DIY Hospital Eye Mask and T-shirt Headband

I had a few posts I was working on before Eva was born and I had intended to finish them before she came but with her early arrival I didn't get a chance, so I'll be posting those as I get them finished. 


One thing I remember about my hospital stay with Grant is the lack of sleep.  Between the nurses coming in, what seemed like every 15 minutes, and the noise, and the hallway lights, I got a total of zero hours sleep both nights.  This time around I would like for that to be different so I decided to make an eye mask.

Sure I could have went to the Dollar Tree and bought one but what fun would that be when I can sew one myself.  I used the same fabric I made my maternity hospital gown with so they would match.

First I drew a pattern then cut the pieces.  You will need 2 pieces of fabric and a piece of batting.  I used 100% cotton batting because I had it leftover from making nursing breast pads but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Now cut a piece of elastic, mine was 12 inches. Lay your batting and 1 piece of fabric on top of that with the right side facing up.  then place your elastic on top of that pinning it in place. 

 

I overlapped part of my elastic so it wouldn't get caught in the seam while I was sewing.

 I baste stitched the elastic in place on either side to make sure it wouldn't move out of place.

Now place the 2nd piece of fabric wrong side up (you want the right sides of each fabric piece facing each other with the elastic in between) on top of your elastic.

Pin it in place and stitch all the way around making sure to leave an opening for turning your mask right side out.

Turn right side out and pin your opening closed.

Stitch around the outside using 1/4inch seam allowance, making sure to stitch your opening closed.

Now you're done, you have a super cute eye mask to match your hospital gown and hopefully get a little shut eye while you're there.

I also made a matching t-shirt headband.  I happened to have a maternity shirt I wasn't crazy about wearing and it just so happens that it matched my hospital gown.  I used this tutorial and it's seriously the easiest hair accessory I've ever made, I want to make a dozen more for the sole reason that I can finish them in about 5 minutes.

The tutorial is for a no-sew t-shirt headband but I already had my sewing machine out and didn't feel like heating up the glue gun so I ran mine through my machine to finish it off.

 

 

Both of these have made their way into my hospital bag and are just awaiting this little one's debut.


*I was really fortunate this time around and the nurses I had were amazing.  They didn't wake me up for vitals in the middle of the night if I was sleeping which was great.  So I didn't need the eye mask as much as I thought I would.

Labor Day Bags

When I went into labor with Grant we had to drive 45 minutes to the hospital at 3:30 am with me having contractions every 3 minutes.  It was miserable.  Once we got to the hospital I was more concerned with getting out of the car and into the hospital room to try and get some relief and my husband was only thinking about getting the car parked and getting inside to be with me.  Neither one of us thought about bringing my hospital bag inside and once we got to the room I refused to let Derrick leave my side to go get it.

Since it was so early in the morning when we left and every time I tried to stand up straight or move or pretty much do anything a contractions would hit me like a mac truck, I didn't take a shower or brush my teeth or anything else.

Of course I wasn't at all concerned about this while I was in labor.  How I looked or how horrible my breath smelled was the very last thing on my mind.  However once Grant was born and visitors started coming in to see us it dawned on me that I probably looked like a hot mess, with raunchy morning breath, and leftover makeup from the day before.  I vowed the next time I had a baby I would be better prepared.

That's where the Labor Day Bag comes into play.  This isn't the bag you pack for your hospital stay this is the small bag you have with essentials for a quick clean up before the guests start coming in and before you can actually take a shower, which is all you really want to do after you give birth.

Here are my essentials:

Colgate Wisps- these little baby's are fantastic to have for a quick brushing of the teeth.  You will have a regular toothbrush and toothpaste in your overnight bag but chances are you won't even have time to get out of the bed before the Grandparents are going to wanna come in and see your little one.  A quick once over with these and your mouth feels refreshed and your breath is no longer smelled from the other side of the room.

Headband- If you have an epidural maybe you won't be sweaty but if you are like me and go the natural route chances are you have spent hours upon hours in horrendous pain and sweating.  A headband will take care of some of those flyaways and hide some of the grossness of you not taking a shower that morning.

