Is it your house?  How about your iPad or your new Mac notebook?  Your smartphone?  What about your car?  Does your fashionable clothing make you that happy?

What about that new cereal?  The one with the ad on tv showing children in a bright kitchen and big smiles on their faces?  Do you find this happiness in buying the right antacid?

Am I getting silly?  But really, how often do we fall for advertising’s goal – that to be truly happy, we only have to have their product?  And yes, even antacids are included in that group of ads.

I read a quote in a back issue of Mother Earth News today – I don’t remember the exact quote now, but it basically said – “Does anyone’s luxury car ever create true happiness?”

Hmm.  We’ve been inundated with commercials that try to persuade us to believe that if we can just live up to the standards of the rich, we will be truly happy.  But those commercials end up making us profoundly unhappy – because we can’t live up to those standards and we think happiness is lost.  And – please speak up if I’m wrong -but  I don’t think there are very many people who found true happiness and contentment once they got that car – or house, or iPad.

Don’t get me wrong; those things are fun and great if you can afford them without debt (making yourself even more stressed and unhappy.)  They do bring on some happiness and joy, especially when you first get them.

But true happiness is found in the things you can’t buy.  Oh, that’s so cliche, but true.  I find great happiness in my children and the little things they do – things that are gone in a moment.  I think I find more happiness in a good meal or a nice bar of chocolate than my 2009 Chevy we bought new.  I find more joy in knitting a beautiful sweater than buying the newest haute couture  style off the rack.  I’m sure you all know what I am talking about!

After my last post, I’ve continued to declutter my house.  There is something so liberating about getting rid of the stuff  and finding the things I really enjoy – they don’t bring me that true happiness, but having a house full of only things I love will, I think, because I can spend my time enjoying the things I have rather than trying to find them!

Do we really need all the stuff?  Will we really find the El Dorado we are looking for in the newest gadget? Tell me here what brings you the most happiness!

I thought since there are so many of us of the same mind, I’d share something else from the book “Sink Reflections” that was an epiphany for me (and I’m not exaggerating!)

I was brought up – intentionally or not – to believe that if you are going to do something, you should do it right.  It’s not a bad standard, unless you make “right” to mean “perfect.”  I’m certain this was my own interpretation of the saying and not something my parents told me; I rarely remember them being exacting about my performance, and usually only when it was sub-par.

So as a newly married housewife, I found that doing it “right” meant making everything look perfect – not too hard when it’s just you and hubby in a 720 square foot house!  Child #1 came along and it was slightly more difficult, and then #2, and then #3 and perfect was just a ghost of a dream.  When vacuuming “right” means that every single thing is picked up off the floor and the furniture is moved…well, let’s just say I haven’t seen the entire floor in probably a year, even though I’m constantly picking up toys and clothes and mopping up spilled milk.

My solution (thanks to the FLYlady)?  “You can do anything in 15 minutes.” 

She doesn’t mean it literally, but think of it this way: you got into the mess you are in bit by bit.  You can get out that way, too.  I spend about 15 minutes with my daily keep-up tasks: running the dishwasher, switching over one load of laundry, picking up stuff that has accumulated in places that were clean, sweeping the floor.  I also wipe down the sink with a washcloth and swipe the toilet seat and back down with a bit of toilet paper (I’m working on something reusable for this!)

Some of those I can do while I wait for something else.  I can load the dishwasher in the time it takes for my coffee to brew.  I can throw in a load of laundry or switch it over while I’m browning meat for dinner.

Then I spend 15 minutes doing other chores – once a week I dust, or change sheets, or wipe down the appliances.

Finally, if I have the time, I try to take 15 minutes to declutter: a couple times a week I work on decluttering an area or cleaning up a

30 to 45 minutes a day, and my friends and husband have noticed a difference.  I feel more at rest.  And I’ve learned that vacuuming up only what I can see is good enough – that’s where most of the junk is anyway!

This was a pile of boxes twice as big - now it's easy to find what I need for WeeEssentials and Dyeing To Spin!

And what was the epiphany?  That I can clean my house daily in half an hour!  It’s not perfect, or anywhere close, but I don’t expect it to be anymore.  It’s clean, fairly picked up, and I’m keeping up.  And as I get rid of the things I don’t use or don’t love, I’m finding I get more and more cleaning done – some days I get done early now!  Pretty cool, huh?

