Decluttering is Such a First World Problem

I have just started decluttering my clothes using the KonMari method. The first items I went through were my underwear, socks, t-shirts, shorts and skirts. I found it easy to decide what clothes "spark joy". I realised they are the ones that I actually want to wear. Choosing my wardrobe isn't something I usually spend a lot of time thinking about so it was a great opportunity to decide what I really like.

My blissfully tidy t-shirt drawer

Nevertheless, it was scary throwing out some of my "safe" go to clothes that I have been wearing for years. Such as my well-worn denim shorts that are just a little too short for the more "mature" me. Or the shorts that I bought to accommodate my baby fat after Turtle arrived. They were comfortable (and fitted me!) during that time but they are too big for me now. Normally I would have just kept them anyway.

Thus it is a relief to know that when the warm weather rolls around I won't just put them on (because they are there!) and feel somewhat uncomfortable about my image.

An added bonus to having enough space for the things I really want to wear is that I found a missing earring. It's from my favourite pair. I thought it was lost forever. I hadn't seen it since we got back from a trip to Adelaide at Christmas. It was caught up in a pair of socks.

My reunited earrings

I also found a brand new pair of stockings that had slipped behind my drawer because it was so full. Clearly decluttering was overdue!

I filled a plastic shopping bag with worn socks, bras and undies. This highlighted that I was down to about 7 functioning pairs of underwear. I used to dig through my drawer to find these few items before. Now they are neatly folded and I can see exactly how many I have. Half of what I've kept will also need to be thrown out soon.

Realising exactly how many pairs of underwear I had left, and their condition, helped to motivate me to go shopping and buy what I need. I am easily overwhelmed by the shops and I am likely to either leave with nothing or buy something I don't like that much to get out of there. So I generally avoid doing it.

In the month since I started going through my clothes I have already stocked up on new socks, underwear, long-sleeved tops and a jumper. I feel very clear about what I need and what will go with the things that I have kept. This is helping me to make careful decisions to ensure the things I buy will be much loved items in my wardrobe.

Whilst buying my new clothes I have realised that decluttering is a luxury for those of us lucky enough to have "too many" things. I'm pretty sure struggling single mums aren't able to create a new style by clearing out the things they are tired of. They need to wear everything they have to death.

I can relate to wearing things to death but not for the same reasons. I am a creature of habit and I am generally caught up with other things, rather than worrying about my clothes. While this is not such a bad thing I feel ready to rejuvenate my wardrobe and organise it at the same time. I deserve it. It will be so nice to have things that I really like and will get a lot of use out of... probably until they actually fall apart.

I'm also sure the millions of people across the world living in poverty would find the concept of decluttering to be an abstract dream. They most likely struggle to get their basic essentials for survival. A roof for shelter, food for hungry stomachs, and clean water to drink.

It is a sobering thought. As I clear out my unwanted things I will try to treat them with respect and pass on what I can to the less fortunate. It's the least I can do.

Do you find yourself in the cycle of buying and decluttering? Are you beginning to learn more about what items you want to have around you?

I'm joining With Some Grace and other beautiful bloggers today for Flog your Blog Friday

Asking Daycare to Use Cloth Nappies

The first two childcares I looked at weren't the best. The first one gave me an uncomfortable vibe, mainly because of the manager who showed me around. I feel terrible to admit it since I'm sure she is a lovely person but she gave me the creeps. I noticed that the educators seemed to be nervous around her too, which I didn't think would create a positive environment for Turtle. They said they were unable to use cloth nappies when I asked. They also required a $50 deposit just to put Turtle's name on a waiting list.

The second centre (which is across the street from the first one) gave a much better impression. The administrator showed me around and was lovely. The staff all seemed nice. The problem was, unfortunately, that the site had no natural light. The baby area particularly was dark and gloomy. I knew I wouldn't like being confined in such a dark space so how could I let my daughter go there? They said they were happy to use cloth nappies if that's what I would like. No deposit was required to go on a waiting list.

The third centre I visited (a couple of months after recovering from the first two) was so much better. The owners were professional and the educators were really lovely and confident when interacting with them. The space was well set up, with lots of natural light and great outdoor spaces overlooking a park. I didn't even ask if they did cloth nappies, I was so relieved to find a place that I really liked. There was no fee to go on their waiting list either.

Turtle has been going to centre number 3 one day a week since mid-March. There were quite a few times when I thought about broaching the topic of cloth nappies but I found it difficult to remember in the chaos of drop off or pick up time. Frankly, just settling her in was pretty intense even though she was pretty happy from the start. It took awhile to get used to someone other than Mr Fix It or I taking care of Turtle. Since the family are all in South Australia she was always with one of us.

