Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Stay up to date on the latest posts. Subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

I mentioned a couple weeks back that I was unhappy with the way my dishes were looking after being ran through the dishwasher. Crummy, foggy and just plain dirty. After most washes I’d have to examine them all and re-do the REALLY bad ones and say O’WELL to the others. The reality is I don’t have time to rewash dishes. Sometimes, I’d even dampen a cloth before I’d eat off a plate if I could feel detergent powder. Gross!

I started using eco friendly dish washing detergent awhile ago to clean green up my act! I’ve used a few mainstream products in both liquid and powder form. So far I have not been impressed. I have an energy efficient Frigidaire model AND so far the following versions I have not had success with.

- Trader Joe’s

- Seventh Generation

- Ecover Tablets

- Method Smarty Dish

- Earth Friendly

I decided the next step in my quest for a dish washing detergent was my own version. There are many reasons why this approach is beneficial. For one, your wallet is spared since you’re more than likely buying less and the ingredients can be bought in bulk.  I also like the simple fact that it will create less waste. A biggie in my book. Okay, so on with the recipe and less chitter chatter.

Read more

Earth Birthday Wrap Up: Homemade Love

Over the weekend we celebrated Tristan’s “Earth Birthday” party at my in-law’s house.. We had such a good time. I’m so thankful my in-law’s offered to have it at their place. It helped take some of the pressure off Tyler and I.  It was a lot of work anyway and definitely worth all the extra effort. This year to make it an eco-friendly birthday we didn’t have much time to really pull all the things we wanted to do together. With the arrival of Clark and several other side swipes it’s been a bit chaotic.

The party wasn’t until 3pm so we decided that we would make homemade pizzas from scratch and serve them up a salad and roasted potato wedges using organic and local ingredients. I also decided that I would make the pizza sauce from scratch also. I’d seen a recipe for both at The Natural Mommy’s site awhile back and have wanted to try it out. It turned out great and the guests really enjoyed the pizzas. We made a classic pepperoni, mushroom and olive, a veggie, a sundried tomato, artichoke, garlic and green onion, and a hawaiian pizza. I wish I would’ve taken pictures of the pizza/food. I did manage to snap a couple before shots.  It’s hard to juggle everything at once during a birthday party!!!

For the sauce I made both my own, from scratch (had 5 ripe tomatoes that needed to be used) and a homemade version from The Natural Mommy’s recipe using tomato paste. I then had about a 1/4 jar of pizza sauce that I had purchased a couple weeks prior and didn’t use all of it. After cooking up the sauces, I took all three and combined them.

My husband made the birthday cake- it was a Paula Dean cake called 1,2, 3, 4. It was more like shortcake/pound cake- it was very heavy. It was tasty but with frosting it was like a big cookie cake. We also made fresh lemonade from the lemons we brought back from my grandparents home a couple weekends ago. We’d planned to make ice-cream but time didn’t allow for it.

We did not purchase any decorations and were able to re-use the plates and napkins we had from the shower. We didn’t even send out evites for this party- it was word of mouth or by phone. This party was very last minute. I wanted to upcycle a birthday banner using some vintage fabric I have but just never found the time. Hopefully, this year, I’ll have some time to make it.  We made a pinata again this year and you’ll have to read about it at Eco Child’s Play. We filled the pinata with eco friendly treats such as glee gum, organic lollipops and organic fruit strips.

The kids did not get treat bags either. I’d forgotten to bring over the produce bags I’d planned on re-using like we did last year but we ended up giving them sandwich baggies to place their treats in- I know, cringe! It was mainly family who attended so their weren’t many kids, 5 total including Tristan. His two play buddies; he see’s almost weekly were not able to make it. He still had a lot of fun. They played in his playhouse we bought him (my parents, ty’s parents, and us) that is made out of sustainable wood. It’s really cute- I’m going to do a seperate post on that.

Overall, the party went smoothly.  It was small and sweet. The homemade touches made for a cozy feel. We saved money and the planet! Woo hoo! 

How to Throw An Eco Birthday!

** Editors Note: I originally had this posted as a page so I’m reposting here and made a few changes!

It’s coming up on a year since we celebrated Mr. Tristar’s Earth Day First Birthday! It went well. I owe my sister a huge THANKS for sticking behind the scene’s and getting er’ done!  You want to talk domesticated this girl is like lightening when it comes to a party.  Had she not have been there we probably would not have pulled it off as successfully.

