Homemade Baby Wipes

I use cloth diapers most of the time but until now, I haven't used cloth wipes.  I've been thinking about it but we buy our wipes at Costco and it seems like we never run out.  I was thinking the other day, why does that have to stop me?  I'd like to have some backup disposable wipes anyways so I'm not worried about running out!


Cloth wipes are somewhat expensive to buy and very very easy to make.  Like seriously, if you have never sewn before, this is the project for you to start with.  I used a flannel receiving blanket to make my wipes.  I was thinking it would have been more fun to find a flannel sheet with a cool print at a thrift store.  Of course, that would make a TON of wipes.


I made my wipes about 8x8 inches (some a little bit smaller since the blanket wasn't exactly the right size).  That's a size that fits very well folded in half into a regular wipes box.  I plan on just putting solution in the box with the wipes so using a wipes box will make sure that they don't dry out.

Just cut the blanket (or sheet if you want a lot!) into squares.

A blanket will give you a pretty large stack of wipes.

Zig-zag stitch around all the sides of the wipes.  That's it!

Note:  Another cool thing about my wipes?  Years ago my great grandmother gave me her sewing machine and a bunch of her sewing things.  For this project, I used up most the thread on two of her bobbins.  Notice that there are 12 different colors of thread?  That is just most of the thread from only 2 bobbins!  It seems that she never took the thread off when she filled her bobbin with a new color.  Too cool!

Linked at http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

Baked Rigatoni

I love casseroles and I love pasta.  This is both.  It is delicious and creamy.  There is melty cheese.  Oh, and I didn't have to bake it in the oven.  That is important right now.

I like rigatoni in this recipe.  It is big enough to get sauce inside and it also get a little bit smushed in the casserole.  Yum.

Note:  I didn't actually measure any of these ingredients.  If you want a little more or a little less of something, go for it!

Ingredients
1/2 pound Italian sausage
24 oz pasta sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz shredded mozzarella
1/2 pound rigatoni

Boil your pasta.  Meanwhile, cook your Italian sausage, breaking it up into smallish pieces.  Mix cooked Italian sausage, pasta sauce, sour cream, and most of the mozzarella in a microwave and oven safe casserole dish.  Stir in the cooked rigatoni.

Microwave for about 5 minutes with the lid on until it is heated through.  Toss the remaining mozzarella on top and broil in the oven for about 5 more minutes with the lid off until the cheese is melted and golden.

Easy Chocolate Ganache

We had a killer night and it has been a long day.  Little started crying at around 3:30 am and would only sleep in my arms with me sitting up from that point on.  This morning I had a pounding headache and very achy neck and shoulders.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, I was worn out.  Little refused to nap so we cleaned the kitchen.  Once the kitchen was looking cleaner, I thought, why not make some cupcakes?  That was clearly an idea inspired by exhaustion.

Well, the cupcakes came out of the oven and Little finally went down for a nap.  I frosted the cupcakes, cleaned the kitchen up again, and decided to make some ganache to make my cupcakes extra special.  (Note: this was my first time piping on the frosting.  I don't make cupcakes often at all and I normally just spread the frosting on with a knife.  Delicious but not nearly as nice looking.)  Ganache can be used for all sorts of things but I love the way it looks on cupcakes and cakes.  So fancy!

Notice Little supervising from her high chair?

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Bring cream to a boil.  Pour over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.  Whisk until smooth.  Let cool stirring frequently.  Use immediately.

Linked at http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I hate that cleaning products cost so much.  I hate that cleaning products are so toxic.  I have been seeing a lot of recipes for homemade detergents and I think I'm ready to try some.

I decided to make my own dishwasher detergent first.  It was a simple recipe and it was modified to work with hard water.  We have very hard water here.

I've used this a few times and my dishes come out sparkling clean!  This is especially impressive because I am not one of those people who rinses off dishes really well before I wash them.  I put them in there dirty.  And I often leave the food to dry onto the dishes.  Good job detergent!

