MyCouponsBlog

Don't forget the floss!

mycoupons — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 06:34:36 -0400

Along with shampoo, deodorant, feminine hygiene products and tooth paste, I have an over abundance of toothbrushes.

I have so many toothbrushes, that I am quite certain I will never have to purchase one again.

By the time I run out, I will be in the ground.

So, as with all things in my house, they have uses other than for what they were originally intended for.

Here’s what I use toothbrushes for!

Brushing my teeth
Cleaning Jewelry- A little ammonia and a tooth brush will make your hard jewels sparkle!
Cleaning brushes and combs
Cleaning the track on my shower door- Spray the brush with your favorite cleaner, and scrub the gunk out!
Cleaning my shower tile grout
Cleaning around faucets
Cleaning my computer keyboard- Turn the keyboard upside down, and tap lightly to remove crumbs, then use a toothbrush to clean between the keys.
Cleaning my can opener blades
Cleaning scuff marks off of shoes- If the shoes are white, add a drop of tooth paste to the brush and gently scrub scuffs off.
Cleaning my cheese grater after use
Scrubbing stain remover into laundry stains- I put some oxy clean on a brush, and rub it into stains.
Removing silk from ears of corn- why brush your teeth AFTER eating corn? Stop the silk from getting in your teeth!- Just run an ear of corn under cold water and gently brush the silk out!
Putting hair color on my roots and eyebrows
Cleaning my appliance crevices
Cleaning the radio controls in my car
Cleaning rubber stamps after a few uses- A wet toothbrush with a drop of soap will clean the ink off your rubber stamps.
Cleaning my children's fingernails
Cleaning the rubber gasket of my garbage disposal- A brush dipped in bleach water is the perfect tool for cleaning the gunk from the underside of the gasket.
Cleaning gunk off of my children’s toys

With so many uses, the toothbrush just may be the answer to all of life’s problems!

Happy Brushing!

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

Smells like teen spirit

mycoupons — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:49:16 -0400

If you have been reading my blog for any period of time, you will know that I am big on smells.

I can relate a scent to every major event in my life.

If I smell fresh cut grass, it reminds me being a little girl watching my dad mow the lawn.

The smell of lemon cake brings me back to my wedding day.

And the smell of curry makes me think of Mario, who sat next to me in eighth grade history.

Every day he smelled like curry. It grossed me out.

You know how everyone’s house has a smell?

You could put me blindfolded in my grandmother’s house and I would know where I was.

Same for most of my friends. Ever notice that you can’t smell your OWN house?

I am constantly obsessed with the smell of my house.

What do other people smell when they come here?

Baby poop? Cat Pee? Last nights Chicken Cacciatore?

Most likely, all of the above.

So, I have devised a plan to keep my house odor free. I hate the smell of commercial air fresheners, so I use everyday products.

Coffee grinds. I use this in my freezer about once a week. Just place a small open dish with about ½ cup of coffee grinds on a shelf, and leave it for eight hours. The grinds absorb all the mixed flavors in the freezer.

Cotton Balls. I soak a cotton ball in my perfume, and drop it into a fresh vacuum cleaner bag. It makes the whole house smell like me! I also place a perfume soaked cotton ball in my undergarment drawer.

Lemons. I set a bag of popcorn on fire in the microwave last week. I popped half a lemon in the microwave and set it to low for 45 seconds. No more smell! I put half of a lemon, cut side up on a plate near the cat litter a few times a week. I use a cool mist humidifier in my bedroom, and after a week or so, the filter smells like a wet dog. When that happens, I add a little lemon juice to the water.

Cloves or Cinnamon. My mom used to simmer a pot of water and cloves or cinnamon on the stove when we were expecting company. It always made the house smell warm and inviting. I do the same thing now.

Vanilla Extract. My dad taught me this trick when I bought my first house. Add a tablespoon of vanilla extract to a gallon of paint and mix well. Your house will not smell like new paint chemicals!

