Outrageous Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are soft and melt in your mouth!

Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup rolled oats (may grind them up)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional) - I usually leave these out - personal preference

1. Preheat oven to 350 degreesF
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, and egg until well blended.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the batter just until moistened.
Mix in the oats and chocolate chips til evenly distributed.
Drop by tablespoonful onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven til edges start to brown.
Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Should my kids do chores? Part 1

I am the kind of mom that likes everything done correctly and well. It is much more satisfying to do all the chores myself and not worry about them being poorly done, but I was burning myself out cleaning while my kids watched too much tv and we weren't spending much time together. I have never been very good at keeping a routine or schedule and have tried several different chore routines, but none of them worked.

Why they didn't work:

I only tried them for a week.

I wasn't consistent.

I wanted more time with my kids and less time stressing about my house, but I still wanted a clean house. I came across 2 books called Managers of Their Homes and Managers of Their Chores and sat down and read them both. They are written by Steve and Teri Maxwell parents of a large homeschooled family (they have 8 kids) and they are well put together. The system they use is amazing and makes excellent use of your time, but it was a little overwhelming for me. It was super fun making up the schedules and meshing them all together and planning everything out and making lists of every possible chore we'd ever need to do, but when it came to actually doing it, it only lasted a few weeks.

Although I wasn't very consistent with it, what I loved about Managers of Their Chores was that the kids could, at any time of day, look at their chart and know what they were supposed to be doing. They really enjoyed it and it eliminated the "Mom, what can I do??? I'm bored!". They were eager and excited about it and they were much more relaxed as they knew what was next at any given moment.

I am using their system again, but I have tweaked it a bit to fit our family and I really like how it's working. It looks a little overwhelming, but is actually quite simple and functional and flexible - which I love!

What I did:

1. I made a list of all the chores that would ever need to be done in each room or area of the house. (including things that are seasonal and not done very often) This is my Master Chore List and I keep it in a binder.

2. I started with the youngest child and wrote out under their name all the chores that I thought they were capable of and next to it I wrote the frequency of the chore. I even included things like - washing hands, brushing teeth, etc.

3. I tried to make each child's list "even" or equal-ish number of chores per kid, although the older kids got a few extra chores than the little ones.

4. Whatever was left was for me to do and went under my name.

5. I then made a chart for each person which includes BEFORE BREAKFAST, MORNING, AFTERNOON, AFTER SUPPER, and BEFORE BED categories. I listed the chores under the name according to what time of day it would be done, with a check box next to it.

6. The less frequent chores were assigned specific days, for example: Mopping and dusting on Monday, wiping the cupboard fronts and cleaning the tub on Tuesday, wiping the dining room chairs and watering plants on Wednesday, etc.

7. I also had a few chores that needed to be done once a month or every other month or every six months, so I would assign these to the first Saturday of the month, or the second Saturday of April and October, etc.

So each day, I would start at the top of my list before breakfast and check things off as I went and if it was a Monday I would skip all the chores that were not daily and were not assigned to that day, and just do the ones listed under "daily" or "Monday". You can also add the length of time you anticipate each chore to take, but is totally unnecessary. I also added a column where I could list the initial of the child that would do a certain chore with me (I help them with some of their chores or let them help me in order to teach them how to do it). I print off the list once a week and stick it to the corkboard in an area that we will see it regularly. If you don't want to print it off, you could laminate it and use a dry erase marker on it.

A routine works much better for us than a rigid schedule, which is why I went with general times of day instead of specific times. If the list doesn't get done, it's not a big deal. We skip whatever's left undone and go on to the next day because we are still getting tons done anyway and things are running a lot smoother than if we were just winging it. The beautiful thing is that it takes the daily thought out of it and I don't have to worry about my house not being cleaned, because as long as we're sort of "on track" everything will get done sooner or later and with much less stress!

At the end of this post is a sample of what my chore list looks like (it's much longer than the ones I have for the kids, but actually not overwhelming considering that more than half of what is listed will not be assigned on a given day.) Tomorrow I will go into what chores are appropriate for what age children.

