Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

Description:
Make your own liquid hand soap from your favorite scented bar soap!

Ingredients:
2 cups grated bar soap shavings
2 Tablespoons Glycerin (available at any drug store)
10 Cups water

Directions:
Use a cheese grater or Cuisinart to grate your bar soap into shavings (I like Yardley's Lavender). Measure 2 cups into a stock pot. Add glycerin and water. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until soap is completely melted. Allow to cool completely before filling soap pump and excess storage container. "Liquify" in a blender if you want a foamier consistency. That's it!

Note: Thanks to SavvyHousekeeping.com for the original recipe, which turned out too watery. I've altered it to get the thicker, store-bought consistency I prefer.

12/22/11 - Holiday Cheer

December has been much drier and sunnier than usual, though we often have frost in the mornings.  The girls are enjoying being able to go play outside in coats and mittens without worrying about rain or mud.  They love decorating Christmas cookies and seeing the Christmas lights wherever we go.   We went with our friends Megan and Todd to the Grotto to see the Festival of Lights.  Bethany was afraid of the puppet show but loved petting the animals (go figure), and the girls had a blast running around looking at Christmas lights with their friends Madeline and Bella.

Eva has been counting down the days until Christmas on the calendar, occasionally stuffing Mommy or Daddy’s stocking with a new picture she drew while frequently reminding us that we’re not allowed to look until Christmas.  The girls had a lot of fun filling an “Operation Christmas Child” shoebox with toys and other items for a little girl far away who wouldn’t get any presents otherwise.  Every night we’ve been reading a story from “The Jesse Tree” advent storybook.

 

We took the girls to visit Santa at Dave’s building, and Eva wanted to know where his reindeer were.  Mrs. Claus informed her that they were still on the roof, and Eva observed, “Oh, I didn’t look on the roof when we came in.  I must have missed them.”   Though Amanda wouldn’t go near Santa last year, this year she proudly informed us that “I’m not going to be shy anymore.”  She sat boldly on Santa’s lap and told him that she wanted a “puppy costume,” and that Eva needed a “lion costume with a mane.”   Bethany, on the other hand, didn’t want anything to do with the strange man in the red suit.

 

Eva seems particularly concerned this year that we don’t have a chimney for Santa to climb down.  “Maybe Daddy can build one,” she suggested, but I assured her Daddy and I will be happy to stay up and let him in through the front door.   

Transitions

A few months ago I got some new “normal” shirts for myself after 7 years of being either pregnant or nursing.  This month I decided that it’s finally time to ditch the diaper bag.  I still have to carry around a few diapers, wipes, and snacks (I keep extra clothes in the car), but a large purse can handle that just fine.   It’s another bittersweet reminder that our baby days are mostly likely behind us. 

 

Bethany recently graduated to at 2T coat, and Eva is big enough to ride in a booster seat now (though I still prefer to keep her in a 5-point harness as long as possible).   It’s funny to think that if we were following the spacing pattern we’ve had up until now (the girls are all 26 months apart), we’d already have a newborn by now.   It’s strange to have three kids who sleep through the night and only one left in diapers.  It’s weird to realize that next year, we’ll already have two who are school age.  Where does the time go? 

So "Two!"

At 27 months, Bethany is a girl who knows her own mind.  Though she still can’t talk, she expresses herself through pointing, nodding, shaking her head, and other gestures.  When she wants something that Eva or Amanda happen to be playing with, Bethany has a habit of swiping it and running away at full speed with a screaming sister on her tail.  Sometimes I wonder if the thrill of the chase or the attention is more exciting to her than the item itself.  She knows she’s not allowed to have a sweet until after she finishes lunch or dinner, but that hasn’t stopped her from pushing her food away and crying because her sisters are getting a treat after polishing their plates.    

She loves to climb on the desk while I’m typing or push her little chair around the kitchen and use it as a step-stool for reaching things she’s not supposed to get into.  She loves to get into the wet wipes and “clean” things around the house.   Yesterday I caught her wringing a wet wipe into my coffee.  She is soooo “two”!    

Bethany is now old enough to understand a lot of what she sees on TV and find it either funny or frightening.  I very rarely allow the girls to watch anything with a villain in it (at 4, Amanda is still at the age where it’s difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality).   But little things you wouldn’t think of, like Mr. McGregor chasing Peter Rabbit away from his garden,  are suddenly scaring Bethany, so I’m more careful now what I allow the girls to watch when she’s awake.  

AWANA

Eva and Amanda love their Wednesday night AWANA club.   Eva frequently asks me to help her memorize her Sparks memory verses during the week so she can finish her book and catch up with her friend Kasey (who is a year old and has two patches on her vest).   Amanda is in Cubbies (3 and 4 year olds) so her class all does the one verse together each week.   By memorizing verses and participating in activities like the canned food drive, clubbers can earn “shares” that they can spend at a bazaar twice a year.  The girls loved shopping at the Christmas bazaar and choosing presents for the family and their little friends.  Volunteers helped them wrap the gifts afterwards so they could remain a surprise, but they’re so excited I’m not sure they’ll be able to keep them a secret until Christmas.