Place a drop of vanilla extract on a light bulb and turn on the lamp. The smell of fresh baked cookies will fill the air!

And of course, we all know my fondness for dryer sheets. I stick them anywhere I can think of.

In hindsight, I guess my friends think my house smells like laundry, lemons, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, perfume, and baby poop covered cat urine.

Smell ya later!

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

Oh, what a relief it is!

mycoupons — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 06:15:17 -0400

Plop, plop, Fizz, Fizz.

Barf, Barf.

Late last year I found Alka-Seltzer tablets on sale at CVS. With the coupons I had and the discount price of the boxes, CVS graciously paid me .25 a box to take them from the store.

I went home with fourteen boxes, and the promise of cured heartburn for the rest of my life.

A few days later, after an Italian dinner of garlic and tomato sauce, I woke up at 3am with terrible heartburn.

Instead of reaching for the trusty Tums, I remembered all the Alka-Seltzer.

I ripped open a package, dropped two tablets in the water, and sang the ‘Plop, Plop’ jingle as I marveled at the fizzing sound.

Once the bubbling subsided, I took a large gulp. My heartburn was gone three seconds later.

Because I threw up.

Have you ever had this stuff? Lord have mercy. It was like drinking a glass of bubbling chalk.

The taste was terrible, but even worse was the sensation of tiny rockets exploding in my mouth.

Okay. Thank GOD they paid me to take it out of the store. No wonder.

On to plan B. What to do with fourteen boxes of fizzy-lifting juice.

Here’s what I have come up with so far, please feel free to add on.

Clean your fake teeth!

Not that I do this anymore, but I remember putting my retainer in a glass of Alka-Seltzer when I was a teenager. I assume it would work for dentures as well!

Clean your coffeemaker!

Fill the water chamber of your coffee pot with water like normal, and add a few Alka-Seltzer tablets. Brew a nice hot pot of bubbly goodness. Then brew two pots of plain water. It will clean the internal parts of the coffee maker, and get rid of any bitter taste.

Clean your drinking glasses!

My drinking glasses are very narrow at the bottom, and sometimes when I take them out of the dishwasher, there is dried gunk at the bottom. Just drop an Alka-Seltzer tab in and watch it bubble away the gunk. The same rule applies for glass cookware. Burnt on cheese is no match for an hour long Alka-Seltzer bath!

Clean the toilet!

If you run out of toilet cleaner (Or Coke!) Drop a few tablets in the toilet and watch them fizz. Let them sit for fifteen minutes, and flush!

Make your diamond sparkle!

Soak your jewelry in a glass of bubbling tablets for a few minutes. Remove the jewelry and run it under cold water..

Eliminate the stink!

The non-disposal side of my kitchen sink was smelling pretty nasty last week. I tried pine sol, lemon juice and bleach, yet the funk remained. I finally crushed six tablets into the drain and poured white vinegar in. It was pretty darn cool to watch what happened, AND it got rid of the smell!

Stop scratching!

Mosquito’s love me! (Why wouldn’t they? I’m very loveable!) I get eaten alive if I am outside for more than three seconds. Alka-Seltzer and water soaked cotton balls are the best itch reliever I have found!

Of course, it works on relieving heartburn too.

Or so I’ve heard.

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

Excuse me, were you reading that?

mycoupons — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:32:14 -0400

You know how I diagnose myself with every disease known?

Well, I also get made up diseases too.

In High school, I had ‘Senioritis’, during my wedding, I had ‘Bridezillaism’ and now I get afflicted week after week with ‘The Monday’s.’

It happens every week without fail. I wake up on what should be a clean slate day, feeling tired, lazy and like sleeping all day.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I wake up at 2am on Monday mornings to go pilfering through my neighbors recycle bins?

I like coupons.

The sad truth is, most of my neighbors KNOW I do this. Many have offered to GIVE me their papers on Sunday night. But, the thrill of running down the street at 2am to ‘steal’ them is part of the excitment.

