In case you missed the BIG announcement yesterday, I launched a brand new blog design over the weekend… and it looks SO good!
I share more about all the new design features here!
I’d love for you to click around a bit and see it all first-hand. But keep in mind there are still lots of little kinks and bugs to work out yet!
Obviously, the new site design (and new logo) are a couple of my most favorite things right now… I’m sharing a few more in today’s post.
DISCLOSURE: None of these products are sponsored; however, some of the links below are affiliate links — if you click through and take action, I may get a small commission. Please know that I use these products daily in my own home and life. Read my full disclosure policy for more information.
Also, check out my Amazon Market for all my favorite things.
Ball Real Fruit Pectin
I get so many questions about canning jam (especially this time of year when everyone is gearing up for spring berry season.
Several years ago, I shared a tutorial on how to can jam and even a SUPER simple recipe for microwave jam!
Since then, I’ve shared a few more jam-making tips and resources.
However, if you’re just getting started, let me share my most favorite jam-making “tool” — Ball Fruit Pectin.
I have never once in my entire life had a jar of jam that didn’t set up or taste amazingly delicious… and I always use this pectin.
I like buying it in bulk so I can use as much or as little as I need (depending on if I’m making a bigger or smaller batch of jam.)
If you’re new to canning jam and want to give it a try this spring, buy some fruit pectin, get a few fresh or frozen berries (and a bunch of sugar) and give it a try!
NOTE: One of these larger containers of pectin replaces 3 small boxes.
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Adjustable “Flippable” Training Wheels
No, that’s not the technical name (they are actually called “spotter training wheels”.
These heavy-duty training wheels attach to a bike like any other set of training wheels… BUT they have a little pin you can pull out to rotate (flip) the training wheels up and down, depending on if your child wants to use training wheels or not.
Also, they are ADJUSTABLE — which means they work for 12″, 14″, 16″, 18″, and 20″ bikes!
Obviously, the adjustable feature is so nice because it allows one set of training wheels to grow with your child, or be used by multiple children with different sized bikes.
However, if you are not currently in the training wheel season of life and wondering why the flippable feature is so exciting, let me explain…
When your child is still learning how to ride a bike without training wheels, the process of taking them off and then putting them back on again is time consuming. It requires various wrenches (I always grab the wrong one) and results in restless children while they impatiently wait for you to change out the training wheels yet again.
- They want the training wheels off to practice riding in the driveway
- Then they need them back on again when you go for a bike ride because they aren’t stable enough to ride long distances or cross the street without training wheels.
- Then they want them off again.
- Then they tire of putting forth so much extra balancing effort, so the training wheels go back on again.
This 10-minute training wheel changing ordeal is totally eliminated with flippable training wheels — simply flip them up when you don’t want them, and flip them back down when you do!
SO SIMPLE!
If you have an ambitious little bike rider who will attempt riding without training wheels this spring or summer, you MUST buy these training wheels!
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Loofa Bags for Bar Soap
I’ve already shared some about my 2020 goal to transition to more natural cosmetics, toiletries, and health/beauty items.
And after sharing our big walk-in shower reveal a couple of weeks ago, I got lots of questions about the tan bags hanging in our shower.
Those bags are loofa bags from Bend Soap. They are specifically made to hold one bar of soap. They also help to lengthen the life of a bar of soap (I use one bar for 2 months of daily showering!)
Here’s a very similar loofah bag on Amazon.
You can get a feel for the size of the bag by looking at it next to these tubes of lip balm.
These bags hold our bars of soap perfectly, and they hang from our suction shower hooks (also one of my favorite things) just like a regular loofah would.
I love that they “exfoliate” my skin more than a “poofy” loofah too — nothing like killing 2 birds with 1 stone!
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Everyday Whole Grains Cookbook
When I began my journey with whole grains, this was one of the very first cookbooks I checked out of the library.
Since then, I have checked it out a couple more times and tried many of the recipes (with huge success).
It’s a very practical, down-to-earth cookbook with great pictures and a HUGE variety of different grains.
