Folding cloth wipes tutorial

Next time you are at a party and you are stuck talking to that one person you really don't like, but is obsessed with being your friend, think of me and use this neat trick I am about to show you. Or maybe you're talking to the new girlfriend or boyfriend of one of your friends that you know is not going to last, but you don't want to be rude, so you keep the conversation polite. The problem is, that person hasn't seen the writing on the wall, so they are talking your head off and saying "Next year at Halloween, I'm going to dress up as a sexy ___." Listen up carefully because I am about to give you your exit strategy. Start talking about this awesome cloth diapering blog you read (Let's face it, who is going to want to hear about that?) and how you just learned the coolest trick to getting your cloth wipes to pop out of a plastic wipes case. If this doesn't send them running for their next shot of tequila and a new victim, I don't know what will.

I don't remember the exact place I saw this, probably Pinterest, but it's genius and if you are using cloth wipes you have to have this trick up your sleeve to impress all your friends. Because once you become a mommy, your conversations change. Forever. You go from talking about what you did last weekend, or the latest movies that you saw to, "Look, I can fold wipes to make them pop out of the top of a wipes case!" This is something you will have to accept and should probably consider before ttc. (For those of you who don't know all the lingo the kids are using these days, ttc is short for trying to conceive.) That's right. I'm hip. I'm with it...You get the idea.

Now to the tutorial

1. Take your stack of awesome cloth wipes that you either made with the sweat of your brow, or if you are lazy like me, purchased on Amazon with your Prime account. (Amazon is my new addiction, and Prime is my enabler. Damn you free shipping. You get me every time!)

 

2. Okay, seriously, compile all of your wipes and a wipes case. Today,  I will be using a mixture of Grovia wipes (my favs), Swaddlebees, and random wipes I bought off of Etsy.

2. Lay your first wipe out flat like so.

3. Then take another wipe and lay it flat half way in between the first wipe you put down.

4. Now, fold the first wipe (ie bottom wipe) over the top wipe.

5. Now, here comes the tricky part. You have to lay another wipe over the folded wipe, making it cover the top of the first wipe, but leaving the second wipe still visible. (I'm horrible at directions, aren't I?!)

6. Fold the bottom wipe over the top wipe, and repeat!

 

 

 

 

You get the picture.

 

Stop folding up your wipes when you reach your preferred height.  

Here is a side view. just in case you want to compare.

Then, after you have your stack, you will need to open the wipes case like so.

Just a hint, it helps to use your dominant hand. Also, beware of the spiky plastic pieces around the edge of the container.

Then place the stack of folded wipes into the container.

 

After you have placed them inside, take the top flap and insert it through the hole on the top of the case. This step is essential in transferring the wipes from the inside of the case to the outside.

 

Now, shut the case and start pulling!

 

 

I generally poor my famous wipes solution over the top of the wipes BEFORE I shut the case. Just be warned, it will not be effective if you close the case and then poor the solution. Boy will I never do that again!

 

There you have it! Cloth wipes that pop out of a wipes case. You can also use this as a toddler toy with tissues. I have yet to try this because my daughter is still in the tasting phase and I'm not prepared for her to have a Kleenex lining to her intestines just yet.

 

 

Color essentials

Since I'm trying to not buy so many diapers or diaper accessories, I thought it might be fun to pick some of my favorite cloth diapering accessories and display them by color. First up in this new series is lavander.

Displayed are the following items:

1. Grovia diaper in Mod Flowers
2. Planet Wise hanging wet/dry bag in Chic Petunia
3. Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Bath in Vanilla and Lavender
4. Happy Heineys diaper One For All in Lavender
5. bumGenius diaper Freetime All-In-One Snap closure in Dazzle
6. Grovia Cotton Cloth Wipes
7. Aura Cacia Lavender Essential Oil

Click here to make your own cloth wipes solution. It's so cost effective and eliminates the need to have a trash can in the baby room at all. Everything goes straight into the wet bag!

I'm coming out of the SAHM closet

This morning started like any other average weekday morning for a SAHM. I got up, went in and got the baby, came downstairs and prepared her breakfast while little Lucy practiced her new found ability to screech. Oatmeal, lolo, and apple slices were on the menu. The only difference is, what I am about to say is going to make you all hate me. I hate myself sometimes just thinking about it. Seriously, why do I have this life and why am I so bored? Okay, I am just going to say it....I really will...This is going to take a lot of courage on my part and I hope you all don't think differently of me.

We have a live in nanny. 

There, I said it. You all know now. I am a fraud. I'm not a real sahm. I don't cook most of the time, and I hardly ever clean anymore. My day is just filled with taking care of my daughter. This seems like the dream scenario for most moms, right? You don't have to worry about any of the household chores. All of your attention can be devoted to your little bundle of joy. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm bored. I never pictured myself as a sahm. That wasn't the plan, and I honestly am having a really hard time adjusting to it. Don't get me wrong, I understand how absolutely amazing this opportunity is. I just feel so unsatisfied. I'm sure I'm probably doing something wrong, and if I were to only focus on the fact that I am "living the dream," maybe I would be happier.  The second problem is, we live abroad (hence the nanny) and I don't speak the language. She has been indispensable in helping me communicate with the guards in our neighborhood, people at the grocery store, the dry cleaner, and has been the best company I could have asked for. I don't know what I would have done when the cable guys came to fix our internet, or when the movers brought our stuff. 

I am a sahm mom who hates it and I have no good reason. What is wrong with me? Why do I want to work again? Doesn't every woman hope they can arrange their finances so they can stay at home with the youngins? I'm sure there are other educated women out there, maybe in the foreign service like us, who feel the same way I do. I spent countless years in school, earned two masters degrees, and now I spend most of my brainpower repeating the same word over and over to my child in the hopes that one day, she will repeat it. 

Maybe if we lived in the US, I could pop over to Michaels or the Dollar Store and buy some Modge Podge to make a wreath out of plates and photos that cost $3.00. Or I could scour garage sales and start re-purposing old TV's into playground equipment. I can only bake so much, and half the recipes I see on Pinterest I can't make because we don't have the same ingredients in the super markets. 

To quote one of my favorite lines from Friends, "Oh, my wallet is too small for my fifties and my diamond shoes are too tight." What kind of person complains about staying home and doing nothing but love on their child? This post makes me sound like such a spoiled brat. Maybe I am. Can I love my daughter and want to work at the same time? Rock, meet hard place, you'll be living here for the foreseeable future. Life in the foreign service is hard sometimes. I don't regret this decision, and I'm so happy that my daughter gets to see her father again. We've gone on some fantastic vacations already, and I might even leave this tour speaking a little Spanish. Basically, the moral of the story is, the grass is always greener on the other side of the sahm fence. Count your blessings and I'll try and count mine. 

Pity party over