Ingredients:
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
1/4 cup fruit fresh
1/4 cup salt

Put the baking soda in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  You are turning it into washing soda by doing this.  Alternatively, just use washing soda.

Mix all of the ingredients together.  I put them in a peanut butter jar and shook it up.

To wash your dishes, put 2 tablespoons detergent plus 2-3 drops dish soap in the detergent cup.  Add 1/2 cup vinegar to the dishwasher and run it.  All done!

Linked at http://www.littlenaturalcottage.com/ and frugallysustainable.com

Co-Sleeping

I know this is counter cultural but we co-sleep with Little.  We have had quite a few different co-sleeping arrangements since Little was born and we have never slept with her in a different room than us.

During the first three weeks, Little slept in our bed with us.  It was so wonderful to spend that time bonding with our tiny baby.  At about three weeks, I was feeling like I needed some more time without a baby attached to me.

From that time until Little was four months old, she slept in a custom built cradle right next to our bed.  The cradle was built for my cousin (he's now 14!) by my grandfather.  It was right next to the bed so that I could reach in and touch Little or I could rock it if she needed motion to keep her asleep.  When she was four months old, she was getting too big for the cradle but it was really sad to move her out of it.

Now, Little sleeps in a crib next to our bed.  Occasionally, she still gets to sleep in bed with us if she is fussy.  She loves to nap during the day in our bed between Husband and I.  At night, I can still reach my arms through the bars of her crib to hold her hand or put a pacifier in her mouth.

Sleeping in the same room as our baby and even sometimes in the same bed has never been an issue for us.  Little is a good sleeper.  She generally only wakes up at night when she is hungry.

We have never had to worry about not hearing the baby if she wakes up at night.  We don't use a baby monitor at night.  Co-sleeping in the same room has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of SIDS.

I love that Little is in our room with us.  Husband is a very light sleeper and he still enjoys having Little in our room with us.  Co-sleeping (but not only in our bed) has been wonderful for us.

Do you co-sleep with your child?  How does that work for your family?

Marion Berry Hand Pies

I went berry picking the other day and I wasn't very successful.  The heat wave we had a couple of days ago must have killed all of the flowers.  Husband loves berry pies and I was hoping to get enough to make one for him.  Well, I didn't get very many and they were small berries at that.  I decided that the tiny berries I picked would be great in hand pies.  Hand pies have been a fascination of mine  What better time than now to try making some?

Husband loved them.  He got home when they were hot out of the oven and very quickly there were only two left.  I thought I would get more pictures of these beauties but they disappeared before I got a chance!

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 1/2 cups marion berries
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold water

Mix sugar and corn starch.  Mix in berries and heat on medium, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir for one minute.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool as you make the crusts.

I made my own very simple butter crust.  If pie crust seems to difficult you could buy pre-made crust.  (Remember, "easy as pie" makes sense because pie is so easy compared to other baked goods!)  To make my crust, mix the flour and salt together.  Cut in your softened butter into your flour mixture.  You should end up with bits of dough the size of small peas.  Mix in the water a little bit at a time until it all sticks together.

Divide your dough into four pieces.  Roll one piece out into a circle.  Place it on a cookie sheet.  Spoon some berry filling into the center and quickly fold the dough over.

Use a fork to press down on the edges to seal your pie.  Repeat for the remaining pies.  I didn't make perfect circles so I trimmed the edges of my pies with a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until your crusts are golden brown.  Yum!

Linked at http://www.littlenaturalcottage.com/

Being a Mama in Real Life

So I had some big plans last night and today.  Ok, not really that huge but I thought that I could get the dishes done, make a good dinner (its not very hot so I can use the oven!), and maybe even make a treat for Husband.  And then reality happened.  Little was pretty fussy all day and I noticed that she felt warm.  Yep, she is sick.