I used to rummage through looking for the inserts, but late last year, I got smart. I realized that 9 out of 10 people have the Sunday paper on the top of the pile. So now I just grab the top paper, and I’m off.

Of course, this created quite the predicament, as now I had anywhere from 10-20 FULL newspapers in my garage, and a week until next recycling day.

So, I did what I always do. I got resourceful. I figured out all these neat things to do with the extra newspapers! Check it out!

Newspaper is an AWESOME packing material for moving! If you are moving, or putting glass away in storage, wrap WET newspaper around the glass. It will harden, and make a nice hard cocoon to protect your glassware!
Newspaper dries glass without streaking! We washed the outside of the windows this weekend, and using crumpled up newspaper was better than paper towels for drying!
Newspaper is perfect for keeping your luggage smelling fresh! Every time I return from a trip, I crumple up tons of newspaper into my suitcase. It keeps it dry, and keeps it smelling clean!
Newspaper is great for drying shoes! Living in Florida during the summer is like living in the rainforest! It rains EVERY DAY! And there is NOTHING worse than wet shoes. When I come inside, I place newspaper in my shoes, turn them on their sides, and they are dry in hours!
Newspaper can replace paper towels for many things! I use crumpled newspaper to wipe the ashes out of my self-cleaning oven when it is done!
Instead of vacuuming up broken glass, use wet newspaper! Run the wet newspaper along the floor and the shards will stick to the paper. Then throw it away! It works for unscrewing broken light bulbs too!
Put some newspaper at the bottom of your garbage pails! We had a diaper odor problem in our garage. All dirty diapers get thrown out there. After 3 days in the hot Florida outdoors, my garbage pails smelled like a zoo! I started putting layers of newspaper at the bottom of the can before putting the trash bag in. No more smell!
Newspaper is better than painter’s tape! Instead of taking the time to carefully place blue tape all over your window edges and baseboards, use wet newspaper strips! The wet newspaper will stick and keep paint off. It’s not as fun to remove as painter’s tape, but it IS easier!
Cats can read too! I line the bottom of my litter box with newspaper before filling it with litter. It really cuts down on the odor, and I think Mr. Fluffy Tail likes reading the classifieds!
Newspaper is the perfect table cloth for kid’s crafts! Anytime my children are painting or using markers, I put newspaper all over my dining room table and let them go crazy!
Newspaper can be wrapping paper! We use the color comics to wrap birthday gifts for small children. They think it is neat to open, and I love teaching my kids to reduce before recycling!

I would love to hear YOUR ideas! Please email me or leave comments!

It is almost 11:30 P.M.on Sunday night as I type, and I have to get up in 3 hours to go dumpster diving!

So….

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

They say you can't take it with you.

mycoupons — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 06:30:19 -0400

You may recall from a previous post that I have an OVER-abundance of shampoo. I am addicted to "buying" it- simply because I get it for FA-REE.

I have all different types and brands of shampoo. From .77 a bottle to $9.99 a bottle. Oily hair, dry hair, red hair, blonde hair. I could open a health and beauty store in my bathroom, if I was so inclined.

In fact, if this blogging gig doesn't work out for me, I just might.

Well, having more shampoo than I could use in a lifetime left me with the dilemma of what to do with it. Over the years I have devised ways to put shampoo to use. Besides washing my hair, look what I have come up with!

