Convert a short-sleeve onesie into a long-sleeve T-shirt!

I discovered a curious thing about the children's clothing industry: apparently, babies age 3-12 months aren't allowed to wear T-shirts, unless they are purchased with the coordinating pants and hoodie ensemble. I discovered this as I combed through several large stores, thinking,  I just want a dang shirt! and finding that I had three options: squeeze Baby D into a 0-3 month shirt, let him swim in a 12-month shirt, or buy the shirt/pant combo and let the pants languish in a drawer somewhere.


I chose none of the above. And you don't have to, either! You can transform a short-sleeve onesie from this:

To this:

Here's what you'll need:

-Short-sleeved onesie
-Material for the sleeves. You can use any kind of knitted material: an old t-shirt, another onesie. I just happened to have some leftover knit fabric from another project. be sure the material is stretchy. Otherwise, it will fit really weird and Junior won't be able to bend his arms!
-Long-sleeved shirt or onesie to use as a pattern


(Sorry the pictures are such poor quality. My camera is currently broken, so I'm having to take photos with my cell phone! I hope to replace these pictures eventually.)


1. Lay the long-sleeved onesie out. Lay the short-sleeved onesie on top, with the shoulder seams matching. Measure the length difference in the sleeves. Also measure the width at the top of the sleeve, and the bottom. Add one inch to the length, and 1/4 inch to both widths.

For my six-month onesie, the dimensions (after adding the additional lengths) were seven inches long by 3-3/4 inches wide, tapering down to 3-1/2 inches. 

2. Fold your sleeve material in half. You want the knitting to be running up and down the fold, not across it. That way, the sleeves will stretch the right way. Cut two sleeves on the fold using your measurements. So, after cutting, my sleeves were 7 inches long by 7-1/2 inches wide, tapering to 7 inches.

3. On the short tapered end, fold up 1/4 inch onto the wrong side and sew with a zigzag stitch. This will be the end of the sleeve.

4. Fold in half, right sides together, and sew a 1/4 inch seam with a plain old running stitch. You now have a sleeve!

5. Turn the onesie inside-out. Pin the new sleeve, inside out, onto the onesie, matching seams. (As you can see, I like to use lots of pins!) You want the new sleeve to extend past the onesie sleeve hem stitching.

6. This was hard to photograph, so bear with me! You are going to be stitching on the outside of the onesie sleeve. Position the onesie on the sewing machine just so you are stitching through the neckhole onto the right side of the sleeve, but the rest of the onesie is inside-out. Using a zigzag stitch, sew over the hem stitching on the onesie sleeve.

All right! The hard part is over! You can stop here, if you just wanted long sleeves on your onesie. But if you still want a shirt, keep reading...

7. Cut across the onesie, just above the leg holes. This may seem like a long length for a shirt, but if you cut much shorter, you'll end up with a belly shirt-- especially if your baby has a longer torso. Trust me! If you still think it's too long after it's finished, you can just fold it up once more and sew that.

8. Fold up the bottom of the shirt about 5/8 inch onto the wrong side. Sew all around with a zigzag stitch.

Congratulations, you have a new shirt!

Evidently, Baby D doesn't like orange

This is a participating post on Works for Me Wednesday. Be sure to check out all the other great ideas floating around cyberspace!

Works For Me Wednesday: Better Ramen

For those who may be stopping in from Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family, here's a little backstory: we're short on cash until Friday, so I've been digging waaaay back in the pantry and doing a little creative cooking. See, I told you it was little. Today, I found these on the pantry floor:

I panicked about finishing my English essay until I remembered I'm not in college anymore. Whew! I bought these particular packets a long time ago, and then never ate them because they have enough MSG to kill an elephant. But today, I felt like shortening my life a little. But just a little, so I made some modifications.

First, I sauteed a chopped chicken breast in a little olive oil. Then I added chopped onions and garlic. And then a little more garlic. I lack a good supply of Oriental spices, so I just added a generous amount of soy sauce, ginger, and pepper.

When they were cooked, I added these:

Another can that's been languishing in the pantry. Double points for me!

And these:

Then I added the required water, ramen noodles, and, yes, the spice packet, and let it boil for a little bit.

Here was the result-- a much better cup of ramen! If you're wondering how I got the pictures, and why they're so horrible, it's because I used my camera phone.

Killing myself a little less quickly-- Works for Me!


If you are doing some creative cooking to clean out your pantry this month, I'd love to see you blog about it and post to the Linky at the top of the page!

WFMW: Cheap, Cheap Art for Baby's Brain

As a new parent, I keep hearing from all sides how babies really benefit from visual stimulation in the early months. According to experts, the best artwork for baby's brain is black-and-white patterns: broad stripes, checkerboards, bulls-eyes, et cetera.