Last night Little had a fever of 102.  That meant a lot of crying (just her so far) and not a lot of sleep (Little, Husband, and myself).  Last night, not only did I get nothing done, but my sweet girl would only sleep if I was holding her.  I spent the entire night sitting on the couch holding my girl.  Throughout the night she would wake up absolutely screaming.

This morning I took her to the doctor because she wasn't nursing well and I wanted to see if there was anything else we could do. The doctor decided that she probably has a virus.  My poor girl is trying to sleep it off right now and I am wishing she would let me catch a nap too.

Being a mama in real life is simply not as easy and glamorous as movies and such make it look!

Braided Headbands

I have been making braided headbands. 5 piece braided headbands actually.  I found the idea on Pinterest from make it and love it.  Lets be real, I love it.  For these awesome headbands all you need is an old t-shirt as many t-shirts as you can get your hands on and either a hot glue gun or a needle and thread.  I used a hot glue gun because I just bought a new one.

Luckily Husband just went through his t-shirts and made a big give away bag full of them.  He meant give to me right?  I have already made two for me and two four for Little.  I'm addicted.  They are quick, easy, and free as long as you have an old t-shirt.

I have been wearing them all the time.  They would be great for doing your make-up or going to the gym.  Or wearing everywhere.

Each t-shirt seems to make three or four headbands, depending on how thick you want them.  I have made thinner ones for Little and thicker ones for myself.

Start by cutting your t-shirt into strips.  You will need 5 strips, each long enough to go almost twice around your head.  I made the strips about 1 inch wide for me and about 1/2 an inch wide for Little.  I just cut around the bottom of the t-shirt and that was easily long enough (half of that worked for Little).

Put the ends of your strips together and glue them.  Pull on each strip of fabric so that they curl on the edges. If you're not sure its curled enough, pull harder.

Now its time to braid.  I clipped the glued end of my braid to a clipboard to make it easier to braid.  Separate your strips so there are 3 on the left and 2 on the right.

Working with the left group only, bring the left strip to the middle, then the right strip to the middle.  Now bring the new right strip to the right group.

Working with the right group only now, bring the right strip to the middle, then the left strip to the middle.  Now bring the new left strip to the left group.  Repeat.

When your braid is long enough (make it a little short since it will be stretchy) glue the end and cut off the extra strips.  Glue both ends of the braid together and cover with a small piece of t-shirt.  I glued some fabric do-dads to Little's headbands but I left mine plain.  All done!

Linked on http://frugallysustainable.com/ and http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

Southwest Quinoa Salad

I whipped up this salad for dinner the other day.  It is very easy, healthy, and also vegan.  Husband and I aren't vegan or even vegetarian but we do occasionally eat vegan/vegetarian meals because they tend to be healthier.  No saturated fats in here!

I tried cooking quinoa for the first time a few months ago and I love it. It is a whole grain and very high in protein. It has a lovely texture and flavor. It is also very cheap and easy to cook!

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans
1 cup corn (frozen, cut from a cob, etc)
1 small red bell pepper
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 limes

Put your quinoa in a pot. Rinse with cold water and drain as best you can. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. When done, let quinoa rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop your bell pepper and onion. Mince (or garlic press) your garlic. Put everything except the limes in a large bowl. Toss and season with lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Linked at http://frugallysustainable.com/

Drying Apricots

The other day, my dad called me and told me that he had some apricots for me.  Someone at his work had a bunch available and my dad had picked some.

When I went to pick them up, We didn't just have "some" apricots.  As I stared at the massive sack of apricots that he had alloted to me, he told me that he had heard that apricots were Husband's favorite fruit.  Well, they are definitely high on his list of favorites but I can't imagine him eating 15 lbs of them before they go bad.

I decided to dry a bunch of them in my new food dehydrator.  A neighbor of my parents was having a yard sale and he gave me a food dehydrator for free!


 Dried fruit is really easy to make and it lasts almost forever.  I was thinking that dried apricots would be good in my granola but Husband told me that he'll eat them plain.

