cherish all he has given me. Then the journey of homeschooling began. My daughter Megan (19) got married this past July (to Matt who is a very giving and loving man) and is finishing college for Human Services. My son David (21) is in the Army Reserve and is studying electrical engineering. My husband Dave works full time. Life gets crazy at times but I would not trade it for anything.