Going Green??

         So Matthew and I just returned from a trip to see his family, which is never long enough. The company is always great and the kids always find ways to get on each others nerves but no matter what happens or how long we are there it never seems to be long enough to spend as much time as we want with everyone. Another part of the trip I enjoy are the long and deep conversations with my MIL. She has always been a great listener and has a way of being objective without judgement about any situation even when it affects her. I love her even more for that! :) During this trip we discussed some things Matthew and I needed to figure out (will get to that later) and also some in general life and world discussions. For example we talked about being self sufficient and not having to rely on anyone for anything. While convenience is nice and we all abuse it daily, maybe we should be careful to become so reliant on someone else always doing or making things for us. This is a really important issue to me because of the way we are living in the world, if something were to happen and we be cut from our supply of things the world would be panicked and things would not look too good for most. And on top of that there are so many fillers in all the products we use today that they are not healthy for our bodies anyway. So out of this conversation spawned a desire to make our own toothpaste, shampoo, and other household items. I know we are not the first by any means and wont be the last, I just wanted to start sharing with everyone what we are doing and how it is working incase anyone should choose to do the same. The biggest downfall of our plan so far is that we do not have any land to grow our own vegetables and fruits. I am going to start with some herbs on the balcony and maybe one day we can start a garden. 

         The beginning of our journey is toothpaste! I found the recipe today and made it at home, then preceded to use it tonight. It is super simple and I actually had all ingredients in the cabinet! (which never happens for any recipe!). The website http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-toothpaste-recipe-easy-and-frugal/ is full of info and Matt Jabs, the creator, even has a book on how to make all sorts of household products (which I am hoping to buy soon). The simple recipe is:

     2/3 cup of baking soda

     4 teaspoons of fine sea salt (optional)

     1-2 tsp of peppermint or mint extract for flavor

     water to desired consistency

Its really that simple! Now it is salty and the salt does over power the extract some but it does make your teeth feel clean. The author of the blog also breaks down the cost of everything so you can see what you are saving. I am very excited about this new alternative to store bought toothpaste and I know Matthew will be when he gets home as well. I am hoping to get rid of deodorants next but not sure how this will work for us. Again check out Matt Jabs website for all sorts of alternatives and we will keep you posted on our progress. :) Love to all!!

xoxo