InFAnT ToYS

{DaY 13}

Okay, I admit it... I'm sort of avoiding plastic and painted toys for the kids. Some would say I've seriousely "drunk the kool-aid" when it comes to all-natural stuff... I say "WhO CArES!"

Anyway, putting that aside, I was more than happy to find some alternatives to the usual "made in China" toys and the fact that I could scratch a day off my project list made them ever better!

I love the links but man, were they a pain to make! I found the tutorial at Make It and Love It. I tried making them the way she recommended but it was not as easy as it looked. She recommends 8.5" strips, I found them too small so I moved to a 10.5" ring so it looped easier. I also found that the way she connected the ends of the rings to be a bit difficule too but that may be because I overstuffed the tubes. {In the future I may try not putting any stuffing in the ends of the tube and just sewing them one-on-top-of the other.} Either way, if you're interested in this one... put on some soothing music, grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, put the kids down for a nap and remember to take several deep breathes... you may be in for some patience testing!

The ball was super simple. I've seen patterns all over the place... The Purl Bee makes beach-ball inspired ones. I printed off the pattern from Grand Revival Designs. After making the Grand Revival one, I think I would be sure to put the ends on because if you don't sew them just right, the ends can look unfinished.

The square was also really easy, I just cut a bunch of squares 4.5"x4.5" {which I found to be too big} and stuffed it with the pillow stuffing I got from Savers. It came out really lumpy which is fine because it still stays in place for Miss Mak to push at and it doesn't roll away but it's pretty ugly. I'd go for some upholstry foam in the future, maybe put a bell or shaker inside. The ball and square are very versitile.

MoNSteR DoLl {AcTIoN FiGuRE}

{DaY 12}

I've seen this idea a lot of places and thought I'd give it a whirl. I've never made a doll {sorry, "action figure", as my Dear Hubby insists I call it} before and this was actually quite fun. You can draw something out or freehand it and there are no rules which I think made this a quick project. It's good to have felt, buttons, zippers, scraps fabrics, etc. on hand for this one.

*TiPs*

OnE: Draw monster out on freezer paper and iron to fabric to get the general shape for the body and limbs.
TwO: If your kids are old enough, have them draw out a SIMPLE creature onto freezer paper. Use a marker to clean up the lines if necessary and have at it!
ThReE: Don't make it too small. I made that mistake with a doll I tried to make for Miss Mak and the seams were a mess.
FoUR: Don't overthink it!

CraFTeR's IRoNiNg BoARd CoVEr

{DaY 11}

I know, I know... a bigger/better ironing board?! But this is one of the first steps in making my very own "Ma-Worthy" craft room. It's a "Ma-Inspired" ironing board for bigger projects like quilts, clothing and it's also great as an extra work area.

{By the way, this is a new sew project}

WhaT YoU'lL NeeD:
- 60"x22"x 1/2" Plywood {unless you have a crazy shaped ironing board, this size will do}
- 2 Towels OR Thick Quilt Batting {enough to cover board, this one took a little over 1 beach towel}
- Staple Gun

- 8 to 10 - 3/4", #8 Screws
- 40 to 50 - #8 Washers
- Fabric {68"x30" piece OR 2 yards}
- Angle Iron {this is used to keep the board from sliding around and helps keep the board from sagging over time} ** I purchased two 8' pieces of aluminum sheetrock corners and doubled them up for thickness rather than buying the angle iron. The angle iron is about $9 for 4 feet and the aluminum is $1.48 for 8'. You do the math.
- Means of Cutting Angle Iron {I used tin snips on the aluminum pieces}

HoW To dO iT!

1. Lay towel over top of the board, flip over and staple the towel tightly to the board {trim extra towel for a cleaner finish}

2. Lay fabric over top of the board, over the towel, flip the board over, pull tight and staple. Trim edges.

3. Lay board fabric side down and place ironing board upside down on top and center.

4. Mark for your angle iron on sides and ends of board for a snug but not too tight fit {or you could cheat like I did and just screw the angle irons on while the board is in place}

{It helps to have your very own handy-man for this part}

5. Place 5 washers on each screw before screwing in the angle iron {one screw for each end of the four pieces}
6. Flip ironing board over, put on top and ta-da...

