Foaming Hand Soap

Who doesn't enjoy a yummy smelling hand soap?! I'm sure we have all had those foaming hand soaps from Bath and Body in our bathrooms and enjoy picking out new scents, or we have gotten them as gifts. Over the years I have gotten more selective in the scents I choose, nothing floral and perfumy, or that smells to strong. Eventually I was only getting ones like vanilla, cinnamon or lemon because I liked the more natural smells. Now that we are hearing more negative talk about anti-bacterial soap I started wondering if using these yummy smelling soaps was such a good idea. Then I read about triclosan and I really got nervous. 

Triclosan is commonly used as the anti-bacterial agent that could be found in hand soap, toothpaste, cosmetics and lotion. One article I read explained that triclosan was tested on animals and they noticed hormonal changes, so they don't recommend pregnant women to use anti-bacterial soap. So I'm thinking, if pregnant women aren't suppose to use it, I don't think anyone should! 

What's so bad about anti-bacterial soap? I'm not a scientist or doctor so don't quote me on this, but it was explained to me like this and it makes sense:

Anti-bacterial soap is designed to kill all germs, even good germs. This weakens our immune system, raising our chances of getting sick. Anti-bacterial soap works the same way antibiotics do, so we are putting antibiotics on our skin (thus into our system) several times a day. These few reasons were enough motivation for me to make a change in my home. 

Save the foaming hand soap dispencers and you're ready to make your own soap :) I peeled the labels off and scrubbed any sticky residue off with lemon essential oil and a rag then washed them with hot soapy water. 

I used Dr. Bronner's Unscented Baby-Mild Pure Castile Soap because it's scent free, this allows me to add essential oils for different yummy smells. I have also used free and clear dish soap. You can use any kind of soap you like....the choice is yours! Pour 3 tablespoons of soap into the bottle along with 10 drops of your favorite essential oil, this time I made a lavender and a Theives (blend from Young Living).

Fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.

Screw on the pump and gently shake...tada!! You have just made your own natural, foaming hand soap...and it smells amazing!

Some other essential oils you could try:

Lemon or Citrus Fresh (YL), great for the kitchen

Purification (YL)

Peppermint

Idaho Balsm Fir or Cedarwood, for the men!!

Play with the dog.

Sometimes life just gets a little crazy.... Ok, a lot crazy. Like add some extra z's to crazzzzy.  We have tried to pack our days with as much 'stuff', activities, clubs, groups, or whatever that I think we forget about the little things, the important things. The things in our life that make us really appreciate living. Our brains never shut off and we never fully stop and....oh no don't say it!....rest. Rest. Yes that's right, rest. We get so caught up in this busy, go go go life that we have become like little working bees. Buz here, buz there. I want to take time each day to stop and listen to the birds, or watch the clouds, or even play with the dog. Oh ya, can't forget to mention playing with the dog. Take Sadie for instance, our 12 week old black labordor. 

Our adorable labordor, hey that almost rhymes. Sadie does not really know what the word stop, rest or even slow down means.  She has one speed: fast!! Yet, as crazy as this sounds, sense Sadie became part of our family, she has caused us to stop "going" so much and slow down and enjoy life a little more. How? Your thinking this doesn't make sense. If you have ever been around a lab puppy, you know that they are people pleasers, they want your full attention and praise. (Which is really great because you don't have to give them a treat every time they go wee wee outside, just lots of "good girl" is all she needs.) Anyways, my point with all this is, sense we got Sadie we have had to put down the cell phone, turn the tv off, and get down and play with her. Otherwise she will not be happy!! We have to take her outside and run with her to get some of that energy out. 

(Max and his shadow coming in from a run in the snow outside!!)

I know this isn't probably the kind of "rest" you were thinking of, but in a way it is. We are stopping all the stimulation of electronics and the go go, busy busy, rush rush we all seem to get caught up in, and we are playing wth the dog. Simple. Just throw a ball, scratch a tummy, chase a squirrel. And we've found that we are feeling more rested and refreshed because we took the time to stop and notice little things. I hope you are able to stop and rest, buy a puppy if you have too (or maybe start out with a goldfish), and look around at the life you live in and don't let it pass you by to quick. 

I promise in 20 years from now you aren't going to care who is in what relationship on Facebook, who tweeted what (what happened to real birds tweeting!!), or who won which sport game. Try something simple. Make a memory with your family. Try a crazy new ice cream flavor. Take a nap. Play with the dog.

 

During my childhood, my parents worked hard to provide for our family. They saw the value of family, faith and relationships as more important than large paychecks, fancy cars and trips to Disney World. I'm not saying these things are bad, we just plain didn't have the money to fly, buy name brand clothes, or drive the newest SUV. But that didn't mean we missed out. Road trips across the country with three young kids have lasting memories! My mom made hand-me-downs fresh and I knew how to use a drill, hammer and a skill saw by the time I was 10. They believed in hard work, a simple life and cooking hot dogs around a campfire. My parents made many sacrifices for us kids growing up and I couldn't be more blessed and thankful for it now. In this day an age, people are willing to pay someone else to paint their walls and cook their food. My goal is to take the hard working ethic my parents taught me along with the importance of love and family to simplify my life and home while enjoying it at the same time. I wish to share money saving tips, healthy food ideas and easy home improvement projects. Here's to running bare foot on green grass in the summer, power tools, Kitchen-Aids, and family.