I’ve mentioned my quest on this blog before – I want to live with purpose.  I may not end up famous, or rich, or popular, but I want to be content because I’ve chosen a path and lived it well.

This past year I was thrown for a loop.  I was going along well when all of a sudden we had three children.  And that third one was a big deal, because suddenly everything was different, harder.  Going from one to two was, for some reason, infinitely easier.

I found out later that it was, perhaps, the fact I was diagnosed with chronic major depression years ago and never did anything about it, coupled with post partum depression after Baby Girl was born.  My life was literally spinning out of control, and at the same time, Wee Essentials was growing with a lot of speed.

Fast forward to now, and I’m on medication and feeling better than I have since I was a young teenager.  I’ve created systems and routines and worked with my husband to schedule time for everything that has to be done.  It may sound like I’ve regimented my life, but what I’ve done is relearned how to live with purpose.

One of the major things that has helped has been a book called “Sink Reflections.” Many people know the author as the “FLYlady.”  I’ve learned a lot from her, but I think one of the most important things I’ve learned is that when your house is cluttered, your life is cluttered.  Your mind is cluttered.  And your spirit is cluttered.

We don’t have a cluttered house.  You wouldn’t call the TV show “Hoarders” to come help us.  But when I decided that if it’s not useful and if I don’t love it, it needs to go, more peace settled on my house.  I’m not done yet, but my spirit is lighter because my physical burden is lighter.

My challenge to you is to find 20 things in your house that you can do without, and throw or give them away.  Don’t save them for a yard sale, don’t think about freecycling them.  Just stick them in a box and then put them in the car.  Go to the Goodwill or the Salvation Army the next time you run errands.  Remember, if you are saving them “just in case” it’s likely you won’t use them.  Don’t be selfish and hang onto items other people could use!  (Trust me, I know personally how easy that one is.)  Good luck, and go!

Here we go!

There were 107 comments, so I will “draw” from 1 to 107.  If I draw a number twice, the winner will receive the prize for the first time their number was drawn.  Don’t forget – I realize not all these prizes are usable to all people, so if you don’t like or need what you won, you can choose a gift certificate for the retail value of your prize to use at one of my two etsy shops – Wee Essentials or Dyeing To Spin instead.

Prizes:

1. 1 WeeEssentials Wee Baby Bamboo/Organic Cotton winged prefold with cotton knit outer. Winner’s choice of fabrics.  Retail: $12

Winner:  #105 – Emily @ Love{&}Bugs on July 21, 2011 at 9:37 pm

Thank you for the great giveaway! And congratulations on 1000 fans!

2. Set of 4 flannel/baby terry (100% cotton) wipes. 8″ by 8″  In the winner’s choice of prints. Retail: $4

Winner: #63 -Nici on July 18, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Woooo 3 years! Wow!

3. Set of three custom Ultrathin pantyliners/thongliners in winners choice of prints (or choose from my instock items) Retail: $12

Winner: #40 – Melissa on July 17, 2011 at 5:04 pm

Thank you for such awesome products! I’m still loving the makeup wipes you made for me, and always love your soap bits. I recommend your store whenever I can! Congratulations on 1000 fans!!

 
4. 1 winner will receive one large jar of soap bits in the winner’s choice of scents! Retail: $12

Winner: #38 – Genevieve White on July 17, 2011 at 4:10 pm

Oh I hope I win something!

5. 2 winners will receive a MINI soap bit sampler with WeeEssentials soap bits in my 5 best selling scents! Retail: $14.50 each

Winner 1: #106 – Angela Santos on July 21, 2011 at 9:42 pm

Everything looks great!! I would love to win!!

Winner 2: #80 – Ragan Brown on July 19, 2011 at 8:22 pm

very nice giveaway i was so excited when i found some of the soap bits i hav efrom you in a box i unpacked (we just moved this weekend) and i cant wait to try one of your mama clothes hopefully soon

6. 1 skein of One-of-a-Kind DyeingToSpin hand painted worsted weight wool yarn – perfect for knitting a pair of longies or shorties.
220 yards (100g) Retail: $16.50

Winner: #69 – Stephanie Hanes on July 18, 2011 at 3:14 pm

I just LOVE your shop!

7. Two light flow menstrual pads in the print “Autumn Leaves”   Retail: $11.00

Winner: #10 – Heather on July 16, 2011 at 10:17 pm

Congrats on the 1000 fans! I love Wee Essential stuff and buy soap bits for all my expecting friends.

