Reuse

I know it's a little nutty seeming to some, but waste bothers me. It's just a napkin, but seeing multiples grabbed and tossed for a little wipe or to underlay a piece of toast... well, I start to twitch a little.

I was at a friends house a couple of weeks ago. We ate a quick lunch of leftovers while the kids played and she handed me a cloth napkin. I was halfway through my lunch before I noticed I wasn't using a paper napkin. It seemed very normal and not at all overly-fancied-up. I asked, and it turns out they use cloth for all their meals and might grab something paper if they have a major mess. What a good idea!

I wondered what James would think of such. He enthusiastically declared that if we got to have cloth napkins, we could have placemats, which he wishes to use (why? I don't know). I don't have placemats I like, so until I make these, we decided to try the cloth napkins. After all, I already have a couple of sets that I'm happy to use for everyday. It doesn't cost anything and they don't take up much room in the wash.

I put them out in the napkin holder with a specific binder clip for each of us (aren't these fun binder clips? They're from Staples and in the store you can mix and match your pattern choices). Zack immediately remembered which was his and will grab it himself when he's eating on his own. We decided we could use them again if they seemed "still clean". Otherwise, or at the end of the day, I put them in the wash and grab new ones, not worrying about a matching set. I wasn't sure at first if we'd keep with this, but after doing it for a bit, I think we will.

Pretty low key, but I am loving the difference. I like the feeling of reusing.

(And scroll down to enter the giveaway!)