Face Wipes- To wipe away any leftover makeup from the night before and give you a quick freshening up.

Chapstick- labor makes your lips dry, it's a fact.

Mascara- Ok so you can live without this one in your bag but people will have cameras and you will inevitably be in the pictures.  After using your face wipes a quick swipe of mascara (no need for the works) and you will feel like a new woman.

Wash Cloth- Towards the end of labor all I wanted was a cold wet cloth on my forehead.  Yes the nurse can get you one but nurses are pretty busy since you are not their only patient.  I'm not one that wants to wait for anything while I'm in labor.  I didn't get an epidural with Grant and don't plan on getting one with this one either.  When I'm to the point I want a cold cloth I want to be able to tell Derrick and him have it readily available, not have to call the nurse and wait until she has the chance to bring one to us.

You want everything to fit in a small bag you can throw in your purse or carry as your purse.  There will be time to get your overnight bag later and this way you have one less thing to worry about.

I also made a Labor Day bag for my husband.  I vividly remember how horrible his breath was during my labor and I have already informed him I couldn't take that again for 9 hours straight.  I needed him to be minty fresh this time around.  Here's what I put in his bag:

Colgate wisps- for a quick teeth cleaning

Gum- just in case the wisps aren't strong enough, haha

Granola Bars and a Snickers bar- I refuse to have him eating anything major while I'm suffering and can't have anything but he will need something to hold him over if the labor is a long one.

Butterscotch candy- in case he just needs something to keep his mouth from being dry.

Water Bottle- The nurses can get you these but once again I like to have everything I can so I don't have to wait around for someone else to have time in their schedules.

Camera/Batteries-One of the few regrets I have about Grant's birth was not getting a single picture of the 3 of us or even him and I.  I swore I wouldn't let this happen again so this all goes in Derrick's bag.  I know everyone has a phone these days but I want actual pictures with a real camera.

Hospital Goody Baskets

I started thinking about Grant and Derrick visiting me in the hospital and inevitably whenever you spend long periods of time in the hospital the vending machines and/or the cafeteria become your friends.  You end up spending too much money on snacks, drinks, and junk.  Money you probably don't need to be spending considering you just added a baby to your family.

That's when I thought of having a goody basket in my room specifically for my husband and Grant since they would be there the most.  I thought about the snacks each of them likes, made my list, and headed to the dollar tree.

 For my little guy: Strawberry Banana teddy grahams, junior mints, koolaid pouch, Yoo-hoo milk boxes, Whales (cheese crackers), and ninja turtle ring pops.

For my husband: sunflower seeds, snickers, sweetarts, butterscotch candies, and gum

I probably won't keep it in this bin.  The more I thought about it the more I thought a bag would work better.  I want it easy to grab and go when the time comes, but it does look cuter in a container.  This would be something really great to take to a new mom while she's in the hospital for her and her family if you know the snack foods they like.  I know I'm always trying to come up with something to take to the hospital when someone has a baby that is useful and not something they see and are thinking it's one more thing they have to pack home.

Postpartum Freezer Pads : Preparing for Baby

I've been doing my best to try and have everything I could possibly have to make postpartum a little easier on my body and heal as quickly as possible.  Since this is my 2nd little one and my body went through so much with Grant I figure I might have a leg up on what I need to have prepared. 

When I had Grant I had a perineal tear (pretty standard for most women), a urethral tear (longest heal time ever!), horrible hemorrhoids, and extremely sore nipples.



If that's too much information for you I apologize, I'm just trying to keep things real here.

So far I've made soothing breast pads to keep in the freezer for the sore nipples along with having a stash of nipple cream.  With some goodies ready for the ta-tas I figured I needed to start searching for something for my other region. I started googling, because what else would I do when searching for ideas, and came across freezer pads, or "padsicles".



Most of the tutorials I found used alcohol free Witch Hazel, Aloe gel, sanitary pads, and lavender essential oil.  When I went to the store I could not find any Witch Hazel that didn't have at least 14% alcohol and I really didn't want to order it online.  Had I done my research earlier I wouldn't have been concerned about getting it sent to me before I actually went into labor, but that's the procrastinator in me.