MCN packed and ready to use, complete with instruction sheet

I found Plastic Free July to be the perfect reason to finally broach the topic of cloth. I asked the senior educator if she would be happy to trial them for a day. She was completely happy to give them a go even though she had never used them before. I explained that they were modern cloth nappies, not the old terry towel kind, so much easier to use.

The next week Turtle had Hand, Foot and Mouth so our trial day got pushed back by a week. I spent the day before making sure I had enough nappies and boosters clean and dry. It's trickier when you can't use things straight from the line, which we sometimes need to do in winter.

The Cloth Nappy Kit for Childcare

I felt so organised when I went into childcare. I really wanted to make it easy for them so that the trial would be a success. I folded the nappies with the booster inserted and disposable liner in place. The I stacked 5 into a cloth bag (enough for the day) so that the educators could use them straight from the bag. I also packed a couple of additional pairs of pants in case of any problems (it's not unusual to have leaks at home). I took in one of our buckets with a lid for dirty nappies to go into. Then I wrote out a quick page of care instructions to help the educators use the nappies.

The instructions included information such as not to use nappy cream, what buttons to do the nappies up on (since they are one size or multi-fit) and how regularly to change Turtle (every 2-3hrs). The instructions were stuck up in the changing area when I dropped Turtle off. I also demonstrated how to change her nappy before I left.

When I picked up Turtle at the end of the day all had gone well. There had been one leak but otherwise no problems at all.

They are happy to keep using cloth now! I was really pleased that they were so open to trying it out.

Although it's a bit of extra work for me each week I am glad things are more consistent for Turtle at daycare and home now. She will be starting an extra day at the end of the month so it's great to have this worked out already.

I coincidentally came across a promotion by the Australian Cloth Nappy Association trying to encourage childcare centres to use cloth with Childcare Ambassador Packs. Unfortunately I found out about these just after I had done our trial day. If you are considering bringing it up at your daycare it could be a useful way to broach the topic.

Plastic Free July: Takeaway Coffee Cup

Hot drinks and babies tend not to mix well. Babies are unpredictable and you often need to make a quick getaway. It is, therefore, hard to order coffee and actually sit and enjoy it.

Since throwing away takeaway cups is wasteful I choose not to buy takeaway coffee either. I always plan to make one for myself when I get home but often that doesn't happen in the rush to eat lunch and get nap time happening.

Enter my new Keep Cup, which I bought as part of our efforts during Plastic Free July. I bought it sure of the realm of possibilities that would lay before me. I could see myself shopping whilst sipping on a warm (but not too hot) flat white. Turtle would be sitting calmly in the trolley, probably snacking on some crackers, as I stocked up on food for the house.

My first coffee experience didn't go exactly like that. Turtle had come down with a cold a couple of days earlier. I had dropped my elderly neighbours at a nearby medical appointment to save them having to walk to the train. We had half an hour to wait before seeing the doctor about Turtle's cold and an outbreak of blisters that had appeared on her bum and face the night before. My bets were on Hand, Foot and Mouth since it had been going around childcare recently.

I decided to use the window of time that we had to indulge in my first takeaway coffee experience. I carried Turtle into the shops. The coffee shop happily accepted my cup to use instead of theirs. I thought that was going to be the most difficult part of the experience.

Little did I know. Turtle got jealous the second she saw my coffee and demanded her own. She immediately went into full scale tantrum (which is unlike her!) and threw herself onto the ground in the middle of the shops. Since I had my coffee in hand I couldn't pick her up while she was writhing on the ground.

I had to rest the coffee on a nearby shop wall (with everyone in the coffee shop staring) and attend to her before carrying her and the coffee from the shops. Oh dear. Reality check... She did have Hand, Foot and Mouth and we had a few days of her being ratty while she got over it, poor love.

Last weekend Mr Fix It and I took our matching Keep Cups and Turtle to the beach. We stopped for coffee on the way and spent a lovely morning playing in the sand with Turtle, soaking up the beautiful Perth winter sunshine. It was much more in line with my idea of a relaxing takeaway experience.

I've also started using my Keep Cup on mornings when I think I might not get to finish my cuppa before I leave the house. If I haven't finished I can just pop the top on and head out. I'm really happy with my new purchase.

Are you a coffee fiend? Have you discovered the delights of having your own reusable cup yet?