If you’d like more information, ideas, and recipes for cooking with whole grains on a daily basis, I highly recommend Everyday Whole Grains.
If you buy it, make sure you let me know your favorite recipes!
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Sodium Percarbonate
Unlike our “flippable training wheels”, this IS actually the scientific name! 🙂
And if you use OxiClean, you’re using Sodium Percarbonate — even if you don’t realize it.
Sodium Percarbonate is the main ingredient in OxiClean (over 65%)… and if you buy it on its own, it will clean your clothing with exactly the same effectiveness for a much cheaper price.
In fact, you can get away with 1/3 to 1/2 as much Sodium Percarbonate as OxiClean for the same results.
I buy large 5-pound bags of Sodium Percarbonate on Amazon and it lasts me for months!
I actually saved my last big tup of Oxiclean and now use that container to pour my bulk Sodium Percarbonate into — and then I dump a very small scoop in with each load.
Super simple — and a great frugal alternative to OxiClean!
NOTE: If you want to get all geeky about things, here’s the Wikipedia link for Sodium Percarbonate.
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That’s all for me this month.
Check out my previous months’ favorite things — and feel free to share some of YOUR favorite things in the comments below!
Liane says
Saw no pop ups but I use three ad blockers. I really hate auto running videos, personally. But I want to ask about the Oxi-Clean substitute. I only use white revive because having no kids I rarely see stains! I like to use hottest water possible for dirty dish cloths and white pillow cases (only hot seems to remove strong male hair odor) and the seller on Amazon says use only with cold water. Cold water will not kill viruses on clothing and we live in California where we are getting hit hard by Coronavirus. I’m not paranoid but as an RN I’m aware of how viruses and food borne illnesses spread. Frankly I’m more worried about getting something like hepatitis or E. Coli from dirty produce, so I’m pretty picky about how I handle any towels that come in contact with food. And I always wash underwear separately. So I’ve come to rely on Oxi-Clean products for a chlorine bleach replacement. Has anyone tried this sanitizer in place of White Revive? My hubby used to make beer so this product was one we had around the barn for a while. It never occurred to me to wash stuff with it. What a genius idea, Andrea!
Andrea says
Thanks Liane,
For the record, I always use warm or hot water for pretty much all our laundry (especially kitchen towels and suck).
Courtney Sprenger says
I wish I had known about these training wheels last summer when my youngest was learning to ride! One training wheel from our many times handed down bike bent, making it useless, and the set from our older daughter’s bike didn’t fit the smaller bike. It was a crash course in learning to ride, and I got a LOT of exercise running along, holding up a bike! If I had more kids to teach to ride a bike, I would definitely buy these.
Andrea says
haha — well at least you got your exercise in! 🙂
BB says
Hi Andrea!
I have a question about whether this sodium percarbonate has a smell to it?
I had to quit using Oxyclean as its smell was very strong and obnoxious to me.
I hope this sodium percarbonate, since it is all by itself and more concentrated, does not smell like Oxyclean does. Thanks for any assistance in this ‘smell’ department question!
BB
Andrea says
absolutely ZERO smell! Good question though — that’s actually something I didn’t realize until now! I love that it doesn’t have the smell of Oxiclean!
Linda says
Two questions: I have been buying a pectin that can be used with a sugar substitute instead of sugar. Does your favorite pectin have any instructions for using a sugar substitute?
Regarding the sodium percarbonate: I bought the ball for washing clothes that you recommened and it seems to work well. You use the sodium percarbonate in addition to the ball or in place of?
Thanks, Andrea!
Linda
Andrea says
Hi Linda!
The fruit pectin is the full-sugar variety. However, here is the low-sugar/no-sugar pectin you’re looking for!
And for the Sodium Percarbonate — you can use that in addition to the laundry balls (glad those are working for you, by the way!) I don’t spot-treat anything, so I use OxiClean as my “stain remover”. This does the same thing — with just 1T instead of a full scoop!
Hope this helps!
Susan says
Thanks for the sodium percarbonate tip, I went to Amazon and read how it can be used to clean outdoors. Looking forward to more of your posts, new reader here.