So the other night I stayed up til 12:30 in the morning searching to see if anyone had used the Witch Hazel with alcohol and found this tutorial.  My mom was afraid the alcohol content would dry out my skin down there but multiple people said they didn't have any issues with it.  I decided to trust this and use Witch Hazel I found at Meijer for $3.44.



I bought aloe gel at target for $3.94, does anyone else think this is sky high pricing for aloe?  Maybe I should have shopped around.



Oh well.



I actually read you could just use the aloe gel on a pad and freeze it for a little relief if you can't find Witch Hazel or the lavender essential oil.



The one thing I left out was the lavender essential oil.  I scanned the stores for it and couldn't find any sign of it.  I'm sure it helps but I wasn't about to pay $10 for a small bottle plus another $5+ for shipping to order it online.  There were other women on different blogs I came across that didn't use it and still had good results, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

Here's everything I used:

I took each pad and unwrapped it leaving the plastic on the back.  Then I took the aloe and just squirted some all down the center.  I didn't want to use my fingers or anything to smear the aloe around for fear of germs.  The last thing I want is an infection in that area.  So instead I used the pad itself and just folded the top down and smeared it around then repeated that with the bottom half of the pad.  Then I took a tablespoon measuring spoon and poured about 1/2T Witch Hazel all over the pad.  I didn't want to "soak" the pad in the Witch Hazel, I just wanted it to be damp.  You could use more if you wanted.

Then I folded the pad back up just like it was before I opened it and wrapped it in foil.  All the blogs I read said they didn't have any issues with the pads being frozen together so I figured I shouldn't have to worry either. 

I only made 7 of these so far because I want to see how well they work before making a boat load of them.  I put all mine in a gallon sized freezer bag labeled "Lisa's postpartum", just so my husband wouldn't think it was some kind of food and open them.

 With the bottles of aloe and Witch Hazel I bought there is more than enough to make loads of these if they work well.

All the reviews on pads like these were great so I'm really hoping they work well for me too.  I'll report back after I get some use out of them.

DIY Soothing Breast Pads

I've been trying to round up some DIY's that will make the recovery period after birth a little less painful and uncomfortable.  Since breastfeeding difficulties was one of my big issues with Grant and the pain of sore nipples is horrendous, I want to make sure I have everything I can to make it less painful and an easier transition.  I noticed soothing gel breast pads that go in the freezer at the stores and wondered if there was a way to make a version of them myself, because for 1 pair they were 12.99 which is crazy to me.  plus plastic gel pads just didn't seem like they would be all that comfortable on sore tender nipples.

When I googled it I found this website and thought they would be perfect, not to mention simple to make.  It reminded me of the Boo Boo Bear ice pack I made for the kids.

I made mine out of the softest flannel I had in my stash and rice I had in my pantry.  The tutorial said to make them 6inches but that seemed huge to me so I did mine 5inches and used a bowl as a pattern.

I used a water soluble quilting pen to make the 1 inch circle in the center and stitched around it.  You can see the blue markings in this pic:

 A damp cloth wiped over the markings erases them.

  The tutorial I found only had the 1 inch center stitched and around the outside but I was afraid all the rice would pile in the bottom of the pad and be bulky.  So instead I made 4 straight line stitches to divide the circle into 4 quadrants.  Then I filled each one with rice.  Since I haven't used these yet I can't speak to how well they do or don't work but I'm optimistic.  These will be in my freezer ready for when I come home.

They were really easy and quick to make so I figure if they work great I can make a couple more to always have a set in the freezer.

If you know of someone who is pregnant and going to be breastfeeding these would be great in a breastfeeding gift basket or along with a baby shower gift, or even with the gift your taking to the hospital after the baby's born.

DIY Maternity Hospital Gown

I am super excited about this post, for a few reasons but one of them being I didn't actually think I was going to get this project finished. 


I made my own hospital gown using this pattern.  I've had this on my to-do list since early fall.  Of course I had planned on making it way back then but fall is too busy a time to add projects I can technically put off until after the New Year.  So I procrastinated like I always do, but this past weekend I finally made it in to Hobby Lobby in the hopes of them having the perfect fabric on clearance.


