Circular Logic

The other day, I attempted to cast on for my first pair of Two-at-Once socks...getting the needles set up was a breeze and I was filled with a false sense of confidence.

Let me just admit that I am a little challenged when it comes to physics, math and some of the sciences, or maybe it's that I lack vision.

Whenever I've tried a new knitting technique or any other crafty thing where the terms are unfamiliar and sound like they won't work out, I have to just dig in and do in order to figure it out.

That usually works fine, but part of the challenge (for me) to knitting with two circulars is that you have to knit to the other end of the same needle that your stitches are on, or else you'll wind up at the end of the row with all the stitches for both socks on one needle. Yep, I know this because I've done it...twice. Twice with the pair of single socks I did and then again the first time I attempted this pair. Okay, I know that's technically three times, but again with the math challenges.

Once I got it in my head that you're transferring the stitches (meaning the ones you're inserting your working needle into) onto the other end of that same circular needle, it was a breeze. I can see now why people get so excited about knitting both at once...even though it's double the stitches, it will not take double the time!

Would You Like Fries With That?

When I was little, the nearest McDonald's was in the next town over about 15 miles away. We didn't go very often, but when we did it was the best treat to sit on the hamburger bun shaped seats and eat our cheeseburgers out of the cardboard happy meal box next to the talking tree...am I the only one that remembers these fixtures? The birthday party I got to have at the Golden Arches was awesome, complete with the shrieking of my friend's little brother every time the big Ronald McDonald statue that doubled as a helium tank got a little over-enthused with the filling of the balloons.

Well, it would be an understatement to say that it's not quite so magical for me anymore, but I do take H to play in the play space and so that I can spend almost $5 for a cheeseburger he abandons and fries that cool too quickly a cheap plastic toy that he'll either lose the next day, or still have clutched in his paw a year later.

For the most part, we get prompt, friendly service (if you don't count the time I found hairsssss (yes, plural) in my burger...Salad, anyone?!) but today I knew it was going to be a long visit when I approached the counter smiling and was fixed with the McBlank Stare by Joe Cashier.

Me: Hi! Can I get a chicken nugget happy meal, chocolate milk and a boy toy? Also a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait.

Joe C.: Ummmmmmm. Okay. So that was a happy meal with a burger?

Me: Chicken Nuggets

Joe C.: Okay, and then you wanted chocolate milk and a sundae?

Me: Fruit and Yogurt Parfait. For the baby. (hefting C's bulk up on my hip) And can I get a #4 with cheese, no mayo? (Because a Big and Tasty sin queso is just not very tasty.)

After getting H and C settled in the play space at the table with my friend Alex, I went back to the counter to pick up our tray of food, fill my drink and get ketchup. I've done all this before with the kids by my side, and I've noticed that they took my several failed attempts as a hint because there are now plastic tubs for condiments that are actually big enough to place on the counter and squirt into...because I'm sure it was really fun to clean a gallon of bbq sauce off the counter everyday.

Oh, and I had to get the dressing and fork pack for Alex's salad because McBlank Stare forgot it. Yes, I'm being mean, but only because this was just the beginning and I'm writing in hindsight. At the time, I was smiling and gracious.

Kids settled, I opened my cardboard box only to find a certain orange square of cheese-product was missing so it was back to the counter I went. I was handed my cheese in yet another cardboard box...seriously, placing it on a nap would have been hygienic enough for me.

After our meals were finished we realized we had about an hour for the kids to play, so ice cream suddenly made it into our plans. As I approached the counter to order two Oreo McFlurry's (why do I have to spend so much time at the gym?!) I eagerly watched as I am the dork who loves the show How It's Made and really any documentary that shows an assembly process. McLazy filled the cup about half-way when McHardWorker swooped in shaking her head and saying 'Uh, no.' She took the cup, filled it with soft-serve, placed the lid on, pumped in crumbled oreos and stuck a spoon in it.

I was a little confused...I thought these were blended. Oh, just you wait my friends. The McFlurry Machine was AWESOME! The little hose hooks right onto the spoon, answering my age-old question of "Why is this spoon so weird, and why are there holes in it?" A flip of the switch and a steady hand delivers a perfectly whipped dairy (or non-dairy?) confection. Yum!

My sister told me about the BEDA challenge on author Maureen Johnson's site, so I'm signing on!

I commit to this idea and am determined to create something EVERY DAY in April, including weekends. Every day, I will find something to say. I embrace the reality that there is always something to talk about, if you are willing to take the time to look for it.

I, Sally HP, promise to blog every day in April.

Want to join me?

I'd Like That Wrapped, Please

Can't find your wrapping paper? No problem! If you have an extra 10 minutes (including wrapping time), a sketch pad (or any paper large enough...brown grocery bag?), stamps and an industrious three year-old, you have wrapping paper with a personal touch.

Wiped Out

When I first started cloth diapering, I was overwhelmed by all the choices available; the sprayer, the wetbag, the dry bucket, the deodorizer and the list went on and on. None of these were necessities, mind you, but they do make the life of a cloth diapering mama (and dad) run a lot more smoothly.

It wasn't until I had been cloth diapering exclusively for about a month that I stopped to realize there was no reason to be using disposable wipes when I didn't have a disposable diaper in which I could easily throw them away. I had been putting them in a plastic baggie but then it hit me that I'd ignored the most simple accessory; cloth wipes!

When we had H, the hospital in Portland used cloth wipes and it was a lot easier to get that sticky meconium off with a real cloth that had warm water on it, than with the disposable wipes we used on C at the hospital here.

There are a ton of 'recipes' for home-made wipes solution, you can buy ready-made solution like bumGenius Bottom Cleaner or California Baby Non-Burning and Calming Diaper Area Wash or you can turn on your tap and use plain old water. The possibilities will fit any budget and it's just one more way that you can streamline your process.

The wipes I picked first are the Imse Vimse Cloth Wipes. They came in a pack of 12, are an unbleached organic flannelette and are so, so soft. While they are a little smaller than standard wipes, they get the job done and wash and dry well, and at $11 they cost less than I pay for a case of disposable wipes, and I won't have to buy them over and over again. I think that even just 1-2 more packages would be all I'd need in order to have enough to make it from one wash load to the next.

I still pack disposable wipes in the diaper bag (throw them away with a biodegradable bag) and use them to clean hands and faces after lunch at the park or other outings, but I'm hoping that through this cloth diapering journey, I'll continue to streamline the process so that it's all ready to go for baby #3 (after C is potty trained, of course!)