Make It: Homemade Vicks Vapo Rub

Make It: All Natural Vicks Vapo Rub

With cold and flu season here and running a home daycare we get exposed to sickness often. It helps that there are many things we can do to make being sick a little easier. One of those things is homemade all natural Vicks Vapo Rub, which we all know is awesome for a cough and congestion.

I found this recipe here at Garden Therapy, an awesome Blog.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup grated beeswax
• 35 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 30 drops mint essential oil
• 15 drops lavender essential oil
• 15 drops rosemary essential oil
• 10 drops camphor essential oil

Directions:

Melt the oils and wax over a double boiler. Stir in essential oils. Pour into metal tins and let set. Re-melt to add more essential oils if you want it a bit stronger. 

So easy and no chemicals, pretty awesome I think :)

MAKE IT: Homemade Grout Cleaner

Make It: Homemade all natural Grout Cleaner

So I had to share this, the grout in my front porch was driving me crazy it was so dirty. 

I try and use natural homemade cleaners when I can so I decided to try this all natural homemade grout cleaner it did an awesome job and I had everything I needed in the kitchen. 

Just mix 2 cups water with 2 cups white vinegar in a spray bottle. Sprinkle baking soda on your grout then spray with your water/vinegar mix to make it wet then grab an old toothbrush and scrub. That's it. Make sure to wash your mix off after with plain water and wipe dry. So easy and such an amazing job. I'm going to do my kitchen and bathroom next. :) This makes me happy :)

Not only was it easy, chemical free, do an awesome job, but it was super cheap to make!!

Awesome Finds: Kelp Me!

Product Review: Kelp Me!

If you have yet to hear of Kelp Me! or have been debating trying this line of seaweed infused body care products wait no longer. 

Made with all natural products, including seaweed harvested along the beautiful shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, this line of beauty care products will not let you down. Not only is it good for your skin, it smells good, and feels good.

Founded by the gorgeous Heather Jones, who hand makes all the products herself. Her line has won among other awards and honorable mentions the Award for Excellence for Outstanding Youth Craftsperson from the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

 Her line of products include:

Gardener's Soap (Carrot juice, ginger, and seaweed extract)
Hippie Scrub (Patchouli soap)
Choco-Latte Soap (Chocolaty and coffee-y, with seaweed extracts, of course)
Fisherman's Soap (Minty refreshing goodness)
SLS Free and Natural Shampoo (available in peppermint or clove)
Body Wash (same as our soaps, except liquid! available in peppermint)
Lip Balm (naturally sweet and minty)
Moisturizing Cream (thick cold cream, in a nice lemongrass scent)

I personally can say after using both her soaps and her creams I would recommend them and buy them again. They did an amazing job on the winter dryness and redness I was having on my face and they just smell awesome.
 You can visit her facebook group here and contact her for purchases. If you live in the Avalon area of Newfoundland you can find her at local farmers markets and her products can also be found in some local shops.
  If you have tried this amazing all natural line comment and let us know your experiences.


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All reviews are unbiased and honest. In no way do I receive monetary compensation for product reviews and highlights. They are truthful accounts of my personal experience with each product and service.
If you have a product or service you would like reviewed and highlighted on Eco-Wife e-mail me a product description and your contact information.

Make It: Wet Hair Turban

Yes I bought one of those Turbie twist things that you see in the seen it on t.v section. Years ago before I was sewing. They may be tacky but for someone with long hair they are awesome. If you don`t know what they are you use them when you get out of the shower to wrap your hair in instead of a towel. They stay up and in place. I use mine all the time but it`s been a pain only having one unless you do laundry daily, I`m more of a every second day laundry gal :) I wanted a few more but at 12$ each I thought why pay for it when I can make them myself and re-purpose some old towels in the process. Super easy here`s how:
You will need one long towel, scissors, a turbie towel thing or a coat hood, sewing machine, thread, elastic, washable marker or fabric marker, pins.

1. Fold your towel in half
2. Lay your turban on the folded towel on the fold, If you are using a hood the above picture shows you how to extend it for the right size.
3. Trace out your pattern with your marker or you can pin your fabric down. Cut out your pattern through the folded fabric.
4. You will need to cut a 1 inch piece of elastic.

 5. Fold the elastic in half and place the loop between the two sides with a little sticking out the top. Pin your elastic in place.

