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Out of TP? Try this

UrbanHippieMama, circa 2009

Once upon a time, I was UrbanHippieMama – a Mommy Blogger.

I wrote about my daily life with three small children, as a crunchy-attachment-parent – we are a special and tired breed. Blogging helped me feel connected to other full-grown humans, while that season of life required 110% of my energy and attention…kind of like a shelter in place order may.

When my dear, toiletpaperless, friend called the other night to ask about my experience using “family cloth,” I realized my crunchy roots may be helpful to a more mainstream audience right now. If you don’t know what “family cloth” means, read on. If you already do, feel free to stop at any time – that is, unless you have run out of toilet paper and have resorted to paper towels or leaves collected from a nearby wildlife area (yes, people are in fact doing this). What you are about to read may actually be the saner, more sanitary choice – and it’s definitely a hell-of-a-lot more gentle on your behind.

So without further ado, I bring you UrbanHippieMama, with all of the details you never thought you’d want to know about “family cloth.”


February 20th, 2008

As most of you know, we exclusively use cloth diapers on our boys, and what is known as “family cloth” for the rest of the members of our family. Some of you might recoil at the thought of cloth diapering… I can’t imagine what you did when you clicked on that link for family cloth, and realized that we wipe our bums with a piece of fabric (our favorites are terry, sherpa, and flannel).

To dispel one commonly held false belief: No, we do not all share the same cloth. We don’t even reuse a cloth. We get a fresh cloth EVERY time we wipe! There…I’m glad I got that out of the way.

Back to the recoilers: I know that different people have different tolerances for different substances that seem gross or dirty or just plain smelly. I get that. But, to tell you the honest truth, the only thing that I think anyone would really cringe about is the actually dunk, swish, and wring-out of the poopy diaper in the toilet…that is really the only time I come in contact with the poo. And, if I really didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have to–there are plenty of nifty gadgets out there that will do the poop-removal for you. I just have never minded enough to go spend money on one of those things. But, even if you did, the investment you make in cloth diapers and gadgets for them would still FAAAAAAAAAR outweigh what one would spend on disposables. (2020 note: this may or may not be a factual statement when you run the numbers – depending on many factors – but I do appreciate the gusto). And that doesn’t even take into consideration what those plastic diapers are doing to our earth. Ick.

Anyway, I didn’t come here to convince you to actually try any of our methods (although that would be a nice bonus)… I promised a description of our system. So, here is what it looks like:

Cloth Wipes

Next to each toilet there is a small trash basket with a flip-top lid that is filled halfway with water and a few good squirts of Bac-Out. After you use a cloth wipe, you open the lid, toss it in the water to soak, and close the lid. About once or twice a week I take off the lid, pour off as much water as I can into the toilet, and I dump the wipes straight into the washing machine with the dirty diapers.

**A side note about the functionality of the wipes for #2: they rock. Rich even admitted to me last week that he hates to use TP now, just because the cloth wipes are so much more comfortable and you get so much cleaner. It is probably a step towards how I heard a woman who grew up in a European country with a bidet explain her first experience after moving to the US and her astonishment and disgustedness when she had to use toilet paper, feeling as if she was just “smearing it all around.” Ewwww.

Back to the wash: so, all of the diapers and wipes are in the washing machine. I put in a little less than the recommended amount of Charlie’s soap (we also have used Country Save and SUN Free & Clear…(although the latter wasn’t made for HE washers so we stopped using it), set the machine on it’s sanitary cycle (which is pretty cool as far as ease of mental stress about whether the diapers are really getting “clean” or not, but is actually totally unnecessary and really probably wears our diapers out much faster) with the extra skin care rinse (to get out alllllll of the detergent–the most important thing about washing cloth diapers), and let her rip. Sometimes I will add a pre-wash with non-chlorine bleach, or an extra rinse with white vinegar, but this is our standard routine.

After they are done doing their thing, I (currently) toss them all up into the dryer with NO dryer sheet or fabric softener or anything (this leaves a residue that makes fabric not absorbant–the opposite of what we want our diapers and wipes to be!) and set them on the hottest setting. After we move I will hang them on the clothes lines out back, instead, and then maybe give them a little fluff in the dryer afterwards.

It was very easy for us to incorporate family cloth, since we were already washing diapers anyway–but I have contemplated whether or not it will continue after the boys are out of diapers, and I do believe it will. (2020 Note: It did not. But it may make a guest appearance now!) The wipe laundry would constitute about a load a week, and since our washing machine knows what size the load is, it should use the appropriate amount of water (which is not a whole lot). It is definitely worth it to us for the comfort, savings, and reduction in paper product usage.


If you give some version of cloth TP a try, I’d love to know how it goes and what you learn! Take good care, my friend. Be well. 