UsE aNd ABuSe TilL yOU NeEd AnOThEr ONe!

CraFt RooM MaKeOveR

Many of you may already know but my mother has a ridiculously fantastic and enviable sewing room. {If you didn't know, I'll try to post a couple of drool-worthy pictures soon} I have made it a point to mooch off her as much as possible whenever she's not working on a quilt {she's quite talented}! Well, I've recently decided to be a big girl and though I do this figuratively "kicking and screaming" I'm going to make my own craft zone.

For starters, we live in a teensy-weensy house so there's nowhere for me to go but down into the unfinished basement. I can't believe I'm about to share this with you... It's not something I like to share but hey, things can only get better at this point. So... here goes...

{If this picture is too small for you to see anything, I am very much okay with that!}

Okay, I can't complain, I have some great things going for me. My mom and sister-in-law bought me the desk-turned-sewing-table for my bridal shower and it's perfect! The table with the white top and 4x4 legs was the laundry table Sweet Hubby made for me that I've moved to a much more useful position. The metal rolling shelves were a Costco buy, not cheap but WAY worth the purchase. Also, my lovely grandparents gave me a ton of old glass top mason jars for storing small stuff.

What I'd Like to Add:
Storage, Storage, Storage!
Oragnization, Organization, Organization!
and of course, more fabric is always nice!

I have some ideas to make the above happen so enjoy the next few projects!

{Oh BoY!! WhaT AM i GeTTiNg mYseLF InTO?!}

Go FiSH

{DaY 10}

I have been wanting to make this ever since I saw it. I took the basic steps from "From An Igloo" but reworked a couple things to make it easier {which means a more enjoyable} project.

WhAt yOu'lL NEeD
6 Pieces of Fabric {big enough to cut out two sides of each fish}
6 Washers {I think I used 3/8}
Batting or Pillow Stuffing {I used the stuffing from an old pillow from Savers}
Needle & Thread
12 small or medium buttons
1/2"x48" Dowel
Yarn or Sturdy String
Magnets
Drill & Small Bit

FiSH
1. Draw out fish shape onto freezer paper or directly onto the fabric remembering to leave 1/4-1/2 for the seam
- If you draw your fish out on fabric, just cut them out and move on
- If you use freezer paper cut out image from freezer paper and, using a warm dry iron, iron it on to the right side of a piece of fabric. Cut out around the image and repeat, remove the paper and re-iron onto and cut 5 more to make "side A". For the remaining 6 pieces, iron the fish on to the wrong side of the fabric and cut out for "side B".
2. Match up sides A & B leaving the right side of the fabrics facing out.
3. Starting at the belly of the fish, zig-zag stitch around the edges and leave 2-3" open to stuff the fish {you will not be turning this inside out, the stitches are on the outside for a ragged look}
4. Stuff your fish
5. Hand stitch the bellies shut
6. Sew buttons on either side of the fish for the eyes
7. Stitch the washers onto the mouth end of the fishies

PoLe
1. Cut the dowel in half {I wanted two poles for one set of fish so a friend can play too}
2. Drill a small hole about 1/2" from the end of each pole
3. Thread a piece of yarn through the hole and tie it off {for added security I hot glued the ends of the yarn to the pole}
4. I wasn't able to drill through the magnet so I hot glued the end of the yarn to the magnet, wrapped the yarn around it a few times and glued it again

{EnJoY!!}

KiDs TRaVeL PiLLoW

{DaY 9}

My kids have a knack for falling asleep in strange configurations when they're in the car {and they always seem to fall asleep within 5 minutes of home. Ugh!} so I thought this project would be worth a shot. It's super simple, and using the printout from an interview with Becki from Infarrantly Creative there's no brainwork.. just cut out and sew. I loved how they fit Miss Mak too and I'm confident she'll be the first to try it out.

