I haven’t been blogging lately because I’ve been nesting.  Yes, I know it’s a little early for that but it occurred to me that I was just barely keeping my head above water with 3 kiddos and that with 4 all semblance of order was going to pack up and move altogether.  So, we’ve taken action.  I’ll be going into more detail as I find the time but here’s a preview.

*We now have a 4 wk rotating menu instead of me trying to figure out what’s for dinner each night.

*I use a weekly printout from Outlook and a homemade “Daily Docket” to keep me focused on what really needs to be attended to each day.

*We said goodbye to the cleaning lady and now the big kids are actively helping about the house.  This has been good for our budget and our character.

*Lego play is limited to the newly created “Lego Lab” and any Lego found outside the Lab is immediately sent on “vacation.”

*Implemented some great laundry time savers.  Namely a rolling laundry sorter and a better way to dry the cloth diapers.

*Declutter, declutter, declutter.

*We moved all sorts of things behind closed doors.  This has really helped limit the amount of mess making Dora does in a day.

*Using workboxes as a way to give the big kids education more attention without becoming too rigid.  The process of setting these up led to a complete re-design of our “school” room that I am immensely pleased with.

*Took an honest look at why we homeschool and what our goals are.  This simple exercise was more helpful than I anticipated in motivating me for the coming year.

*I’m trying to get up before everyone else each day.  This is especially hard after a long night but for the most part has been worth it.

Okay, so this is a long, boring list without a lot of explanation.  I’m going to try to write a post for each of these in the coming weeks and I’ll link back here when I do.  Also, I need to tell you about

*Dora turning one.

*Brother turning six.

*Our signing with baby progress.

*Dora’s birth story (surely I can get to this before the next one comes.)

*Pregnancy and depression and making it work anyway.

*Will’s new job.

Whew!  I really haven’t blogged in a while, have I?

We’ve had flannel wipes in our home for quite some time now.  Purchased during a “green moment” they’re one of my  little contributions toward saving the planet and all that.  They are incredibly soft and surprisingly easy to use and maintain once you know few tricks.

Trick #1 - Stain Removal

I keep a bucket near my washer filled with water and a scoop of OxiClean.  Since I don’t use bleach for anything (which is a whole different post) any super soiled items go here to soak overnight before washing.  This includes soiled wipes.  I read about this tip here and like her, I’ve not had any trouble with staining.

Trick #2 - Wipes On the Go

Sometimes I need wipes when I’m out and about since I don’t want to throw away my flannel investment I carry two small sandwich bags in my diaper bag/purse.  In one I place a few moistened wipes.  The other is empty and clearly marked “for soiled wipes only.”  After using a wipe I simply store it in the “soiled” bag until I get home where I drop it in my wash bucket. (see Trick #1)  If you use cloth diapers you probably already have a wet bag that works the same way.

Trick #3 - The “Wet” Part of Wet Wipes

For a while I ran a wipe under water when I needed one which worked well enough but recently I whipped up this solution (It took about 3 minutes.) and poured it over my wipes so they are all pre-moistened.

2 cups water

1/8 cup baby oil

1/8 cup shampoo (The original recipe calls for baby shampoo but I use this.)

3 drops tea tree oil

Place all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake until mixed.  You could put this in a sprayer for use each time or you could do what I did and place your wipes in an airtight container then pour the solution over them.  I only used about half of the mixture.  The rest I’ve labeled and stored away for future use.

Trick #4 - Dispensing

I have an old Pampers wipe container that was designed for pop up’s so this is how I fold my wipes before I put them in.

Continue folding this way until you run out of wipes then place them in the container and use just like disposable pop ups.

Trick #5 - Making Your Own?

I didn’t do this but it occurs to me that if you have any sewing ability at all it would be no problem to make your own.  The ones I have are rectangular pieces of flannel that are simply serged around the edges.  If you’re like me and you work best from instructions check these out.  This lady seems to be an old pro.  Imagine all the cute designs you could have by making your own.  Sadly, mine are just plain white.  If you make cut ones let me know!  I’ll try not to be jealous.