 

Mom	Chore	Est.Time	When	With	M	T	W	TH	F	S
Daily	Make beds	5 min	B4 brkfst	JD
	Tidy bedroom	10 min	B4 brkfst
	Make Dad's lunch	10 min	B4 brkfst	D
	Get dressed	15 min	B4 brkfst	JDK
	Brush hair	20 min	B4 brkfst	JD
	Inspections	10 min	All chore times
	Brush teeth	5 min	B4 brkfst	JDK
	Wash hands	5 min	B4 brkfst	JD
	Tidy bathroom	5 min	Morning
	Tidy back entrance	5 min	Morning	L
	Vacuum back entrance	5 min	Morning
	Teach chores		Morning	JD
	Wash/dry 2 lds laundry		Morning	D
	Sweep kitchen/dining room	5 min	Morning
	Fold/put away laundry	20 min	Afternoon	JD
	Organize	1 hour	Afternoon
	Music practice	30 min	Afternoon	J
	Tidy dining room/kitchen	10 min	Afternoon
	Make dinner	30 min	Afternoon	LJ
	Supper dishes & counters	20 min	Evening
	Put dishes away	5 min	Evening
	Clean kitchen sink	2 min	Evening
	Pack diaper bags	10 min	Evening
	School Marking	20 min	Evening
	Journal	20 min	Evening
	Floss & teeth	10 min	Evening	JDK
Weekly	Clean & organize top fridge	20 min	Monday
	Clean microwave	10 min	Monday
	Make bread	30 min	Monday	LJ
	Wipe washer/dryer	5 min	Tuesday	J
	Iron clothing	30 min	Tuesday
	Straighten school/craft	20 min	Tuesday
	Wash windows	20 min	Wednesday
	Wash bathmat		Wednesday
	Straighten bathroom shelves	5 min	Wednesday
	Menu planning	1 hour	Wednesday
	Take out garbage/recycling	10 min	Thursday
	Bake	30 min	Thursday
	Wipe shelves in fridge	10 min	Friday
	Throw out leftovers	5 min	Friday
	School planning	30 min	Friday
	Buy groceries	3 hours	Friday
	Run errands	3 hours	Friday
	Groom kids nails & ears		Saturday
	Clean inside Suburban	10 min	Saturday
	Tidy suburban	5 min	Saturday
	Clean tub & shower	10 min	Saturday
	Clean bedroom	5 min	Saturday
	Dust bedroom	2 min	Saturday
	Sweep bedroom	5 min	Saturday
	Empty bedroom garbage	2 min	Saturday
	Change sheets	10 min	Saturday	JDK
	Straighten drawers	10 min	Saturday
	Write letters & thank yous	20 min	Sunday
Weekly x2	Mop kitchen & dining room	20 min	Mon/Thurs
	Weed gardens*	20 min	Wed/Sat	LJ
	Bath kids	30 min	Tues/Sat	JDK
	Shower		Tues/Sat
	Clean toilet	5 min	Mon/Sat
Weekly x3	Water gardens*		Mon/Wed/Fri
Every other week	Clean crib doors & bars	15 min	Monday
	Wipe kitchen chairs	30 min	Tuesday	L
	Household repairs	30 min	Wednesday	L
	Wash shower curtain	10 min	Friday
	Pay bills		Friday
Monthly	Clean carseats & diaper bags	15 min	Monday	L
1st week	Vacuum suburban	10 min	Saturday
	Wash inside suburban windows	10 min	Saturday	L
	Mending	1 hour	Tuesday
	Check smoke detectors		Wednesday
	Boil toothbrushes		Thursday
	Straighten/organize closets	30 min	Friday	L
Every 6 months	Make Dentist/Doc appts.		Monday
Mar/Oct	Flip mattresses	10 min	Saturday	L
	Clean playpen	10 min	Saturday
	Dust ceilings in basement	20 min	Saturday
	Dust ducts & furnace	20 min	Saturday	L
Yearly	Take family pic		October
	Mail pic & newsletter		November

Summer 2012 Updates

Hey, so I haven't been around for a long time and I'm going to just give you a quick update before I dive back into "regular" blogging (hey, I'm trying!)