They didn't have the fabric I envisioned but I really like what I found.  I'm normally more of a blue kinda girl and that's what I wanted but I found this chocolate brown with teal polka dots for $3 a yard and thought it would probably work better.  I thought the dark color would be good considering it could possibly get a little messy, the brown will hide some of that if necessary.  I ended up buying 3 yards in case I needed to add length to the gown.  I also bought 2 packages of double fold bias tape and 1 spool (3yds) of 1 inch ribbon.  Of course I used coupons for the bias tape and ribbon and the total for my gown ended up being $13 and some change.  Not bad considering the ones online are $40 or more.

Here it is without the ribbon tie.

The ribbon isn't necessary but it makes me feel less of a huge whale waddling around.  Plus it adds a cuteness factor to it.

I used Velcro on the shoulders instead of snaps like some other bloggers.  My only reason for this is I had Velcro in my stash and I knew I could sew it on quicker than attaching snaps.  Plus I really think Velcro will be easier to attach with one hand after nursing, rather than trying to re-snap a bunch of snaps. 

I also liked the look of the ribbon around the waist or on top of my belly whichever way you wanna put it, so I added 2 small belt loops one on either side of the gown to hold it in place.  I didn't notice anyone else adding this little detail but when I thought of having the ribbon I wanted to make sure if it came untied it wouldn't just fall to the floor.  As I will probably be distracted I don't want to keep track of a ribbon.

The pattern and original directions didn't call for bias tape but I saw this blog and really liked the looks of it.  I however am not great with bias tape and probably didn't do mine right.  Actually I know I didn't but hey, I gave it my best shot and I'm not complaining with the results.  One day I'm gonna learn how to put it on right.

The directions on the pattern confused me a little.  None of the other blogs I read had any problem with them so I'm gonna assume it's a combination of my lack of brain function after a full day with a 3 year old and 2 year old and pregnancy brain on top of that.  I followed the parts I could and was winging the rest but it's seriously so simple that even winging it was easy.

The pattern called for a button on each shoulder next to the neck line.  I thought this was probably pointless so wasn't going to add them.  Then when I finished the gown I realized they actually did serve a purpose.  If you try to leave them out this is what your gown will look like. 

Even after realizing this I still didn't want to do buttons so I added an extra piece of Velcro.  I didn't want any part of the gown to be cumbersome when trying to nurse my little one.

I didn't add the pocket to the top for a heart monitor since I thought it was probably unnecessary for labor and delivery. 

I wanted to make sure my backside was completely covered while making trips to the restroom and such, since I know from experience it's difficult to hold the back of your gown, the IV pole, and walk to the restroom all at the same time during labor.  So instead of cutting the fabric following the left and right back pattern pieces.  I instead did 2 left side pieces and positioned the ribbons accordingly.

I only did a 1/2 inch hem around the bottom and didn't end up adding any extra length and this came to just below the knees and I'm about 5ft 7inches.  I'm ok with this length as I didn't want anything really long to have to mess with during delivery and exams.  In a few of the blogs I looked at  they added length because they felt like this length was too short.  If your on the fence go ahead and add a few inches because it's easier to take away extra than to add more at the end.

While brown still isn't my favorite color, I'm thrilled with my gown.  I love the fact that I won't have to wear one of the dingy white gowns the hospital provides.  I love that I can use this when I get home as a nursing nightgown if I want so it's not just a one time use, not that it still wouldn't be worth it.

Here is the backside of the gown.  I still need to trim the ribbon a little  but other than that, it's ready to go in my hospital bag!

I just wish now that I had seen this pattern back when I knew a bunch of people having babies so I could make them one.  They really are easy to put together and would make a really fantastic baby shower gift, especially for a 2nd or 3rd time mom as they usually already have most of the baby stuff covered and could use some mommy pampering.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I will have pictures of my gown in action with my little one in my arms!