 6. Sew around the top curve of the fabric, make sure to back stitch a few times over the elastic to make it strong. Then Sew around the bottom curve. You could fold in the opening and do a finishing stitch but I did not bother. Trim the excess elastic ends.

 7. Turn inside out and you have your very own Wet Hair Turban!! :) Easy Right. My daughter modeling our new wet hair turbans :) This one really does adjust from my head to hers. One towel made two turbans for me and it`s another option for old towels.

FOOD: Vegans can be fat too!

So about a month ago I decided that I would try going Vegan again. There has been three points in my life when I have tried being vegan. The first was when I was a teenager. Back then Vegan was not a term I was familiar with but vegetarian was. I was trying to loose some weight and thought that if I gave up everything except veges I would melt away all that excess weight. I did loose weight but I had the worst pain from gas spasms and probably starvation known to man. At one point I even made a trip to the hospital I thought for sure I was dying...It was gas :) So that lasted a few months and when I went back to eating regular food the weight piled back on again. 

The second time I decided to go Vegan it was for weight reasons as well. I had watched the documentary sick, fat, and nearly dead and thought I would give it a shot. It did work, I lost 60 pounds in 60 days. I had lots of energy but I was so restricted that it just was not something a mom and wife who does all the family cooking could sustain.

This time around I decided to eat a vegan style diet for different reasons. My blood pressure was up and my arthritis was killing me. On top of that I've just been feeling tired all the time. I remembered how good I felt when I was eating all those fruits and veges and how my arthritis was under control. I also read that a vegan based diet lowers blood pressure and your chances for cancer and heart disease. So I decided to try again. I looked back at my previous attempts and realized that for it to work I have to be realistic. I have to cook for my family so my meals have to be kid and husband friendly. It`s been a month now and this is what I have discovered:

1. Vegans and Vegetarians eat so much more than chia pets and rabbit food :) You can cook anything, ANYTHING, vegan if you want. Today it`s so easy to eat meat and dairy free. The pic above includes just some of the options now available that I serve my family on a weekly basis. With vegan ground beef and vegan chicken breasts you can convert so many regular family recipes to vegan and they will not notice. I have been cooking 100% vegan meals for a month and have had not one complaint. Believe me if it tasted bad they would tell me.

2. It costs LESS to eat Vegan or Vegetarian compared to eating a regular meat based diet. For example the box above of vegetarian scallopine (which is awesome shout out to Dominion for carrying them) costs 12$ and you get 12 portions. That`s about two meals in my home with two adults, a teen, and a toddler. To purchase regular meat it would cost about the same price for one meal. You can get tons of fruits and veges for low prices. If you add chickpeas and beans to your meals your price drops so much more. I can make a Sheppard`s pie substituting mixed black eyed beans for the meat and save 3$ and it tastes amazing (The family likes the bean version better).

3. Cooking is so much easier and faster. No more taking meat out in the morning, or like me forgetting to take meat out. No more having to cook for hours to make sure the meat it safe to eat. I can pretty much cook any vegan based meal in 15-20 minutes. This is awesome for someone who does all the cooking and hates to cook :)

4. You can eat out. Pretty much all restaurants now have vegan options. So you can go out with friends and family and still maintain your diet choices.

5. You feel better. My energy level has tripled  My arthritis is under control again, even my mood has improved from cutting the meat and dairy out of my meals.

6. Finally, yes, vegans can be fat. It`s been a month and while I feel great I have not  really lost any weight. But that`s ok I FEEL better so really that`s the main thing..............Might have to do with the box of golden Oreo cookies I ate yesterday.......... They ARE vegan :)

Thoughts: Those Friggin Reusable Grocery Bags.

So you have decided to be more Eco-conscious this year. Great. Me too. Part of that is reducing waste including plastic bags. Reusable grocery bags have been around forever so that`s easy. Not so much. Below is a pic of a sample of the reusable shopping bags I have home. I buy them, I store them, I NEVER use them.

Why you may ask, well to be honest I just forget. I forget to put them in the car, I forget to take them in the store, I forget. But my goal is for this to change. Tonight I am taking all these bags and putting them in my car   again and this time things will be different.....Yea right. I have got to figure out a way to remember them. Would love suggestions.
     If you are one of the gifted that do remember to bring your bags here is a great article for keeping your bags clean and safe to use.