Homemade Baby Formula - so I tried this for a couple-3 weeks and it was ok. K ended up getting some pretty good diarrhea and I found out from a friend that it was because I didn't water down the goats milk half and half  before mixing it up. She wasn't used to the milk, so needed to be eased into it. So I didn't end up trying it again, but I may try it again in the future (with another child seeing as K is now over a year old and on 3% milk and having a lot less colds).

Homemade Deodorant - still love it.

My Office. Ugh. Well, it's not that bad, but it doesn't look a heck of a lot better than it did. My organization in there is greatly improved and the floor is usually kept clutter free - but it's still a bit of a dumping ground and I'm still working on getting rid of as much as possible and figuring out systems that will work for me. Improvement is progress.

No Shampoo - I went "poo free" for about 3 months and enjoyed it. I liked my hair and it was pretty good. A little itchy that first week or two but then pretty good. I ended up having a dandruff problem, which I'm not sure was related, and so went back to regular shampoo and am still using it. Interesting, though, my head is quite itchy quite often. Like every 3 days or so it gets annoying, so I may try some shampoos from the Health Food store in town and let you know what I think of that.

Another Baby! So I have 5 kids now and the addition was quite unexpected and I got, well, half an hour's notice of the change! It was a whirlwind and exciting and crazy and the babies are the same size and the same weight and very near the same place developmentally which makes it "feel" like having twins (although not exactly like twins, one is 5 months and one is 13 months). I still carry, feed, rock, nurture, love, change, dress 2 babies. I have crashed a little once already and now have a cold (and so do all the children, except 1) and I suspect it's because of the new set of germs in the house. :)

The kids are all a little more irritable -

L is tired more easily and a little on edge and overwhelmed, but LOVES the babies and realizes that good stress is still stress. He helps a lot.

 J is as up and down as ever (pray for her) but I'm working super hard at building relationship with her and lavishing her with all the love I can muster. She, too, loves the new addition :)

D loves the baby the most. She ADORES her and mothers her and nurtures her. She is full swing into the "getting into EVERYTHING" stage (cutting up the playpen mesh, eating a tube of flouride free toothpaste, trying to eat deodorant, putting thick diaper rash cream all through her hair and on her hands and feet, brushing her teeth with anybody's toothbrush she can get her hands on, etc etc etc). She is a rollercoaster and a complete joy.

K hated the new baby for the first little while. Not sure why, cuz K is the sweetest baby on earth. It took her a few weeks, but she is warming up to baby P very nicely :) I wouldn't say she loves her yet, but she is definitely ok with her being around now. We love K more every day and she is finally progressing! Crawling (aka crab walk), saying a few words, signing more, responding, sitting up on her own, trying to stand.

 And little baby P is delightfully patient and calm and sweet and chubby and lovely. Her cry is horrible and odd, but it's tolerable since she's such a joy :) 

I'm doing really well, but had to make a few changes and am still making changes.

1. Packing diaper bags and visit bags the night before.
2. Making Matthew's lunch the night before.
3. Working way harder and going on the computer/watching tv way less.
4. Doing housework in the evening instead of winding down and watching tv which means I go to bed a little later and wake up a little tireder and have to nap in the afternoon a bit more often.
5. NOT FEELING THE LEAST BIT GUILTY ABOUT NAPPING. I need my rest. When I don't get it I'm grumpy or get sick.
6. Spending more one on one with the kids.
7. Make batches of bottles the night before so they're ready the next day.
8. Getting out for regular dates with Matthew and regular breaks when I'm overwhelmed. (thanks to the respite fund!)
9. Making 2-4 meals at once and cooking way less often.
10. Getting more and more organized in all areas of my life because I have to. (and I want to)
11. I finally quit teaching Sunday school and so won't be continuing in the fall (unless I change my mind)
12. Lots more paperwork and emails (foster related)
13. Dr's appointments coming out my ears lol

I'll stop there, but I could go on.

