Cleaning up in 2013

Make your own laundry soap.

Ingredients:

1 bar Fels Naptha soap, or any (sold by the mops in most stores)

1 cup Borax powder (sold in the soap aisle)

1 cup washing soda (sold in the soap aisle and is by arm and hammer)

1/2 cup oxyclean. (I use the generic stuff from the dollar store)

Grate your bar of soap. You can you use the grater blade on your food processor. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well. 

To use:

Use 2 heaping tablespoons per full load. Add it at the beginning before the clothes so that it has time to dissolve. This will not suds up. But your clothes will be very clean and fresh.

Store in a container with a lid.

If you find that your clothes still look dingy, it could be because you have hard water. Try adding a little salt (a couple of tablespoons) to help soften your water.

Enjoy.

Obamanomics

 So Why are we footing the bill for this one?

Malia Obama.

Photograph by: Archive photo , Getty Images

OAXACA, Mexico - The elder daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama is spending her spring break in the historic Mexican city of Oaxaca in the company of 12 friends, a state police official said.
The young tourists, including 13-year-old Malia Ann Obama, are staying at a downtown hotel in this city famous for its colonial architecture and well-preserved native American traditions, the official said.
"We are here to block access to the hotel by other people and escort the vehicles that are carrying the visitors to tourism sites," the police official told AFP under the condition of anonymity.
Malia Obama and her friend are guarded by 25 U.S. Secret Service agents as well as Mexican police, the official noted.
The group, which arrived in Oaxaca Saturday, has already visited the architectural zone of Mitla and the tree of El Tule believed to have one thousand years.
The sightseeing plan also includes visits to Monte Alban known for its archeological research sites and Oaxaca’s famous artisan quarters.