Things I Do All Day

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How to Make Quick and Easy Homemade Hand Soap

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Quick and Easy Homemade Hand Soap

I love making homemade hand soap… it’s quick, easy, healthy, and really inexpensive too!

I started making my own homemade hand soap shortly after I had kids because I wanted to use less harmful chemicals in daily life and organic soap was really expensive!

Now, I still make it because it’s actually SO CONVENIENT and CHEAP!

I buy a 32oz bottle of Dr. Bronner’s on Amazon for $16 and it lasts a really long time… that one bottle usually lasts close to a year. Crazy.

So here’s my recipe for this super easy, clean homemade hand soap:

*This post does contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Easy Homemade Hand Soap Recipe

  • 1-2 tsp of Castile Soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s)
  • Filtered or Distilled Water (I use filtered water from my side fridge dispenser)
  • Foam Pump Dispenser
  • Essential Oils (Optional)

Fill the foam soap dispenser almost full with filtered or distilled water and then add 1-2 tsp of castile soap to the top.

That’s it. It’s super easy.

I reuse the same pump dispenser (one I had from a store bought soap) and just fill with my water from my fridge dispenser and add a few squirts of castile soap.

You can also use essential oils to add a little scent and fun to it, but it’s totally optional.

It takes me less than 30 seconds, and I really run to the store to buy soap.

And, even better, castile soap is available on Amazon and it’s the price I normally pay.

If you figure $16 a bottle for castile soap with 2 tsp each time, you’re spending around .16 per refill without figuring the cost of changing your filter. But it’s still cheaper than the store bough stuff.

Super easy, super green, and super cheap.

There you go. Happy hand soap making!

The 100 Best Baby Books Recommended by Moms

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100 Best First Baby Books and Children Books Recommended by Fellow Moms

There are SO many great baby and children books to add to any kid’s library!

There are also a lot of terrible books out there that makes you realize that you could write a children’s book better than some currently out there!

And there are A LOT of children’s books to choose from that is can be totally overwhelming!

However, here are a list of 100 books recommended by real life moms that are all-around family favorites to add to your home collection!

You’ll find a lot of these on many lists and you probably have a few of these already! You may also discover a few new ones! I know I have discovered a few new favorites already!

This post does contain affiliate links and I get a small percentage if you make a purchase (thank you!) but it can be on whatever, and don’t have any particular interest or stake in any book whatsoever.

The books are listed in no particular order, just how they were recommended and compiled.

You’ll notice a few from the same authors too– you can’t go wrong with anything from Eric Carle, Sandra Boynton, Nancy Tillman, Mo Williems, or Dr. Seuss + many other authors!

Here are 100 baby books and young children’s book to add to your home recommended directly from fellow moms!

100 Best Baby Book Suggestions:

  1. On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
  2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  3. Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
  4. The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
  5. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
  6. The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat by Nurit Karlin
  7. You Are My I Love You by Maryann Cusimano
  8. Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton
  9. Time for Bed by Mem Fox
  10. Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church
  11. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
  12. Peek A Who by Nina Laden
  13. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  14. I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak
  15. I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt
  16. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
  17. Good Night, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
  18. Snuggle Up Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman
  19. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen
  20. Night Night Farm by Amy Parker
  21. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
  22. I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug by Caroline B. Cooney
  23. If I Could Keep You Little by Marianne Richmond
  24. I’d Know You Anywhere, My Love by Nancy Tillman
  25. Goodnight Little One by Susan Larkin
  26. Gregory, The Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat
  27. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
  28. Jamberry by Bruce Degen
  29. Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry
  30. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
  31. The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
  32. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
  33. The Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton
  34. Olivia by Ian Falconer
  35. But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
  36. Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
  37. Milk and Cookies by Frank Asch
  38. I’m A Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian
  39. Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman
  40. I’ve Loved You Since Forever by Hoda Kotb
  41. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
  42. The Napping House by Audrey Wood
  43. Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton
  44. My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
  45. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers
  46. Little Owl’s Day by Divya Srinivasan
  47. Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle
  48. Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
  49. Hound from the Pound by Jessica Swaim
  50. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
  51. There is a Mouse in My House by Jeanne Dore
  52. It’s Time to Sleep, My Love by Nancy Tillman
  53. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
  54. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
  55. God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren
  56. Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
  57. Starlight Sailor by James Mayhew
  58. Bear Takes a Trip by Sheila Blackstone
  59. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
  60. Never Touch A Shark by Rosie Greening
  61. Never Touch A Dinosaur by Rosie Greening
  62. If Animals Kissed Good Night by Ann Whitford Paul
  63. I Love to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth
  64. Just Shopping with Mom by Mercer Mayer
  65. Where’s The Bear by Nosy Crow
  66. Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton
  67. If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
  68. The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith
  69. Don’t Push The Button by Bill Cotter
  70. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
  71. Night-Night, Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton
  72. Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton
  73. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Williems
  74. Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
  75. The Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton
  76. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
  77. Never Tease a Weasel by Jean Condor Soule
  78. Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book by Dr. Seuss
  79. Peekaboo Kisses by Barney Saltzberg
  80. Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers
  81. Mama Loves You So by Terry Pierce
  82. Baby Beluga by Raffi
  83. Mary Had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer
  84. Corduroy by Don Freeman
  85. Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss
  86. My First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
  87. Dream Big, Little One by Vasti Harrison
  88. Noisy Baby Animals by Patricia Hegarty
  89. Llama Llama Nighty-Night by Anna Dewdney
  90. Me and My Dad! by Alison Ritchie
  91. Tubby by Leslie Patricelli
  92. Potty by Leslie Patricelli
  93. I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
  94. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin
  95. Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! by Dr. Seuss
  96. The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss
  97. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
  98. From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
  99. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
  100. Go The F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