8. One heavy flow and one medium flow menstrual pad in the print “Ice Cream Sundae”  Retail: $18

Winner: #100 – Kerry Novakowski on July 21, 2011 at 8:33 pm

Wow, great stuff! Would LOVE to win some mama cloth, or any of the items!

9. 2 winners, $25 to spend at my Etsy shop or at my WeeEssentials.com site. The $25 may include shipping, and if you don’t spend the whole amount, the balance will carry over to your next purchase. Shipping is included up to $25 total – anything spent over $25 is the responsibility of the purchaser.

Winner 1: #6 – Jenn Bailey on July 16, 2011 at 10:01 pm

Yay! Congrats on 1k fans! Your soap bits are amazing and I wish I weren’t cycling for surrogacy so I could try your mama cloth Congrats again and good luck to everyone else entering the giveaway!

Winner 2: #41 – Katie Kruger Poyzer on July 17, 2011 at 5:28 pm

Congrats on getting to 1,000! I’m so proud to say that I am fan #1,000!!!!

And the winner of the Storied Yarns gift certificate to her fabulous fiber and yarn shop:

From 1-16

Winner: #5!  Sally/MuddyMoose!

So you wound up with Finding Nemo! Can’t wait to see it all spun up. I would probably snag Catelyn Stark with the GC, should I win.

I will be contacting everyone in the next day or so!

So you love cloth – diapers, that is. Maybe you’ve switched to cloth kitchen towels, and cloth wipes, too. And now you’ve been thinking: if it’s good enough for my baby, maybe it’s good enough for me?

I’ve been asked a lot of questions about cloth menstrual pads since I started selling Wee Essentials cloth menstrual pads on Etsy in 2008. Women worry a lot about how well they work, if they smell, and how to wash them. Many remember their grandmothers talking about wearing “rags” that leaked and were difficult and embarrassing to wash. And a surprising number confide in me that when their periods are over, they are left raw, red, and irritated in their most sensitive areas.

But there is a reason why most women who try cloth pads never go back: cloth is comfortable, easy, and actually a little fun! (Hey, you need something that will cheer you up when Aunt Flo comes!)

I’d like to answer some of the questions women have asked me, and explain some of the best benefits to using mama cloth!

• · It’s comfortable. Disposable pads are made of paper and dehydrated cellulose (ie. Wood fibers!) That’s why they chafe and itch. It’s like wearing cardboard! Cloth pads are generally topped with natural fibers like cotton – just like your underwear.

• · It’s pretty – okay, this probably isn’t the best reason, but I like it! It sounds silly, but it makes me smile a little when I choose a pretty pad. I need that when I get my period. It’s a whole lot better than bleached white paper!

• · Yes, they are absorbent. And, yes, they will leak – only if you wear them too long. Just like any pad. But I can tell you this – in my memory, I’ve only had a cloth menstrual pad leak on me once, and it was because I didn’t want to get up to change.

Look for pads that contain a bamboo or hemp core – they are some of the most absorbent natural fibers available.     Bamboo and  hemp hold a great deal more than a cotton core, so they are worth the additional cost. You can also buy    menstrual pads with or without a waterproof layer. Wee Essentials pads typically use PUL, which is the same waterproof barrier used in many cloth diapers. I’ve also made my pads with polyester fleece or with no waterproof barrier at all for customers.

• · No, they don’t usually smell. That menstrual blood smell comes from bacteria from your body multiplying in your pad. I don’t honestly know why cloth pads smell less, but I do theorize that the plastic in the disposable pads raises the temperature of the blood more than cloth pads does and allows the germs to multiply faster.

• · They are easy to care for: if you don’t like stains, rinse them after you use them with cold water. (Hot water will set the stain – it literally cooks the proteins in your blood and removing that is kind of like removing last night’s burned lasagna from the pan…)

If you are like me and don’t care too much about stains, you can throw them in a dry pail until you are ready to wash.   They wash best when you wash them like diapers – a cold rinse, a hot wash, and another rinse. If you don’t use cloth  diapers, just throw them in with your towels and add a cold rinse beforehand. Most washers allow you to preset that now, so you don’t even have to come back after the rinse! You can tumble dry them on low in the dryer.

