I hate cleaning (less)

If you have known me for a while you probably know that I really don't like cleaning. Growing up my room was always a disaster. I would have several pairs of sweatpants and jeans on my floor that looked like someone had just taken them off and could jump into them in an instant to put them right back on. Chores were my least favorite part of my week and unless their was an incentive or a punishment rarely would I decide to tidy on my own.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the benefits of having a clean place. The order, the floors you can see, the lack of worry when a friend says they are stopping by.

The thing with clutter, a messy house, and stacks of dishes is that they make your brain feel that way. I have noticed that the more chaotic I feel reflects the state of our home. SO, I decided things needed to be different.

Well I feel like I have turned a new corner here folks. Things are slowly getting better. I wish we could hire a maid, but alas that isn't in our budget fight now. Here are the small things I am starting to do daily/weekly to keep our place a tad bit more clean, and it's working! I have been reading a little bit from FlyLady to help keep me organized and on top of things (a little) more. These things are super small, simple, and easy.

#1 Swish and swipe (3 minutes a day)
Ever feel that wave of panic when someone is coming over and asks to use your bathroom? Thoughts of "I hope there isn't too much dust on the toilet. Do I have a hand towel in there? Gosh I think I flushed last time, right? Hopefully my underwear isn't on the counter! Is that cute ring around the toilet bowl still, I swear I cleaned it last month" can create internal terror. So, every morning, Swish and Swipe, and your bathroom will always be guest-ready!

-Keep paper towels and window cleaner in the bathroom
-Spray the mirror, counter, faucet, and toilet with the cleaner
-Wipe down the mirror, counter, sink and then use this paper towel to wipe down the top and underside of the toilet.
-Scrub the toilet bowl quickly
-Wipe down the toilet seat and base with a new paper towel

DONE. It's so easy and if you wipe down the counter you need to make sure you put everything away that is living on the counter, so it keeps the clutter of bobby pins, toothpaste, and face lotion down.

#2. Clean Sink (10 minutes ~2x a day)
We don't have a dishwasher so it is really easy for our dishes to make babies and things get our of control in no time. Keeping the sink clean helps me cook better food because I have more space to prep. John is a dear and washes dishes regularly after dinner so I love getting help with this one.

#3 Zone Control
I divided my home into 5 zones. Bedroom, office/Caleb's room, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Each day I do one thing to beautify the "room of the day", or I pick up a few things in a certain area of that room. For example Monday is "bedroom day" and I washed the sheets. Simple and easy! This is a great way for someone who is a new mom to follow. It is so easy to start to feel bad about not cleaning the whole house from floor to ceiling. One small thing a day can make a huge difference!

#4 Solutions for Storage
Right now I am working on solutions for storing and ordering systems in our home. There are so many places that need help right now I am focusing on the entryway first. It is the gateway to crazy messy if we let things stack up and pile on the floor. I am thinking an easy-to-access storage bench but we shall see.   

Here are some fun pics from the past few weeks!

DIY Tie-Dye Woven Wrap

I got a few requests to do a tutorial on my woven wrap I just made for me and Caleb!

It sure was a process but sooooo worth it to see my little dude melt into the wrap when I wore him. Overall I I enjoyed being creative and I can tell this is just the beginning of a DIY obsession with making baby carriers!

I joined a DIY Babywearing Group and was inspired by all of the amazing projects people were posting. I also joined a Dyed Baby Carrier group and was able to learn so much before attempting my dye job. If you are considering this project you need to join these groups! They are a wealth of knowledge. I did a Low Water Immersion dye with Tulip dye but there are so many more options out there to dye a wrap or a baby carrier if you are interested!

Steps simplified: 
1. Buy supplies
2. Scour and wash fabric
3. Hem wrap
4. Dye wrap
5. Rinse and wash
6. Wrap you baby!

Before you start:

-Decide what size wrap you want and add 1-2 yards for shrinkage. Click here for sizing info. I made a size 6 wrap + a Kanga and I got 8 yards of fabric to account for shrinkage.

-Set aside four days for this project (deep cleaning day, hemming day, dying day, rinsing and washing day)

-Make sure you have all of your supplies

Supply list: 

-3-8 yards Osnaburg fabric (I got mine at walmart)
-1-6 packets of dye (depending on how many colors you want)
-Soda ash
-Large tub/bucket
-Matching thread for hemming (it will not pick up dye)
-Iron and Ironing board
-Working sewing machine 
-Optional: rubber bands

Scour/Deep Clean your fabric:

The purpose of the scouring step is to deep clean your fabric before dyeing. It helps in removing invisible sizing or other finishes that can interfere with dyeing, though there are some finishes that can't be removed so easily. There are a few ways to do this, but here is what I did:

-Place fabric in bath tub
-Boil as much water as possible
-Pour boiling water over fabric and (optional) place a trash bag over it to reduce heat loss
-Stir with a wood spoon (I pounded it!)
-Add 1/2 cup soda ash
-add boiling water to cover fabric
-Let sit, stirring every 10 minutes for 1 hour
-Put your fabric in the washer and do hot cycle followed by a hot dry. Repeat this step (2x wash/dry)

Hem your Wrap 

Watch this video prior to hemming, this will save you tons of time! This lady is an amazing twin baby-wearing mama.
*tip: to cut fabric to size, you can rip!

Most wraps are ~30 in wide, I left 2 in on each side

Iron and roll technique

Test out your wrap!

Kanga (with extra fabric!!)