Also, don’t forget you can always reserve a few of these through your local library!

I know I’ve checked out a few books at the library and ended up buying them because my kids loved them so much!

It’s a great way to expose your baby to more books for free!

Also, check to see if your library does book sales– we’ve gotten a few children books for .25 each and the proceeds support the library! Win, win!

Amazon will also have book deals, usually around Prime Day in July and Black Friday week in November, as well as some other random times during the year,

Keep an eye out for all those great book deals to save money to help make a big collection of books!

What are your favorite first baby books and children books?

The Easiest Fudge Recipe Ever

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Easiest Fudge Recipe for the microwave and with two ingredients!

I love easy, simple recipes and I love recipes that I can easily do with my young kids.

My four year old LOVES to bake and is always asking to make things in the kitchen.

However, sometimes I just want to do something quick with little mess– and something everyone will love to bake and eat too!

So, here’s the Easiest. Fudge. Recipe. Ever.

Super Easy Fudge Recipe with only two ingredients for the microwave for 15 minute fudge

First, take one can of condensed milk and a bag of chocolate chips.

Dump the can of milk into a microwavable bowl and pour the bag of chocolate chips over the milk.

Cook in the microwave for one minute.

Stir.

Cook in the microwave for one more minute.

Stir.

If the chocolate chips have not melted yet, put the mixture back in the microwave for 30 second intervals until combined smoothly.

Grab a 8×8 pan and add parchment paper to the bottom.

Note: I didn’t have parchment paper so I used tinfoil, but parchment paper is preferred!

Pour mix into the pan.

Place the fudge in the fridge for one hour or more.

Cut and Enjoy!

Easiest Fudge Recipe

Super Easy 2-Ingredient Fudge Recipe
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 14 oz Condensed Milk
  • 12 oz Chocolate Chips

Instructions
 

  • Dump the can of condensed milk into a microwavable bowl and pour the bag of chocolate chips over the milk.
  • Cook in the microwave for one minute.
  • Stir mixture.
  • Cook in the microwave for another minute.
  • Stir, and then microwave if needed for 30 second intervals until chocolate chips are completely melted.
  • Put parchment paper on the bottom of an 8×8 pan and add mixture to pan.
  • Place pan in fridge for one hour or more until ready to serve.
  • Cut and enjoy!

This is such a super easy and fun activity with kids or a delicious treat for childless adults too!

Happy Baking!

Easy Salt Dough Ornaments with Kids

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Easy Salt Dough Ornament Recipe with Kids

I love making ornaments with the kids to give as gifts and every year we do Salt Dough Ornaments!

Salt Dough Ornaments are pretty easy but still very hands on and fun for kids to get involved!

I’ve done this every year since my child was around 20 months, so any age is good!

Just keep in mind you may lose a few over the years because they are somewhat fragile.

Here is a super easy recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments:

  • 1 Cup of Flour
  • 1/2 Cup of Salt
  • 1/2 Cup of Water

Mix together Flour and Salt then add the 1/2 cup of water. Stir in water until dough forms. You may want to use your hands to knead the dough– or have your kids stir or knead it!

It may take a few minutes (5 mins or so) until the dough forms!

Roll dough with rolling pin on parchment paper and add some flour to the paper to make it easier to roll out!

Once the dough is nice and flat (with around 1 inch thickness, or whatever you desire), use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes!

I use Christmas Cookie Cutters (affiliate link) on my Salt Dough Ornaments, but you can even just use circle jars and make snowmen! Or just stick those little kid hands in and use their hands as a mold and an ornament!

You may need to continue to add flour to the dough to make it less sticky or more water if the dough gets to dry. Either or neither may happen!

Don’t forget to use a pen or another sharp tip to make a small hole on the top so you can add a ribbon to the ornament for later!

