The wonderful world of wipes......

Since becoming a mother, my world has changed (no, really!). Everything, from my daily routines, wardrobe, body, ability to sleep through anything, standards, vocabulary, priorities.... you get the picture, has been turned upside down and inside out.

But there always tends to be a silver lining to everything, and out of this parenting upheaval, I have managed to pick up some useful bits of wisdom along the way.

For example, before becoming a mother, the only time I had ever come across a 'wipe' would have been after some surf-n-turf dinner at the local Chuckwagon restaurant. These were usually wrapped in little foil packages and smelt like fake lemon. These wipes did not usually have much of an affect on my life as a whole, it just meant that I could wipe off all the scampi grease before I tucked into my bowl of chocolate pudding. End of relationship.

Now as a 'grown up', I have been reintroduced to 'wipes' in a whole other concept, and let me tell you, we now have a very beautiful, meaningful relationship. In fact, we are pretty much inseperable. And I'm always on the look out for new wipe products that are going to revolutionize my life, which is rather sad, I know, but don't knock it if you know not of what I speak.

Looking through my cupboards, I can find a wipe for pretty much everything I could hope to need one for- there are of course the baby wipes, the face wipes, and the exfoliating face wipes. There are the dusting wipes, the window wipes, the counter wipes, floor wipes, as well as the toilet and sink wipes, yoga mat cleaning wipes. I also have special car wipes, wipes I carry around in the car, and all purpose wipes in my handbag. I feel completely wiped......

I draw the line at special 'wipe containers', or the hugely insane idea of the 'wipe warmer', but I tell you, if there is a wipe out there that you know about and I don't, please let me know about it. Wipes have shaved hours off my housecleaning, personal hygiene and baby bathing times, and I'm sure we are a better family for it. I have definitely gone insane.

As a result, I find I use the word 'wipe' more than probably socially acceptable- wipe your nose, wipe your bottom, wipe your face, wipe the car down, wipe the grease off the rug, wipe that smile off your face, get something to wipe it off, don't eat the wipes, etc. But it's a great word, sort of does what it says on the tin. The French word is a little less onomatopoeic, 'lingette', which basically translates to small linen. (You know if in doubt in French, if you want to talk about the smaller version of something, just add -ette and you'll be fine. My personal favourite franglais terms are problemette, smokette, and buttette (so true for a 2 year old's backside).

So there you know something completely ridiculous about me, and you are know probably thinking I'm either an obsessive cleaner, or a lazy cow, but either way, you'll now what to buy me in the future!