Tooth paste

Who doesn't love a compliment? The one I get the most is, "you're teeth are so white!" Here's the trick, I don't use "tooth paste". I gave up on it awhile back in trying to reduce the amount of chemicals I put into my body. Fluoride has long been on a controversial list of things not good for you and yet is still sold to the masses without thought. The FDA released a finding this year stating that fluoride can actually cause tooth decay! It's in our water, tooth pastes and even some bottled juices. It seems like we have over done it with out much of a positive result. So here is my alternative to tooth paste. 1/2 cup baking soda 1/2 tsp salt a few drops of mint or peppermint extract mix in a jar with just enough water to make it a paste. Dip your tooth brush and enjoy healthy, clean mouth! PS I have not had a cavity in almost 10 years.

Suds up! A quick Laundry Soap

We have 5 people in our family, three of which are under 6 years old and we cloth diaper. The math will add up to more laundry than I want to deal with, let alone the price of detergent. I found this recipe on another site about two years ago and it can be made two different ways. You can use it as a powder or melt it into a liquid for more savings and still have fantastically clean clothes. 1/2 bar of ivory soap (you can use a laundry soap bar, but it's what I had with no dyes.) 1/2 cup Borax 1/2 cup Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer brand is a yellow box) Container for dry or a 2-5 gallon bucket I spent less than $5 on all three products at Walmart. Use a food grater to grate up the bar of soap as small as you can. If making the powder just add the rest of the ingredients into a container and you're done. Use 1 tbs per load. If you want more soap for your buck make it a liquid. In a large pot bring 6 cups of water to boil and add grated soap, stir until it is fully dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Fill your bucket with a gallon and 4 cups of water and add your soap mixture. Stir and let it sit a day to gel. It will be a liquid-gel. Use a 1/2 cup per load. The whole process took me less than 10 minutes to complete and I figured it out to cost about 1 cent per load using the liquid! My whites have never needed bleach either! If you want to get creative, Hobby Lobby sells sent for candles and soaps for $2 ranging from honey almond to patchouli. You can add a few drops to the whole batch. If you want to save money on fabric softener, add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your load. (I bought 2 gallons at Sam's Club for around $3 dollars.) I promise it will not smell and will be equally soft to commercial brands. It's perfect for softening cloth diapers and infant clothing without adding chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin. Happy laundry day!