FLEA SHAMPOO WITHOUT PESTICIDES (FOR YOUR DOG)
Ingredients: 3 oz. Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid (Some other brands can cause breathing problems in dogs.), 3 oz. of glycerin (available at drug stores), 1 1/2 oz. of white vinegar, 1 qt. water, plastic bottle
Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bottle with a lid. Wash your dog with the shampoo, lather well and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse well.
CHECK WITH YOUR VET BEFORE USING ON PUPPIES OR CATS.
******************************************************
FLEA REPELLANT RINSE WITHOUT PESTICIDES (FOR YOUR DOG)
Ingredients: 1/4 cup dried rosemary leaves, 4 cups boiling water, strainer, storage jar
Directions: Pour boiling water over rosemary leaves and allow to steep until cool. Strain. Use rinse after dog has been washed and towel dried. Do not rinse out. You can use this on yourself, too. May cause discoloration in very light colored hair.
CHECK WITH YOUR VET BEFORE USING ON PUPPIES OR CATS.***********************************************************
To send in your recipes, e-mail us with the word "recipe" in the subject line.
BABY WIPES
Ingredients: Large, sealing container, good quality paper towels or washclothes, 2 to 2 1/2 cups of warm water, 5-7 TBS baby oil, 3-5 TBS liquid baby bath soap
Directions: Start with an empty, large, sealing container for your wipes. You'll want to be able to open it easily with one hand. I like to use a gallon ice cream bucket. Use a good quality paper towel. The cheap ones just tear up and are a mess. I like Bounty. The Bounty Select-A-Size towels tear off to perfect size, but are expensive. You can use a regular sized roll by sawing it in half, making two narrow rolls, or tearing each one in half. There will be some lint mess if you saw it, but just brush that away.
Use half a roll for each batch of wipes. Tear off, then fold towels like an envelope to make dispensing easy, and make a stack. (this is a good job for the children to do for you!) If you use a sawed roll and an ice cream container, you don't need to tear or fold at all. Just put the roll into the container, and tear off sheets as needed.
Mix together warm water, baby oil, and 3 liquid baby bath soap in the container, then add paper towels. Wait a minute, then close the container, and flip it upside-down for about 30 minutes, to let fluid saturate entire stack.
You can also make this with 3-4 dozen plain white washcloths, then toss in with your cloth diapers to clean.
***********************************************************
BATH SALTS
Ingredients: glass mixing bowl, 3 cups Epsom salts (available at drugstores)
1 TBS glycerin (available at drugstores), Storage container, some essential oil or perfume (optional), a few drops of food coloring (optional)
Directions: Blend all ingredients, except for the salt, in the mixing bowl. Slowly add Epsom salts, mixing thoroughly. Store in a sealed container.
***********************************************************
BLUSHER
Ingredients: lipstick, moisturizer
Directions: If you want your lipstick and blush to match, rub a little lipstick in the palm of your hand, and mix with a couple drops of moisturizer cream. This is also a great use for leftover lipstick at the bottom of the tube.
************************************************************
BOO-BOO BUNNY
Ingredients: sponge, scissors, marker, water, plastic baggie
Directions: Draw a simple shape of a bunny (or bear, or whatever) onto a sponge. Cut out shape. Soak sponge with water and squeeze out excess. Place wet sponge in plastic bag and keep in the freezer. Use on boo-boos for small children. Keep a few wet but squeezed out washclothes in baggies for your older kids and yourself.
***********************************************************
DEODERANT
Ingredients: baking soda
Directions: If you are sensitive to commercially made products, or if you find you are out of deoderant, you can use baking soda under your arms instead.
**********************************************************
HAND SANITIZER
Ingredients: 1/4 cup aloe vera gel, 1/4 cup isopropal alcohol, 10 drops essential oil or perfume (optional), 2 tsp. glycerin, 4 oz container to hold it in
Directions: Mix all ingredients and put in an airtight 4 oz container to carry with you and sanitize your hands after touching things at public places.
**********************************************************
HEAT PACK
Ingredients: 2 cotton sport socks or 2 identical sized pieces of felt, uncooked rice, potpourri (optional), needle and thread.