Why We BabyWise {Part 2}

Our Little-Bits...

As I said, we have chosen to stick to most of the principles of BabyWise, we just tweaked them to make them work for us...

1. We follow the Eat, Wake, Sleep cycle with the only exception of growth spurts which can throw everything out of whack for a few days.

2. Feeding Routine: The point is to get your little one's digestive system on a routine so not only will it ensure that your babe is getting the food they need but also to help ensure that you don't over-feed them of get them to count on eating as a cure-all/ crutch for everything.

I know moms who used feeding their baby as an answer to every whimper and fuss. It absolutely drove me bonkers to watch them feed their baby, whom they had just fed, again to the point where the child seemed to be drowning! This is particularly annoying to me if the child is formula fed. Personally, my main issues with feeding a kiddo every time they fuss are that 1. you don't learn what your child's cries mean if you keep shoving food in their mouths to keep them quiet {different cries mean different things} and 2. I believe it's a gateway to teaching your children to eat emotionally. If something is bothering them or hurting and they are fed in order to shut them up, what's to say that they won't chose to stuff their mouths when they're feeling that way when they're older? {a slippery slope? maybe, but the possibility makes me nervous}.

The guidelines that Ezzo and Bucknam recommend are feeding every 2.5-3 hours from birth until they are sleeping through the night or until they naturally stretch 3-4 hours. This excludes growth spurts that usually fall every 4 weeks for the first year. Then you go back to every 3 hours or sometimes 2.5 depending on your little one's age.

Plus, if you've read the book... the authors repeat many times "if your baby is hungry, feed him!"

3. Crying It Out: This is a tricky one where people usually jump on "BabyWisers" and accuse them of "bad parenting". Everyone's definition of this is different. For some, it's putting your little one down for a nap and letting them cry until their designated nap time is up {could be up to 2 hours}. For other's it's letting them cry for 5 minutes, then rubbing their backs and soothing them without picking them up and when they're calm leaving the room, if they cry, the let them go for 10 minutes and then soothe again, then 15 minutes, 20 minutes soothe, etc. {this doesn't work for all kids because some can't handle you going in and out of the room}. And still there are others who won't let their little one's cry at all. Dear Hubby and I fall into the middle... we first make sure the diaper is clean, baby has been fed recently, isn't going through a growth spurt, doesn't have bad gas, has their blanket, and isn't caught in the bed rails. For CJ, once we put him down we had to let him be otherwise he'd get really frustrated and would skip his nap entirely so we just let him cry. The most he cried was about an hour which sounds like a long time, especially when you're in the moment, but he only did that for a few naps before he cut it down to about five minutes. Miss Mak could handle our check-ups. After about 30 minutes, we'd check on her and she could still get to sleep after our visit. {We only had to let her cry that long, for naps, a few times before she cut it down to 1-2 minutes}

With both kids, we are not at the point where if they cry, something's wrong... either they're not feeling well, they're hungry or they are over-tired and need to de-stress with a good cry before they can settle in to sleep. This goes for nighttime sleep too. If either of our kids wake in the middle of the night, I can listen to the cry and determine if it needs my attention or not. If it goes beyond 10-15 minutes {unless we're trying to drop a feed} then I'll either feed them, check to see if they're in need of Tylenol, a cuddle or a drink {depending on their age}.

