*Updated* Use What You Have - Pink Eye Solution

We've just gone through pink eye, as I recently mentioned on here, and I thought I would post a couple of suggestions that I received as alternatives to using the regular pink eye drops.

1. Breastmilk - Obviously this option would only work for those of us who have immediate access to this particular liquid. But this idea came to me from an online friend (who also happens to be a La Leche League leader, and knows all kinds of interesting uses for breastmilk!). I tried it in the boys' eyes, and it seemed to do just as well as the store-bought drops.

2. Tea - I was talking to my friend Lisa today, and she shared this idea. Someone she knows said to make some strong hot tea (my assumption is that you would of course let it cool off first, and I'm not sure if it matters what kind - I'll have to update that information if I find out), dip a cotton swab in it and dab it on the eye. The tea is supposed to have soothing and antibacterial properties that clear it up fast! She said she tried it with her girls and it worked in like 2 days.

I'm always interested in frugal/natural/homemade recipes and alternatives, so if you have anything to share, please let me know!

*Update* So just regular black tea (like Lipton's) should do the trick.

Sweet Deals

So today I did some garage-saling. My parents' neighborhood was having their annual garage sale, as were many other nearby neighborhoods. My dad watched the big boys and I took Blake and the stroller (plus Melanie tagged along - great fun!). The only bad thing was that the weather was not great - very windy and overcast. I took Blake back to Mom & Dad's after just a few houses, and then Melanie and I hopped in the van and went to another neighborhood (a taste of freedom plus some girl time - heavenly!). We shopped despite bouts of pouring down rain, and I got some great deals. For example:

• 2 Big Wheels for $5 - I knew the homeowner and when I mentioned I had twins they agreed to my deal.
• 5 Pairs of Shoes for $5 - The big boys are set for summer shoes now.
• 3-6 Month Clothes for Blake - This I am particularly proud of. I went to one house and had an armful of stuff (which I thought was way overpriced). I asked if they would take less for one of the items, and she was not ready to go down since it is still the first day. I knew then that she wouldn't budge on any of the other items either. On principle I put everything back except for one shirt (50 cents), and we moved along. The next house we went to had lots of baby boys stuff in pristine condition, and I got a bagful for less than $5!
• A Play Mower and a Play Vacuum for $2.50 (total).
• Lots of summer play clothes for the big boys (which we really needed - they are so hard on clothes and we did not have much in the right sizes).
• Ink Cartridges (new in the package) for our printer for $5 each! I got 4.
• A tricycle for $1 - I got this at the first place, prior to getting the Big Wheels. We'll leave this plus the tricycle Chris got last year for free (curbside, baby!) at my parents' house.

I'm going to guess and say we got all of the above stuff (and then some - I'm sure I'm forgetting things) for somewhere between $40-$50. Given a single HP ink cartridge is around $20, I think we did VERY well for the first saling trip of the season.

And there's still tomorrow...