Directions: Fill one sock with rice. Mix in potpourri for a nicer smell (Raw rice smells yucky when heated the first few times). Sew top together. Slip into second sock. This can be heated in the microwave, and applied to sprains or other injuries. The rice keeps hot a good long time. The second sock keeps the inside sock clean, and can be taken off and washed. You can also make a large pad out of sheets of felt filled with rice, and cover with a pillow case.
***************************************************
LIQUID SOAP
Ingredients: leftover bits of soap, water, blender, squirt bottle
Directions: Grate leftover bits of bar soap in your blender with some water. Pour into squirt bottle and keep on your sinktop for hand washing.
********************************************************
REUSABLE ICE PACK
Ingredients: zipper-lock freezer bags, isopropel alcohol, water, food coloring, permanent marker
Directions: Mix equal parts water and alcohol in a freezer bag. Add some drops of blue or purple food coloring. Write on bag: FOR INJURIES. DO NOT EAT!! Then place into another bag and write the same on the second bag. Keep in freezer for bumps and bruises. It will freeze into a "slush" and be soft and flexible for injuries.
********************************************************
TOOTHPASTE
Ingredients: baking soda
Directions: Out of toothpaste? Sprinkle a very small amount of baking soda in the palm of your hand. Wet your toothbrush and dip into the baking soda. Brush as usual. Cleans, whitens, and makes your breath sweet! It may be too strong for young children. If you use baking soda exclusively for your toothpaste, keep it in a jar with a few whole cloves inside to sweeten it a little.
COPPER CLEANER
Ingredients: table salt, vinegar
Directions: To clean copper, sprinkle a little table salt on, then add a spritz of vinegar. Rub gently with a soft cloth.
***************************************************
DISINFECTANT
Ingredients: 1 qt. spray bottle, 2 TBS bleach, water
Directions: Mix 2 TBS bleach with 1 qt. water in a squirt bottle. Use after cleaning to disinfect countertops, bathroom or baby's changing table.
*************************************************
LAUNDRY STAIN REMOVER
Ingredients: Clorox 2 laundry powder, white liquid dish detergent (Like Ivory or Dove), Hot water
Directions: Mix together equal parts Clorox 2 powder and white liquid dish detergent. Add hot water and stir until you have soapy water, enough to soak your item. Soak stained item for as long as it takes to remove stain, checking every hour or so. It may take a long time, even days. When stain is gone, rinse with cool water, and wash as usual.
*************************************************
CLOWN MAKEUP
Ingredients: 1 TBS solid vegetable shortening (like white Crisco), 2 TBS Cornstarch, coloring
Directions: Combine all ingredients and mix well. Non-irritating, and washes off skin easily. Careful, this will stain clothing
****************************************
FINGER PAINT KIT
Ingredients (per each color): 2 TBS corn starch, 6 TBS cold water + more water, food coloring, water, containers for paints, stirring sticks, wax paper or small paper plates for palettes
Directions: In a small bowl, stir together corn starch and cold water until smooth. Slowly stir mixture into 1/2 cup of boiling water, continuing to cook and stirring constantly until mixture is thick and smooth. If it gets too thick, add a little bit more water. It should be thick like a pudding. Add food coloring, and stir until a uniform color. Remove from heat and let cool completely before spooning into plastic resealable containers. Make primary colors (red, blue, yellow), plus white, and give to the child with a pile of plain white paper, a few sheets of wax paper or small paper plates (for palettes), and wooden or plastic coffee stirrers or craft sticks, to blend colors.
*********************************************
MODELING DOUGH
Ingredients: 1 cup white flour, 1 cup water, 2 tsp. cream of tartar, 1/4 cup salt, 1 TBS vegetable oil, food coloring, wax paper, saucepan , metal spoon, sealed container(s) for storage
Directions: Let your child decide what color she wants, and add food coloring to the water. Omit color for white dough. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When dough starts to stiffen and stick to the spoon, dump onto a sheet of waxed paper, and allow to cool a little bit, until you can handle it without getting burned. Knead until smooth. Store in a plastic zipper top bag or sealed container.
********************************************
PASTE
Ingredients: white, all-purpose flour, water, storage jar
Directions: Mix water into flour to form a paste. Use just like regular craft paste for paper crafts. Dries white.