What I'm loving right now:

cuddling babies
reading stories
going for walks with my triple stroller
visiting with friends
a clean and organized home
home cooked meals
 taking naps
dates with Matthew
 teaching the kids
 prepping for the school year
 time alone with God
going to church
watching the kids dance to crazy music
 Matthew coming home at the end of the day and the children running to hug him,
encouragement and help from family and friends
 Bible study at my house on Tuesday mornings
coffee (how did that end up so far down the list??? lol)
listening to all my clocks ticking late at night when all are sleeping
watching my babies sleep
having 5 children - Love that.
Summer weather and storms and our borrowed air conditioner
food
Pinterest
helping friends/family
crafting

........I'm so grateful. <3

Homemade Baby Formula Recipes

I have a toddler who broke out with eczema so I removed dairy completely from her diet and the eczema has cleared up completely. I have been learning a lot about cows milk and how bad it is for you (contrary to popular opinion) and have been looking for ways to replace it in our diets. For my toddler, I replaced cows milk with Rice Milk and Almond Milk. Some of these have added sugar and some don't, so depending on how much sugar you want your child consuming, this is something to consider. I do not give her cheese or yogurt either, but goat cheese is fine for her (however very expensive).

So now my baby, 8 months old, has broken out with eczema. She is formula fed as she is my foster child. I looked on the ingredients list of my expensive brand of formula and the first ingredient is Milk Powder. The second ingredient is CORN SYRUP!! That stuff is terrible for you! (Soy is also bad for you, contrary to popular opinion. More on that in a later post.) And after reading about levels of arsenic in baby formula being higher than what's permitted in drinking water, I have made up my mind to make my own formula. At least then I will know what I am putting into my child's little body. Here's the link to the article about Arsenic in Baby Formula.

This seemed daunting to me. Research = blech! in my world, but I found out that it's not that hard to make it and not that different in price. You will need to visit a health food store (make sure online they have what you want before going so you don't waste your time. Some health food stores have more products than others). The first recipe has a bunch of things that you'll have to buy once and it may be quite expensive initially, but they will last you quite awhile. It is a liquid formula and it is milk based which I personally would be replacing with Goat's milk which is way better for you. I am attaching a link to the site that has that recipe as well as a second recipe which is for powdered formula. Liquid & Powder Milk Based Formula Recipes
For more healthy recipes and ideas buy the book called  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon with Mary G Enig, PhD

 Below is the recipe I am using (neither of the previous ones).

My recipe (this is a recipe I got from a friend's Naturopath and the recipe that my friend used with her daughter):

2L Goats milk
1-2 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses
1 capsul of Omega 3
1 scoop of Infant Probiotics

So you want to pour the milk into a container (for mixing) and add about 1 Tablespoon of the Blackstrap Molasses. If you find that your baby is getting constipated, add more Molasses (up to 2 Tablespoons per 2L of goats milk) and if your baby has runny poo, then use less Blackstrap Molasses.
Open the capsul of Omega 3 and empty into the milk. Add the scoop of Infant Probiotics and shake. Keep refrigerated.

Goats milk can be a little heavy, so if your baby is getting really constipated try adding a little water (about 1 cup to 2L of goats milk) to thin it.

Make sure that you are using Blackstrap Molasses and not Fancy Molasses or Cooking Molasses. Blackstrap Molasses will provide the following nutrients and minerals:

Per 2 tsp (13.67grams)

Manganese 18%
Copper 14%
Iron 13.2%
Calcium 11.7%
Potassium 9.7%
Magnesium 7.3%
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 5%
Selenium 3.4%

Here is a link if you would like More Info on Blackstrap Molasses.

When choosing an Omega 3 you are going to see letters followed by numbers. For EPA you want the number to be 400 or higher and for DHA you want the number to be 200 or higher (if possible). It's okay if the numbers are lower than the ones I listed, but if the numbers are high, it is a better product.

Here's a link for How to Choose Omega 3 Capsules

I am including a picture of the infant probiotics that I use. It is about $26 for the container and it will last awhile. The scoop inside is tiny. This stuff should be refrigerated after opening even though it is a powder.

This is my index finger. The scoop is also very shallow.

I hope this has been helpful and that it enables you to make a better choice for your baby's health. I am happy to answer any questions, you may leave them in the comments or you can email me directly at fairmaidenwalking@yahoo.ca.

