Archive for the 'Clothing' Category
Laundry Tips: Save Money and Clothing.
How often do you wash clothes? Laundry is a huge ‘money sucker’ and I am not just talking about the energy costs. The more often you wash something, the more wear it gets. It isn’t just having clothes on that ruins them, it is the detergent and drying action. Yes, even line drying can add wear and tear.
Fading, missing buttons, zippers that won’t zip, and ruined decorations. Yikes! All of this just from washing alone.
Ok, I am not going to tell you to stop washing your clothes. That would be pretty gross. Just reduce the times you do wash an item. Let’s say you have a blouse that you wear to work. If you come home and it has no stains from lunch and isn’t stinky, why not just put it on a hanger? It isn’t dirty, just worn. You have just saved yourself a possible washer mishap and saved a tiny bit of energy, plus water. Oh, don’t forget detergent and washing machine/dryer wear.
Kids clothing can be treated in the same way. Children are going to have more messes on their clothes than adults (most adults) so you will wash them more. To help preserve their good clothing, remove school clothes and have them change into play clothes as soon as they arrive home from school or daycare. Hang or fold if no stains or smells are present. You can sometimes even spot clean a small dirty area, saving a washload.
We are not going to discuss saving underwear. That is a cheapskate method I know I will not use. No way. It goes on, comes off, goes in laundry. End of that conversation. Socks? That’s up to you. Me? I wash them, even if it is a handwash and hanging in the bathroom like nylons.
Something I have always found a bit silly is the washing of towels after one use. The way I see it is this: You are clean when you come out of the shower or bath, right? Then why would you assume your towel is dirty after drying a clean body? Sure, you may have dry skin on it if you scrub the water off, but by treating your body nicely (patting, not rubbing), you won’t have all that gunk on your towel. Just hang up, let dry. If your bathroom is always humid, hang the towels in another area of your home. Of course if a towel has a musty odor it will need to be washed ASAP. But we let our towels go up to 3 uses. If they’ve only been used for swimming, we get a few more by hanging in the sun.
What about you? How often do you wash clothing?
(by the way, sorry for not posting this week. I’m 37 weeks pregnant and have been having a lot of on and off labor. If you all do not see me after this for a while, that means there is a new addition here a bit early!)
Posted in Clothing, Daily Living | No Comments »
Spring is time for…
…Puddles!
The snow is melting. The spring rains and “seasonable mixes� are falling…and that means one thing and one thing only to the little ones—puddle jumping. To parents this instills thoughts of wet shoes, socks and cuffs, mud and the germ fest that might be lurking within those growing pools around the yard and neighborhood. But to the wee ones puddles mean endless fun.
Don’t fight it. Embrace the puddle adventures by being prepared and thinking of it all as a learning experience.
Here are some tips for going with the flow:
Spare Change. Keep a spare set of clean, dry socks, pants, shoes and a small towel in a gallon-sized zipper-styled freezer bag in the car for when you encounter a puddle on your usual journeys. Depending upon how much of a splasher you have, you might also want to include an extra jacket, top or mittens if it’s still chilly enough in your area to need mittens. When you venture out, factor in some extra time for a few minutes of splashing (and a quick change) if you can. You can put the wet clothes in the freezer bag after you make the change into the dry gear. Don’t forget extra wipes and hand sanitizer (used sparingly) and don’t forget to change the “spare set� when it gets worn. Put it back in the car as soon as possible so that you can be ready at any time for those impromptu puddle adventures.
B-O-O-T-S. BOOTS! Any Laurie Berkner fan knows the song. Consider keeping Wellie-styled rubber boots ready for when the little one wants to venture out. You can get them almost everywhere relatively inexpensively at bricks-and-mortar stores such as Target and Walmart and at higher-end stores like Nordstroms. You can also order them on-line at LLBean, Lands End, Zappos, Piperlime, Wellie Boots.com, CoCo Bons.com and many others. With or without matching rain coats they are a “must have� not just for puddle jumping, but for those wet and wild rainy days. (If you’re concerned about products for your child that may contain vinyl or Bisphenol-A (BPA) because of their potential to disrupt our hormonal systems, be sure to read labels carefully and choose ones with rubber only or the lowest amounts of vinyl or BPA.To learn more about potential issues and hazards of vinyl and BPA visit the Environmental Working Group.)