Take Care: Things to Lean on During Times of Tragedy

I’m far from the Parkland school shooting, and yet, feeling the waves of grief, anxiety and outrage. Here are just a few things I’m leaning on:

1. Breathe. Tragedy brings all of our emotions to the surface and puts our nervous system on hyperdrive. When you notice your tension, fear or grief, take a deep and purposeful inhale. This may need to happen every few minutes. Inhaling essential oils like Frankincense or Lavender can help calm the stress response.

2. Be extra gentle. Today may not be the day for super productivity. Today may be the day for extra breaks, crying, and a walk outside. This may be more possible sometimes than others, but as much as you can give yourself permission to follow your body’s impulses and needs. Dealing with emotions as they come can prevent the compounded suffering that can come from putting them off.

3. Do what you can. We may not be able to change what happened, but we may be able to work toward change for the future. Call your representatives, share important information through social media, be an ally to those who are directly affected. In whatever small or large way you are able, contribute to something that makes you feel a bit less powerless and helps to make a change.

Synchronicities

This week’s call has been ruminating with me, and funny synchronicities are showing up–guiding me to not move on from this topic too quickly.

Synchronicity 23WE ion-bogdan dumitrescu

flickr @ion-bogdan dumitrescu

When I hung up, after talking about noticing obligation showing up in words like “should” or “have to”, I discovered this sweet Note From The Universe in my inbox:

No more “supposed tos,” OK, Breana?

You’re not supposed to work harder, look better, sleep less, sell more, run faster, talk slower, be happier, stay longer, leave earlier, cook, clean, negotiate, settle, start, stop, move, try, win, shake, rattle or roll.

Other people made all that up.

I love you the way you are,
The Universe

Oh, you can do any or all of the above, Breana, you so can, but you’re not “supposed to.”

flickr @david ascher

flickr @david ascher

And then this article from Tiny Buddah caught my eye. In it Jordan Sibila describes the experience of striving to be more than you are, and the sense of dissatisfaction that so often plagues us–especially as American women. She says it so beautifully:

We are all engaged in this battle of the heart (truth) versus the mind (illusion).

As we discussed on the call this week: this is where the stress shows up! It is this conflict between the truth that our hearts are so naturally in touch with, and the illusion by which our mind is so easily swayed that creates the perfect incubator for rapid-growing anxiety, fear, and frustration.

She goes on to so honestly and accurately describe her path to the solution that so many of us are seeking:

After five years of living in the dungeon of desolation and desperation, I realized that the only thing keeping me shackled to sorrow and sickness was my own mind.

I realized that if I was going to insist on restricting, I needed to restrict the amount of negative self-talk I had allowed to infiltrate my mind instead of restricting the amount of food I allowed to enter my mouth.

If I was going to binge, I needed to binge on opportunities to make meaningful memories with friends and family instead of binging on anything and everything I could find in the kitchen.

If I was going to insist on purging, I needed to purge through tears, laughter, and signs of affection instead of purging up the remains of my last meal.

If I was going to be free, I needed to be authentically me.

flickr @anton burmistrov

flickr @anton burmistrov

Uncovering the layers of belief that cause stress has been for me the greatest way to move toward more authenticity. The more I can see a thought for what it is, without getting sucked into the emotions that accompany believing it, the more free I am.

I wanted to add a resource to our notes in addition to Byron Katie, whom I adore. Grace Bell is a facilitator of The Work who lives in Seattle, Washington. She hosts groups with really interesting and rich discussion topics, and sends out a wonderful daily email applying inquiry to a specific example each time. Her writing is so transparent and honest, and I learn so much from reading the universal thoughts. Check out her website and sign up for her notes to see for yourself.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me or book an exploration session if there is a way I can help you move toward your dreams today. It is my honor to help create a nation of people doing their heart’s work and serving others in bliss.

Breana 1

With love and bright focus,

Breana

Week 1: Create Your Vision

This week we talked about the importance of getting super clear about your goal. If you missed this gem you can view the slides and hear the recorded teleseminar here:

Download the slides
Listen to the recording
(Talk starts at 2:20)

The guide to creating Your Heart’s Roadmap that you got when you joined my band of adventurous dreamers comes in really handy during this step. If you would like any extra support, please email or call!

Welcome!

I’m so glad you’re here.

My guess is you are ready for something new and bigger for your life. A sense of aliveness and passion that may have gotten lost or paused at some point. Your spirit is calling out for new adventure and you are heeding its call.

You are in the right place.

That same call has brought me here as well, and what I am finding is turning my world upside down…in the best. possible. way.

This is where we explore those dreams that you’ve never shared. This is the place for working through the fears and limiting beliefs that have stopped you in your tracks so many times before. Now is the time for you to break through to start living the life of your dreams (I’m totally serious).

You are the person who’s going to do it and I’m going to show you how.

The commitment you make is to show up for yourself. To put one foot in front of the other. Starting with tiny baby steps and soon (sooner than you think!) gathering momentum into giant leaps and bounds. You are going to amaze yourself with the progress you will make toward your goals and dreams, and I cannot wait to experience it with you.

Welcome to Brighter Focus. I am so glad you are here.