Joining With Some Grace today for #FYBF. I hope you've fitted in a nice cuppa while reading this (hopefully not on the run!).

Modern Cloth Nappies - Washing and Care

Over the 18 months that I have been using modern cloth nappies (MCN) I have continued to improve my washing methods through a bit of trial and error, as well as some online research. As a result I feel like I spend much less time on physically standing at the sink now. I think either myself, or Mr Fix It, would spend roughly 5mins rinsing nappies daily and 10mins to load the wash every second day. I can't say for sure but I think we used to spend roughly 30mins diddling around doing stuff or fussing over rewashing loads every day at first. What follows is a summary of the main lessons I have learnt.

Turtle rocking cloth at the Great Cloth Diaper Change in 2014

1. Use environmentally friendly laundry powder at half strength or soap nuts. I have used both and they both clean the nappies well. I did find, however, the nappies seemed to be stiffer when I used the soap nuts. The soap nuts are great because they are a natural chemical-free product with barely any packaging. They also last for a few washes each time so they are great value for money.

2. Sunlight helps to remove all the stains from the nappies so dry them with the top layer facing the sun. This seems rather obvious but I (of course!) didn't figure it out for a few months and hung them with the top booster facing away from the sun, or out of direct sunlight.

3. Don't use any barrier creams if you are not using disposable liners between babies skin and the nappy. If you do use a cream then make sure it is water soluble (Brauer paw paw, curash or coconut oil). I learned this the hard way (of course!) by firstly using a petrochemical based paw paw cream (Lucas) which is a big no no. Then I used the water-based barriers but still found that they were building up in the nappy. This was probably due to both using a barrier cream without a liner and my washing methods weren't up to scratch either (note that I stopped using barrier creams a few months ago with no problems. On the odd occasion Turtle has a slightly red bottom I might put a small amount of moisturiser or paw paw on before she goes to bed in a disposable). These mistakes lead on to points 4 and 5.

4. The washing process for nappies will vary slightly depending on your machine. Here is a link to the official advice from Australian Nappy Association. If I had seen that prior to my journey I'm sure I wouldn't have messed around so much.

Storing Used Nappies

We use a bucket with a lid to store used nappies. Wees go straight into the bucket. Poos are scraped into toilet. The liner (and remaining poo on it) is removed and put into the outside bin. Then the nappy goes into the bucket (with the lid firmly in place!). The liners are supposed to be flushable but I want to do a bit of research on this before we decide if we will flush them or not. We use 2 buckets to store used nappies over 2 days. Having 2 buckets helps when rinsing nappies too. Our buckets cost about $4 each from the local hardware store.

At the end of each day we rinse and scrub (using a nail brush for stubborn bits!) used nappies in running water.

Washing MCN Nappies

Every 2 days we do a load of nappies as follows:

• rinse in cold water (no detergent but I add a sprinkle of bicarbonate soda) for 23mins (my washing machines rinse cycle) with 2 pre-soaked towels,
• wash with detergent at 40 degrees for 1hr and 40mins, leaving towels in,
• rinse again for 23mins in cold water (no detergent), leaving towels in, &
• hang out to dry in the sun (weather permitting, which is most of the time in Perth).

The towels add weight to the load, which is necessary to trick my front loader machine into using enough water to cover the nappies. I wasn't doing this at first and I wasn't getting very good results. Quite a few nappies had stains that wouldn't move and the washing machine itself became dirty (gross I know!). Front loaders are great for saving water but if you need nappies cleaned then you need enough water to do it properly. I used the advice from The Healthy Honey's blog (follow this link) about front loaders and experimented a little to find out what worked best for us.

5. You might need to strip wash your nappies if you are concerned that they have become hydro-phobic or they are repelling water. This might be because you have used too much detergent and it has built up in the nappy. Or it might be because you have been using a petrochemical based cream (like me!) and it has not been washed out of the nappy. 

Strip Washing

Use 10-20ml of dish washing liquid in a hot wash. Make sure it's a long cycle (I use 40 degrees for 1hr and 40mins). Then I usually do the shortest wash cycle afterward (cold for 30mins in my machine) with no detergent to make sure the soap is removed before hanging them out to dry. 

6. Using disposable liners in the nappies helps to stop the poo from sticking to it and thus you don't have to scrub them so much! I started using disposable liners recently and I wish I had started earlier. I was given some when I bought my first lot of secondhand nappies but they were really rigid and crinkly so it turned me off using them. The ones I am using are soft against babies skin so I'm not worried at all about them being uncomfortable. They have really reduced the amount of time I spend scrubbing nappies at the end of the day. 