4. Putting The Kids To Sleep Awake: At first, I thought that idea was awefully silly but then I realized it made perfect sense. I kept trying to rock CJ to sleep before I put him down but inevitably my attempts to lay him down without him stirring failed and we'd have to start over. There were times that it took an hour just to get him to sleep! Then I realized he was becoming dependant on my helping him fall asleep which seemed like risky. Once we started putting him to bed awake he would fall asleep much faster. He learned to suck his thumb early on and once he found that and had his blanket he was good to go. With Miss Mak, I struggled to know whether or not I should put her down asleep or try to get her to the brink of sleep or just put her down and let her work it out herself. She liked the swaddle and therefore couldn't suck her thumb. When she was between 4 and 6 weeks she managed to go down with less than a couple minutes of fussing in just a swaddle. Around 10 weeks she found her fingers and at 12 weeks she dropped the swaddle. Now a blanket and her fingers do the trick and she often talks herself to sleep, no fussing.

I'v had people tell me that I just have good sleepers... I can assure you that the 9 weeks getting CJ to nap well and the 16 weeks leading up to him sleeping through the night were NOT easy and he wasn't natually a great sleeper. As for Miss Mak, her first 4 weeks of life were no picnic! {We moved her out of our room at 10 days because we couldn't take the crying!} It was diligence, patience and practice that made these two the great sleepers they are now and I can't think of a reason that every parent couldn't share in this.

BabyWise has a ton of other principles but for us, those are the basic "musts". I'm not a hater to those who chose to skip the book and its principles and I'm not suggesting that kids don't turn out well if you don't follow it. It was written by imperfect men and is not the Bible but before you knock it, give it a read. At least know what you and others are agreeing or disagreeing with.

BabyWise is NOT the dictatorship of parents, it is the training of children as God instructs. It is NOT abuse or negclect because you are never told to ignore your child's needs but rather to meet them and create healthy boundries for them. It is NOT a proponent of parent's sacrificing their relationship for the "good" of their kids but affirms that having a healthy marriage is the best thing you can do for them. It is a means that keeps the end in mind and leads to happy, healthy, well rested children. It's waht we do because it works for us.

Why We BabyWise

On Becoming Baby Wise
Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam

The mere utterance of the word(s) "BabyWise" can be enough to get people to pass harsh judgements, ruin friendships and arouse some serious prejudice {and that goes for whether you are a proponent of or an advocate against it}.

I happen to be a "BabyWiser" and though I'd like to say I am shameless about it, I still avoid bringing it up around people unless they ask and when they do I'm fairly vague in my response. To be honest, I'm tired of feeling like I have to explain myself. Admittedly, I emotionally have to fight getting caught up in the battle between those who treat BW as gospel and those who believe it is neglectful and selfish parenting.

I will say now, Dear Hubby and I land on neither side of the aisle. We believe in raising our children according to the standards of the Bible and where the Bible is silent, it is a parent's choice.

With that said, I have no intention of preaching on why you must BW and that if you don't you're a bad parent and I'm not recommending that it is for everyone. I simply want to share our experience and maybe dispel some myths about the way of life that BW has created for our family and millions of others. (Also... I must say that this is, as are all things in this blog, my humble opinion and not law.)

First and foremost, in my opinion, there are different levels of BW followers.
1. The Extremists: Those who not only read and love the BabyWise series but have gotten caught up in the structure of it that add their own rules and regulations to an already rather structured program to the point of ruining relationships with others who don't adhere to rules that govern their own family. {I'm not even going to discuss this... it's like the outspoken Christians who make the world dislike all of us... adding your own rules to the truth rarely ends well!}
2. The Ezzoites: Those who adhere strictly to what Ezzo and Bucknam guidelines.
3. The Little-Bits: Those who pick and chose which parts will work for their family and their persosality types but who won't "throw the baby out with the bathwater".

