Well we are mostly settled in, but with any apartment, there are a few quirks to work out. We had issues with our heat and now need a new seal on the front door. Overall, it's good though. I got curtains on all but the kitchen window and everything is unpacked.
Here's Adrian at his lego table (from the Family Fun magazine):
Here's Adrian at his lego table (from the Family Fun magazine):
Charlie's room once I got it completely done. I'm LOVING the tall bookshelf for all of her stuff! It really helps to have stuff going UP instead of OUT. I put up a hook for her pump bag to hang from, and of course hung her white board with all of her important info.
You know it's time for a haircut when 1 day without a shower does this:
Now that I have a little more free time I'm trying to get back to my green ways as much as possible, and throwing in some new stuff as well! This is my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. It costs a little over 1 cent per load vs up to 18 cents for commercial. So far so good! I've only used it on smelly bathroom rugs, but it worked. I had washed them in Tide, but they still stunk like pee so I gave the homemade a try and they were almost back to normal. I threw some vinegar in the rinse and I'm sure they'll be good as new.
I'll also be trying to make my own bleach and I'd like to make a few wool balls for the dryer. Generally I try to stay away from animal products, but I know I have some leftover wool yarn somewhere and it HAS to be better than dryer sheets. I'm pretty sure those have animal by-products as well. Maybe when I run out of wool, I'll go find some used wool sweaters at a thrift store to unravel. Minimal impact!
Eventually I'm going to try homemade toothpaste and shampoo as well. I'm a bit disheartened by the commercial products. I've been using them all my life, always being reassured that this is the best thing for me....but I'm 28 and have teeth rotting out of my head. To be fair the rotting started a long time ago. It makes me wonder if all the "conventional" wisdom is actually very wise at all. My hair is horribly greasy only 12 hours after a wash, and I've had cavities at every dentist visit since I was a kid. Yup, time to try something new!
I've been on this path a long time. I think the first time I said "wait, is this really good for me?" was with disposable pads back when Adrian was a baby. I'd already chosen cloth for him. I noticed other women were choosing cloth for themselves. I thought I'd never be that crazy! Then I tried it and....never went back. My skin is better, my periods lighter, my cramps are almost non-existent now. Sometimes it's REALLY worth trying something "strange" even if you might weird a few people out. I know people have caught glimpses of my pad stash, or my homemade deodorant. They think it's weird. I know because they tell me. LOL And I just say "don't knock it till you've tried it!"
I never tried the homemade laundry soap until now because I didn't think the savings would be worth it. The extra time, the extra storage. A bulky 2 gallon container and boxes of supplies vs a cute little bottle of Tide? Ha! But now, I'm thinking it IS worth it. It makes me feel good, if nothing else.
I'm going to get Charlie back into cloth part time. She outgrew every cover I had for her. I ordered an XXL prorap for her and if it fits with room to grow I'll order some more and then probably use the measurements to make a few of my own. I have a friend sending me 8 XL fuzzi bunz diapers. I think they should still fit for some time. I partly feel bad because we are soon moving Charlie up yet *another* size...into youth diapers. And let me tell you, these things are definitely more wasteful. They are bigger, wider, have more "stuff" inside for extra absorbancy. I feel the need to at least TRY not to be so wasteful.
I'm still trying to get back into a homeschool routine with Adrian. It is NOT going so well! Thankfully, I know he's at least learning *something* from ipad apps like this:
Eventually I'm going to try homemade toothpaste and shampoo as well. I'm a bit disheartened by the commercial products. I've been using them all my life, always being reassured that this is the best thing for me....but I'm 28 and have teeth rotting out of my head. To be fair the rotting started a long time ago. It makes me wonder if all the "conventional" wisdom is actually very wise at all. My hair is horribly greasy only 12 hours after a wash, and I've had cavities at every dentist visit since I was a kid. Yup, time to try something new!
I've been on this path a long time. I think the first time I said "wait, is this really good for me?" was with disposable pads back when Adrian was a baby. I'd already chosen cloth for him. I noticed other women were choosing cloth for themselves. I thought I'd never be that crazy! Then I tried it and....never went back. My skin is better, my periods lighter, my cramps are almost non-existent now. Sometimes it's REALLY worth trying something "strange" even if you might weird a few people out. I know people have caught glimpses of my pad stash, or my homemade deodorant. They think it's weird. I know because they tell me. LOL And I just say "don't knock it till you've tried it!"
I never tried the homemade laundry soap until now because I didn't think the savings would be worth it. The extra time, the extra storage. A bulky 2 gallon container and boxes of supplies vs a cute little bottle of Tide? Ha! But now, I'm thinking it IS worth it. It makes me feel good, if nothing else.
I'm going to get Charlie back into cloth part time. She outgrew every cover I had for her. I ordered an XXL prorap for her and if it fits with room to grow I'll order some more and then probably use the measurements to make a few of my own. I have a friend sending me 8 XL fuzzi bunz diapers. I think they should still fit for some time. I partly feel bad because we are soon moving Charlie up yet *another* size...into youth diapers. And let me tell you, these things are definitely more wasteful. They are bigger, wider, have more "stuff" inside for extra absorbancy. I feel the need to at least TRY not to be so wasteful.
I'm still trying to get back into a homeschool routine with Adrian. It is NOT going so well! Thankfully, I know he's at least learning *something* from ipad apps like this:
He and his buddy learned about the seed cycle. They used sunshine and water to make their flowers grow. Then they made the bee pollinate them. Then when new seeds fell, they planted them and started all over until they had a whole garden!
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