Homemade Baby Wipes

After Lilah received a chemical burn from the Pampers Dry Max Diapers a little over a month ago, and then reading what disposable diapers are made of, we have decided to start using cloth diapers. We have a few boxes of disposables to use up, thanks to a little email I sent to Pampers, but we have already started using cloth at home. I totally wish I started this earlier. Along with cloth diapers, we have been using cloth wipes.

I toyed with making my own wipes when Jonathan was a baby, using paper towels. But I never fell in love with them. They always seemed too wet, and didn't clean well.

These wipes, I have fallen in love with. Well, as much as you can love something that wipes your kids butt.

For the fabric, I purchased some homemade cloth wipes from a vendor at a mom to mom sale. Love these. But at $1 a piece, I decided to make my own. I cut up a flannel receiving blanket of Lilah's. After a few washes, the sides are not fraying as much, and these have been working perfect. They are so soft. What would take 5-6 disposable wipes, only dirties 2 cloth wipes.

I stack the cloth wipes in a wipes container and they fit perfect.

Next I make the wipe solution. There are many different versions that you can make, but this is one that I have tried and loved. And it is made from ingredients that we always have on hand.

1 1/2 cups of boiled water
1 tbs white vinegar (keeps bacteria from growing)
1 tbs baby body wash (we use California Baby Calming)
1 tbs Coconut Oil

Mix all the ingredients until coconut oil dissolves and let cool to room temperature.

After the wipe mixture cools, pour over the container of wipes until they are soaked through.

Now your wipes are ready to go!

* You can also put the solution in a spray or squirt bottle and wet each wipe as you use them. For us, I want them ready to go so I keep them wet. I have never had a problem with them getting moldy as the vinegar is a disinfectant and keeps it from growing, we also use them up every few days.

I keep a little bucket in the bathroom, and toss them in there along with our diaper inserts. Evert few days they get washed in HOT water. I will start keeping them in a wet bag as soon as I can get one.

Have you ever made homemade wipes? What works best for you?

Out Little Firecracker

My how this little thing fills our life with light!

Fresh Baked

Mmm. . . this picture makes me hungry.
We have been making our own bread for about 3 months now. I wanted a bread maker for a few months before that, but they are expensive, take up room, and I wasn't sure how much I would use it. To test our my craving to make bread, I picked up a breadmaker at a resale shop, for $6.99. It is one of the wide ones that can make a 1lb or 2lb loaf. Ton of different setting on it. It even had the original receipt and instruction book with it. Purchased from Target for $169.99, for $6.99, a great deal!

As I looked through the manual preparing to make my first loaf, I noticed that the previous owner had added notes, adjustments that she/he made to the recipes. I have made almost all of the recipes in the original manual, with the recommended adjustments. She even had a separate recipe in there for English Muffin bread, one of our favs!

I would be happy with this breadmaker had I been the one to pay $169.99. I LOVE it. One of the best investments we have made. Since making my first load, we have not purchased a single loaf of bread from the store. As a matter of fact, the only bread product we have purchased has baan 2 packages of hotdog buns (I have even made those, just did not have time).

I make all of our "normal loafs", loafs that we bake in the bread machine, use for sandwiches and lunches.

Mike makes all of our "special breads". At first I wasn't sure how he would feel about us making our breads, but he has really taken to the idea, and joined in the process. Mike will make french baguetts occassionally, and french baguettes with garlic (the larger loaf in the picture), and other fancy little loafs. The 3 in the picture are my fav. He made those today. the mini loaf of bread I am using to make the kids sandwiches, Jonathan is going to love it. The other small one I am using for a sandwich tomorrow, and I can't wait.

This saves us a lot of money, is more nutritious than store bought breads, and we have fun doing it.

Early Easter

We started taking Jonathan to Sunday school about a month ago, he is still a little hesitant when we leave him, but he is learning so much and has a good time if you ask him when we pick him up. Lilah goes to the nursery too, a few tears at first, but then she does pretty good. Jonathan's teacher, and the ladies in the nursery are awesome. We really love the church a lot. Mike is transfering his membership over, and I am acutally taking a class that starts in a few weeks to become a member.