Bake at 200 degrees for 2 to 3 hours.

After baking, feel free to paint and decorate your salt dough ornaments!

*You can also double the recipe if you want to make a lot of ornaments for gifts and such, but this recipe still makes a bunch!

These do make great gifts and are fun to make with the kids!

Enjoy!

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Christmas Bucket List with Kids

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Christmas Bucket List with Kids for fun ideas of fun things to do this holiday season

Are you looking for some fun things to do this Christmas Season with kids?

Well, you make want to check out my Christmas Bucket List with 40 Ideas to do with kids this holiday season!

I definitely want to do SO many things with my toddler and preschooler while they are so into the Christmas Magic!

I’m going to try to do as many Christmas-y things as humanly possible but needed to make a Christmas Bucket List to keep track of everything! There’s so many fun things to do and so little time!

Also, don’t forget to check out 15 Christmas Traditions to Start with Your Family to get some good ideas of traditions to do ever year with your kids!

Here’s 40+ items on this Christmas Bucket List with Kids this Holiday Season:

  1. Write a Letter to Santa
  2. Take a Picture with Santa
  3. Chop Down a Christmas Tree
  4. Decorate the Christmas Tree
  5. Make a Popcorn Garland
  6. Decorate the House for Christmas
  7. Make a new ornament for the Christmas Tree
  8. Find The Elf on the Shelf
  9. Drink Hot Cocoa by a Cozy Fireplace
  10. Listen (and dance) to Christmas Music
  11. Watch Christmas Movies with Friends and/or Family
  12. Build a Snowman
  13. Go Sledding
  14. Drive around and look at Christmas Lights
  15. Go to a Tree Lighting
  16. Go to an annual Holiday Event
  17. Donate a Toy to Charity
  18. Volunteer your time to Spread Holiday Cheer
  19. Make a Christmas Gift this Year
  20. Make a Gingerbread House
  21. Bake and Decorate Cookies for Santa
  22. Deliver Cookies to a Neighbor or Friend
  23. Make an advent calendar and count the days ’til Xmas
  24. Go Caroling
  25. Go Ice Skating
  26. Read Polar Express
  27. Go on a Christmas Train Ride
  28. Go on a Sleigh Ride
  29. Send Christmas Cards to Family
  30. Make Gingerbread Playdough
  31. Make a Holiday Craft
  32. Wear Christmas Pajamas
  33. Make reindeer food for Rudolph
  34. Take Family Holiday Pictures
  35. Leave milk & cookies for Santa
  36. Wear an Ugly Christmas Sweater
  37. Wrap Christmas Gifts with Music in the background
  38. Send a Care Package to a Loved One
  39. Read the “Night Before Christmas” on Xmas Eve
  40. Do a Random Act of Kindness

What’s on your Christmas Bucket List with kids this year?

15 Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Family

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Annual Christmas Traditions to do every year with family and kids

The Christmas Season is full of memories and traditions and such a special time of year– especially when you have little ones!

Here are 15 ideas of Christmas Traditions to Start with your Family and enjoy every December:

*This post does contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions.

Count The Days ‘Til Christmas

Count down the days until Christmas with a fun calendar! Make your own calendar as a fun craft with the kids or buy a traditional advent calendar!

I buy the .99 chocolate advent calendars from Trader Joe’s because it’s easy.

However, there are a lot of non-food advent calendars that you can easily buy if you don’t want to give a piece of chocolate to the kids each day and don’t want to make one:

There’s also the Melissa & Doug Countdown to Christmas Wooden Advent Calendar or you could make your own advent calendar!

Here are 35 DIY Advent Calendar Ideas to give you some inspiration of ways of counting down ’til Christmas!

Find “The Elf” Every Morning

Elf on Shelf Relaxing in Florida Palm Trees on Vacation

The Elf on the Shelf is a fun tradition to do with the kids each year– one you probably didn’t have growing up yourself!

The Elf keeps an eye out for Santa and flies back to the North Pole each night and reports to Santa whether a child was naughty or nice.

The Elf will return in a new spot each night and kids love to find where the Elf ends up!

Some elves are VERY naughty and will get into mischief, but our elf is sort of boring. He usually just stays up high so my little ones aren’t tempted to touch him– since he can lose his flying magic if he is touched.

Here are 70+ creative Elf of the Shelf ideas for some inspiration of fun things to do with your Elf!

Send a Letter to Santa

Write and send a letter to Santa and let him know what you’d like for Christmas!

You can even use a free printable Santa Letter and just fill in the blanks if you have a young or timid writer!

While you are writing your letter to Santa, it’s a great time to make your Santa wish list– an annual tradition!

Make and Decorate Cookies for Santa

We leave out milk and cookies every year for Santa, but we also make and decorate the cookies together!