My mom taught me this one- if you have a zipper that won't budge, put a little drop of shampoo on a Q-tip and run it up and down the zipper. The shampoo lubricates the zipper teeth, and the zipper will unstick!
Wash your car! Shampoo is cheaper than car wash, and was MADE to remove grease! The kids will LOVE it! Make car washing a family activity- we do! Pick a nice sunny day, and use 1/4 cup of shampoo, fill the bucket with water and wash away! Make sure to 'accidentally' spray your kids with the hose! (Note: My husband, in his never-ending quest for corner cutting, schedules family car wash approximately two hours before bedtime- he figures if he covers the kids with shampoo and hoses them down; bath time is complete for the day!)
Bring your leather shoes and purses back to life by rubbing a little bit of shampoo on worn areas, and then buffing it off with a clean washcloth!
A washcloth dipped in hot sudsy shampoo water and wrung almost dry is the perfect way to clean dust off your live and not-so-alive houseplants.
Ok, so my daughter chews gum. My son finds it once she discards it. Three months ago, he put it in his hair. Last week, he put in Mr. FluffyTail's fur. Guess what? Shampoo took it out! (My husband wanted to shave the cat, I wouldn't let him!) Just put some shampoo on the gum, and gently pull it off the fur. Then rinse, repeat, and follow with your favorite styling gel!
My Husband uses shampoo instead of WD-40. (He also uses scotch tape instead of glue and nails, so don't quote me on this use!) He swears shampoo will lubricate nuts and bolts and stop creaking doors just as well as the WD.
Johnson and Johnson No More Tears baby shampoo is THE best eye make-up remover there is. No comparison. A drop on a cotton ball and your make-up will be gone- without your eyes watering!
This one I learned by accident. My daughter HATES taking Band-Aids off- we usually have to sneak in and remove them while she is sleeping. Once she had a Care Bear Band-Aid on her forehead following a scrape. She wouldn't let me take it off. While in the bath, the shampoo ran down her face, and the Band-Aid SLID off! So now I use a drop of shampoo, rub the Band-Aid, and they slide off every time
Instead of buying bubble bath for my kids, I squirt kids shampoo under the running faucet. Not only does it make HUGE foamy bubbles, it CLEANS the tub when I rinse it out!
If you are like me, you have hairspray on your mirror, door, door knobs, and wall behind where you stand to spray it on! Guess what?? Shampoo was MADE to remove hair products!! A little shampoo on a wet sponge and the hairspray film will be gone!
I no longer buy detergent marketed for my unmentionables. A drop or two of shampoo works just as well!
Shampoo can be used instead of shaving cream- it will not dry like soap ( I sound like a commercial) and it will NOT clog your razor!

If you have any further uses, I'd love to hear them! What else can I do with all this free shampoo? Remember, my husband is bald!

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

P.S. My blog tracking software (Yes, I can see YOU!) shows that I have a reader in Melbourne, Australia. How cool is THAT? I am GLOBAL!! I think a raise is in order (cough..cough..hint hint) Hey mate (Or Sheila) leave a comment and let us know you DO exist!

Smile and the world smiles with you! Smile with food in your teeth, and the world laughs!

mycoupons — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 06:30:31 -0400

I am a habitual flosser.

One time in high school, I had a piece of broccoli in my teeth for what I can only assume was a week before I saw it there.

It wasn't in a back tooth, or a side. It was smack dab in between my two front teeth- the one's I got for Christmas.

And it was BIG. It was like the entire stalk took up residence in the gap between my teeth. When I looked in the mirror- I was mortified. It was close to the end of the day, and I had eaten broccoli for dinner the NIGHT BEFORE.

From that day on, I became a floss addiction. There is dental floss in my car, my diaper bag, and in every room of my house. I even make my husband carry some in his briefcase- just incase.

I floss about 10 times a day. If I even eat a mint, I floss.

OBSESSED MUCH!??!?

Since I have an over-abundance of dental floss, I had to start thinking of new ways to use it. Here is what I found!

Remove cookies from your baking sheet!

Use dental floss to easily remove cookies from a baking sheet. Hold a length of dental floss tight and slide it neatly between the cookie bottom and the sheet. Of course, you may want to break a FEW cookies. Broken cookies have no calories, the breaking causes calorie leakage.

Cut the cheese ( hehe) and cake too!

I totally stole this from Rachel Ray- but it works! Just hold some floss tightly over the cake and use a sawing motion as you move down. You can also use dental floss to cut small blocks of cheese neatly.

Hang it up!

