A new white board

When I think of a typical school room, I think of a big white board. How big of a white board do I really need for a homeschool classroom? Well, recently a dear friend of mine gifted me with a white board. It is a decent size white board, maybe 3 feet by 2 feet? It quickly filled up and is now our family message board in the upstairs hallway. So my hubby took me to Lowe's where we found a humongous white board. No joke, it is 8 feet by 4 feet. Hmmm... I think this will do just fine :) It is also known as flat tile board and runs around $10 for an 8'x4' piece. If you don't have a wall big enough for an 8' long whiteboard, the helpful employees at Lowe's can cut it for you! Just think, you could make whiteboard table tops for your class! 

Ok, so here is how we installed our whiteboard:

We purchased an 8'x4' piece of plywood (this was about $15) and applied a layer of liquid nails. The plywood is to keep the whiteboard from warping or curving. If your wall isn't 100% flat and square, your whiteboard will show it. 

 

Next we carefully lined up the white board on top and gently pushed it on. Next we flipped the whiteboard/plywood over and put some heavy objects on it to weigh it down so the whiteboard would adhere to the plywood.

 

We put the whiteboard facing down so that we wouldn't scratch the surface....I guess we also could have put a blanket on it....buuuut we didn't think of that at the time. 

Once the whiteboard and plywood were one piece. We held up our board against our wall so we could see how it would look. We also marked out the studs where we were going to be screwing into. NOTE: This is heavy and I would recommend screwing it into studs in your wall. 

(I apologize for the horrible lighting)

Next my hubby pre-drilled some holes, always a good idea. He held the board up to the wall in the right spot and I screwed it in. It honestly was that simple.

My hubby started adding some trim around the board to cover the screw holes. But here it is so far! And yes, it really works! Even the red EXPO dry erase marker comes off easily. Who knew that a huge whiteboard could be so cheap?! I just love projects like this. 

With Love,

Becca

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Recently my perspectives have been changing. Maybe it's having more room to live in or seeing the countryside. I'm not sure the exact reason, but I realize that cogs in my mind are turning. It all kinda started after we bought our chickens. Having organic, "farm" fresh eggs, straight from the mother hen in the morning made me start thinking about all the things I purchase on a weekly basis. Do I really need to be buying so much from these big name brand companies. The companies are making millions off their customers who believe the company when they advertise that their products are the best? And recently I've discovered that a lot of the companies are using chemicals in their products that are harmful to us. Why would I won't my children exposed to that? And why would I give them my money? Well, I'm not anymore. One of the first things I stopped buying was laundry detergent. And from my experience, as a mother of two, (with all the stains and germs and lovely smells that go along with my children's laundry) my homemade stuff works JUST as well as the stuff I was buying...If not BETTER!  I know, amazing right? I was shocked too. Kinda ridiculous that it took me so long to figure it out...but better late than never! So here is my recipe for my powdered laundry detergent. And it's perfect for the front loading washers because it doesn't produce a lot of suds. Don't be fooled by lack of suds- it is cleaning! :) And it happens to be REALLY cheap- double bonus!

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

1 cup Borax 

1 cup Washing Soda (washing- not baking- big difference)

1 bar laundry soap, (I used Fels-Naptha because of the kids, but Ivory - for sensitive skin, or Zote soap)

Over a large bowl, with a fine cheese grater, grate your soap bar. Next add in your borax and washing soda. Mix together with a spoon and transfer to a plastic container of your choice.  large hummus container (clean and dry) from Costco was what I used. This recipe will give you probably 30 washes or more. I use 1 tablespoon per normal load of laundry. But when I fill the washer with jeans and or heavily soiled I use 2 tablespoons- just to be safe. 

A few friends have asked me "How do you have time to make your own laundry stuff?" Well, first off it's really easy. And secondly, my life is all about schedules. With two kids I have to be scheduled if I want to get anything done and make sure we show up when and where we should. I also make my own fabric softener- that's the next post. 

With love,

Becca