January 20, 2013

 

A relatively uneventful weekend here, and we sure don't take that for granted.  Luke is much happier than he was this past week and sleeping much better.  His "jumpa-jumpa" came in the mail (a term that Matt and I coined - from when Levi was in his exersaucer days and we'd say, "Buddy! Jumpa-jumpa-jumpa-jumpa..." while he jumped and banged around in it) and at first he was like what the heck...  Today he was a little more intrigued by it.  Levi's stuffed animals all took their turn in it too.



Levi loves when "Luke Kabook" hangs out in his crib with him after nap time. :)

And by request:  

 

I made homemade hand sanitizer today.  I don't normally use hand sanitizer; in fact, I avoid it if possible for a variety of reasons, for the same reasons that I don't have anything labeled "antibacterial" in the house.  Washing your hands with plain soap and water are best, and germs are good for us and our immune system.  Antibacterial products, and alcohol-based hand sanitizers, not only kill the pathogens on your skin but also the good bacteria that happily dwell there and are your body's first line of defense.  I won't get on a soapbox about it, but if you want to see more, click here and here for good, simple reasons.

But just like anyone else, I find myself in situations where I would like a little squirt of something on my hands, so thought I'd give it a whirl.   Here's the recipe - I found a couple of recipes and combined them to come up with one that worked with what I had:

*Little 2oz bottles like you see on the far left can be found in the section at the grocery store or Target where you get travel sized toiletries

*1/8t tea tree oil (essential oils can be found at crafty stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's, health food store, or for even cheaper on Vitacost.com)

*24 drops lavender, cinnamon, thyme, or other essential oil that has antibacterial properties (I used lemon)

*A couple squirts of witch hazel (found at the grocery store with first aid stuff, by hydrogen peroxide, etc)

*Fill the bottle up now with 100% aloe vera (couldn't find any plain aloe at Meijer, but got a little 8oz bottle at the health food store).

*This concoction is not imperishable, so if you get some vitamin E capsules and cut a couple open and squirt the liquid in, it not only adds a pleasing emollient for your skin, it's a natural preservative too and will extend the shelf life to a few months.

Shake it up, and throw it in your bag.  Voila.