I think that covers all of the important things that might go wrong when learning to care for your MCN. I would love to hear any other tips that you might have come across too.

Does this all sound too hard or are you feeling more confident about tackling the cloth?

Plastic Free Bread

Since Plastic Free July started I have found myself being much more mindful each time I head to the shops for groceries. This has been particularly true when buying bread.

A friend is in the habit of baking her own (delicious!) sour dough bread. While this is a goal I have set for myself I am not quite ready to take it on just yet.

The next best thing, which is a lot less time consuming, is to simply buy bread without plastic. I have done this on four separate occasions in the last couple of weeks. Each time has been from a local chain bakery - three different ones so far.

The first time I was on my way home from toy library duty and had not prepared myself at all for the task. I grabbed a reusable shopping bag from the back of the car, took a quick look in it to make sure it wasn't too grubby, and used that.

I'm not sure if I was feeling conspicuous the first time, or if the girl serving me was just a total cow. I asked for a loaf of bread (unsliced) to be placed into my reusable bag. She immediately grabbed a plastic bag that they would normally put the bread in. I quickly repeated that I didn't want plastic and she curtly replied, "I need to use it to pick up the bread". After that she would not meet my eye. I even smiled and tried to catch it. She did not make eye contact. She clearly thought I was a crazy hippy freak.

Each time since then has been completely fine with the person serving me being lovely and helpful. On one of the occasions I was organised enough to bring my own soft plastic bag (see picture above). The lady sliced the bread and tied it for me. I have kept the tie to reuse.

I reused the bag and tie when I bought six rolls to have lentil burgers last week. Since I didn't have the foresight to bring two bags I bought unsliced bread again at the same time (for $6.20 - bargain!).

I am pleased to have overcome whatever it was that was stopping me from previously buying my bread plastic-free. I am confident that I can continue doing this in future.

Thank you Plastic Free July!

Have you ever thought about buying your bread plastic-free?

Once again linking up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT

Decluttering: The Magic of Tidying

After visiting the baby market I started to put my newly acquired tidying skills to use. I admit it was out of necessity since I needed to make space for the secondhand winter clothes that I had bought for Turtle.

A tidy drawer is a thing of beauty

My "tidying" phase of decluttering is inspired by Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. I am not the kind of person who can usually sit through a non-fiction book (about tidying no less!) but this one had me hooked. This may reflect my dedication to decluttering. I found the book was easy to read and quite humorous with a down to earth approach to tidying and managing belongings.

KonMari (her nickname and the name of her tidying method) is a self professed tidying fanatic who started her tidying hobby as a child. She became obsessed with storage options as a teenager, trying fads of containers, shelves, and hanging space to try and resolve mess (or clutter) in her families home. Eventually she decided that storage was not the solution. It was the amount of "stuff" that was the problem.

By focusing on her families things KonMari realised that she was avoiding the responsibility of addressing her own clutter problems. She ruthlessly began to throw out her own belongings. The way that she did this was quite different to the processes that she had previously used, as per recommendations in home magazines from decluttering or storage experts. KonMari held every item individually, focused her attention on it and asked herself, "does this spark joy?". If the answer was yes then it was kept. If the answer was no it was discarded after being thanked for its service to her.

The concept behind this method is that you should surround yourself with things that you love. As you change your belongings also need to change. This ensures they reflect who you are and where you see your life going. I love the idea of only being surrounded by things that bring me joy.

The other appeal of KonMari's method is being free to let go of the things that you no longer use or need, no matter why you don't want them. It allows you to distance yourself from the guilt that often stops you from letting things go. The spontaneous expensive purchase that you have never gotten around to using. The lovely gift that didn't really suit your style. Things that are in perfect condition but never get used in your home. It's time to say goodbye!

This is, of course, easier said than done. KonMari has a strict method that she recommends for "tidying" and discarding things. Clothing is the first group to go through, then books, papers, miscellaneous items, and lastly sentimental items. This style of decluttering (or tidying) is by category of item. Every single item in that category needs to be touched to determine if it sparks joy. The idea is that you learn to discard with items that are less likely to make you feel bad about throwing them away. Then you work your way up to the more difficult stuff.