Homemade Deodorant

It seems that everything is bad for you. It's overwhelming to try to live a healthy lifestyle with all of the changes that you'd have to make. This is the main reason that I haven't done a lot to change our lifestyle and health choices in the past. I'm busy. I've got 4 kids and homeschool and have an online store. I'm trying to maintain our home and cook healthy meals and really......who has time for organic this and natural that? What's the difference anyway? If this doesn't kill me, something else will, so what's the point? It doesn't really matter that much, does it?

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not enjoy doing research. It's so boring and time consuming. But I want to know the truth about what we are consuming and how that affects our health. So I have to research if I want to make informed and wise decisions. So I dug in today a little, just to give you some background as to why I am now making my own deodorant. In a nutshell, (for those of you who won't take the time to read the info located in the following links) the main ingredient in antiperspirant is aluminum. Aluminum builds up in your brain and leads to Alzeimers and other serious ailments. Aluminum also damages cells and another ingredient, paraben, drives the growth of those damaged cells. This causes cancer. Breast cancer. Need I say more? If so, read the following info and make up your own mind on the issue.

We all have a responsibility to care for our families and their health and well-being. Make informed decisions. Below the links I have included the recipe and instructions for making your own deodorant. It's super easy and took me 5 minutes. I have also included recipes found in the following links as well as a third link to an online store that sells natural deodorants that are free of aluminum, parabens, and petroleum. 

The Difference Between Deodorant and Antiperspirant

Deodorants, Antiperspirants, and Your Health

Purchase All Natural Deodorant - terraNATURALS

The recipe I am using is as follows:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
2 TBSP coconut oil (found at health food stores - photo below)

Combine the baking soda and corn starch, add the coconut oil and mix into a paste. Fill up your old deodorant stick and voila. You're done! The coconut oil liquifies as it is rubbed on your skin, so if you are finding it too soft to apply, try putting the deodorant in the fridge for awhile to harden it. You can also add 10 drops of essential oils in a scent that you like. I personally LOVE the coconut smell, so didn't do this.

 This is just one brand of cocnut oil you can buy, but there are others.

The finished product - stored in my old, washed out deodorant container.

 

It is a bit messier than the deodorant you are used to and it will likely leave some white marks on your clothes, but really worth the health benefits. There is a recipe below for a spray deodorant that may be better for not leaving white marks. I don't know for sure cuz I haven't tried it yet :)

Here are 2 more recipes........


Basic Deodorant Powder
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
A few drops essential oils such as lavender or cinnamon
Place the ingredients in a glass jar. Shake to blend. Sprinkle a light covering of the powder on a damp washcloth. Pat on. Don’t rinse.


Basic Liquid Deodorant
1/4 cup each witch hazel extract, aloe vera gel, and mineral water
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
A few drops antibacterial essential oils such as lavender (optional)
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.
Makes 3/4 cup
Shelf life: Indefinite.

New and Improved Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe!

Hey, guys :) So awhile back I posted a recipe for homemade laundry soap that I've been making and using for the past 2 years (and have loved) and you can find that here......however, I have found a new recipe that is a little easier, costs about the same, and I think I like a little more! The recipe was found here at Green Willow Pond's blog and I'm going to share it with you today.

Pros:

1. It's a powder instead of a liquid, so you don't need the 5 gallon bucket and it takes up a lot less room in your laundry room.

2. It's better on stains!

3. It takes 5 minutes to make instead of 10-15 minutes.

4. It's still cheap cheap cheap!

K, so here it is:

1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1/2 cup Oxiclean (I only used one scoop = 1/4 cup)
1 bar of Ivory soap (I am pretty sure you can use whatever kind of soap you like)

Very finely grate the bar of soap and mix with the other ingredients. Store it in a mason jar with a measuring spoon attached. Use 1 heaping Tablespoon per load and 2 or 3 if the load is really dirty (work clothes, cloth diapers, etc) Use either hot or warm water when you start the wash, add the soap, then add your clothes. You can then switch it to cold water or whatever you prefer. The warm water just helps dissolve the soap at the beginning. I bought my Oxiclean at Walmart and it cost about 5 bucks and should last a few months for sure. Hope you like it as much as I do!