Use floss instead of string or wire to securely hang pictures, sun catchers, and wind chimes.

Button up!

Sew buttons back on with dental floss. It's stronger than thread, which makes it perfect on coats, jackets, and heavy shirts.

Picture this!
When your photos are stuck together, carefully run a piece of dental floss between them. They will pry apart without getting ruined.

String it along!

Use dental floss to make necklaces or bracelets with that little princess in your life. Add beads and have fun!

Tie your turkey!

My mom uses floss to tie her turkey together at Thanksgiving. Just hog tie him up before you cook him!

Actually use it on your teeth!

My dentist once told me you don't have to floss EVERY tooth. Just the ones you want to keep!

Stop surfing the web and GO floss!

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

My college English professor would be having heart failure over my paragraph spacing- but this software hates me. (It did NOT get the memo!) But don't worry, my awesome tech guy will solve it before lunch!

Is that toothpaste on your face?

mycoupons — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 11:15:07 -0500

What exactly is it that I do? I don't cook- I don't clean- and I don't work. (Well, I write this blog, and put out the newsletter, but I hardly consider ANYTHING I can do in my pajamas to be WORKING.) You and my husband must be asking yourself what exactly I do with my day.

I am going to tell you what I do. I deal with the absurdity that is my life. Every single day, something happens that causes me to think to myself- THAT is going in the blog. Make sure you check back daily, I will have some REAL doozies this week.

Last night, I was getting ready to brush my teeth. Just as I squeezed the tube of toothpaste, the cat jumped up on the bathroom counter. It was 1am, it was dark, my husband was not home, I got a little spooked.

Ok, I actually freaked the you know what out. I screamed like a little girl, my heart fell into my shoes, and I squeezed the tube of toothpaste like a cannoli, all over the counter.

After I stopped shaking, I started cleaning up my mess. I remembered my mom once mentioning something about toothpaste being a good abrasive cleaner (Hey, if it can clean the Starbucks off my pearly whites, it has to be pretty good.)

Wouldn't you know that it shined my faucets to bright silver? Thank you for scaring the toothpaste out of the tube, Mr. Whiskers!

So today I did a little investigative reporting. It would appear that toothpaste is quite the versatile commodity. Did you know?

You can remove scuffs from leather shoes? Put a dab on the scuffed area and rub with a soft cloth. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. The leather will look like new.

You can clean your piano keys? Use toothpaste and a toothbrush, to lightly scrub the keys, then wipe with a damp cloth.

You can make your old sneakers look new again? Use non-gel toothpaste and an old toothbrush on the rubber sole. After scrubbing, clean off the toothpaste with a damp cloth.

You can clean your iron? ( Do you IRON?) Apply toothpaste to a cool iron, ( the metal part) and then scrub with a clean cloth. It will get all the deposits off the bottom.

You can polish your diamonds?Put a little toothpaste on an old toothbrush and use it to make your diamond ring sparkle. Rinse under cold water.

You can get the rotten milk smell out of baby bottles?Just put some toothepaste on your bottle brush and scrub away. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. Babies don't generally like milk and spearmint flavors mixed.

You can STOP your bathroom mirror from fogging while you shower?Coat the mirror with non-gel toothpaste and wipe it off before you get in the shower. When you get out, the mirror won't be fogged. ( I want full reports from all of you that smear toothpaste on the mirrors tomorrow)

You can clean the bathroom sink?

Squirt some toothpaste in the sink and scrub with a sponge, then rinse. The toothpaste will also kill any odors coming from the drain.

You can remove crayon from walls?

I use approximately forty three Magic Erasers per day, because my son is expressing himself in color- on my walls. Not anymore! Toothpaste is FREE. ( If you just said "FREE?!?" You are obviously not reading our shopping boards!)

Non-gel toothpaste and a scrub brush will rub away the crayon every time. Rinse the wall with water when you are done.

You can remove lipstick from clothes? Use non-gel toothpaste on the stain and rub the fabric vigorously together. Rinse with water.

