DIY Wool Dryer Balls & Projects in the making

First off, there is a new burp cloth set in my Etsy shop Here.  I also had a custom order for a boyish crinkle square this past week :-) Here is a picture.

Recently I have a lot of projects in the works and a gigantic list planned. The Ones I am working on right now are a Wool soaker pants(aka longies) for my almost 19 month old, so that I can cloth diaper him at night without any fears of leaks. Wool is supposed to be amazing for absorption, keeps the babies feeling dry, and breathable. It has been a lot of work and this was my second go around(with a different pattern the second time), long drawn out single crochet(boring) but I appreciated the boring over- is this going to turn out?:-) sorry no pictures till its done:-).

My second project in the works is a big one as well -two identical Dr. Suess quilts for my little boys for christmas (which will be appliqued with their names in a square on the back). I am so excited to have it all cut out and started :-), cutting it out was a huge project in itself- I am enjoying finally sewing something!

My third project( on the side, something I do while the kids are watching a show or I have a few min) winding wool dryer balls, another great use for wool- dryer balls, they dry your cloth diapers quicker- and work as a natural fabric softener (since dryer sheets and fabric softener are a no- no with cloth diapers. they also help the diapers/inserts to separate and not stick to each other making them more musty if they dont get thrown in for a second dry cycle right away. What is allowed is tea tree oil- so i put a few drops of that on each ball. I had 3 dryer balls before and noticed an improvement bust still needed quite a bit of drying and I was uncertain. Then i read you really should have 6-8 to really notice a difference- so I made (with the help of my sister in law, several more- now I will have 8 :-).. it also worked out that I used my yarn from that first soaker that did not turn out and the yarn was cut in a ton of pieces cuz I had to yank it out(i could have cried,pregnancy hormones and crafts don't always mix :-D).

Make sure the wool yarn you choose says 100% wool on back (and good for felting) 2 of this size will give you 3 large dryer balls(or 6 smaller)

First I wound it until it was HALF the size of what I desired(left one)

Then put it in a large sock with ties of yarn in between(make it snug), throw it in for HOT wash cycle and dry cycle (kept in sock)

Cutt the yarn off the outside

Add on winding the ball until desired size or just slightly bigger(since it will felt)

It helps to tie the yarn under other layers of yarn for when you throw it in the sock

After your done winding, repeat the process of putting it in a sock (ties in between the different balls) and  HOT wash, dry

Add a few drops of tea tree oil if preferred and keep them in your dryer.

Please note, if you decide to use regular fabric sheets or fabric softener on your clothing-take your dryer balls out of the dryer as to keep them free of fabric softener for your cloth diapers. Also, tea tree oil is safe for cloth diapers because of what it is - all scents are not equal or compatible with cloth diapers.
Disclamer: This is not at all something new, there are many different methods to making these and with other types of wool, I originally made my first ones nearly a year ago I believe but cannot find the original tutorial- I prefer a wash dry, add on wash dry method, but some only do the process once and make smaller wool balls. Let me know which ones are your favorite:-)- i still love my colorful ones  best I think but they didn't have them in stock when I got my new yarn:-(.
Other wool dryer tutorials/methods:
http://www.earthycrunchymama.com/2012/04/how-to-make-and-use-wool-dryer-balls/
http://goodmama.typepad.com/goodmama/2008/05/make-your-own-wool-dryer-balls.html

Miniming to Maximize Your Life and Home

First-Health Update- I am much much better than I have been, I am back to watching my kids 24/7 by myself, and amazingly do NOT vomit most days-with help from medicine, at this point in my past pregnancies I was still puking a once-three times a day- so this pregnancy that has started terrible is turning out quite well :-D I regularly have nausea, and will gag and occasionally vomit but really nothing compared to what Iv been through and how so many others with HG are going through. My 20 week ultrasound is this coming this weds:-) and we are so excited! and I also have a little bit of anxiety about it- so please pray for the baby and that everything looks great, this little one does not move nearly as much as my others and the movements are not as strong.

So I have been on a mission , I am finally well enough to start handling everything, meals,kids and cleaning,driving etc. I wanted a house overhaul, this may be somehow do to nesting as Im almost half way:-). I love to take advantage of this drive to have organization. I have been over the past few months, reading various blogs on being a minimalist and have decided- being a complete minimalist (the extreme of living without a couch etc) is not right for me at all-but living more productively, living with less, going against consumerism/materialism, and not needing the 3 pizza cutters I have somehow acquired - is indeed for me:-).

Although its not a great looking drawer(we rent), my junk drawer was packed to where I could not shut it, i dumped everything in a box and the items i used I put back, I will eventually throw out everything I don't use/need in a month(doesn't make it back in the drawer)

Since Iv been feeling better physically-I have been feeling more stressed mentally. Nothing has a place it feels like, no amount of cleaning is enough- most days I feel like I am moving all day and not getting anywhere(and yes part of that is because I have 2 very active boys who tend to walk around behind me dumping their toys or picking up things and dropping them right back down)but some of it is just too much STUFF and unorganized wash that really isnt helping me in anyway. For instance-the spice rack I have, it looks so nice(sorry to whoever bought it for me when I got married) but I realized, I only use a few spices and rarely make anything with the others-and both my boys as young toddlers have liked to come over to the side of the counter and grab at the spices, open them up and dump them on the floor- it is not blessing me anymore, so I am hoping to give it to someone whom it will bless- and will use it. I have some sets of things that go together, while it looks nice I may not use all the items, I have a set of about 15 or so saw knives but I never have that many people over and I certainly would not be serving steak if I was(too expensive,not that I wouldn't like to;-))