I usually do a big batch of sugar cookies on the 23rd and we will decorate it then or on Christmas Eve! We make the cookies from scratch and then use our holiday cookie cutters to make fun shapes!

We will then decorate the cookies together as a family! Sometimes when I host Christmas Eve, I’ll leave the cookies not decorated and have the kids decorate the cookies at the party as an easy activity! It’s a hit!

Making and decorating Christmas Cookies is a family favorite! We usually play Christmas music while we bake too!

Make a New Ornament Each Year

Easy Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments for an Annual Holiday Tradition

We try to make a new ornament together each year to put on the Christmas Tree!

We will also use make a few and give them out to family and friends as a fun present!

We’ve done Salt Dough Ornament for the first few years but I think as my kids become older and more engaged we will decide on an ornament craft together and do a new one each year!

It will be fun to look at back and see how our ornaments grow each year in skill as our kids grow!

Decorate the Christmas Tree Together

Christmas Music. Hot Cocoa. Christmas Tree Decorating!

I love decorating the Christmas Tree together as a family with Christmas music, hot cocoa and family!

We usually decorate the Christmas Tree and the inside of the house at the same time!

We love decorating the Christmas Tree together as well as putting some homemade ornaments on the tree too!

Read Christmas Books at Night

Switch out those nightly favorite books for Christmas books for the month of December.

I know some people have a tradition of having kids unwrap a book every day in the month of December leading up to Christmas.

We don’t do that specific tradition, but I try to break out the Christmas books that we do have and get some others at the library for a good variety.

Some favorite Christmas Books for kids are:

Also, don’t forget to check out your local library to check out Christmas Books to help save some money!

We always make sure to read The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, but I pull out some Christmas Books for the season.

Decorate a Gingerbread House

My kids will usually decorate a Gingerbread House with Dad while I’m out Christmas shopping or doing something else!

I’ll usually just buy the Gingerbread House box kits at Michael’s or Trader Joe’s but maybe we will make better Gingerbread Houses when the kids are bigger!

Family Christmas Traditions to Start With Your Kids and Family

Take a Photo with Santa

We always try to take a photo with Santa… at least attempt it because with two little ones it doesn’t always happen perfectly– or at all!

We like to find free photos with Santa since we never know how they are going to go. Bass Pro Shops or a local event are good places to look for free photos with Santa– although Bass Pro Shops can have long lines, especially my local one.

A few malls near me, surprisingly, offer free photos with Santa so do some research to see if you can find a free option first! We did PetSmart one year too so our dog could come too!

It’s always fun to meet Santa– even if it doesn’t go perfectly!

Drive and search for Christmas Lights around Town

Make driving around and searching for Christmas Lights a family tradition!

Check the local paper and local boards to see if you can find recommendations of local Christmas light displays too!

We love watching the Christmas Light battles on TV too and wish we had some of these amazing displays in our neighborhood!

However, my kids are so little, they love all the lights and Christmas displays!

Visit an Annual Christmas Event in Your Town

Do you have a Town Christmas Tree Lighting? A Christmas Pageant? Toy Drive?

Find a fun Christmas event and do it every year as a family!

A store near us does a free Christmas display and we see it every year– we even meet Santa there!

Watch Christmas Movies as a Family

Stay in one night and watch a Christmas movie as a family!

You can watch the same Christmas movie each year or discover a new favorite each year!

Open a Gift on Christmas Eve

Family Christmas Eve Tradition: Open a present the night before with family

As a child, we always opened a gift on Christmas Eve and something I now do with my kids!

I will sometimes put a gift to the side for Christmas Eve if I have something in particular I’d like them to open– usually Christmas Pajamas! If I don’t have Christmas Pajamas, I’ll have them open a box of their choice– with some mom approval first.

I love opening a gift the night before Christmas is a favorite family tradition in our house!

Sponsor a Child in Need

If you can, consider sponsoring a child for Christmas and grant some wishes on their Christmas list!

You can also donate toys to Toys for Tots or a local charity to help make a Christmas a little brighter for a child!

We always looked for a “giving tree” at a local church, mall, etc. and selected a child and gift from the tree.

If you can’t sponsor a child, but want to give back this Christmas, you can make it a family tradition to volunteer at a soup kitchen as a family, wrapping presents at a toy drive, or another act of kindness.

Giving back during the Christmas season may be an annual tradition that you’d like to start as a family!

Put Baby Jesus out on Christmas Day

We had a Nativity set in our dining room growing up, and before we started the Christmas morning festivities, one of us would put out Baby Jesus and add him to the Nativity scene.

My kids are so little, I have the Fisher Price Nativity Set, and will upgrade when they can handle a more fragile set.

It was a family tradition that we did every year and it was a reminder what the holiday season was really about.

What Christmas Traditions do you do with your family each year?

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