Neti Pot Salt Solution

I realize this is quite a personal subject, one that I shouldn't share with the world, but I started using a Neti Pot. If you don't know what that is, it's a little pot you fill with warm salt water, you stick it in one nostril and pour the water through your nose out the other nostril.  The pediatrician said they can really help, so I've been using it when I have a cold or when I'm stuffy.  I have serious stuffy nose problems and always seem to catch colds, and I've been doing so much better since using the Neti Pot.

My starter kit came with 30 or 40 or something salt packs.  They're all gone, but there's NO WAY I'm paying for new salt packs.  I got on line to see what I could put in my salt solution.  I got all sorts of ideas:

• 1 t finely ground uniodized salt with 1 C water
• 1/2 t baking soda with 1 t uniodized salt in 2 - 3 C water
• 1/8 t salt with 8 oz non-chlorinated, boiled water
• 3 parts salt to 1 part baking soda
• 1/8 t salt to 1/2 C water
• 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t soda, 1/4 t glycerine
• 1/2 t, 1 C water
• 1/4 t salt, 8 oz. boiled water

So, looks like I at least needed non-iodized salt and some baking soda.  I almost always have only iodized salt on hand, but realized I had some Kosher salt.  I poured some in the blender, ground it up, then added another 1/4-1/3 part baking soda.  I poured it all into my glass jar, shook it up and added 1/4 t measuring spoon, and put the whole thing in my cupboard.

Now all I do is scoop out a little less than 1/4 t of salt/soda, put it in my Neti Pot, fill it with warm water, and ta-da! I can breathe again!

More info on using the Neti Pot.

New Purse

I've been using one of my experimental diaper bags as a purse for a long time now (kinda pathetic, I know, but I really just don't care -- I'm just not that fashionable).  Finally, I figured out what I really wanted and made this bag.  I wanted something that I could cross over my shoulder because  the short handled bags just keep slipping off my coat during the winter!  That's just too much of a pain when I'm carrying little ones!  I also wanted a bag big enough to slip a notebook in, or a diaper, or a camera, or whatever depending on the situation.  I made it basically like my haversack/possibles bag, but lined and an inch bigger on all sides.

White Trash Coupon Holder

I'm really not a couponer.  I've tried and tried and tried, but it just doesn't happen.  I want to use my local grocery store coupons at least, and I was tired of losing them and dropping them, so I came up with this before I went to the store today.

At first I thought I'd just fold papers together in an accordion-style fashion.  Then I had a better idea.  I'd use the brochure from our rec. center for my foundation!

I folded the front cover in half -- down to the staples, then I folded and taped several of the pages down, but sticking up about a half an inch above the cover.  I pulled out a few excess pages in the center of the brochure.  Then I wrote my categories on each folded flap and cut away the excess paper to create tabs. 

It might be fun to print out the same idea on card stock, but I'll save that for another day.  I could even make a fabric cover -- or at least cover it with Contac paper. . . .  The possibilities are endless!! ;-)