Location: In the Land of Golden Warmth, Surrounded by Majestic Mountains, Inspired by Desert and Ocean, Cocooned in Love
Posts: 3,116
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueRoseMama
I am still a sponge girl... but I use it way less often than I use my bamboo scrubing stick. I LOVE that thing. A little soap and the scrubing stick go a LONG way! (Esp when you only have stainless steal and glass... nothing sticks to that if you wash everyday. )
But for the dirtier jobs, I like my sponges. One will last me 6 months, and I run it through the dishwasher on hot once a week or so with my dishes. It never smells. I used to cut them in half like I cut my dryer sheets in thirds, but I discovered that I used it quicker that way... lol... so I stoped. You learn strange things on this path to becoming less of a consumer.
Val
I read a book called "Organic Home" or something like that and she said running your sponge through the dishwasher just depsoits its millions of bacteria all over your dishes.
I won't use a sponge for anything; I knew they were gross and that there was no real way to santize them, but recent information pushed me over the edge. Now we use the dishcloths that have the plastic scrubber mesh on one side. I hate plastic, but its the best I can do and still scrub. I use one rag per meal and never dry it out for reuse. Wash dishes, wipe table, wipe counters, wipe floor, wash rag!
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Peace,
Kimberly...loving, living and learning with an amazing man and two incredible boys.
"Wisdom, Vitality, and Compassion are my birthright. They are the core of all humanity, in all times and in all places. They may be clouded over, or tarnished, but the brilliance is there, Unchanged, to be discovered again and again. May I constantly seek these things in myself, that I might find them in everyone." ~ my words, taken from the philosophy of Enki Education
I hate pull ups. i hate disposable diapers. I hate disposable feminine products too. I think they are all so very gross and every morning my kids throw away their pull ups and i cringe.
I dont know how to break them of bedwetting habits nor do i have the money to buy them new mattresses when theirs reek of overnight accidents, so i use pull ups.
if anyone has any suggestions to this, i would appreciate some advice.
Polar Fleece will protect your mattresses as washes and dries so quickly. It is inexpensize to buy the yardage and is much softer and breathable compared to plastic. (Wool works REALLY well too, but is expensive)There are bear bottom soakers...which are polar fleeece soakers that a mama here designed to keep her older son from soaking through to the bed at night. I don't remember who is selling them, but I am sure we can find them for you. You can post on the Market Board about what mamas do here for their nighttime wetters...I know a lot of moms here have the same issue as you do.
The only paper product that gets used in our house is recycled paper TP for dh. THe rest of us use cloth tp. I do even have some muslin type bags for purchasing bulk at th organic shop. My only holdout for plastic bag use is out kitty litter. We use wood pellets(like for pellet stoves) for the litter, so it should be entirely compostable. But my dh is very skittish about composting it even in a covered container. We live in the city and don't hve a big property.
We have one tiny bag of parbage a week, and most of it is the cat waste~ugh! We hardly have any recycling either as I just make almost everything from scratch. I admit, that can be exhausting!!! But I try to keep it simple. I bake all my own bread...or if I do buy it, I get it from the organic shop and I can put it in my own bag...or the baker at the farmers market usees paper bags. I never ever buy drinks in plastic containers, we mostly drink water and wine...lol! The girls if they get juice, get a black currant/boysenberry concentrate reconstitued in water which comes in a glass jar and is local to us.
I did use sposies for the actual days of travel for travelling internationally. I once made the mistake of having wet cloth dipes in my luggage, and let me tell you they weight a TON and can push you over your baggag limit quickly~lol! So we wash and dry everything...use about 3 sposies in the transition, and then I cloth dipe on the plane, cut I HATE sposies...Yes, I am a NUT.
For lunch boxes we have just started using these..
http://www.to-goware.com/
I really like them, they are stainless...You can also gently reheat stuff in them because they are stainless I HOPE they work for dd at school. THey work well for family outings. When dd goes to school, I am going to dye a set of PINK napkins for her and iron in her name to each one of them.
For food storage we use glass. Cleaning, rags. I wash my own load of rags, cloth napkins, placemats, kids face wipes, hankercheifs all together. I use tea tree in this load JIC. The rags I use on the toilet I just put in the diaper laundry.
We also use the same water glass all day long.
We use CHico bags and cloth canvas bags for shopping. The cloth canvas bags you can OFTEN find at thrift stores for nothing. And they are easy to make out of recycled jeans. There is a sew along here for square bottomed bags that would be perfect!!!
Disposable stuff depresses me.
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"If you only believe what you see, then you are limited to what's on the surface. If you only believe what you see, then why do you pay your electric bill?" Dr. Wayne Dyer
I just realized all the political overtones of this discussion. In WWII they cut back drastically on manufacturing goods such as tires, clothing, etc. for production of 'war goods.' Those were the days when we actually MADE STUFF IN THIS COUNTRY. It's interesting that our current conflicts (or whatever you want to call them) have had virtually no impact on the nation's buying/using of goods. We truly have become a thoughtless society - people thoughtlessly putting stuff in their carts, their mouths, their homes. Half of me is a Luddite who wants nothing to do with cell phones, SUVs, shopping malls and the like, the other half of me heats up coffee in the microwave, loves watching DVDs and thoroughly enjoys the luxury of the internet.
I've been corrupted.
I love to watch DVD's too, ****it. My dh 'just' gave me his work cell phone that he does not use, because he does us e a blackberry. Did you see 'Spirited Away"? One scene in there is very visual about al the stuff we throw away.