Throwing an environmentally friendly party for your little one may sound difficult- but quite honestly, it’s not. Really. I enjoyed putting the extra effort into everything. I think it adds a little more of the downhome warm fuzzy’s aspect. There just wasn’t a minute that went by while planning for this that I felt inconvenienced. The joy and happiness I felt during the planning and the party was worth every extra minute. Rememeber, the key is to have fun and relax…enjoy all the moments because they go fast!

Alright, I’ll get down right to it…

We used Echoage for the invitations! “Where children celebrate giving” Rather than your guest buy a plastic toy gift for your child they donate a comfortable amount to a cause. In our case, we chose the Earth Corps., campaign. Echoage receives 15% for the work and the rest of is split in half- 50% going to the charity and the other 50% to the child!! We received our Echoage check nt to long after his birthday and Tristan contributed 51.00 dollars to the Earth Corps. charity- www.earthcorps.org 

This happened to work out perfect for us because we were celebrating a first birthday. I honestly, think this was a one time shot…but I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Explain to your child the concept and go from there. SO, if you can’t Echoage your child’s party you can also consider using Evite,  Pinng, or Hallmark (my favorite is Hallmark) We used Hallmark for the Thank You cards. Should you decide to use traditional paper invitations, consider, purchasing cardstock made out of recycled paper.

Having the party outdoors is a benefit because the children can enjoy being in nature…or perhaps even going to a botanical garden or outdoor center of sorts…get the kids unplugged for the day. Now for the fun part, the treats and goodies. We made a cake from scratch using the recipe “First Birthday” cake out the book Homemade Baby Food- Pure & Simple- By Connie Lindardakis. It was a hit.. You can also use these beeswax candles to top the cake with.

 I also made a pinata using a paper bag and newspaper. It was so much fun filling the bag up with goodies. With having a few older kids at the party and a pinata being tradition in my family I did buy some candy. For the candy, I bought organic lolipops, organic apple bars, organic raisin packs and organic chocolate balls that were wrapped in Earth print foil! You can make the goodies too- it all depends on the time you have.

For the treat bags I re-used produce bags and filled them with seed kits (strawberry, daisy, & tomato), an all metal kiddie shovel and added a pair of socks all found in the dollar section at Target. I didn’t hear any kids whining because their favorite character wasn’t featured on the front, nor did they scream and shout about the goodies not being cheap plastic! I really wanted to sew up some treat bags but didn’t have the time to.

For your eco-friendly party supply needs, visit: One Mom and A Party I found out about this awesome site after the party.

When it came to the spread- we served foods that were local and organic.  You can certainly serve finger foods- where there is no need for utensils. We purchased the plates and utensils from Branch Home- 100% biodegradable. I wish I had more time to write about these products because they’re so amazing. www.branch.com  also check out www.greenpartygoods.com

The napkins made by Stewo, I had found by luck, at Michael’s of all places in the dollar bin!!! Mom’s love the dollar bin, don’t we?!? These napkins were perfect because they were environmentally friendly and the colors were primary themed. Totally made from recycled materials.  We also had several cloth towels available. Specifically, in the bathroom were I had all the  guests place there towels into a basket after using one for easy clean-up after- plus your guest feels special using their own towel. A trick from my Grandma Zona.

To make it a little more earth friendly, in the invitation, I asked guests to bring a cell phone that needed to be recycled so that we could send them off to a a cell phone recycling company who donates the proceeds to an environmental fund. My dad brought the most phones. We ended up sending the phones to the soliders!

As far as the games, we didn’t actually get to any besides the pinata. But, you can make homemade bubbles or playdoh- We asked the kiddies to bring a t-shirt (used) to hand paint on. There are so many activities that can be done for low cost- just playing outdoor games, like freeze tag or Red Rover- whatever is age appropriate- duck, duck goose, ring and the rosy…games that bring everyone in. Even musical chairs is a classic and fun for all ages!! You don’t have to get the bounce house like The Smith family down the street did…go back to basics!!!

Your eco-wee one will have just as much fun without all the glitz and glamour. It’s not about how much money you spend anyway! It’s about the time you spent and where your heart is. I was receiving a lot of flack for the pinata but hey, for a first birthday, it really isn’t necessary to hire the clowns and bring in the circus!!!!!