Dear Hubby and I have been "Little-Bits" since CJ was 7 weeks old. Oddly, I heard about BW from a friend who didn't seem like a proponent of the whole BW program. She told me of a friend of hers who had a routine and a structure for her child and how it didn't really seem like a good fit for her lifestyle. I, however, am a structured person who was struggling with my newborn and the idea of a routine sounded fantastic! I was struggling with my 7 week old who didn't sleep well, had no predictable routine and Dear Hubby and I were having a hard time deciphering what CJ needed. To top it off, our inability to figure out what CJ needed was causing resentment. Dear Hubby wasn't sure that more than one child would be an option, at least not for a LONG time and I was losing faith in my ability to be a good mom. I thought "clearly I couldn't figure out my own child and if I could manage one then why bother with more". {That may sound extreme but sleep deprivation can cause you to think some crazy things!} I immediately looked into BabyWise, ordered the book on amazon.com, read it and was hooked! After only a few weeks, CJ was an easy baby. It was Dear Hubby's and my shortcoming and misunderstanding that make CJ seem difficult. It was like a totally different kid. He slept well, took consistently good naps, started sleeping longer through the night, was happy when he was awake, ate better and more regularly and best of all, we could decipher his cries! Finally our family understood the guiding principle of BabyWise which is embarrassingly simple

...your child is to be a part of your family and not the center of it...

otherwise your family unit won't survive or your marriage will suffer at best. That was it! The light bulb went on for us! Making CJ a part of our family instead of rushing to make him the center or our attention was exactly what we were doing. He cried, we rushed to make it stop. He wasn't happy with what he was doing, we stopped our conversations to make it better. It's not like we fed him only sweets because that's what he wanted or let him stay up all hours of the night but we put our focus on the wrong thing. Our marriage was on the back burner and we weren't who we used to be. When CJ cried int he middle of the night, we blamed one another. When we were both exhausted and had nothing left we took it out on one another. CJ and his desires were working against our marriage which, in the end, were going to be worse for him.

{By the way, If you're wondering why I've even bothered to bring up such a controversial topic on here, then here it is... Looking at Proverbs 31, much is said about the marriage unit and little to nothing is said about children. Our spouse and our relationship with our spouse is the most important part of the picture. Without a successful relationship with your spouse you risk losing it all when your kids grow up and move on to families of their own. If they are the glue that holds you two together you will fall apart when your child grows up and moves on {or worse, your child won't grow up and won't move on!}}

What we do...

CaMErA STraP

{DaY 8}

Another fun and really simple project that took me about an hour due to trial and error and the fact that my strap is half the width of the strap used in the instructions. Teeny tiny ruffles are not as simple to sew as one may think! None the less, this was a quick and easy way to spruce an every day camera ... and yes, I was confused for a moment on how to take a picture of my camera {enter bedroom mirror}.

MiSs MaKs QuiLT

{DaY 7.5}

Okay, okay... so I'm taking a pass today. I spent most of last night and today working on a plant sale so I'm out of time and energy. I'll be back at it tomorrow but in the meantime, this is the quilt I made Miss Mak a couple months ago. It looks complicated but it was so stinkin' easy to put together! I LOVED this pattern and will probably play around with it again in the future.

 

Gutter Bookshelves

{DaY 7}

There isn't much to say here except SO cool and SO easy!

Rather than following step by step, I read the directions and winged it the rest of the way.

Note... If you have plaster walls, the gutters are fantastic at covering your gaping "oops" holes!

T ShiRT MaKeoVEr

{Day 6}

Okay, I admit it... 6 days in and I've either run out of or not purchased all the supplies I need to do several of the projects on my list. But not to worry! Using some of my Plato's Closet rejects, I've whipped up a couple things out of old t shirts. These are meant to look scrappy which is perfect because they totally do! Sadly, I couldn't color coordinate as much as I'd would have liked but this was well worth the incredibly short amount of time it took!

ReVErsIbLe ScArF

ToDDlEr DrAwStriNg PaNT

(What I've Learned... I made the rise too low but the drawstring was a great idea compared to the elastic which the tutorial form rookiemoms.com suggested)

{for the drawstring I just cut a 1/2 inch piece of tshirt out of the scraps and pulled it tight. the knit fabric curls and becomes string-like}


InFaNT YoGa PaNTs

(I skipped the drawstring on these since Miss Mak needed a little extra room for her cloth diaper)

RuFflE BuM OnSie

{DaY 5}

So this was the first day I'd like a redo on my project.