Baby Bibs:Preparing for Baby

The other day I was thinking of basic baby stuff I will still need when he/she arrives.  Most items I have, especially for a boy, but if this one's a girl I know there will need to be some shopping done.  I thought about going out and buying some  items like bibs, receiving blankets, etc. in gender neutrals but have you taken a look at gender neutral stuff recently.  Pretty much you can only get items in yellow, gray, and occasionally green, and the prints are almost always ducks or elephants.  While I don't have anything against those colors or even ducks or elephants, if I have a little girl I know I will want all the pink and purple with flowers, polka dots, and frills. 


So my solution was to raid my fabric stash and make enough of these items with some of my own gender neutral prints to get us by in the first few weeks.   I found 3 prints I liked and cut 2 bibs each using neutral flannel fabric for the backing.  I found the pattern I used here.  I liked that these fastened on the side instead of in the back.  Grant had a very chubby neck and Velcro bibs often left imprints in his skin.  These are not super thick but with as much slobbering as babies do they will get changed frequently anyway.  I didn't like thick ones on Grant until he started eating baby food, so I think these will work great in the early months.

I figured if the baby's a girl I will add some fabric flowers and ruffles to make them ultra girly.  If a boy is coming my way then I'm all set.

DIY Hospital Slipper Socks

I've slowly been gathering items for my hospital bag.  I feel like I have plenty of time left so I've been procrastinating like crazy.  I didn't use slippers much in the hospital when I had Grant, instead I just wore socks.  They tend to be a little slippery on the tile floor in most hospitals and the last thing you want to have to worry about is slipping and falling after you've given birth.

I looked for slipper socks at a couple stores and was surprised to find them pretty expensive, or at least to me they were, but then again I'm pretty cheap when it comes to such things.  I thought about scrapping the idea of having them in my hospital bag just so I didn't need to buy them, then I thought "why not make some myself?".

So I dug out some puff paint and a couple pair of socks.

Flatten the bottoms of the socks.

Please ignore the fact these have stains on them, I swear they are clean, just old.

Then make some designs with your puff paint.  I did circles and dots in 2 different colors.  Then just let them completely dry. 

Now you have a super easy and way more affordable pair, or two, of hospital slip proof socks.  This would be great to put in a hospital kit for a new mom as a baby shower gift, except spring for a new pair of socks instead of raiding your own sock drawer, haha.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets: Preparing for Baby

I love Quaker instant oatmeal packets.  I love them and yet I haven't bought them in years because they are so overpriced in my mind.  I can buy a large container of quick oats for $2.29 at my local Aldi and the Quaker packets I can't usually get any cheaper than $1.99 and that's when they are on sale.  So had the thought of making my own instant oatmeal packets and figured someone else out there probably already thought of this and could give me some pointers.

I found this website and decided to take her recipe and alter it a little to suit my needs.  Here's what you're going to need to make these:

I didn't want to use my whole container of oats, since I already did my big shopping trip, so I didn't do the full 10cups of oats.  Not to mention I don't eat oatmeal every day so I made 10 packets and used 5 cups of oats.

1st I measured out 5 cups quick oats.  I took 1 1/2 cups of the oats and pulsed it with my Magic Bullet.  Add the 1 1/2cups back in with the remaining 3 1/2 cups quick oats.  Then I added 1c non dairy dry coffee creamer (I purchased mine at walmart for $1), 1t salt, and mixed it all together.

I used the snack sized bags I found at the Dollar Tree and measured 1/2 cup of the oat/creamer/salt mixture into each one.  The recipe at the website above said to add the brown sugar in with the oats/creamer/salt but I chose not to do this because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough brown sugar in each baggie to satisfy me.  So instead I chose to add the brown sugar after I had the oat mixture all measured into the snack bags.  I used a regular cereal spoon and measured out about 2 of them into each bag.  I also always add cinnamon to my oatmeal so I gave a couple shakes of cinnamon to each bag as well.

Then just seal and shake the bag to mix up all the ingredients and you have your very own instant oatmeal packs.

I put all 10 of mine into a larger gallon size ziploc bag and used a piece of masking tape to tell how much water to add and how long to cook it in the microwave.