Andrea says
yes — there are TONS of uses for it!
Also — SO excited to have you as a new reader!!!
JJ says
I have made a “Home Stuff” wish list on Amazon and love that I can add the things I see on your blog for when we are ready to purchase!!!
Some of my favorite things:
Sweet Tea Recipe(a Northerner living in the South needed one, haha!) I was so nervous to serve it, and everyone loved it. They said it tasted so good and asked how I made it. The secret ingredient is baking soda. Here’s the recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/109190/smooth-sweet-tea/
Kleenex hand towels(so good for when sickness strikes)
Pampered Chef can strainer! My husband and son love tuna, and this makes straining the water so easy and gets it all out.
YouTube! My husband put in flooring using this after our washer flooded our laundry room and hall.
Andrea says
this is awesome! I love that you’re so organized to have a specific wish list just for home stuff! Great idea!
And thanks for the sweet tea recipe!
Michelle says
Thank you, Andrea, for this month’s favorite things. Those training wheels look awesome. I love the flip-zip feature.
I am looking forward to canning some jam this summer because it just tastes better than store bought. I noticed you removed the rings from your jam jars, is there a reason?
Thank you for sharing your oxi-clean substitute. I cringe every time I have to purchase this due to cost…but I love adding it to my wash. I,too, find that you only need about 1 T. and not a whole scoop.
Andrea says
You’re welcome, Michelle,
I always remove the rings after the jars seel so I can wash the jars really well. Also, then I can use the rings for my next canning project (so I only need to store a smaller number of rings). There is no reason to keep the rings on the jars after they seel. That said, if I give jam as gifts, I always include a rin.
Barb says
Andrea, I use Oxiclean Versatile for colored clothes that need extra cleaning power and Oxiclean White Revive for whites to keep them white. Which one of those two does Sodium percarbonate compared to?
Andrea says
Sodium Percarbonate replaces the OxiClean Versatile — the OxiClean white revive has additional ingredients.
The following is taken from the OxiClean website:
“OxiClean™ White Revive™ Laundry Stain Remover powder is a laundry-only product while OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover has many uses as well as laundry. OxiClean™ White Revive™ Laundry Stain Remover formula has special ingredients to boost cleaning and whitening which can only be used on laundry.”
BCamp says
Can Sodium Percarbonate be used on colors as well as whites?
Andrea says
yes — it’s safe for white, colors, and pretty much all fabric types!
Annette Silveira says
I got one of the loofah bags with my Bend Soap order (from the offer you featured a while ago). I love it. It feels rough on my skin but in the best way! I absolutely think it exfoliates better than anything else I’ve tried.
Amy Owen says
Dollar Tree also sells an off-brand Oxi-Clean. It’s called “L.A.’s Awesome Oxygen Cleaner.” I use it regularly and can’t tell any difference. $1 for the one-pound tub.
Andrea says
thanks for sharing Amy!
Cathy says
Thank you for the content but reading through 7 pop up ads is distracting and annoying.
Andrea says
HI Cathy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I just double-checked and ALL popup ads for my site have been disabled. I’m not sure what you saw… maybe there was a glitch in the ad network settings this morning??
Either way, please keep in mind that EVERYTHING on my site is completely free to anyone who wants to read it. Ads make this possible for you and for all my other readers 🙂
Doreen says
I also am experiencing the pop up ads as I scroll through, six on this article alone. Yes, I know this is your income and, yes, I do like your new look and feel. But, it is not simple.
Ann says
I’m glad for this information about sodium percarbonate! I’ve never heard of it before & I do like Oxiclean! Thanks for sharing!!
By the way, I like your new Blog design!
Ann says
So you add Sodium Percarbonate to your laundry with your laundry balls and no other detergent?
(Still using up my detergent stash before I decide if I am going to go this route.)
Andrea says
yes — exactly! Although I added oxyclean to almost all my laundry when I was using detergent too. I use much less Sodium Percarbonate though — only about 1 T. per load!