When a good life goes bad

This last week was hard and I was having a rough time finding the beauty. Although today I was able to really enjoy my family and have some one on one time with L. and B. I took my four year old son to the Green Living Expo in Plano. It was packed out. We got to ride the bus to the convention center, which L. loved. He even found some ABC gum that I had to pry out of his grubby little hand, score. We got started looking at everything right away. There are so many great business out there that are really interested in doing things in a sustainable way. I wish I had more money so I could support them all. But I do keep the handouts that I took and I can use these companies when we do need that type of service. I am especially interested in the gardening, sustainable landscape, and worm composting. I am very excited to start my own worm composting bin. I found a lady that sales them out of her warehouse. I am so there. We got a free handmade fabric shopping bag for getting our picture taken with a sign stating why we use reusable bags for shopping. L of course was being shy and looked behind him when it was time to take the picture. They probably won't be using that picture for publicity shots, but we did get to pick out the bag we wanted. It is white with navy blue material with little white fish on the handles. Very cute. Perfect for toting all our handouts inside. All the free stuff aside, L and I had a great time looking at everything. Tonight, before he went to bed he gave me a big hug and kiss and told me "your fun mommy!". Does life get any better than that. I submit that it does not.

Lemon-Mint Window Wash

I have a good recipe for glass cleaner. I love the way it smells--like spring in a bottle. I usually use a microfiber rag to clean the window with this spray. I don't like using newspaper since you end up with black hands when you are done.

Mix the following in a small spray bottle:

Juice of one lemon
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. peppermint essential oil
1 tsp cornstarch

Green Cleaning

One of things that I really enjoy is making my own cleaners. I like that I know exactly what is in it and can control how I want it to smell. I will share a few of my favorite recipes:

Gorgeously Green All-Purpose Spray
From: Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano

32 oz spray bottle
2 cups filtered water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp. pure castile soap
3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
20 drops tea tree oil
20 drops lavender or lemon grass essential oil

Mix all ingredients together in spray bottle. I have made a few variations on this cleaner. For the bathroom I use Borax instead of hydrogen peroxide (I don't like the smell of the peroxide). I have read that Borax should not be used on food prep surfaces so I don't use this variation in the kitchen.