I'm so excited to have these ready to go for a quick breakfast after the baby is here.  I have also posted about the waffle mix, muffin mix, and pancake mix I use and have made multiple batches of in preparation for the baby.  You may be wondering why I have been stocking up on breakfast foods and not so much on dinner foods and the answer is simple.....When Grant was an infant I always forgot to eat breakfast because I was too involved in his eating habits, naps, and the daily household stuff and I didn't want that to happen this time.  Not to mention I have Grant now and I want some quick stuff so I don't have to put forth much energy to make his breakfast in the morning.


**UPDATE: It's been a little over a month since Eva was born and these oatmeal packets have been  so great to have in the pantry.  I already made a second batch because I eat them about every morning.  It's so simple to throw it into a bowl and nuke it for a couple minutes, I love it.  I keep frozen peaches and blueberries in my freezer and add a handful to each bowl for added flavor and nutrients.  Yummy!

DIY Reusable Nursing Pads

With baby's impending arrival I've been trying to get a little prepared with some DIY's that will end up saving me money.  I've had reusable nursing pads on my to-do list since summer.  Why I put it off until the end is beyond me but I guess that's just my way.  I found quite a few different tutorials and everyone had different ways they thought worked the best. 

After reading a bunch of them I decided to make mine my own way using some pointers from other blogs.  I used 3 different kinds of fabric, flannel, fleece, and PUL.  I also used cotton batting as the inside layer in all of them.  Some people used multiple layers of flannel instead of the batting but I was too lazy to dig through my stash for that much flannel and cut that many circles. 


Some blogs used fleece as the waterproof layer on the outside, other's used PUL.  I happened to have both so I made some of each.

 Since I haven't used them yet I can't say if one or the other works better but I like the feel of the fleece over the PUL.  I wasn't going for perfection with these since, let's face it, no one but me is actually going to see them.  So I didn't make sure the edges were finished

 

and I didn't match up the thread color with the fabrics either. They will serve their purpose regardless.

At first I didn't plan on making them contoured, just round.  I used a disposable nursing pad as a pattern so I would know what size I needed.  I cut 3 layers of fabric for each pad, a layer of fleece or PUL, a layer of flannel, and a layer of cotton batting.  Make sure your batting it 100% cotton and not a polyester, the cotton works better for absorbancy and looks better.  Stack these 3 layers with the cotton batting as the center layer.

Pin them together.  Notice mine don't exactly match up all the way around.  This is the beauty of these pads is perfection is unnecessary.  You will be trimming around the seam later, so your edges don't have to match up.

Stitch once around using a 1/4inch seam allowance using a straight stitch.  Then go around again with a zigzag or if you have a serger you can use that to finish the edges.  This will add stability and make your pads last longer.  Remember these are going to get lots of use and washed a lot too, you want them to hold up well through all that.

Once you have finished your edges cut around your zigzag stitch, making sure to cut close to it but not cutting through your stitching.

Now straight stitch a cross pattern

I didn't get a picture of the cross stitch before I added the pleats above so pretend they aren't there and you're just looking at the straight stitches.

After I made the first pad round and tried it in my nursing bra I realized it bunched up a little more than I liked so I needed to add some pleats, or darts, or whatever they are called, to make them contoured.

Once I put those in they fit perfectly.  The first few I made with pleats I didn't sew them down and they looked like this when I was finished.

After trying them on I thought you might be able to see them sticking up through my more form fitting shirts so I did a few like this:

Notice the pleats are stitched down.

They turned out perfect as far as fit, size, and you couldn't see anything through my shirts so I made all the rest with the pleats stitched down.

One thing I love about these is there's no crinkling of fabric like the disposable ones.  I truly hated that sound.  And these are really soft against my skin which I think will be great, especially in the beginning with soreness.

I made about 13 pair and plan on making a few more.  I really want enough to wear 1 through the day and 1 pair at night.  I didn't actually ever have a problem with leaking when I nursed Grant.  I never leaked one time and kind of felt like I was wasting my disposable nursing pads because they never had anything on them.  I've been told by numerous other mom's who've nursed that this isn't normal haha.  I think because Grant never latched on right my milk flow never got to be enough to make me leak.  Either way this time I'm prepared and I love knowing I don't have to stock up on disposable pads.  Those things can become costly really fast.  If I remember they were about $6 a box when Grant was an infant and if you tend to leak I'm sure you can go through them quickly.  When you're buying diapers, wipes, and nursing pads your bank account can take a hit fast, do yourself a favor and make some of these.  I probably made 6 pair within an hour once I got on a roll and figured out exactly what worked for me.  That's not too shabby in my opinion.  Not to mention if you know someone who's having a baby and going to be nursing these would make a great baby shower gift.