I've never done ruffles before and whereas they are pretty easy, putting them on and spacing them right didn't go so well. I'll have to make more to practice but for now, I'll just have to keep on moving.

RuFfLe BuM StYLe 1

Ragged and washed (Need to put the rows closer together)

RuFfLe BuM StYLe 2

Pleated (Came out cute but should shift the up a little high)

NuRSeRy MoBiLe

{DaY 4}

Miss Mak's room was nearly complete but I was wanting to put something over her changing table. I made a quilt with the intention of hanging it but it ended up being too big for the space. I saw this on a blog called Young House Love and found the instructions there.

The longest part was making the wire balls but I think it was well worth it!

FaBriC KeYchAiNs

{DaY 3}

These took almost no time and are super cute!
Thanks to an interview with Amy from The Idea Room on U Create I made 4 in about an hour.

A Fellow No Pooer

No Shampoo Adventures of Miss NB

Background: I only washed my hair on Wenesdays and Saturdays. Washing twice with whatever shampoo I had at the time and a large potion of conditioner. I have long colored hair.

April 10, 2010- BS and water paste massaged into my roots, rinsed. Used some ACV on the ends. Blow dries ans straightened. My hair felt very soft and the color was really vibrant.

April 11 - Brushed and curled the ends under. Hair looks great.

April 12 - Brushed and left down because it still looked good.

April 13 - Brushed, slightly oily

April 14 - Rinsed with water and ACV. After blowdrying my hair was still oily.

April 15 - Washed with BS but not ACV and blowdried. My hair felt brittle and dry. But it's clean, no oil.

April 16 - Washed again! This time with BS and ACV and it feels more normal but still needs some moistureizer! I did not blow dry immediately. I let it air dry a bit then dried and straightened. Straightening seemed to take away the frizz.

April 17 - Did nothing to my hair. Just pulled it up and left it alone.

April 18 - Rinsed with ACV because my hair felt brittle. It helped a little. Blow dried. My hair is feeling dry and needs help! At night I rinsed with water and let air dry.

April 19 - Didn't brush. My hair is wavy from air drying and I have not really touched it. I feel like I am going all natural and will have dreads in a few days! JK

April 20 - Didn't brush, just pulled up.

April 21 - Washed with BS and ACV. Blow dired. Hair felt a little dry.

April 22 - Brushed, felt good.

April 23 - Brushed, slightly oily.

April 24 - Did nothing.

April 25 - Washed with BS and ACV. Blow dried using a diffuser. Very wavy hair. It feels very light and weightless.

April 26 - Brushed, feels great!

PiCNiC tAbLE fOr THe LiTTle OnEs

{DaY 2}
No, this was not a kit, nothing was precut. This was lumber and screws from Home Depot and not as difficult as you may think! After a fairly busy day, I couldn't wait to start this one! The blog I got these plans off of is AMaZiNG!! Sweet Hubby was on hand to watch the kiddos and offer backup if needed (he tightened a couple screws and held the longer boards while I cut). This was a VeRY satisfying project. The best part... it only took 2.5 hours!

AppLiQuE OnSieS

{DaY 1}

A dear friend of mine is expecting a baby boy in just a couple weeks so these were fun to try. I tried a third one, done a different way, but it was a DiSasTeR! Maybe that will be a project for another day.

30 DaYs of CraFTiNg

It's that time of year again. My birthday's coming up and my Sweet Hubby asked me what I wanted this year and I, without hesitation, replied "Buffalo Wild Wings" (ok, so I was apparently hungry at the time!). Thankfully, he asked me again assuming I wasn't serious about bonessless wings (which I totally was) and this time I actually thought about my answer... It didn't take me long to realize all I wanted was 30 days of guilt-free crafting.