Make It: Homemade Reusable Scrub Mitts

 I don`t know about you but with kids, a daycare, and pets my house gets dirty, A LOT. So I clean a lot which is why I started making my own cleaning supplies to save money. One of my most favorite and easy homemade cleaning supplies are homemade scrubbing mitts. I use these baby's for everything. Cleaning the counters, the tub, pots pans, and best of all once you use them just rinse out and use again or throw them in the washer. Buying scrubbers may be cheap but those things add up and they add to landfills. These are so easy to make and SO much better than bought ones. 

You will need: 

*Terry cloth big enough for your hand front and back with extra for seams. The ones I used here are dish towels but you can use old towels you have laying around.

* Microfiber scrubbing cloth, I got mine at the dollar store. They are awesome sheets of scrubbing goodness. You can cut them and sew them to anything. I also use them on my reusable swiffer mop cloths.

* A sewing machine (You could do this by hand though)

* Thread and scissors.

 Take your terry cloth and place the two pieces on top of each other.

Place your hand on the doubled up terry cloth to see how big your mitt should be. If you are making them for a friend make sure to add extra room for bigger hands.

 Cut around your hand a square, keep in mind seam allowance for sewing and turning inside out.

 Separate the two pieces and pick which side you want your scrub material. Lay the other side of the mitt to the side for now. Cut a strip of your scrubbing cloth to the size you want, I recommend at least an inch wide and make sure it`s the full length of your mitt fabric across the top. I always add the scrub material to the top of the mitt that way you can use your finger tips to scrub.

 Now just sew your scrub to the top of the fabric. No fancy stitching needed. By the way look at my sewing machine lol it`s ancient but does the job :)

 Now place your scrubber attached material facing up in front of you. Lay your other fabric facing down on top of it. You want the right sides facing each other. I did not have to finish any sides because I will be sewing together the cut ends of the fabric and using the finished ends (I cut my fabric leaving the bottom finished end of the dish towel) as the opening to the mitt. If you have all cut ends you can sew a finishing seam around the opening to the mitt but really that`s up to you terry cloth will not frey too much and it is a scrubbing mitt not a dress :)

 Your mitt should look like this with your scrub material on the inside. Turn it inside out and poke the corners on the inside to have a clean square mitt. That`s it! All together this might take you 15-20 minutes to make and you have an awesome so-much-better-than-store-bought multipurpose reusable scrubbing mitt. Scrub on one side and wipe on the other.

 For all you busy bees that just don`t have time to make one for yourself I also sell them in my etsy store located under links at the top right hand side of the page (Sewn Sweet Designs).

 You can have fun with these and make coordinating mitts to match your kitchen.

 Now you have one less excuse to clean :) (No need to thank me for that)

Welcome

First I want to say welcome and thank you for visiting my blog. It's my first one ever! The main goal here is to document, share, and maybe just help a few others that are trying to become more self-sustaining and environmentally friendly. Along my path to a greener and more self-sustaining life I will share tips, experiences, reviews, and opinions on "Turning Green".

Why am I "Turning Green"?

1. I have kids. Today there is way too much technology. Now I like technology just as much as the next person. I love my Kobo and my microwave :) But kids are just not being kids anymore. If I left them alone they would spend all day sat in front of a screen, T.V, Computer, Phone, Pad. We plan outings. PLAN. Wow. When I was a kid we were just out. Out to play, inside to eat and sleep. They are watching life pass them by on a screen instead of living it. Living greener means less screen time. It also teaches them how to be self sufficient just in case they need to in the future. I don't want them to be dependent on technology to live. They should know how to make food, clean, entertain themselves without having to go to a store first.

2. It costs less. The fact is making your own supplies, reusing things you have and eating more fruits and vegetables cost a lot less. To be honest I would say saving money is probably a close tie if not number one on my list of reasons to become "Greener". A lot of the things I started doing, like making my own cleaning supplies, was to save money. Being "Green" was a side effect.

3. It just feels good. It feels good to not waste food, it feels good to make and use your own supplies, it feels good to know you are not dependent on someone else to supply you with the everyday things you need and use.

4. Finally it helps the environment  I'm not going to preach about all the benefits of not using chemicals or cutting down or out processed food, meat, dairy. You hear it all the time and that is not the point of this blog but you know what they are.

I hope you will join me in this endeavor of trying new things, learning new ways, and having fun in the process. And please share and comment as much as you like.

Krista