I dry very ripe fruit.  If you cut the apricots in half and dip them in some fruit fresh and water, they won't turn brown.  Then I dry them cut side up.  I don't think that matters too much but it keeps my dehydrator easy to clean!

 I like to store my dried fruit in mason jars.  I can see what's in there, they seal out moisture, and they don't slide out of the cupboard like plastic bags do.  Yummy!

Linked at http://frugallysustainable.com/

Fun in the Sun!

It was a really hot day here on Saturday.  Its normally hot in the summer but we had a heat wave so the temperature was 10 degrees hotter than normal.  106 degrees.  Whew!  There isn't a lot you can do with a baby when its that hot.  We got a teeny tiny pool for Little!

The pool is absolutely miniature.  Only 30 inches in diameter.  I'm not sure an adult could even sit in it.

Cool swim suit right?  Its from the 80s.  Yeah, it used to be mine.

My mom got a whole bunch of squirty toys for Little.  She hasn't figured out the squirting but biting is fun!

Happy Friday!

It has been a real roller coaster of a week.  Lots of big highs and lows.  Husband and I are making plans for our future and that is always scary.  Little has basically given up eating solid foods.  (Little had also given up pooping, more on that later.)  Little has gotten really really good at rolling which means its time to baby proof the house more.  Here's a few snap shots of my week!

I decided to let Little feed herself yesterday.  That food you see on her mouth?  I put it there.  She got food everywhere except in her mouth.  Go figure.

One day, Little seemed to sleep all day.  Except when I wanted a nap.  Doesn't she look sweet?

Here she is in her car seat, asleep at Target.  Did I mention that its only about 10am here?

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #4 Reasons

So here's my list of why we cloth diaper:

1.  Cloth Diapers are cheap


Cloth diapers are way cheaper than disposable diapers. We have bought a supply of 10 covers and about 30 inserts.  I probably spent $300 for all of them.  That seemed like a lot of money to spend on diapers but when I figured out that I could use the same diapers for how ever long Little is in diapers, the price looks a lot more reasonable.

I try to air dry my diapers most of the time. I did some research and dryer cycles cost about $1 per load.  If you are washing diapers twice a week, that can add up.  That would be over $100 per year.


2.  You can use the same diapers on every child you have

I plan on using the diapers we have now for 4 more children.  That means a couple thousand more diapers that I won't be buying.

3.  Cloth Diapers keep thousands of diapers out of the landfill every year

Babies use anywhere from 1000-3000 diapers every year.  Most diapers are made of plastics and take hundreds of years to decompose.  Our diapers won't go to the landfill.  They are diapers now, they will be cleaning rags when our kids are out of diapers.

4.  Kids who are in cloth diapers potty train an average of 12 months earlier

That's a couple thousand diapers I won't be changing.  Need I say more?

5.  There are no chemicals touching your baby's skin

I have super sensitive skin.  Little does too.  Disposable diapers are full of all sorts of chemicals.  I don't want those chemicals touching my baby's sensitive skin.

6.  Cotton is way softer than plastic

Cotton against the skin feels better than plastic right?  I love that cotton is what is touching Little.

7.  Cloth diapers are super cute

Little has solid colored cloth diapers.  There are a ton of options of colors and prints available.  That means that her diapers can match her outfits and when she is in dresses, I am never fussing with diaper covers.

8.  Cloth diapers are convenient

I never run out of diapers.  If Little is having a bad day and we are low on diapers, that's fine.  We don't have to go to the store.  I don't have to take her into the rain or the hot hot summer.  We can get some fresh diapers at home and quickly!

9.  Disposable diapers contain Dioxin

Dioxin is a known carcinogen (causes cancer).  I don't want even trace amounts of that against my baby's skin!

I love cloth diapers.  They are wonderful.  I love to talk about them.  I love to tell people about them.  I don't even mind changing them and washing them.  Want to hear more about them?  Have any questions?  Do you cloth diaper your kiddo?  I would love to hear about what you are doing.  Please comment and follow me!  Thanks!