You can remove watermarks from furniture?
Gently rub some non-gel toothpaste on the wood with a soft cloth. Then wipe it off with a damp cloth and let it dry before applying furniture polish.

You can remove beach tar from your feet?Just rub your tootsies with some non-gel toothpaste and rinse.

You can clear your acne?

Dab a bit of non-gel, nonwhitening toothpaste on a zit and Zap it! The toothpaste dehydrates the pimple and absorbs the oil.

And here I was thinking that the toothpaste under my sink was enough to last me a lifetime. Time to hit CVS, because now my stock will last me only HALF a lifetime. Happy Brushing!

Until we meet again,
Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

Got Milk?

mycoupons — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:15:48 -0500

Milk is something I buy an awful lot of. Between my family drinking it, and me using it for 'other' things, I usually buy 4-5 gallons a week. You may recall that I asked my husband if we could buy a cow, and he balked. So instead, we pay close to $3 a gallon for this multi-functional liquid.

Yes, you can pour it over Count Chocula, or dunk your Oreos in it. You probably knew that milk was also a must when eating pie. But, I bet you didn't know what ELSE you could do with milk. Or did you?

Milk is the ONLY thing- besides hairspray that I have found will take ink stains off of clothes. Soaking a garmet in a nice cool milk bath for several hours will take the ink out of almost anything.

To remove tarnish from silver, add a splash of vinegar to some milk. Soak the item for about 15-20 mins, then rinse in warm sudsy water, and buff.

When thawing frozen fish for cooking, thaw it in milk. It will bring back the taste of the fish to 'just caught.'

If you have a piece of china with a crack in it, milk will usually fix it. Place the cracked piece in a pan, cover with milk and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Remove and rinse.

Pour 1/2 cup of milk under running bath water. It will make your bath water soft and condition your skin.

If you work outside, and your hands are very dirty- a mixture of milk and oatmeal will make your hands look good as new.

Soothing bug bites with milk is better than caladryl lotion. Just rub some milk on the bite, and the itch will stop.

Milk mixed with a bit of warm water, and shaken well is an awesome make-up remover.

Milk will also make patent leather shoes shine again! Just put a little milk on dull areas, let it dry, and buff it off.

And what if you buy too much milk and it spoils? Use it to 'water' your outdoor plants, or make compost.

Sour milk is also great in muffins, and can be used as a substitute for buttermilk in most recipes!

So drink up, it's good for your bones!

Have a great week!

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

Give a dog a bone

mycoupons — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 11:15:36 -0500

"What kind of shampoo do you use on Lauren's hair?" My daughters teacher asked me last week. "It always smells so nice and clean."

I didn't lie. "Loreal kids" I told her.

What I DIDN'T tell her was that the source of the wonderful odor on my daughters hair wasn't shampoo. It was Bounce.

Yes, Bounce. You see, my daughter is afflicted with THE finest, thinnest hair known to man. She wakes up every morning looking like she spent the night brushing her hair with an egg beater. Brushing it only makes it full of static. Of course, I COULD wash her hair in the mornings, but I have a hard enough time getting myself ready for the day in the mornings.

So, I use Bounce. A few swipes of the dryer sheet on her head, and her hair is soft, static free and flowing. It smells good too. I am guilty of using dryer sheets for many uses other than for which they were intended. Like the father in 'Greek Wedding' with his Windex; I truly believe dryer sheets are the cure to most problems.

Every closet and drawer in my house has a dryer sheet in it. There are dryer sheets under the seats of my car, at the bottom of my trash cans, between my mattress and box spring, and hidden aways inside the cardboard of my toilet paper rolls. Surely any visitor to my house thinks I do more laundry than a Disney hotel.

Dryer sheets were intended to remove static from and soften laundry, but over the years, I have found so many more uses for them.

New dryers sheets are the best mosquito repelent I have found. Rub some on your arms and legs before you go outside, and you will be bite free for the entire evening. Dust your computer and television screen with new sheets and you will find yourself having to dust much less. They are also great for dusting just about anything in your house-knick knacks, patty whacks, and the like.

