Tag: simple living

2017 · cleaning · diy · domestic engineering · housewife · housework · how to · recipe

Homemade Laundry Powder recipe. {Video}

JustBindy6 Comments

Hi friends,
One of my most highly requested blog posts & videos is to do a “how I make my washing powder”…
So here it is…washing powder1.jpgThe video can be found HERE. 

The recipe I use is by Sister Mixin and you can find it HERE. (I change the recipe slightly by adding in 1 bar of sard soap…)

The reason I make my own laundry powder is simply because –
A) I can. I have the time & desire to do so, you may not & that is fine.
B) I feel it saves us money. 
C) I also believe it is more gentle & more effective product than standard washing powders.
Laundry powder is so expensive & often full of extra fillers & chemicals, so by making my own I know what is in it and it is very cheap. All these ingredients are easily available at Coles or Woolworths & are very affordable, I always have them in my cupboard, as I use them for other uses as well.
I make mine in my Thermomix – you don’t need one to make this recipe, but I feel it would be easiest… If you don’t have a Thermomix, I would suggest you either grate the soap bars or blitz them in a food processor and then combine all the ingredients in a large clear container (a clear container so you can check that all the products are thoroughly mixed together)

I have been making this recipe for over 2 years now and I find it removes stains very well & all of our clothing is clean & soft. I do use white vinegar as a fabric softener occasionally (always with towels) & if I am washing our bedding I often add in some lavender essential oil (or even eucalyptus if we aren’t feeling well)

As mentioned in the video, I do occasionally buy washing powder. I bought one box of OMO sensitive to wash Tommy’s clothes before he was born, but I  have been washing his clothing with this powder for months and he has never had a reaction to it – none of us have. The other product I occasionally buy is Bosisto’s Laundry Powder – I only buy it maybe once a year, if it is on sale… And it is the product I like to have as my “back up” in case I run out of this mixture or I use it if we are all very sick.

I like making my own cleaning products, I currently make my own basic disinfectant spray, occasionally dish washer powder & stone bench cleaner. I have trialled making a few glass cleaners, but I’m struggling to find one I love – so for now I use the Method glass cleaner & also their timber cleaner/polish, I find both of those products to be really good. But if you have a great recipe for either of those I would love to try it out!
Please let me know in the comments below or on my social media any cleaner recipe recommendations you may have, or if you make your own laundry powder – do you use a similar recipe to this? I would love to have a read of yours!
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Have a great weekend!
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2017 · positivity · recipe

Feeling good, catch up & Choc-chip muffin recipe.

JustBindyLeave a comment

It’s a good week, to have a good week.

Hello friends,

I am so glad it is a new week, last week near killed me! I had the man-flu and I was down & out for a few days but thankfully a dose of antibiotics has me back to feeling alive!

I cannot handle being sick, it just knocks me around so bad… I was worried I was being a bit of a sook, but the doctor assured me it’s just I was hit harder with the dreaded cold/flu  that all 4 of us got. Apparently thanks to my frustrating health issue my body is “weaker”/more susceptible to getting knocked around a bit harder from really basic colds… Great. That’s just what you need as a Mum, because as you know Mumma’s ain’t got time to be sick! But it did explain why everyone else was getting better and I was getting worse!
Thankfully I’m much better and I vow never to take my usually fairly good health for granted again… I honestly told Trent to look up funeral homes, I may get a little dramatic – but I thought I was about to die. (Also I just want to say I am so thankful to Trent, for picking up my slack while I was sick, he took time off work and made sure I got rest!)
But thanks to my returning energy & good health my home is back in a neat & tidy state and life feels good again…

This morning LuLu & I whipped up a batch of choc-chip muffins! Nothing like freshly baked deliciousness to start your week off well…

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If you would like to make these scrumptious muffins this is the recipe I used….
Recipe – choc chip muffins  

It is almost the end of July… I have no clue where this year has gone but I am pretty sure  just last week it was January…
Our little man is now 7 months old!! I am sitting here with a dumbfounded look on my face as I type that, he is closer to 1 than newborn now (I am now almost crying!!)… And LuLu is 4 in October – FOUR! (I am still in melt down mode after celebrating her best little friends 4th birthday the other weekend… FOUR!!!) 

Sorry this blog post has no real rhyme or reason, it’s just a bit of a chat/catch up post… I am aiming lately to have a new blog post up every week on either Monday or Tuesday and a new video up every Friday… So hopefully that pattern continues! Speaking of blogs and videos  – is there anything in particular you would like to see more of or a specific type of post done? Please leave a comment below or contact me on my social media!
Would you prefer our “no tv” update as a blog post or video?
The 2 videos I am currently editing are cleaning & grocery videos…
Any suggestions or questions that you have feel free to let me know!

