Bounce Bar

You have seen this thing right? The Bounce Bar. It provides a momma the ability to throw those clothes in the dryer and press the "on" button, and then take off, no other steps needed. Well you might need to bribe the kids or husband to actually wash the clothes and possibly fold them, but Hey! that's beside the point. The Bounce Bar promises you that you will not have a need to fumble around on the prowl for that dryer sheet box; No more trying to figure out if you should use 1, 2 or 12 dyer sheets. Nope. Nada. Zilch. Now you just install this little thingy in the dryer and POOF you gotta easy peasy dryer scenario. Now what are you going to do with that extra 10 seconds every day? Pee in peace possibly?

I have seen the commercials. I have read the mommy blogger reviews. I heard the gossip about the bounce bar here in suburbia; finally decided to give it a try. My goal was a tad malicious. I was giving the good ol' bounce bar a whirl in order to prove that it is worthless and a waste of money and time and just a tease to my frugal spending lifestyle.

A sale and coupon matched up at the precise time I decided to get myself a Bounce Bar for a $1, yep I am that good! I got home with my prize and immediately went to the laundry room for the installation ceremony. It was a snap. I simply opened the package used my fabulous common sense, reviewed my work with the instructions and I was ready. 30 seconds tops for this whole process. Oh wait add a minute, I had to hunt down the scissors from their hiding spot to open the outer portion of the package.

That was 2 months ago. I have learned some simple truths during my 2 months with the Bounce bar.

1. Bounce Bar takes away that "smell" from that load you washed Monday and dried Friday. You know what I am talking about, dont try and fake that you don't.

2. Bounce Bar never complains about drying the same load over and over and over because you are too tired to fold. Bounce Bar loves to see that same green tank top spin over and over again.

3. Bounce Bar makes drying clothes so much easier. Just flop those soggy suckers in and turn the machine on. I love it!

Bounce Bar is here to stay at Pink Haired Momma's. I already purchased a refill, couponing of course, and plan to keep this puppy rocking my dryer for some time! And as you can see from my "replace" picture, the Bounce Bar provides simple instructions for even the busiest, over tired moms!

The Little Guy

After a long hard day of being a mom, you find yourself wiped out yet again. You have been going strong since 6am talking and teaching and cooking and cleaning and answering to the every whim of the call "MOM". Your feet are exhausted. Your head aches. Your mind is a blur. All you want to do is fall into bed, close your eyes and drift off to the land that birth control remembered. Then you remember that last load of laundry that needs to go into the dryer, no you can not just leave it there over night because this is actually the 4th time you have washed this same load this week because of "just leaving it there". So you stumble off to put that last load in the dyer, you hear your pillow calling as you hurriedly complete your task.

And then you find it...

This little guy

The little guy that reminds you of why all the aches and pains and exhaustion are worth it. The little thing that makes your heart flutter and allows you to melt away into the love of being a mom. The little thing, that even for just a moment, allows you to forget that your pillow is beckoning you to come quick.

This little guy. A single memento of parenthood, hiding in the laundry, washed 4 or 5 times because you are lazy and tired and exhausted. A tiny reminder that no matter how exhausted you become, finding a little guy hiding in your laundry will ALWAYS bring out a smile and a compassionate feeling of love for your child and the art of being a mom , exhaustion and all. This little guy is the root of exhaustion, the root of your happiness, the root of this little person that brings so much exhaustive joy to your life.

Laundry Games

Laundry soap is one of those must have necessities that can definitely eat up your budget. We all must have it. We all have our preferences to what we want out of a laundry detergent. Some of us want that lovely garden scent in our fluffy blankets. Some of us need super soft blankets. Some of us despise the aroma of anything but simply clean. We are all different in our expectations of laundry detergent except for one thing...The soap MUST CLEAN our clothing and not leave little bursting prizes of disgusting nose ticklers after the spin cycle.

H4L and I differ a bit in our tastes of laundry soap. I, of course, love to have fluffy aromatically scented clothes and blankets of grand soft texture. H4L on the other hand prefers soft and fluffy with not a hint of nose ticklers. As he states, " I hate putting my face in a towel and being so overwhelmed with smell that it feels like i have a coat of soap on my face." Okay H4L, point taken.

This dilemma, as well as trying to be frugal and a tad bit greener, led me to DIY laundry soap. I stumbled upon this fabulous website with a wealth of information that pertains to everything in my life. While delving deeper into the knowledge bank of this fabulous powerhouse of a website, I discovered a simple recipe for homemade laundry detergent. And so I gave it a try.

Here is the recipe I mixed up:
2 cups finely grated Ivory Soap
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda

I really like the mixture. It has a simple clean smell, well the powder smells like Ivory soap, but the clothes just have a clean smell. And I only use 2 tablespoons per load. That is fabulous. Homemade laundry soap lasts FOREVER!!! It is so simple to mix up and use, anyone can do it!

I first washed a medium load of towels, just to be safe. After this load dried and felt and smelled fabulous I gave the "Beast" a try: Baby DIVA bibs. And HOT DOG! they came out fabulously clean and with no potent aroma. So then I washed ALL of our laundry with my homemade concoction. The whites came out white and the brights came of out bright. The towels and sheets are soft, fluffy and only have a simple clean smell. H4L, myself and Baby DIVA are quite pleased with this new DIY laundry soap.

Over time I may tinker a bit with the ingredients by adding in essential oils such as tea tree, lavender or the like, but overall I think we are converted! YAY for budget conscious laundry!