Check these out for more information on cloth diapers:

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #1 Options

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #2 Diapering

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #3 Laundry

This post was linked at :http://frugallysustainable.com/

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #3 Laundry

Washing cloth diapers was probably the scariest thing for me before I started doing it.  Washing poop out of diapers just seems gross and potentially dangerous.  I wasn't sure how safe it was: would my baby be exposed to harmful bacteria?  Would I get poop on me?

We looked into getting a diaper service so that I would not have to wash the diapers but it was so expensive that we decided that I would try washing the diapers myself.

Laundry has turned out to be incredibly easy.

When babies exclusively breastfeed, their poop is water soluble.  That means that all dirty diapers just go straight into the bin.  We just use a large rubbermaid plastic storage bin as our cloth diaper pail.  When things get stinky, I pour some baking soda into the bottom of it.  Every time we wash diapers, I spray out the bin and let it bake in the sun.

Now that Little is eating solid foods, her diapers are slightly more complicated.  If there is a poop, you must do your best to get that off the diaper and into the toilet before you wash your diapers.  I just use a spatula and scrape the poop off the diaper.  Its not the most glamorous way to do it but its cheap and it works for us.  Another option is a diaper sprayer.  These little contraptions attach to the plumbing on your toilet and make a nice little jet of water to spray poop off the diaper and into the toilet.  Sounds more glamorous right?  Diapers with the poop removed go into the bin same as usual.

We wash diapers around every four days.  You can do it more often or wait as long as a week.  It really depends on your diaper supply and how big your washing machine is.  Remember that you do not want to have your load too full because you want extra water when you are washing diapers.

Washing diapers is really easy.  We wash the covers and the inserts all together.  Start with a cold prewash.  Wash on hot with half the normal amount of detergent (make sure the detergent is free from perfumes and enzymes).  We use All free and clear detergent but there are also detergents made specially for diapers.  Do an extra rinse and your diapers all all done!

Diapers can be dried in the dryer.  Make sure that your covers are only dried on low heat (this extends their life).  I have almost always dried our diapers on a drying rack.  In the winter, we dried them in Little's room (it works great to add humidity to the air) and now that it is summer, we dry them outside in the sun.  Drying diapers in the sun has the added bonus that the UV kills anything that might have survived the wash and it bleaches the diapers so that even the worst stains come out perfectly white.

That's it!  Your diapers are clean and dry and ready to go.  Not so bad right?  I do this several times a week and I know that I would definitely cloth diaper my next kid!

Want to know more?

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #1 Options

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #2 Diapering

Linked at http://frugallysustainable.com/

How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #2 Diapering

Before I started using cloth diapers on Little, I thought that they must be super hard to use.  Everything you hear about diaper pins and leaking.  I was very nervous.  Good News: the cloth diapers you can get now are totally not like that!

I use Flip diapers.  They adjust to 3 different rises and a ton of different waist sizes using easy to access snaps.  Then you just stick in an insert and put it on your baby.  I have some of their inserts and I also use cotton cloth diapers.  The inserts that come as part of the flip system are awesome- they are cotton on one side and microfiber on the other so they are super absorbent but they keep your little one dry.  They also have fold lines stitched on them so you know exactly what size to make them.  The down side is that they are much more expensive than basic cloth diapers.  I use cotton prefolds now.  When Little was smaller, I used birds eye cotton flat folds.  Both of those are really easy to fold.  I just match their size to the size of the flip inserts.

These diapers are super simple to use.  If you have never used them before, start with a happy baby!

Take out the soiled insert and toss that in your diaper pail.  Stuff a clean insert under the flaps in front and back.

Lay the diaper under your baby, just like with a disposable diaper.

Snap each side to the perfect fit for your baby!

Don't cloth diapers look cute?

If you want to know more about cloth diapers, check out some of your options here.

Come back tomorrow to see how I wash our diapers!

Did you miss yesterday?  Check out How to Cloth Diaper Your Baby #1 Options

Linked at http://frugallysustainable.com/