Our kids get to play with Lex inside, and a variety of local cats outside. This mottled tabby is our most frequent morning visitor.

She must enjoy the excitement!

Hello, and welcome to the show! We have a terrific program today, including a workout routine, a book review, and live singing entertainment.

My local library gave me this book to review. I enjoyed it, though I do think the author could have done more to develop the plot.

Bored with your usual workout routine?

My new combination of full-body pushup

and splits is sure to spice things up!

Don’t forget to stretch before and after, and consult your physician before beginning any new workout regime.

And finally, I’m pleased to present world-famous duo Nikki and Michael to wrap up the show with a song.

Thanks for joining us today!

Following the post introducing my homemade bleach wipes, Robin asked me to describe the homemade baby wipes we use.

First I’ll explain why I like them, then I’ll share an easy method for making and using your own.

why cloth baby wipes are great

• use as many as you want to clean a big pooey mess, without any extra cost
• soft on baby’s bottom
• no unknown or undesirable chemicals or irritants
• easily customise to suit your child, by adjusting the amounts and ingredients in your wipe solution (note: please keep all baby wipe ingredients out of children’s reach, as you would any other chemical)

make your own using this recipe:

homemade baby wipes

 

You will need:

• 40 or so soft washable cloth pieces, sized slightly bigger than your hand (approx 18cm x 20cm) – I use organic cotton squares like these, since I like to avoid chemicals on young babies’ skin
• a pet bowl or other non-spillable, non-breakable bowl – I use a stainless steel version to make sure I can get it absolutely clean
• rubbish bin with tight-fitting lid
• two mesh laundry bags, suitably sized for lining the bin
• wipe solution:
1. normal, room-temperature tap water
2. 1-3 drops of tea tree oil – I use this for its antiseptic properties when a child has diaper rash, and also because it eliminates the smell in my diaper pail

Method:

• Fill the pet bowl halfway with water, and add one to three drops of tea tree oil
• Stack dry wipes next to the pet bowl at your changing station
• When confronted with a wiping situation, grab one wipe and dip it in the solution
• Wipe baby’s bottom
• Place used wipe on top of the nappy
• Grab another wipe, dip in solution, wipe, place on top of nappy; repeat as necessary
• DO NOT dip a used wipe back in the solution
• Use a final wipe to grab all the used ones and drop them in the bin
• When you are running low, remove the mesh bag from the bin, close it and throw it in the wash (make sure the mesh bag isn’t stuffed too full)
• Line the bin with a clean mesh laundry bag
• Retrieve clean wipes from the dryer or clothesline, stack the clean wipes, and repeat

variations to try:

Many websites recommend using a spray bottle to dispense the wipe solution, and I have tried that. However, I think my pet bowl, while inelegant, is less fiddly (I had to pump the bottle several times before it sprayed) and more hygienic (I found it difficult to clean the spray bottle with its many parts).

I love the simplicity of water and tea tree oil, but there are many baby wipe recipes available. Have fun experimenting!

Tonight we enjoyed the Western Australian Youth Orchestra production, Proms in the Park. Accompanied on several songs by Western Australian Opera soloists Stephanie Gooch and Stuart Laing, WAYO performed perennial favourites to an appreciative audience spread out on blankets and sitting in lawn chairs on the Burswood foreshore.

We packed salami, crackers, cheese and apple slices and ate and clapped through the programme from 7 to 9pm. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, except possibly Vi who is working hard to acquire new teeth. Ben wore Vi on his back in a mei tai and walked around with her quite a bit at the beginning and again towards the end of the performance.

Since we parked far away, I got the the chance to wear both the older children while walking to the concert. As the last encore finished, Nikki said, “I want to ride, Mama,” and Michael echoed, “I do want ride too!” I put Nikki on my back in the Ergo and Michael on my front in an improvised knotted ring sling made from a custom-dyed purple Osnaburg wrap.

This was a fantastic free evening out, and as long as the kids don’t take too long to recover from being up so late, we’ll be back next year!

My favourite smoothie is a happy combination of apples, bananas, strawberries and blueberries. We simply call it “pink.”

Kids like it, too!

Nikki asked to paint, so I set her and Michael loose with the watercolours.

Nikki also painted the reverse of that same page.

Her current style could be called ‘saturation.’

In the spirit of doing less this year, I plan to periodically share some of the shortcuts that allow me to parent more efficiently and work smarter.

So I got really excited about making my own beautiful bread with very little effort and mixed up a batch of artisan dough (enough for four one-pound loaves) in the largest container I have in my kitchen.

Then I left it to rise for a couple hours.

Realizing my mistake, I moved the dough to a big stockpot and stuck it in the refrigerator as the next step.

After the older kids were in bed, I removed a grapefruit-sized pound of dough and transferred the rest back into the yogurt bucket to take up less room in my refrigerator. I formed the dough into a free-form ball, let it rest on my pizza peel, and slashed it.

Into the oven, and thirty minutes later – well, if I hadn’t seen myself make this bread I wouldn’t have believed it.

Ben sliced into the warm crusty loaf, and we each ate a delicious piece before going to bed. This was easy and fun, and after we devour this batch, I’m looking forward to trying the healthier version here.

A happy Baba home from work and holding baby Vi.

Percussion instruments are all the go in our house!

Ben asked if I initiated the jam session. Not at all – my only contribution was getting down on the floor and pressing the “record” button. Nikki and Michael set up the instruments and began playing on their own. They just love music!

Vi has tried banana, avocado, and apricots.

She still prefers the spoon!