• · They are designed by women, for women. Granted, the disposable pad companies have figured this out, too. Things like wings and easy-to-place designs help make your period a little easier. I also like that I don’t feel like I’m wearing a huge diaper!

• · They save you money. Yes, the initial cost is much higher. $8 for a pack of disposables sounds a lot better than $8 for one cloth pad! But when you start to think about the cost per disposable, you’ll begin to see what I’m saying.

I went to drugstore.com today and looked at the cost-per-unit for Always and Kotex brand regular maxi pads with  wings. I found that prices ranged from 17 cents to 26 cents a pad. (For reference, that’s about what a brand-name disposable diaper costs!)

When you realize that you can use the same cloth pad several times during a cycle, you can see how quickly the  cloth pads will begin to pay for themselves. And that doesn’t even include the costs spent on medications…

• · Anecdotal evidence suggests that cloth pads may actually reduce or stop yeast infections, vaginitis, and other irritations of your private areas. On several occasions I’ve had new customers complain of redness, soreness, or even raw skin after a week of using disposable menstrual pads. When they switched to cloth, they no longer had those symptoms – the disposables irritated their sensitive skin. Many people have told me they have had fewer yeast infections since changing to cloth (myself included – I don’t think I’ve had one since I switched, and I used to have one nearly every month!)

• · Oh, and the most obvious one: Cloth pads are more environmentally friendly than disposables. All but the waterproof or water resistant layer and any plastic snaps can be composted or burned, rather than wrapped in a plastic wrapper, thrown into a plastic trash bag, and then into a landfill. Also, cloth pads don’t require a separate wash, and they are small, so they can be thrown in with any load of laundry – no extra water or soap is required!

I would love to answer any other questions you may have about cloth pads. Please feel free to post questions or comments here, or to email me at weeessentials.com or on Etsy with your questions if you aren’t comfortable asking them here. Don’t worry – I am not easily embarrassed!

Although I am a cloth pad maker and seller, my main goal is to introduce women to cloth – even if you buy elsewhere! (Though, of course, I do hope you will buy the Wee Essentials brand!) I’m delighted to be able to pamper the mamas with cloth just as much as the babies!

Jess dyes yarn and spinning fiber inspired by books, tv, and movies, and her colorways are just fantastic (I have a couple of them!)  Her pictures really don’t do justice to her items, but I can attest to the quality and beauty of everything she makes.  She’s about to have a knit-along with a very cute “winged” shawl and a shrug to choose from.  I’m knitting up the test shawl, and I think it’s going to be gorgeous.

So here’s one of the items I got from her:

"Finding Nemo" luxury batt by Storied Yarns

Beautiful, right?  On the inside is even more orange, and I can’t wait to spin it up. I bought a BFL braid from her a few months ago and it was so fun to spin.  My five-year-old son saw the beautiful blues and immediately claimed the yarn:

"I Dare You To Move" by Storied Yarns, spun by me

Anyway, sorry, I’m a little obsessed with pretty batts right now.   Storied Yarns has an artfire shop (you don’t need an account to buy) and an Etsy shop, which I linked above.

How to enter: Check out Jess’s shops, and if you want to win the gift certificate, comment below with what you think you might buy if you win the certificate!  I’ll give you 3 extra entries if you buy something from her shop, too – Just comment three times for your purchase.

Here are the rules:  You must be 18 to enter, you must live in the US and Canada to play.  If you live elsewhere, you can still play, but you will be responsible for shipping and customs duties and taxes if you win.  You must put your email address somewhere in your post (I believe you will have the option to put it in when you comment, and only I will see it.)  If there is no email address, or you do not answer my email saying you are a winner within 48 hours of the email, I will draw another name.

I will use random.org to generate the winning numbers, and I will go down the list of items from top to bottom.  So the first number I generate will win the first item here.  I don’t want to make this complicated.

The contest will run as soon as this post is published until Friday, July 22nd, at 11:59:59 PM Central Standard Time.

Good luck!

I’m very excited that Wee Essentials has gained more than 1000 facebook fans!  I know that I haven’t always been the best business to have to deal with – there were a few months there that I’m still paying for, where life kinda bowled me over.  But I’ve been working really hard to set myself up to manage everything that needs to be done.  And I appreciate all my customers, who have been so understanding, enthusiastic, and just plain wonderful these past three years (three years!  Can you believe it?)
So on to the good stuff!