Be Prepared. If you don’t have rubber rain gear you can still enjoy the puddle-fest by rolling up pant-legs and having a spot to change out of wet clothes right when you return to the house. Near the door, keep a towel down to keep the floor dry. (It also means a quick clean-up of wet things for easy transport to the laundry. Just scoop everything up in the towel and take to the washer.) You can also keep a change of clothes ready for when you get back into the house or a dry robe. Don’t forget to wash hands (and any other body parts that may have come into contact with puddle water) after you have changed out of the wet clothes. It may even be a great time for a bath to continue the water play and get the little one thoroughly clean.
Jump In! Why let the kids have all the fun? Get in on the action and get in touch with your own inner child and make a splash or two yourself. See who can make the biggest splash. Play with cause and effect: what happens if you just tap the puddle with your toe? …your whole foot? Stomp in it? Walk through it? For older splashers who will know not to try and taste the water, see what happens if you float a leaf in it, toss a rock into it. The possibilities are endless and you can also turn a fun time into a learning activity. Extend the learning for the older splashers by drawing pictures or writing a story about your puddle excursion(s) once everyone is inside and dried off.
Be Vigilant. While your child doesn’t know a safe puddle from an unsafe one, as a parent you do. Trust your instincts, if you think a puddle looks unsafe steer your child to a safe puddle. What makes a puddle unsafe? Debris, it’s extra muddy, it has oil or other slick appearance on top of it, birds or other animals avoid it entirely, it is near dog poop or other animal droppings, it smells strange, it is in or near the street or near a sewer, drain, ditch or other municipal drainage system. If you do see puddles that are suspect (especially ones with oil or what may seem to be hazardous materials, let your Dept. of Public Works know…it is better to alert them to a potential issue than to let it go unaddressed.)
End It Well. Time is elusive to little ones. Everything either takes forever (when they are waiting) or didn’t last long enough (when they want to do something). Avoid the end-of-activity battle by letting them know ahead of time how long you’ll be out, or that in x-number of splashes left it will be time to go in. That way the fun doesn’t just end abruptly. Also pay attention to your child’s cues that they are ready to go in or do something else. You can always do more tomorrow, and if that’s the case, tell them so. Wrap up the activity with some warm milk or hot cocoa when you get in as an extra warming-up treat after everyone is in dry clothes.
With a little planning and creativity, puddle adventures can become an enjoyable and hassle-free experience for you as much as it is for the kids. Now go get splashing!
Posted in Activities, Clothing, Guest Blogger, Lifestyles, Parenting | 1 Comment »
Great Back to School Clothing!
We don’t do enough plain old fun posts around here. Safety, breastfeeding, parenting; all very important topics. But you know, shopping can be fun too!
And it is back to school time for most of you. I found one great and unique shop where you can find items that’ll send your kids back to school in style. None of this (yawn) clothing. That ends now.
ismodern is a newer shop with truly unique and fun clothing finds. The company was started by a mama Tami, who was tired of seeing the same old furniture, clothing, and toys everywhere she looked. Her goals are to create amazing and yet, simple items that are well-made and make a statement.
I think she did it, take a look at some of these pieces:
This Orange Jonquille Dress is one of my favorites (and it’s on sale, so hurry over).
Next up is a beautiful Aqua Knit Dress. Your little will look adorable in this.
Ok, I’ll admit, that as a girl, I am partial to girl clothing (I can’t help it) but some of us, me included, do have little men to think about.
Now as the mama of said boy, my idea of a good tee-shirt design logo would be like this one from focoloco:
Focoloco has literally dozens of great tees with funky and hip designs for your boy (or girl). Including their newest neat creation, the color your own shirt! What kid wouldn’t love one of these? Check out their ad…
If it’s packing supplies you need check out Monkeemoos selection of cute lunch boxes and backpacks, like this monkey lunch box…
- The Post Kindergarten Blues
- Back To School Tips
- Homeschooling With Literature
- Preventing Back To School Stress
- Why Homeschool
Posted in Child Education, Clothing | No Comments »
