Kally's Cauldron

So the providers of my hydro have kindly informed us that effective....well, sometime....if we use hydro during peak hours it’s going to be a significantly higher cost than to use it during non-peak hours. Ok, I get it. I’m all about going green. The problem I have is that non-peak hours are from 9pm-7am.

You see, there’s this thing that I do every day called laundry. I’ve spoken before about my cloth diapers and unfortunately, they don’t wash themselves (though if someone could invent self-washing diapers, I’d be all over that like white on rice!). Now, here’s a little riddle for you....if I’m washing diapers, it means I also have what? You got it! Children in diapers! Now for anyone who has or had children in diapers you know that by the time 9pm rolls around, you’re completely exhausted and the LAST thing you want to be doing is STARTING your laundry. Ok, fair enough. Let’s look at the other possibility...getting them washed before 7am. I rest my case.

Now, they’ve sweetly said that hydro will be at the cheaper rate over the course of the weekend. I appreciate this, I really do. Problem is the weekend is when we’re normally trying to do family stuff...ya know, since me and my boys don’t get to see my husband all week. Plus, this is the time I do those pesky chores that I have to be fully involved in...like cleaning bathrooms....while hubby has guy time with the boys. Combined with the fact that I only have enough diapers to last me 2ish days you have a recipe for a horrendously over-scheduled, exhausted mommy.

But, as the manager of my home, I need to keep our finances in check (by doing the laundry during non-peak hours to save $$$) and encourage green living (by doing the laundry during non-peak hours to reduce the greenhouse gases caused by the power plants). Just don’t expect me to be happy about it :P

Coffee's on this morning. Both boys were awake before 6am so Boo brought Munchkin downstairs to play and I nursed Bean in bed in the hopes he'd go back to sleep. He did for a little while, though not nearly as long as I would have liked. Keeping my fingers crossed for naps all around although I'm not holding much to it...in the past three months, I've only managed to nap for half an hour while both boys were down at the same time!!
I'm also super excited because the city finally delivered our green bin which means all of my organic waste can now go in there and be made into compost (and I don't have to do any of the work!) I was actually really impressed at all of the things that can go in there...my garbage pile is going to be practically non-existent now! Next step, getting Munchkin into cloth diapers (we've always had him in disposables but since he'll be potty-training soon we held off...but it looks like he's not ready yet and Bean will be able to wear whatever we buy Munchkin so it's a definite investment anyway!) Now, onto today's blog:

In keeping with last week’s theme of using natural products, today’s posting is a book recommendation for Pure Baking Soda For Baking, Cleaning & Deodorizing by Christine Halvorson.
I know there’s quite a few of these types of books around (I think there’s a salt one amongst others), however the only one I currently own is this one so that’s all I feel qualified to talk about.
I LOVE this book. It has so many great ideas. There were a few that I already knew but for the most part they were all new. It’s broken down into 10 sections with my favourites being ‘Dogs, Cats, and Other Critters’,’ Baby Care’ and ‘Baking Soda Throughout the House’.
I use baking soda mostly to clean and deodorize my carpets. With two little boys, two cats and a dog, my carpets taking a real beating but I don’t want to use commercially-made products in case one of my little charges ends up ingesting it. It’s also fantastic for keeping down odours which is great since both of my boys are still in diapers and my dog probably should be!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Today's random topic is natural cleaning.

For me, part of being a witch means trying every day to live a greener life. We need to start showing Mother Earth the respect we’ve been lacking. Also, as a homemaker with small children, I want to know that the cleaning products I’m using are safe for my family. Green America Today has lots of great information. I copied the following information into my Book of Shadows along with the link to some great recipes for making your own cleaning products.


White Vinegar – an antifungal that also kills germs and bacteria

Baking Soda – eliminates odours and works as a gentle scouring powder

Borax – borax, the common name for the natural mineral compound sodium borate, eliminates odours, removes dirt and acts as an antifungal and possible disinfectant. Use with care around children and pets, as it can be toxic if swallowed

Hydrogen Peroxide (3% concentration) – a great non-toxic bleach and stain remover, as well as a proven disinfectant

Club Soda (Fresh) – a stain remover and polisher

Lemon Juice – a pleasant smelling non-toxic bleach, grease-cutter and stain remover

Liquid Castile Soap – an all-purpose cleaner, grease-cutter and disinfectant. “Castile” means the soap is vegetable-based, not animal fat-based

Corn Meal – great at picking up carpet spills

Olive Oil – makes a wonderful furniture polish

Pure Essential Oils – adding all-natural, organic essential oils to your cleaning concoctions can add wonderful scents to your housekeeping endeavours. Some – such as lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and tea tree oils – also may have antibacterial, antifungal, or insect-repelling properties.



Go here to read the rest of this article and get the cleaning recipes!!

If I may be so bold, I’d also add The Sun to this list as a stain remover. Nothing beats putting your freshly washed clothes outside for a few hours. Not only will the sun remove stains and disinfect your clothing, you’re saving energy by not using your dryer!! (Being in Canada, I know putting your clothing out in the winter just doesn’t work, however if you have stains, put those items out anyway and then put them in the dryer once the stain is gone)