Have a Very Sanitary Christmas

This year I scrubbed my brain to come up with a gift for my co-workers (teammates? fellow teachers?), and I decided to roll with the times and get hip. Whats a hotter topic than Swine Flu, eh? It's everywhere you look- someone around you is telling you to wash your hands, cough into your elbow, NOT lick doorknobs. I thought since we all work with those sticky, walking germ sanctuaries called children I would make something useful- sanitizing spray. I did a little research about recipes and found pretty much all the variations were a combo of water, white vinegar, and essential oils with anti-bacterial properties. I went with Tea Tree oil, lemon grass, and a splash of lavender and mint. The smell was pretty, but also pretty potent. I attached an adorable picture of V, and wa-la- almost instant gifts for all my office-mates!

And a Germ free New Year!

Green on a budget.

A long time ago some douche bag politician said that America is the only country whose poor people were fat. I don't remember who said it, or in what context but this has stuck in my brain. Well of course they are fat! Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and quality meats are freakin' expensive! You know whats not expensive? The McDonalds dollar menus. And the Wendy's dollar menu, and the Arby's 5 for 5, and KFC....need I go on? Take a trip to the grocery store and compare- what's going to feed a family for less? Canned food, boxed food, stuff with lots of crap and not alot of substance.

So whats a person to do?

I start by doing an exauhsting and neverending tour de grocery shopping. If I make it sound terrible, it's because it kinda is... however the family just can not afford convience anymore. What ever, here is what I do...
1. Shop the warehouse stores first. I go to Costco for staples, and the occasional organic surprise: Boca Burgers, organic frozen vegtables, free range organic eggs, organic bread and peanut butter. If I have some one to share it with, I'll buy the organic fresh produce- otherwise it's a waste.
2. Clip coupons: No every Sunday is a winner, but I'll get some pretty sweet deals every now and then.
3. Shop the generic brands- Both Cub and Rainbow have their own Organic lines, and truly the deals are good, and the taste is good. How can you lose?
4. Make frequent visits to the outlet, closeout, and overstock stores, like Big Lots. Sometimes you find things you need and actually use! Once I found Tom's of Maine toothpaste for $2.00 a tube (reg. 4.99 and up)- I now have enough toothpaste to last until next year. That same trip I also spied a ton of 7th Generation products for half their retail price. I also found West Soy plain soymilk at the Dollar Tree, and it wasn't even expired!;)

Your not going to cut your grocery bills in half or anything, but comparison shopping is really the only way to save.

Homemade Laundry Detergent and Baby food. Only not together.

I used my MEA weekend to further my "prairie mom" skills. Well, I don't think prairie moms had food processors, but whatevs. I pureed a bag of organic pears and froze them in some tiny individual containers I got at the dollar store. Violet loves her pears! So far the only veggie I have made is peas, which I pureed and froze in ice cube trays. Pretty easy!

I also got an idea from my lovely www.craftster.org, and made my own powdered laundry detergent! This turned out awesome, but I have yet to wash the diapers with it so I will post and update about it's poo-fighting ablities...

To make your own cheap and awesome laundry soap you will need:
1. a food processor
2. 1 bar of soap that you like- I choose Kirks Castille because it was cheap, at my CUB, and it's all natural and fragrance and animal product free. I did also buy a Kiss My Face Olive Oil bar, but it was 4x the cost, so I am using that in the shower!!
3. 1/2 cup WASHING soda, not baking soda- I found it at CUB in the laundry area.
4. 1/2 cup Good old Borax- and you thought that was only used for making homemade silly putty!!

All you do is chop up the soap really fine in the FP, then add the powdered stuff and blend, then VIOLA! I use an old coffee scoop- one scoop per load.

Now if only I can figure out how to make my own proactiv solution I'll be set.

Halloween Thrift score!

Mike and I went a little over board at the Unique this weekend. We bought Violet enough halloween clothes to last until she's in her terrible two's! I also got a bunch of wooden toys and blocks, and yet another toy guitar! Spoiled baby.

My favorite diaper cover!

Cloth Diapering, or FUN WITH POOP!

Way back when my little one was but a twinkle in my eye, I had visions of what an idyllic mom I'd be: I'd make all the baby cothes, push her in a vintage buggy, and use cloth diapers. Well, know that she's here, the real world has limited my beautiful visions. Like making her baby clothes? Ha! I barely have time to DRESS myself! The lovely vintage pram idea? Uhhhh, have you seen the sidewalks in North Minneapolis? Let alone the space it would take up in the Honda! My word.

One of my baby dreams, however, has proved to be not only possible- but practical! Cloth Diapering, of course. Now at first I was totally freaked out when I started doing research. I trolled page after page of "how to's" and was totally overwhelmed. There is this whole cloth diaper culture out there, with it's lingo and crazy crazy options, and a million different opinions n how to wash them. I almost chickened out when I read about how I was supposed to spray and dunk poopy diapers in the toilet before washing. What???? I mean have you seen my toilet? I'd rather dip them in acid before swishing them around that germ hole. Anyway- after months of repeat visits to Green Mountain Diapers.com, I finally decided to test the waters. Now at this time, my little one was already here, seeing as she came early, and we were using disposables in the tinest preemie size. By the time we got to cloth she was past the pooping after every feeding phase, thank god! So here is what I have found:

Cloth appealed to me because I was expecting it to be cheap. WRONG! You can get very lost in all the different options, some of which are very pricey. An all-in one diaper (like a washable disposable) can be $20 each! The cheapest option is called a prefold- the old fashioned square diapers that you pin, or use a velcro wrap with. This is the route I chose, because you get a dozen for about $17. However, you still need the expensive diaper covers if you ever want to have a dry lap again. This is again where it gets complicated as there are about a thousand different kinds/ sizes/ and price ranges. I have tried the following brands: Bummis Super Whisper, Bummis Original, Pro Wrap, Lite Wrap, and Thirsties. My favorite by far are the Thirsties, even though it took a while for my baby to be big enough to fit the x Small size. These are the covers I will be using from now on. My runner up was the Bummis Original, which had a nice fit and was easy to use. Total pass on the Pro-wraps and the Lite Wrap, and the Bummis Super Whisper just felt too stiff and unyeilding. So, now onto the washing part:

Heres the deal- I hate laundry, so I had to find the most simple and effective wash routine. This is what I do-
1. Wash with soap on COLD for the longest cycle.
2. Wash again with soap on HOT for the longest cycle.
3. Wash again on cold without soap.
4. Dry!

I do not dunk the poops, since I breastfeed I read you can just toss them in- so I do. The end