Here in NEw Zealand, things are VERY expensive. Food, clothes, durable goods...so people do a lot more of made do or do withot. Kiwi's are natural recylcers...most people have their own veggie garden of some size. But the fast paced life style, 2 working parents...it all makes people busy and thoughtless about their lifestyle and purchases. More sposies, and jarred baby foods...convenience foods...
I mean isn't a cheese sandwhich and an apple convenience food? You can even melt the cheese on the bread, slice a tomato on it, add dried basil and call it pizza. But, people think the frozen pizza is better.
Oh, and one more thing. ROTFLMAO!
My life is a LOT of work. But there is routine to it, and it MEANS something to me. It is so nice to do work that MEANS something~yk? Some days I am freaking tried of folding/stacking the cloth wipes, handkershiefs whatever. But, I would not like the alternative AT ALL. And, my kids are getting older and they are helping out.
Gotta have something to do while I watch those plastic DVD's.
Aww....I didn't scare you off with my VERBOSITY? My holier than thou approach? My 'If I can do it, then you can too..." My "Well, I take wet diapers on 18 hour International flights speech?"
Maura you are sooo sweet. I hope one day to meet you.
OK...now off to complete my Gymboree order, for non-organic, chemically laden, sweat chop produced clothes from CHINA. (I've ALWAYS wanted to use this guy)
Our society will continue to evolve (or devolve, depending on yr mindset) so that very few people - say 5% - will have been taught or know how to bake, sew, grow food, etc. We will have gotten to a stage very 2010-esque where the computers will take care of it for us. And then we'll be royally fudged because that's when the world's most severe natural and/or manmade disasters will strike, leaving us at the base level of human existence (think Iraq or New Orleans). There will be a hold out of 'survivalist' and back-to-nature types who band together in loose groups to resurrect our society, but most of the convenience living types will become thieves, murderers or prey. Wait a minute - Mad Max has already gone over all that.
I don't prostrate myself before you because you're so good, Linda , but because you're so right - you understand how important it is not only to teach kids to be loving and caring but also how to be responsible learners, because that will make a huge difference some day.
Our society will continue to evolve (or devolve, depending on yr mindset) so that very few people - say 5% - will have been taught or know how to bake, sew, grow food, etc. We will have gotten to a stage very 2010-esque where the computers will take care of it for us. And then we'll be royally fudged because that's when the world's most severe natural and/or manmade disasters will strike, leaving us at the base level of human existence (think Iraq or New Orleans). There will be a hold out of 'survivalist' and back-to-nature types who band together in loose groups to resurrect our society, but most of the convenience living types will become thieves, murderers or prey. Wait a minute - Mad Max has already gone over all that.
I don't prostrate myself before you because you're so good, Linda , but because you're so right - you understand how important it is not only to teach kids to be loving and caring but also how to be responsible learners, because that will make a huge difference some day.
Dude.
Yes, well, I do a lot of this, because I think it is 'right' I haven't managed to escape that thought in my mind, but the rightness idea does come from thinking that it all makes a difference in my life, the lives of others and teaching my children values and skills. I was thinking about the sewing thing that dd someday might not care if she knows how to sew, but if I teach her then she will have it in her skill set.
Oh, I was just thinking..I have dh set up at work with cutlery he keeps in his drawer, a press pot for coffee..and an insulated stainless mug, so once he makes his coffee it stays hot for a few hours and he does not have to reheat it. He also has his cloth napkings, but I don't put his name in them
My "Well, I take wet diapers on 18 hour International flights speech?"
nak so i cant type much, but I was lol about flying w/dipes. for some reason our luggage is always chosen for inspection - those inspectors just *love* me when they get to the dirty diapers...
still nak, so sucky typing (its not great when i'm noty nak, so there ya go...)
but, I agree. I take much comfort in knowing that my kids will have these basic skills (now regarded as talents) when they are grown. If some disaster were to strike my children would continue to live comfortably.
crying baby....
Location: somewhere between complete exhaustion and utter euphoria
Posts: 5,883
I want to teach the girls more. Beth can sew minimally by hand and she can knit. I need to work on their cooking skills. I have so little time to cook at the moment that I just want it done. I also hate to sew. I may get a neighbor to teach them. I need to learn to can foods. Ooh, the same neighbor does that too. She does not knit, perhaps we can trade.
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Michelle
-- Mom to Beth, 11 and Sam, 8
nak so i cant type much, but I was lol about flying w/dipes. for some reason our luggage is always chosen for inspection - those inspectors just *love* me when they get to the dirty diapers...
That happened to me too. We also had some dirty ones get lost in luggage when we were camping (it was loaded onto the wrong boat at Catalina Island) I don't think anyone opened it but I was really worried about what those dipes would be like when we got them back!
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Sybil~ Mama to two adorable boys
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once
[s]he grows up.--Pablo Picasso
I want to teach the girls more. Beth can sew minimally by hand and she can knit. I need to work on their cooking skills. I have so little time to cook at the moment that I just want it done. I also hate to sew. I may get a neighbor to teach them. I need to learn to can foods. Ooh, the same neighbor does that too. She does not knit, perhaps we can trade.
I think trading is a WONDERFUL idea. We can all do it all...I am amazed at all you do with working full time and your eating restrictions.
BTW~I loved seeing a pic of you and M in the other thread. You are a beautfiul mama.
)
I HOPE they work for dd at school. THey work well for family outings. When dd goes to school, I am going to dye a set of PINK napkins for her and iron in her name to each one of them. 
(I've ALWAYS wanted to use this guy) 
, but because you're so right - you understand how important it is not only to teach kids to be loving and caring but also how to be responsible learners, because that will make a huge difference some day.
Julie 
and Sam, 8 
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