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I hope you have a wonderful week, I feel like it’s going to be a great one!
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2017 · competition · giveaway

The Simple Home by Rhonda Hetzel {Give Away}

JustBindy7 Comments
‘Being in charge of your own life, and making decisions based on what you want to do rather than what you have to do, gives you a rare kind of contentment and shows you that every ordinary day offers magnificent opportunities.’ 
– Rhonda Hetzel.

The simple home Rhonda Hetzel

Hello friends!
Today I come to you with a give away!
A give away to celebrate being back at blogging and the new year…
(Sorry I did plan for this to go up 1 month ago, but life is a bit busy!) 
So we will make it the start of February competition.

For this competition I am giving away a book.
The Simple Home by Rhonda Hetzel. 
I love this author/blogger and get so much inspiration from her, I’ve been following her for years!
This is her latest book and I just bought myself a copy & one for someone else – one of you!

I briefly saw Rhonda last year at the Toowoomba Library when she was on her book tour and she was so incredibly encouraging to listen to. She was honest about why she made certain lifestyle changes and why she has chosen to live a more simple life.
To me she is so wise & she has such a kind & warm charm to her – kind of like an old neighbour or grandmother you could listen to for hours & learn so much from. That’s what reading her books are like, advice from a wise friend. I really admire her and her practical approach to living.
The message she promotes of simplicity, frugality, back to basic living, family, kindness & the importance of home is something I love & to me it makes sense.
I strive to live a simplified life, a life that is more focused on enjoying moments and each other instead of things.
During her speech last year, she said something that resonated with me – that everyone’s idea of simple living is different. And I absolutely 110% agree with this, there is no one or right way to live simply. I like to think I live a little more simply than others but I know I don’t live as simply as others do. If that makes sense.
We are all on our own journey and doing things at our own pace.  My goal with my version of simple living is making my own cleaning products to eliminate the need for harsh chemicals in our home, making more food from scratch to reduce the number of preservatives & additives in our diet, trying to be more frugal & live with less and to declutter our home. And to eventually live a life where we are growing our own produce & maybe raising our own protein and if we are dreaming big – maybe even be self sufficient to an extent. (The last point is a long term “dream goal”, but for now we try to harvest our own venison when we can.) 

This book is a year long guide broken down into months.
“A month-by-month guide to self-reliance, productivity and contentment.”
There are chapters on organising your year, finances, growing & preserving your own food, recipes for not just food but also cleaning products, sewing & crafts, cleaning, health and slowing down plus much more. 
This book is full of beautiful images and crammed full of so much knowledge and wisdom for life & the home and I’m sure you will love it!
I have owned Rhonda’s first 2 books for years and find them incredibly helpful & inspiring to living a more slow & simple life – the type of life I aspire to. I regularly use them as guides to flip back to for advice.
If you think you would enjoy this book, which I think most of my readers would, I encourage you to enter this give away!
There is an entry form below with multiple ways to enter & you can gain extra entries for sharing on Facebook & Instagram about the giveaway!
I highly recommend this book (as well as Rhonda’s first 2 books; Down To Earth & The Simple Life. )

Just so we are all clear, here are the T&C’s;

  1. You must be a follower of this blog, either subscribe via Google, bloglovin or by email!
  2. Please comment on this blog post. Either tell me why you like ModernWifeLife31, what you would like to read more of or how you have simplified your life. 
  3. Please share this blog post.
  4. Please LIKE ModernWifeLife31 on Facebook
  5. Please follow ModernWifeLife31 on Instagram
  6. Please follow me on Twitter @Modernwifelife3
  7. You can receive an extra entry by sharing the competition post from my Facebook page & also sharing the image on Instagram – remembering to tag @Modernwifelife31 in your post. (I will manually add an additional entry for every share)
  8. Australian entries only.
  9. Competition starts 12am February 1st 2017 and ends February 8th 2017 at midnight.  
  10. Winner will be announced by lunchtime the following day.
  11. 1 prize only. 
  12. Winner and prize are final.
  13. Winner has 48 hours to contact with me their postal addresses & I will post out the book as soon as possible by standard tracked post. 
  14. Prize was purchased by me and this competition is not sponsored. RRP of book is $45.
  15. This competition is in no way affiliated or endorsed by Facebook, Instagram or Rhonda Hetzel.
  16. By entering this competition you agree to this terms & conditions.
Please enter by this entry form…

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Thank you so much for your ongoing support over the last year when I have been a little absent – I truly appreciate every single one of my readers. 
Thank you for entering & good luck! 
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