DIY Face Cleaning Pads:Preparing for Baby

There were a few things I wish I had in my hospital bag after I had Grant and I promised myself this time around I would have everything I wanted/needed.  One of those things were face wipes/pads.  It didn't even dawn on me to have these last time until I had been up since 1:54am, was in the hospital after 9 hours of labor and visitors started coming in.  That's when I thought, "man I wish I could quickly wash my face and freshen up".

Now I could have easily went to the store and bought some face wipes, but what fun would that be, right?  So instead I googled making my own and found loads of tutorials and blogs for the wipes but I wanted something small and easy to carry with me.  I also wanted more of a facial cleanser not really just a makeup remover, I found this blog and was super excited it was exactly what I was looking for.  She used baby wash, I think, but I wanted to use my face wash I use in the shower instead.

1T vinegar

1T rubbing alcohol

1T face cleanser

1cup distilled water

cotton rounds

-mix all ingredients in a jar and shake.  Put cotton rounds in a container and add enough of the cleanser solution to moisten them.  Don't do like I did and overly soak them because you will just end up dumping the excess out, and you won't want to be wasteful like me.

I stored mine in a small plastic container with a lid.  If you have an old facial cleanser container that would work even better but I didn't so this was my solution.

These are super convenient and work great.  They don't dry out your face, just leave your skin feeling nice and clean.

Waffle Mix: Preparing for Baby

The other day I made a muffin mix to help save time and make my life a bit easier after the baby arrives.  Shortly after that I was making waffles for dinner, I love breakfast for dinner, and as I was starting to mix the dry ingredients I thought, I should make a double batch of this.  I already have a homemade pancake mix I keep in my pantry and I swear by it.  Now whipping up a pancake mix or waffle mix from scratch for a meal doesn't take hours, and it's far from difficult, but why not take short cuts when possible.  I think we all have moments when it's time to cook breakfast (especially me because I can't seem to get the gumption to fix anything beyond cereal in the mornings) when even making pancakes from scratch seems daunting.  With the mix already made I dread it less and it literally takes me under 5 minutes to mix up the batter.  There's less of a mess because I only have to get out the milk and an egg, and anything that saves me some clean up I'm all about. 


I love homemade waffles.  Since I got my waffle iron and started making them from scratch I can't bring myself to buy them from the store. They just don't measure up, and we use it so much I'm wanting to upgrade to a waffle iron that makes four waffles at a time instead of the 2 mine makes.  I have to say, I think mine are pretty darn delicious and I've had others confirm it.  One batch usually makes about 15 waffles, give or take, so I don't have to mix up batter every time I want waffles but wouldn't it be nice to have half the work done for me already?  The answer, yes.


I didn't have enough flour to make a whole canister of mix like I would have like to, but I did have some quart size baggies.  Generally I hate using these for anything other than freezer stuff because I seem to run out of them too quickly and I hate buying them, but I decided this was worth it.  So I took 2 quart size baggies, mixed up the dry ingredients:

1 3/4c flour

2T Sugar

1T baking powder

1/4t ground cinnamon 

and put them in each baggie, labeling them with the wet ingredients needed to make the batter:

1 3/4c milk

1/2c oil or melted butter

2eggs

1t vanilla

I didn't add the directions for mixing because it's really just mixing the wet together and adding it to the dry.  When I get more flour I want to make a canister of waffle mix and if you have enough to do this then each time you make a batch you will need 2cups of the dry mix.

I love these little short cuts and having things already made up.  I feel like I'm getting more and more prepared for after the baby arrives, with ways to make things easier for me.  This would also be great to do if you know you're going to be having company staying with you.  Mix up a batch of dry ingredients and store it in your pantry so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time visiting and spending time with your family.