Used dryer sheets are wonderful for cleaning bathroom faucets and shower doors. Soap scum and hard water stains are no match. Dead bugs on your windsheild? Use a dryer sheet. Burnt on food on your pots or pans? Fill them with hot water and let a dryer sheet sit in the water for several hours. The food will rinse right off.

I use dryer sheets to clean my couch cushions of cat fur. I also put a fresh dryer sheet in my vacuum cleaner bag every week. I have heard that some golfers even carry dryer sheets in their back pockets to avoid yellow jacket stings. Running a dryer sheet over a length of thread will also make threading a needle a snap.

Of course, I do not actually USE dryer sheets for laundry, that would be too easy. I prefer liquid fabric softener. I don't think Lauren's hair would look so nice if I poured snuggle on her head in the mornings, either.

I would love to hear YOUR uses for dryer sheets, feel free to leave comments in the comment section below.

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@MyCoupons.com

I enjoy moonlit walks on the beach and dancing in the rain

mycoupons — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 11:15:44 -0500

I spent the first three months of my son's life convinced he was afflicted with a rare African monkey disease. He would cry for hours on end. Not just an 'Aww, the baby is crying' cry. The 'Someone must be assaulting that child with hot pokers' cry. I spent many sleepless nights surfing the net for 'Diseases that cause babies to cry.' I never found one.

It never occured to me that the diaper rash we had been fighting since his first night home would be the cause of his utter disappointment with the world I brought him to.

"Some babies have sensitive skin." His pediatrican explained. Sensitive I understand, but so sensitive that even being in the same room with a commercial baby wipe makes him break out like a pre-pubescent teenager?

So began my in-home testing laboratory. Armed with every brand of baby wipe on the market, I put the naked baby on the couch, and began swiping his butt. With every move I made, the screams got louder and louder. My husband walked in the door, took one look at my experiment, snatched the baby up and demanded answers. When I explained the reasoning behind this, my husband inquired if I planned to spray hairspray in the baby's eyes next.

"Why not just use soap and water?!" He asked. See! that's why they pay him the big bucks. With that advice, I set out to make my own baby wipes. Considering that my degree is in the legal field, and not molecular biology, I think I did pretty well.

While talking to my Mom the next morning, I told her of my awesome discovery. She offered me up a real gem. She advised me that after his bath, we should blow dry his bottom with the hairdryer set to cool. She assured me that this would not only heal his current rash, but would keep future rashes at bay. Mother knows best.

What followed were days of sheer bliss. My demon child turned into a sweet, happy baby. The homemade baby wipes were not only serving their intended duty, (pun intended) but my son actually seemed to enjoy his blowdrying sessions. He smiled and cooed, and basked in the glory of his rash free bottom.

It was a Sunday night a few weeks later when my husband came into the living room. He had just put the baby to sleep, and had a very concerned look on his face. I asked him what was wrong."Anthony laughed for the first time." He told me. Why would that make him SAD? I wondered. "Because it happened while I was blow drying his butt." Ok..So? He enjoys a little cool air on his booty. "Because as he was laughing, and enjoying his treatment, it occured to me that twenty years from now, he is going to place a personal ad that says 'Single white male looking for chunky balding Italian man to blow dry my tushie.' "

Supplies:

Plastic storage container like this.

1 roll of paper towels- I use Viva.

1 small bottle of baby wash- I use J&J no more tears.

1 small bottle of baby oil.

Directions:

Cut the roll of paper towels in 1/2, ( to make two short rolls) remove the center cardboard tube.

Place one half of the roll into the container.

Add 1/4 cup of baby wash

Add 1/8 cup of baby oil

Add 2 cups of warm water

Close lid and turn container upside down to wet towels.

Wipes can easily be removed from the center.

If they happen to dry out, add a little warm water.

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@mycoupons.com