I have been desperately missing making things with my hands. I started an interior decorating business right before I had my son, CJ. Shortly after that Miss Mak came along and two little ones make leaving the house nearly impossible. So my problem... I'm a creator and always have been and the lack of creative juices has been driving me crazy! I had resorted to surfing the web and seeing postings of what other people have been keeping busy with and managed to find great hands-on ideas on blogs which lead to more blogs with great ideas which were linked to more blogs... and so on. I started keeping a "someday-maybe" list of all the ideas I wanted to try and as I looked it over I assumed I'd never actually get to most of them. Then it dawned on me... I need a creative challenge and this list is it! So here it is, my birthday present from Sweet Hubby in beautiful blog form!

No Poo Experiment

Over six months ago one of my brothers commented on a thing he heard about called "no-pooing". I thought the idea of skipping the suds sounded awefully silly however I was intrigued. More recently, I have made a consorted effort to start working our family back to the basics with food, medical treatments, household cleaners, body care, etc. I figure that the closer to God's creation something is, the better it is. Man's tampering with things seems to have really thrown our bodies off and now I watch the news and see nothing but people chronically struggling with health problems and it only makes sense to me that we did it to ourselves.
So here we are... one of my many steps to going all natural was to take the no-poo experiment. I figured if anyone else wanted to know more about it or take a stab at it themselves, my humble experience might sway them one way or the other.

Prior to this experiment I had to wash my hair every day. I was coming off a pregnancy so my hormones were out of whack. I was trying to wean myself off the daily washing but I was a greasy mess by 36 hours. I used a couple of VERY expensive products to get back to only 3 or 4 washes a week but made no progress.

I got my recipes and troubleshooting ideas from
Natural Living Des Moines
Natural-Forces and
Nature Moms

So, here goes...
Day 1 - Friday - My hair needs to be washed so I've decided to start today. I mixed a couple of tablespoons of BS in my palm with water till it formed a paste and rubbed it into my scalp. I rubbed it in and rinsed. Then took about 1/2 a cup of ACV in a 10 oz cup and filled it the rest of the way up with water and dipped my ends in and let it sit for a couple minutes before rinsing. It felt heavy when I got out of the shower but I was able to run a comb through it with no problem (not normal) and it blow dried normally and is nice and smooth.

Day 3 - Sunday - Had to wash my hair. I was silly and put product in my hair so now it's gross. Same procedure as Day 1. Same result.

Day 5 - Tuesday - Whereas I had to wash my hair every 24-36 hours, I have been able to go 48 before it started feeling like it needed to be washed. It feels heavy and oily but I'm going to wait until tomorrow because I have to go somewhere in the morning and would like to shower before I go.

Day 6 - Wenesday - Washed the same as Days 1 and 3. Same procedure. Same result.

Day 8 - Friday - Bought applicator bottles from Sally Beauty Supply so I don't have to keep a box of BS in my bathroom anymore. Washed as normal. Same result.

Day 10 - Sunday - Washed for church, usual results.

Day 12 - Tuesday - Tonight my hair feels gross...needs to be washed. I washed it and let it dry overnight. I also put coconut oil on my ends but I think I put too much.

Day 13 - Wednesday - Woke up, hair looks like you'd expect after falling asleep on it wet but tonight it feels a little heavy and I noticed dandruff in my hair for the first time EVER. Not happy about it but maybe it's just part of the process. I won't quit this 2 month experiment though so, ugh!, here we go! By the way, I am definitely planning to BS and ACV in the morning.

Day 14 - Thursday - I washed my hair this morning and SCRUBBED my scalp with the BS mixture. I finished off as usual and put the teeniest amount of coconut oil on my ends. There's still some really minor flaking but not as bad as the other night. I'm thinking I went too long.

Day 15 - Friday - Hair is looking kind of flat so I used hairspray... yeah, terrible idea! Of course I went out with friends tonight and had a massage so I felt just fantastic having someone rub my neck anywhere near my hairline (yuck!). I chatted with a fellow "No Poo Expirmentor" and she too has dandruff. We've agreed that too much BS is the cause so we'll give it a go tomorrow. Can't wait to wash my hair tomorrow.