Last weekend we took the kids to an Easter Egg hunt at our Church. They had a great time finding eggs, making crafts, playing games, listening to stories, and eating treats. It was really nice that we were all able to go, as Mike is working all weekend, including Easter.

Warning, all the photos below are completely uncropped and unedited, yea, that's my new thing. Snapshots. I really don't take enough.

I made it!

Over the last few months, I have been trying to find ways to make things better for my family, and save us some money as well. There are two major things that have changed, and have made a big impact.

1. I have made all of our bread for the past 2 months

2. I made laundry detergent

1. I picked up a breadmaker at an excellent price and decided I would no longer buy bread from the store. Normally I tried to spend as little as possible, and would often pick up the $1 loaf from Kroger, even better sometimes I would get it marked down to .50 . Decent price for a loaf of bread. But do you know what is in it? Either do I.

Right now, I can tell you exactly what is in the bread used to make my kids sandwiches. 3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 tbs mollasses, 1 egg, 1 1/3 cups of water, 1 tbs honey, 2 tbs dry milk, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 tsp yeast.

Literally, it takes about 2 minutes to put the ingredients in the bread maker. Every single loaf I have made has turned out great. I make about 2 loafs a week. We have tried French Bread, Country White, Graham, Whole Wheat, Sourdough, French Baguette, and I have even made hotdog and hamburger buns.

It's better for you, and cheaper. It's a win, win situation.

2. Even though we currently have around 10 bottles of Tide and All in our laundry room, it's going to run out someday. Eventually, I am sure it will. Even though each of those bottles were purchased for less than $2 (most around $1), it still adds up. Even though we use cold water to wash most of our clothes, they still fade a lot. I have been wanting to do this for a while, so I researched a few recipes and decided to make my own laundry detergent.

It was much simpler than I imagined.

1 bar of soap (grated)

1/2 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda (not baking soda)

We used Ivory soap because I had 3 free bars, and I made a triple batch. You only need to use 1-2 tbs per load. So far it has been working great. The clothes are coming out clean and smelling good. I think the next batch I make I am going to use Fels Naptha soap. I bought a bar, I think it will help keep Mike's work shirts clean and the kids clothes.

It's simple, and a great way to use up some of the free bars of soap I can get with coupons.

My next goal is to make dish detergent, when my last 8 boxes run out.

A Day In The Life Of . . . Jonathan

Not too much new to say here. Mr. Jonathan got a new bed this week. The bottom bunk of of the set of beds Becky and I shared when we were little. The top will be soon to come. Both of the kids love climbing and playing on it. We thought it would be a good time to get rid of the night time Pull-Ups, Jonathan has been potty trained during the day since he was 2 1/2, but we can't seem to stay dry overnight. The first night went okay, we got up and took him to the bathroom at 10, 12, 3, and 5. Stayed dry. The following 3 nights though he wet the bed, I guess we need Pull Ups a little longer at night. He has been wanting to learn how to spell EVERYTHING, and he can read a few words. Did a great job helping me make French Toast this morning, he pretty much did everything. Following these pictures, I found him in his camo pants, a Detroit Lions jersey, wearing his Lightning McQueen backpack (filled with his camera and playfood), wearing his guitar, pushing a pink shopping cart filled with his Linus Blanket. I love this man.

A Day In The Life Of . . . Lilah

My little gymnast. Today, she has been obsessed with the kitchen table. Seriously, I can't hide all 5 chairs. She will climb up on a chair when I am not looking, and from there on to the kitchen table. I have rescued her from the laundry basket, a stool she got up on in the bathroom and couldn't get down, climbed up on the toilet and could not get down, climbed in to a very small plastic bin that holds her Legos and could not get out (3 times today), standing on her rocking horse and could not get down, and she climbed under her brothers bed and could not get out, and tried fitting in her baby stroller, on top of the baby. I really do love this stage though, good or bad she is learning so much.