31 Days of Pinterest, Day #4: Freezing Cookie Dough

I was introduced to a delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. While it claims to be the "best ever", I can't really say that it is any better than the Toll House recipe we all know and love. I whipped up a batch of dough to bake and knew that I would want to take some cookies later in the week to my son's gymnastic teacher, Ms. Sarah. I also knew that with myself being the household "cookie monster", cookies would not last until the appropriate day. I decided to try freezing the dough. The whole process was really easy. I baked up some cookies straight from the freezer today. They turned out just as promised, delicious.

31 Days of Pinterest, Day #2: Cleaning with White Vinegar

I love buying cleaning supplies. I guess I think that I will find that ONE product that will make my heart sing and inspire me to clean, clean, clean. The same is true about Pinterest. I love pinning those cleaning tips but as I have found, no matter how many solutions I pin, my house won't become clean unless I actually clean it. In looking for homemade natural cleaning products, vinegar is the main star. Today I tried two of my "vinegar" pins.

The first is really simple, using white vinegar to clean and disinfect the bath toys. Here is the original link. I loosely followed the directions. I filled the baby's tub with water and dumped in some vinegar, I didn't measure so I have no idea how much I used. I then dumped the bath toys in. We didn't have any toys that were too terrible, just a few cups that had soap scum in the bottoms. The vinegar plus some wiping with a sponge got the toys clean and sparkling. I got an added bonus in using the baby tub as a receptacle in which to soak the toys. It is now clean too.

I also made my own spray shower cleaner. You can find the directions here. I didn't have any Dawn so I used what I had on hand, some kind of eco-friendly dish soap from Costco. I figured it was worth a shot. The recipe couldn't be easier, equal parts vinegar and dish soap combined in a spray bottle. The vinegar had to be heated first in the microwave. Not sure how important this step was except for maybe in helping the two ingredients mix together easier.

Now my shower stall was cleanish thanks to yesterday's cleaning experiments, however the walls of the shower were really covered with soap scum. The Magic Eraser didn't really work as effortlessly as I had hoped on this portion of the shower. I need something that will practically clean itself with minimal scrubbing on my part. I sprayed this stuff on the walls of the shower and let it sit. I scrubbed a bit and rinsed. I noticed a major difference and was really encouraged. I did have to reapply and repeat due to the deferred maintenance of my shower. I was able to get a sparkling shower stall without scrubbing like a maniac. I did get an old toothbrush and gave the tougher areas a once over, seriously I brush my teeth with more aggression than I scrubbed the shower, and everything came off. Amazing!  I would say it works as well if not better than any commercially prepared natural product. It is definitely cheaper. It even works as well as bleach based shower sprays. I loved that I didn't have to fear for my lungs or that I was going asphyxiate myself from the caustic fumes. Best of all, I could clean effectively while my kids were around, again without fear of the toxic chemicals.

I am falling in love with white vinegar. Too bad the smell isn't that pleasant. In this recipe, the dish soap does a good job of diluting the vinegar smell, but it isn't 100%. I could stand the smell, perhaps I don't even mind it, but my husband is really bothered by the scent of vinegar. I hope he gets used to it because I have found my new favorite cleaning ingredient.

31 Days of Pinterest, Day #1: Cleaning the Shower. Borax and Magic Eraser

When I first joined Pinterest, I have to admit I didn't get what all the fuss was about. Once I joined, all of a sudden people started "following" me. I still didn't get it. After poking around a bit, I started to get the hang of it. I discovered the coolness that is Pinterest. Like a friend said, it is like shopping without spending money. I love pinning. I collect recipes, cleaning tips, craft projects, and home decorating ideas. I have about five different theme parties in the works. I will probably never be able to realize all of them before the kids start picking their own themes, but a lady can dream.

I have now come to realize the danger that is Pinterest. Spending so much time repinning and not taking any time to actually use the good ideas that I have found. I have decided that I need to redeem my time spent on Pinterest by trying out the various tips and tricks. I want to try 31 pins. They may or may not be on consecutive days. I am setting no strict timeline. I am giving myself a pass on this one and will be happy to just accomplish any goal. The easiest and most practical to start off with is cleaning. I am in search of effective natural/non toxic cleaning solutions. Let me just say, since having the babies, it has been a constant struggle to clean the house. I am in process of establishing a routine but that is another post entirely.

My shower has been needing some attention for a while. It was in a dire disgusting condition hence no before pictures. I have too much pride, or perhaps shame, to post that. Which then rules out the need for after pics as well, nothing to compare it to so what is the point?! We'll see, maybe I will be so thrilled that I will want to show off my sparkling shower stall.

The first cleaning recommendation I decided to try was Borax. It is simple, cheap and has been around forever. I used it to scrub the shower floor. I have to say it worked as well if not better than a bleach based scouring powder. I was impressed with how easily the grime was removed and with minimal effort. In the end, there was a bit of muck left in the crevices of the patterned shower floor. It would have come up with a bit of elbow grease, but I wanted to find the easiest way to remove it. I decided to try a "Magic Eraser" on this remaining stuff. It came up easily. This is awesome because even with Comet, I have to scrub those crevices with a toothbrush to get them clean. I am impressed. Effective cleaning with no fumes. I guess technically this is two tips, but I'm sure my boards are overflowing with ideas and I will have a surplus to try. I am looking forward to possibly having a clean house in the end.