Day 16 - Saturday A.M.- Washed my hair with MUCH less BS. I used the recommended recipe (1 TB BS to 1 cup water). I didn't feel like I was using enough but my hair felt MUCH better after rinsing this time around. I used the ACV as usual and let my hair air dry. It feels just as clean as when I used more BS.

Day 16 - P.M. - I've discovered that since I've been so focused on washing my hair less and less I kept forgetting to shower altogether. Gross yes, but thankfully I'm a housewife and get to stay home with my kiddos so they were the only ones to suffer. Anyway, tonight I use a boar bristle brush for the first time which you're supposed to use at least once a day, better if twice, to spread the oils from your roots to your ends. I did that and then took a hot shower (I'm putting a nightly shower into my routine to spare my poor husband for any more forgotten hygene) and just rinsed my hair with water.
NOTE: I've been doing this for over two weeks and my natural wave is back. I thought I lost it because of my two pregnancies but another "No Poo Experimentor" had the same thing happen. Huh.

Day 17 - Sunday - Hair looks just fine. I let it air dry last night and it's wavy but since I had church this morning I decided to boar bristle brush it and then use a hair dryer to get it straight. My hair gets frizzy when I use the boar bristle but a little coconut oil on the ends (or olive oil) and I'm good to go. I did another hot water rinse tonight.

Note on using oil... I've needed so little to do this it's not even funny! I've used too much, and felt like I needed to wash my hair again right after. With both the coconut oil, I dipped my three middle fingers into the jar, no rubbing, no scooping, I just let the oil melt onto my hands. With the olive oil, I put a dot on my hand. Then, with either oil, I rubbed the oil onto my hands like lotion, until I was afraid I didn't have enough to put into my hair. That's when I know that I have just the right amount. Then I rubbed my hands through my hair and into my ends, avoiding my scalp. That's it. I've done this with wet and dry hair. I think I prefer it when it's wet but it doesn't really make a difference for me.

Day 18 - Monday - Since I slept with my hair wet, it's a crazy wavy mess but it's not oily. I really think the boar brush and water rinse are making a difference.

Day 19 - Tuesday - Regular wash with BS and ACV and let it air dry. No problem.

Day 20 - Wednesday - Hot water rinse and boar bristle brush.

Day 21 - Thursday - Hot water rinse and boar bristle brush.

Day 22 - Friday - Regular wash with BS and ACV and dried with a blow dryer.

Day 23 - Saturday - Hot water rinse int he a.m. and blow dry. Lots of sweating today in the nice sunny weather as I did a little wood work outside. Showered at night for church tomorrow.

Note... This has been going really well. I think my hair looks great, when I take the time to do something with it, and I love the feeling of doing something healthier for myself and my kids. Sweet Hubby hasn't joined in yet (he cannot stand the smell of vinegar) but maybe one day.

Day 24 - Sunday - Plain ol' water rinse.

Day 25 - Monday - This morning my hair felt nasty (haven't washed in a few days) but the weather is uber muggy so I waited to wash at night since it would be a waste and I'd want to wash it again. Regular wash of BC and ACV and air dried while I slept.

Day 26 - Tuesday - Hair is nice, full, soft and wavy.

Days 27 through 35 - Washed every few days, hot water rinsed and bristle brushed. Still having good results though I'm not doing ANYTHING with my hair during the day. I just leave it wavy from the shower the night before and sometimes put a headband in or click my bangs back. I really ought to do something!

Day 36 - Washed (BS & ACV), dried with blow dryer, curled, used hair spray.

Day 37 - Hot water rise, blow dry, hair spray... Hair looked nice and clean after rinse, hair spray from night before was gone. Hair cleaned up nicely but with my super fine thin hair I have a hard time getting it to do much without hairspraying it again. (It was like that with regular shampoo too.)

Day 38 (May 16, 2010 for anyone who's keeping track) - Hot water rinse, blow dry