Here are the rules:  You must be 18 to enter, you must live in the US and Canada to play.  If you live elsewhere, you can still play, but you will be responsible for shipping and customs duties and taxes if you win.  You must put your email address somewhere in your post (I believe you will have the option to put it in when you comment, and only I will see it.)  If there is no email address, or you do not answer my email saying you are a winner within 48 hours of the email, I will draw another name.

All custom items *could* take up to 3 weeks to ship.

I am adding this portion in parentheses on 7/17/2011 at 8:10 CST: (In the event that a winner does not want the prize randomly drawn for them, substitution will be made in the form of a Wee Essentials gift certificate for the value of the prize won.)

And finally, only one entry per person, and each person will win only once.  All you have to do is comment, but if you want to say something you like about Wee Essentials products, I won’t be upset.

I will use random.org to generate the winning numbers, and I will go down the list of items from top to bottom.  So the first number I generate will win the first item here.  I don’t want to make this complicated.

The contest will run as soon as this post is published until Friday, July 22nd, at 11:59:59 PM Central Standard Time.

Prizes:

1. 1 WeeEssentials Wee Baby Bamboo/Organic Cotton winged prefold with cotton knit outer. Winner’s choice of fabrics.  Retail: $12

2. Set of 4 flannel/baby terry (100% cotton) wipes. 8″ by 8″  In the winner’s choice of prints. Retail: $4

3. Set of three custom Ultrathin pantyliners/thongliners in winners choice of prints (or choose from my instock items) Retail: $12

4. 1 winner will receive one large jar of soap bits in the winner’s choice of scents! Retail: $12

5. 2 winners will receive a MINI soap bit sampler with WeeEssentials soap bits in my 5 best selling scents! Retail: $14.50 each

6. 1 skein of One-of-a-Kind DyeingToSpin hand painted worsted weight wool yarn – perfect for knitting a pair of longies or shorties.
220 yards (100g) Retail: $16.50

7. Two light flow menstrual pads in the print “Autumn Leaves”  (Picture to come) Retail: $11.00

8. One heavy flow and one medium flow menstrual pad in the print “Ice Cream Sundae” (picture to come.) Retail: $18

9. 2 winners, $25 to spend at my Etsy shop or at my WeeEssentials.com site. The $25 may include shipping, and if you don’t spend the whole amount, the balance will carry over to your next purchase. Shipping is included up to $25 total – anything spent over $25 is the responsibility of the purchaser.Just leave a comment to enter!  And Good luck!

We have a winner!

Congratulations Rebecca!  I’ve sent you an email!

* If you are wondering about the discrepancy in the numbers, there were 8 entries that were posted after the 11:59:59 Central Standard Time cutoff.  Sorry, guys!

And, wow!  My facebook fans did a wonderful job of promoting this giveaway – I think I jumped about 80 fans in just a couple of days.  We have about 130 people to go for my 500 fan giveaway, which will be bigger and better!

Okay, so I’m giving away a $15 gift certificate good for anything at WeeEssentials.com or at my Wee Essentials Etsy shop.  In stock items, customs, shipping – anything.

Rules:

You MUST be 18 to play, and a citizen of either the United States or Canada.

Entries are free – there is no purchase required to enter or participate.

The contest will end Friday, December 17, 2010 at 11:59:59 CST.

I will pick the winner using random.org – the winner will be chosen by matching the number from random.org with your comment number.   I will announce the winner on this blog and contact the winner by email on Saturday, December 18, 2010.   The winner will have 48 hours to respond and if I don’t receive a response, I will pick a new winner.

To Enter:

Comment below to enter (I’d love to know how you started using cloth or other “green” items, but any type of comment will do.)
You can get additional entries for some or all of the following:

Leave one comment below for EACH entry

Follow WeeEssentials on Facebook (one entry)

Follow WeeEssentials on Twitter (please comment with your Twitter user name) (one entry)

Blog about this giveaway and comment with the link (three entries)

Tweet the giveaway once a day for the duration of the contest and make sure to use @WeeEssentials so I see it! (one entry/tweet; up to three entries)

Thanks, and good luck!

We have a winner!

Congratulations Rebecca!  I’ve sent you an email!

* If you are wondering about the discrepancy in the numbers, there were 8 entries that were posted after the 11:59:59 Central Standard Time cutoff.  Sorry, guys!