Laundry Soap and Mayonnaise

Raising a family is expensive. The groceries, the dentist, the clothing that keeps wearing out in the knees (Logan!), the diapers, wipes, formula, trips to their numerous activities, the 8-10 loads of laundry per week (yes, that is how many we do around here), the vehicle maintenance, bills, yada yada yada. It seems never-ending. To top it all off, we are supposed to not only manage all of this, but manage it well, all the while feeding our families healthy, well balanced meals, being resourceful, creative, thrifty, etc. Well, I haven't got it all figured out but I have decided that I will change a little here and there and in the long run it'll make a difference. It's just too overwhelming to try to change everything you are used to doing, overnight. It's not going to stick. You will do great with it for, oh, a week or two, and then you're back to Kraft Dinner and hotdogs. If you want lasting change, with anything in life, you have to start small and bite off only what you can chew. I should state at this point that I have never been good at this and it is by no means mastered. However, I am fully aware that the concept is concrete. I think that's the first step :)

So today I am going to share with you my first 2 baby steps. The first one is making my own laundry soap. Don't stop reading! I know how hick this sounds, but I've been doing it for a year and a half and it's been one of the best things I've ever done! Before we were spending about 15-20 dollars a month on laundry soap, nevermind the fabric softener and stain remover, etc. In the last year and a half we have spent approximately $30 on laundry soap. Yes, I said $30. Not $130, not $530, just $30. It works great, too. I must thank my dear sister, Bonnie, for sharing this recipe with me. So following are the list of ingredients, prices, where to buy, and the recipe itself.


Laundry Soap

First you will need an empty 5 gallon pail with a lid. I use an empty paint bucket.
1 bar of Sunlight Soap (it's yellow, comes in a pack of 2 at Walmart or Superstore) $1.99 for 2 bars
1 cup of Washing Soda (comes in a blue box, 3kg, at Walmart or Superstore) about $5 for the box
1/2 cup of Borax (comes in a green box, 2kg, at Walmart or Superstore) also about $5 for the box

So, grate the bar of Sunlight soap. Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the grated soap and stir til dissolved, takes about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and dump into the clean 5 gallon pail. Measure 1 cup of Washing Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax and add to the soapy water in the pail. Stir. Fill the pail up with hot water, while stirring. Put on the lid and you're done. (unless of course you would like to add a fragrance to your soap, which you would do at this point)

The whole process takes about 10 minutes. I use about 1-2 cups of soap per load, unless the load is really dirty, in which case I would use more like 3-4 cups for a load. When you remove the lid the next day, the soap has kind of gelled and may need to be stirred again. It is still a liquid but will be kind of lumpy. You don't have to wait til the next day to use it however. I use mine as soon as I make it. It should last you at least a month or maybe 2 depending on how much laundry you do and how much you use. I still use a stain remover separately, just like I did before, for those stubborn stains like ketchup, blood, carrots, etc. One pail will cost you less than $2 to make, so it doesn't really matter how much you use. It does a fine job on my husband's work clothes and the baby's peed and pooed in stuff, so if it can clean that, it can clean anything! I have one friend who is allergic to Sunlight soap, so if this is the case, I am sure you could use another kind of bar soap, or just eliminate the bar soap from the recipe and it would still work fine.

The other thing that I started doing was making my own mayonnaise. I am doing this because it is healthier. I don't know if it actually saves me much money, but am fairly certain that it isn't more expensive. I don't make a lot at a time, as it doesn't have a year-long fridge life, like the other stuff does. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, and I usually only make half a recipe at a time. Half a recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups. Following is the recipe for 3 cups:

Mayonnaise

Blend at low speed:
2 whole eggs
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (I omit this)
1 TBSP sugar, honey, or xagave (optional)
Add, at high speed, very slowly:
2 cups safflower oil or sunflower oil.

I store mine in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. We can only use 1 1/2 cups of mayo in 2 weeks, so that is why I prefer to make a half batch. Hope you like it!

So these are just 2 little changes that I have made in the past couple years, and I don't see myself ever going back. You might not care about homemade mayo or laundry soap. Find something that would make a difference for you and look it up on the internet. I think my next project will be making my own ketchup. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know when I do, how it turns out! Tell me your ideas or things that you have changed in your life for the better! I would love to hear from you!