09 Mar, 2010
Posted by: blissfule In: Perth
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.
07 Jan, 2010
Posted by: blissfule In: Perth
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.~ ~ ~
I love having only one bathroom, because that means I only have to clean one bathroom.
The downside is that we're all sharing one bathroom.
Somehow I don't find it restful to soak in a bathtub decorated with cat litter crumbs.
And as wonderful as it is to have a
toilet trained preschooler, I could do without the little drips on the toilet seat. And did I mention that we plan to toilet train our son soon?
sanitizing frequently used surfaces
I like the
vinegar cleaner I use in the kitchen. However, our bathroom demands full-on germ warfare.
Bleach would do the trick, but in order to use it frequently I want a safe, convenient way to store and dispense it in the bathroom.
Clorox® wipes aren't readily available here, and I imagine they would be expensive if they were.
So, I made my own using this recipe:
homemade bleach wipes
You will need:
Method:
- Cut reusable red towels into baby wipe size (approx 18cm x 20cm)
- Fold the towels in half and place them in an empty baby wipe container
- Pour bleach solution over the wipes
- Pull out one wipe and use it to clean frequently used bathroom surfaces
- Throw the used wipe in a little flip-top plastic bin
- When you start to run low, wash the used wipes and repeat
I am well rewarded for the half hour it took to make these wipes when I sink gratefully into a marvelously crumb-free bath. Ahhhh.