Dye Your Wrap
-Mix your dye according to the instructions and based on the type of dye job you are doing.
-Apply rubber bands if the technique you are using requires it
-Apply your dye based on how you are dying (some processes require you to soak your fabric in soda ash first)
-At this point your wrap should either be in a plastic bag or in a bucket/tub
-Let it sit for at least 12 hours to let the dye set

Low water immersion, folded into the bin

I added dye first then fixed it with soda ask 1 hour later

Kanga (no folds)

Rinse your wrap
-Put your wrap in the bathtub and RINSE away with cold water! It is helpful to commit 30 minutes to this part because the water must run clear in order to insure all the dye has been rinsed out. Dye can be toxic to babies if it is not rinsed out properly.
-Wash your wrap on cold 1x, then hot 1x.
-Dry on hot

After rinsing and washing. the wrap is done!

Kanga

I did some cloth diaper pre-folds too!

Wrap your baby 
-For wrapping techniques and advice, check out this website!

Super comfy wrap!

Caleb 6 Months

Age: 6 months
Weight: 22lbs
Size clothes: 9-12 months

Interests: Caleb loves to watch us eat food and drink our Spark in the mornings. He will try to grab at anything I have in my hands. We have learned that Caleb is happiest in the water. He would stay in the bath all night if I let him, he adores Daddy Shower Time, and the beach is just about the happiest place on earth. He loves getting his whole body in the ocean and kicking around like he is doing eggbeater or breaststroke. I will take him to the YMCA pool 1-2x a week and he wins over everyone in the pool with his swimming attempts. Another one of Caleb's interests is smiling. He brings so much joy to strangers because of his infectious smile. I love seeing people's faces light up at the sight of my dear son grinning from ear to ear and squealing at them. I haven't had much experience with other people's babies, but a lot of people tell me "he is such a happy baby!" and I have to agree. He is really interested in faces, people, and can recognize the people who he sees the most (family, Stephanie, and other babies we know). It is so fun for him to see John walk in through the door and he can go from fussy to all smiles in 2 seconds when he recognizes who just came home.
 

Sampling the sand

Challenges: Nursing is continuing to be a big challenge because of the distractability factor. We usually nurse right before he naps and right when he wakes up so that if we go out he won't be hungry. A good thing and a challenge has been the long naps. They are amazing for him, for me, and for being a homebody. However it is really challenging to plan something in advance because I want to respect his sleep and give his little body a chance to grow and recover. During said naps Caleb loves to put his blanket over his face, smell it, suck on it, and play around before he falls asleep. I know they are really breathable and he won't suffocate, but it is heart-stopping every time I go in to check on him and the blanket is on his face. He sleeps without clothes and just in a diaper for naps so it is pretty hilarious to see him sprawled out and the entire blanket is bunched up on his face and nowhere near his body.
 

Caleb's preferred sleeping position (EEEK)

Milestones: Caleb has started to blow raspberries and will do it like he is having a conversation with us. His coos are becoming more conversation like and he is laughing at things that are actually funny. We have given him tastes of food and started to let him explore a few things with his mouth and hands. We are waiting to officially introduce solids until he is sitting independently and I am in no rush whatsoever after seeing what a mess he makes! If you read my Movement Readiness post you will remember that John and I are intentionally not putting him in a sitting position until he can independently put himself into one (try it out by lying on your tummy or back and then sit yourself up, it's hard!). We want his spine to have the best chance to develop normally and without all the messed up things we have going on that give our chiropractor so much business.
 

Loved reading his indestructible book

Eating/sleeping/pooping: All of Caleb's nutrition comes from boob juice right now. With a baby led-weaning approach he has tried/sampled: watermelon, peaches, green beans, avocado, banana, hummus, grapes, sand, dirt, and grass. He is napping 2-3x a day (morning, afternoon and sometimes early evening) for 2-3 hours. At night he will go to bed between 8pm-9pm and will wake up between 4-5:30 to nurse. I bring him in bed at this point and we will snuggle and fall asleep until 8am or so. Sometimes he will sleep until 9 or 10am! I started reading The No-Cry Sleep Solution book to figure out how to help him put himself to sleep without letting him cry. I think he knew I was reading the book because without much effort on my part he just started figuring out how to put himself back to sleep in the middle of a nap, before bed, and in the middle of the night.
 

trying out some summer fruit on daddy

Funny Memory: Caleb knows how to rotate himself 90 degrees when he is playing. We just finished his Montessori floor bed (instead of a crib) and have had a few funny things that have happened at night. A few nights ago I startled awake at 5:30am because I thought someone was trying to break into our house. It turns out Caleb had rotated and was kicking his little hear out on the closet doors. What a wake up call! The next night I could have sworn he fell asleep really quickly after I nursed him. When I went to check on him about 30 minutes later to see if the blanket was on his face, he had rotated 90 degrees, had his feet on my pillow I keep next to him for nursing, and the blanket was over his face like a mummy. I had John and my sister Hannah go look at him because of how funny it was. This morning takes the cake. I heard whimpering at 3:45 and went in to check on him. He had started out in the middle of the bed, rotated 90 degrees, flipped over onto him tummy, and inched his feet of the edge of the bed and he must have flung the pillow out of the way on his way over there (pic below). I just about died laughing after I picked him up and nursed him.

floor bed fun

Uncle David pushing Caleb in the stroller

Our new water wrap I made!

Hanging out with family and friends on the 4th of July

Aunt Hannah at the beach

Such a fun visit