  So I finally let go of these " unspoken rules" that my brain has-of sets and needing to stay together- I  picked out items I never use(whether or not they belong to a set) and put them in a box to go to good will. I feel so much better:-). I am back to following my Fly lady plan(which I majorly altered since the last time I used it was when Isaac was still taking late afternoon naps which means he was 4-6months) and I am also going through this 7 day organizational program by Alejandra Costello (she seems a little OCD to me, but her tips and ideas and the basic core of this 7 day program is good). One of the biggest things I learned that is a huge problem, which although simple and I "knew it", it really registered with me when she said it a certain way. " Stop serving mail for dinner" meaning, if your not cooking/preparing food etc. with it, it does not belong in your kitchen. Everything needs a place(closet is the best place for keys and purse, not your counter), mail belongs on a desk/near a desk etc. So between the two systems things are looking SO much better- and it only took 2-3 days so far :-), ok and a LOT of my time when you have toddler interruptions-but well worth it.

The best part of my new schedule- all my work, ALL my housework is to be done before my kids are in bed- think of all the free time- and this includes naps(no house work during nap time) its all solely my time*squeals*  (In order to accomplish this, I make my 3 yr old do ALOT more cleaning up of his own things-sometimes I forget I have been sick for a long time and He has grown up 4-5 more months in that time and is much more capable of doing things-and correctly-not perfect but thats ok). Also, although I spent a lot more time intentionally/actively cleaning,instead of just trying to keep up- I actually have taken my kids outside twice a day for 30 min at a time(before it was embarrassingly hardly ever), and spent more time intentionally with them instead of just "uh huh, uh huh, ok stop making messes, no i cant do that right now I have to clean this up"- I have specific times to do things with them in my schedule,you might think it sounds sad to "schedule" times with your kids to really teach and play with them,but it makes it more intentional and face to face time.

 One day (hopefully soon) when I am not paying medical bills;-). I will buy myself some fancy organizational products that will keep things looking more organized but for now, a combination of putting things back and getting rid of what I do not use will suffice.

 Flylady- Routines and Emails that tell you what to do each day
Alejandra Costello- Free 7 day course on organization basics(the root problems)

Mommy Tip Plus Future Post Tease

Getting out of the door with my kids, is probably the hardest part of going out- once they are buckled in the car seats I take a breath and start driving. I just cannot stand getting everything together to go out- and I realize part of that is organization- picking the clothes out the night before is a big help, as well as having coats and shoes in the same place. Another big help to getting out the door is having the diaper bag packed.My friend and I thought that it would be best to have a diaper packing list(not just a head one)- does anyone have one? Maybe I am behind the times. Having had two under two,One under a year and one towards the end of potty training(we have the occasional accident, every day is very different, we can have 4 days of no accidents and then the next day and a half we cant seem to make it at all- anyone else?)... ok well I should not say we, I can make it just fine thank you:-). So where was I? Ah, yes the diaper list. Here is my list for my 2 1/2 yr old and 10 1/2 month old (so far).

Diaper Bag List
Levi:
2 size 4 Diapers
2 Burp cloths
2 Pacifiers
2 Pacifiers
1 Pack of Wipes
Sippy Cup
Book
Small Toy
Light Blanket
Heavy Blanket for Car
Extra Outfit

Isaac:
Sippy Cup
2 pairs of Underwear
2 extra pairs of pants
1 Book
Toy/ Stuffed Animal

Mommy Essentials:
Hand Cream
Hand Sanitizer
Phone
Wallet
Camera
Nursing Cover
2 Nursing Pads
1 pair of Glasses
1 Lense Cleaner(for baby smudges on my glasses)

Additional Items:(Special trips like shopping)
Grocery Shopping:
Cloth Grocery Bags
Finger Snacks
Cupons

I also plan on making a all day out diaper packing list(yes believe it or not this is just for a 2-4 hour trip, when I go down the road (1-1 1/2 hrs away) to visit my family I usually have pj's,bathing suits and towels in the summer,extra diapers,changes of clothes,lots of snacks just in case(particularly when I have a 1 yr old who cannot eat raw veggies and tough foods)and other misc. things. I have always been an over packer, however there was one instance where I had no extra pants for my son and it was freezing and I would rather be over prepared than under prepared.I also plan on helping myself out a bit by putting a few of the extras in the car and not actually in the diaper bag(extra clothing and diapers)

I plan on laminating it and putting check boxes so I an use a dry erase marker each time- I am thinking this is especially great for husbands, no excuse not to know what is needed fellas!

So.. I want to hear from you, do you have a list written down or is it all in your head like it has been for me.Sure all in your head works, until you forget something- or like me keep packing extra because you do not have time to go and look, so you end up with 4 pants for your two yr old and no underwear. What items do you never use? What items do you always seem to need?

Now for a Tease, next week I will hopefully be able to show you what all this is for....

If you follow me on pinterest, you probably already know- if not, I just added a follow me on pinterest button to the top of the blog- feel free:-)


ps.(do you say that in blogs?)Blogger is acting up really bad for me tonight, so I have no fancy bold letters and no ability to add captions:-(. Will update if it changes back to normal settings!