One thing that I didn't support throughout the book was the idea of throwing things away without regard for waste. I totally support the idea of sending things on their way if you don't need or want them. I do believe, however, that they should be discarded responsibly with the best opportunity for reuse. This may mean dropping them off at an opportunity shop. Or selling them on Gumtree. Or distributing them through Freecycle. You might think of a way to repurpose or upcycle some of the things too. Whatever the method, it is important to do your best to make sure those items are able to find a new home where they will be loved and needed.

Having said this I agree with KonMari when she advises not to pass on your problem. This could be by giving your unwanted items to family members. As KonMari aptly observes, your unwanted items are quite likely to be a similar problem for the recipient of your "gift". Passing on your problem is not respectful or helpful. Why burden loved ones with your unwanted things?

KonMari found that her clients who are younger sisters often have the largest amount of unwanted things in their wardrobe. She knows the average amount of clothes people discard and younger sisters always have a much higher amount. This is because they have been so accustomed to receiving hand me down clothing that they don't find out what their individual style is. What kind of image they want to have.

As a middle child I am familiar with this problem. It was quite enlightening to find an explanation about why I struggle to decide on clothing and why I don't enjoy shopping. I am now determined to go out and find clothes to create a style that reflects me.

This has taken a weight off my shoulders since I always felt guilty spending money on myself. Now I am confident that if I really like something and will get a lot of wear out of it, because it "sparks joy", then I should buy it and feel good about myself. If I don't really love it then I won't buy it. Hence it is a shopping experience that won't get out of control.

"The amount of storage space you have in your room is actually just right. I can't count how many times people have complained to me that they don't have enough room but I have yet to see a house that lacked sufficient storage. The real problem is that we have far more than we need or want. Once you learn to choose your belongings properly, you will be left only with the amount that fits perfectly in the space you currently own. That is the true magic of tidying. It may seem incredible but my method of keeping only what sparks joy in the heart is really that precise."  

p155 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Marie Kondo

The last thing I want to share about the KonMari method (clearly there is a lot more in her book - I recommend reading it if you are inspired by what I have shared here) is instructions about how to fold. You will have noticed the photograph I took of Turtle's drawer after it was tidied (above). All of the items are standing up in the drawer. KonMari is totally right - you can fit so much more in by stacking clothes this way. You can also see each item and don't need to dig through layers of stacks (see the mess this creates when dressing Turtle below). I am a complete convert. It truly works!

The usual mess we were dealing with each day

Starting with Turtle's things, unfortunately, means that decluttering my own wardrobe has been postponed yet again. Typical decluttering procrastination. Despite my previous post encouraging everyone to declutter I acknowledge you need both time and motivation to get it all done.

I am slowly starting on my things though. I will keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime I encourage you to start your own tidying.

Are you a KonMari convert too? Is it time to start tidying?

Linking up with With Some Grace today for FYBF

Homemade Beetroot and Chickpea Dip

I have been meaning to make beetroot dip for ages. Whenever we get beetroot in our organic fruit and veggie box it is always my first thought. But then I look up recipes and get turned off. I always seem to be missing the dairy ingredient. I'm not sure if I would like the flavour with yoghurt or feta for some reason anyway.

I love dips. Really love them. I'm a grazer by habit and love snacking every 2 to 3 hours. I haven't been buying dips lately, however, because I'm conscious of the packaging. Since Plastic Free July is occurring I am even more averse to buying them. So this week when we had 3 beetroots delivered in our box I decided the time had come to create a beetroot dip.

I decided I couldn't go too wrong with yummy fresh beets and chickpeas. Since chickpeas are a staple for us it makes it a convenient recipe too, which is always a winner. I am pleased with the results and thought you might like to try it too. The beetroot is the star flavour of the dip, with the chick peas providing a lovely texture.

Lizzing Lightly's Beetroot and Chickpea Dip Recipe

Time to prepare: 1hr 15 mins (1hr for roasting beetroot and garlic; 15 mins to prepare)

Ingredients

2 to 3 Beetroots
1 can chick peas (400g) drained and rinsed
1 to 2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds

Method

1. Roast beetroots in moderate oven for 1 hour or until soft.
2. Roast garlic for 1/2 hour (add to pan with beetroots).
3. Take out beetroot and garlic and leave to cool.
4. Peel and cut off beetroot skin. Cut into wedges and then in half again.
5. Squeeze roasted garlic out of its skin.
6. Add olive oil, beetroot, garlic, lemon juice, chick peas and mustard seeds to food processor or blender. Mix until smooth.

Enjoy with crackers, bread or crunchy vegetables sticks.

Have you got any recipes at the back of your mind that just never seem to happen?

I'm joining Essentially Jess today for #IBOT