Stain Removal

My Friend Kathi (that I frequently mention!) shared a laundry tip today on her blog.  And since we as Homemakers in Training are always in need of more tips, I wanted to share with you as well!  It comes from her sister in law Lucinda, and it's her go-to stain removal tip!  I've never been one to worry too much about stains.  Maybe some would call me lazy, but I like to call myself "laid back"... My children like most have quite the knack for getting stains on their clothes so other than their Sunday outfits most of what they own are "play clothes".  Maybe with this tip from Lucinda they'll have a few more nice outfits to wear when we venture from the house!

The System

In an effort to cut down on the "work" of laundry day, I've developed a new system...I've been at it for a few months now and I think overall it's a bit less work, but teaches my children a little bit more in the area of repsonsibility and I am all about that!

Last year I read the Douggar's book entitled "The Douggars; 20 and counting!". In it Michelle mentions the "family closet" where all clothes are hung by size. This idea, combined with my sister's influence (she hangs up practically EVERYTHING besides underwear and socks!) lead me to re-arrange my children's closet space in the hopes of creating a more functional and organized wardrobe. My sister who lives in Africa has also mentioned to me that she uses a similar system. It was her prompting that finally lead me to trying it.

All things in our home are in a state of change. I have not perfected any one area of my home to the point that it cannot be improved, so know that this method is still being tested as we speak! Maybe it will work for me and maybe it won't; maybe it will work for you and maybe it won't! Only time will tell!
So here it is:

I put the girls Sunday dresses (that they are not allowed to wear for "everyday") on the top, as well as their sweaters and jackets. The lower bar is simply a tension rod made for the shower. It's placed high enough that the clothes don't drag, but low enough that the girls can still reach it. White hanger items belong to one child, pink hangers to the other; the purple hangers are for items that they both wear. I still keep their socks, underwear, pajamas and their "out of season" clothing in drawers. They are able to get themselves dressed in the mornings without me, and they are also able to put away their clothes much easier and faster on laundry day!

Bad News, Good News, Sad News, Glad News

Bad News: My washing machine stopped working and I had eight loads of laundry to do.

Good News: I went to the Sears Outlet store and bought a commercial grade, front loading, coin operated washer for $370.00 out the door!

Sad News: I got the washer home (load count up to ten), and it didn't work.

Glad News: A really nice Sears repair woman named Janice came to my house to fix it and instead fixed my old washer for only $160.00




And now I can get started on my twelve loads of laundry!

This post linked to Steady Mom & her 30 Min. Blog Challenge!

Throw Back Thursday

As I've written before, I just adore the era of the 1950's and 60's.  I know it's overglorified in my mind, but it seems a much simpler time... Until I see pictures like the one here, and read the thoughts of sweet ladies like this, who's reflections make me grateful.
The process of washing clothes has always been a tiresome chore. Think back to even prairie days when they had to go to the creek (full of dirty water) and wash clothing by hand with soap they made themselves!  When compared to that, I feel blessed that my soap making process takes me all of 20 minutes and lasts me for almost a year!! (For my post on what I call the laundry quandry click here!)
So today for Throw Back Thursday I challenge you to time how long it takes you do the the WORK of a load of laundry. (Loading the matchine, transfering clothes, folding clothes, and putting them away)  Then say a prayer of gratitude for the beautiful technology that allows us the "time" to do more for Him and for our families!
Oh, and watch your fingers on the ringer!

Better late than Never!

It's almost 4pm, on Thursday.  I had a resolution to have five or six "Throwback Thursday's" ready to go, but alas, this week "life" happened!  So here I am typing frantically wanting to get this up before I go start dinner.
One of my inspirations for this entire blog has been a sweet little book I picked up for a quarter at our local library book sale.  It's called  Heloise's Housekeeping Hints, published in 1962.  It's a sweet little book, full of fun and outdated tips!  There are so many better ways to do things than I found in this book, but for some reason I LOVE to flip through it time and time again!.
Today's Throwback comes from page 87 on the chapter "Away with Washday Woes!"

Boil Clothespins
"I usually bring my clothespins in the house when I take the laundry off the line.  But, occasionally, it wil rain while the laundry is outside.  The clothespins stay wet and turn dark where they touch the wet clothes.  This rubs off on guture washings.  So I simply boil my clothespins in a weak solution of bleach and wate for a few minutes, rinse thouroughly and dry well.  They are like new again!"

I rarely hang my laundry to dry (though sometimes in the summer I do), but I thought this was a fun little hint that would remind us to be thankful for the wonderful inventions we utilize daily called "dryers"!

Ideas from Across the Ocean...

My sister and her family are missionaries in Africa. She is an amazing woman. Not only is she beautiful, godly, an amazing mom and homeschooling housewife, but she in incredibly organized. She takes "organization" to a new level. I talked about her in my post on my past/current relationship with being organized. Recently I asked her if she would guest blog and she said she had nothing to contribute! Boy was she ever wrong! In the next few weeks I will be sharing with you her tips for cutting down on the tedious task of folding laundry, as well as keeping your kids toys orderly!

For now though I thought I would share with you what she sent me via email the other day,

"While we were in the States I bought several of WalMart's cheap plastic dishes. They come in four different colors, so I have assigned each of my kids a color. I made a little paper with three circles each colored with the child's assigned color. Then I covered it with contact paper and this is their assigned spot to put their cup. Of course we keep it by the water filter so they can get a drink any time they want. This cuts down on the dishes and also me having to help them get drinks all the time. This idea could also be used outside with an igloo cooler (like the ones they use at ball games!)"

Along those same ideas, a dear friend of ours was a stickler for organization, and used a dry erase marker to write his children's names on a tile of the counter top... They were to put their cup on their tile to be used throughout the day. Brilliant!

After all, couldn't we all stand to do a few less dishes each day, while at the same time teaching our children the responsibility of keeping track of their own items? Hmmm, seems like she's got a lot to contribute after all...

This post a part of the 30 minute blog challenge! For more, head on over to Steady Mom...

Post time: 20 minutes

Hymnal

I posted to my facebook how I dread doing the dishes. A dear friend of mine left the sweetest comment. She said this:

"Here's a trick: while you do the dishes, you sing every hymn you
know. Next thing you know the dishes are done and you are not in a bad
mood anymore!"

I think there is a lot of wisdom in these words, and I know she has the years of suddsy hands to prove it!

Laundry Update

So here is the recipe to the dry laundry soap:

5 lb box of Borax,

4 lb box of baking soda,

4 lb box of washing soda

4 bars of soap, grated.

Thoroughly m ix all of these together in a large bucket.
Use only 1 Tablespoon per load.
You can use any kind of soap you want, but I prefer laundry soaps like Zote or Fels Naptha.
So far, I really like using this. It dissolves fast and gets our clothes so fresh and clean.
Oh, and for me the ingredients worked out to be about three cents per load!