As a young parent, I am flat broke. As much as I would love to buy up all the art that will certainly make my kid a genius, all of my money has to go towards other things, like, you know, rent and stuff!

There is a whiteboard hanging above our desk-- I mean, changing station, for those To-Do lists I love to make. Tonight, in a flash of inspiration, I grabbed a black marker and drew a pattern. Voila, instant art!

Baby D loves checking it out!

Cheap ways to grow baby's brain: that definitely Works For Me!

A Few Practical Marriage Observations

June is the legendary month of weddings. There are more friends getting married and celebrating anniversaries than I can shake a stick at! In the wake of my own recent wedding anniversary in May, my parent's upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary, and the slew of June weddings, I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes a successful marriage.


Since I've been married two whole years now and am now a marriage expert (ha ha), here are a few observational tidbits that I think make a marriage great. This is geared more towards the fairer half of the union, but I guess the guys can read it too, if they want!


1. Treat your spouse just as courteously as you'd treat other people that you don't have to live with. My parents are awesome examples of this. I've never heard them raise their voices at each other or do the Name Game thing. What I did hear growing up were a lot of Please and Thank you and Let me help with that! They'll be celebrating their 25th anniversary in September, and I think that continuing this pattern has done a world of good in my own marriage.


2. Always greet the hubby with a big smile! I've noticed that how my hubby and I greet each other largely sets the tone for the rest of our interaction. So why not make it positive? Don't worry; there will be plenty of time for him to find out what a lousy day you had. :-P


3. Nags are old horses. Don't be one. Usually what I do for, um, a problematic request is ask on two or three occasions, and then do the darn thing myself. Most of the time, when DH sees me doing his job, he'll take over.


4. There are a bazillion excuses we wives give in order to not make love: we're tired, we're not in the mood, we don't want to deal with the mess, we don't have time, our big toe hurts, we just did our hair, and the list goes on and on and on and on. Ninety-nine percent of the time, though, it all boils down to one thing: inconvenience. Getting past my excuses and getting it on because I love my husband, even when all the stars are not aligned and I'm not particularly in the mood, and then choosing to participate- CHEERFULLY!- (notice that both words are emphasized!)-- is a great marriage builder. Hubby feels loved, and I usually end up having a great time, too!


5. Try to refrain from constantly pointing out everything he's doing wrong. ESPECIALLY if it's a household chore he's doing just for you. Unless, of course, you don't want him ever doing it again. :-P This also applies to conversations with other people. A wife is supposed to be her man's biggest cheerleader!

So there you have all my sage advice. What would you add to the list?

~~~~~~~

This post is a participating entry in We Are THAT Family's Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival.

Works For Me Wednesday: Baked Goods Topper

I am sucker for cinnamon. I put it on everything! So when I came up with this idea, my life changed. :-D

What you need is an empty shaker (I reused an empty spice container). Add equal amounts cinnamon and sugar, shake to combine, and viola! A very convenient cinnamon-sugar dispenser! This makes for a very easy, mess-free garnish for all your baked goods: muffins, sweet breads, and of course, cinnamon toast. Sprinkle a generous amount on your banana bread before baking, and you will have a delicious, carmelized crust that is to die for!

This is much easier than the method I grew up with, which involved a large container and a spoon. A sprinkle container definitely Works for Me!

Want more helpful hints? Stop by the Works for Me Wednesday Carnival, hosted by We Are THAT Family!

Works for Me Wednesday: Simplify Those Lunches!

This is geared more towards the working folk, but I’m sure it could apply to those who are also working very hard at home. :-)

One of the problems I encounter with lunch at work is not only shopping for food to bring for lunch, but also preparing and bringing something every. single. day. After doing that a few times, fast food starts looking mighty good!

So what I do is buy something in bulk that I can put together in the office break room. Lately, I’ve been having my own salad bar for lunch: a big bag of salad, cottage cheese, bacon bits, baby corn—you name it. It usually lasts me through an entire week, I don’t have to get up extra early to fix lunch, and I save a ton of money that would otherwise go to a fancy salad bar! Plus, after the salad is gone, I still have a whole bunch of toppings that only require another bag of salad in order to feed me for another week!

Next week, I plan on having Baked Potato Week. Simplifying work lunches Works for Me!



Looking for the GIVEAWAY? Click here to enter!



This WFMW post is part of the carnival graciously hosted by We Are THAT Family.

WFMW: Water-Drinking Tips

For most of my life, the extent of my liquid intake was my morning coffee and water with my meals. And I was very happy in my camel-like ways. And then.... I got pregnant.

So you could imagine my response when my midwife matter-of-factly told me that I must start drinking half my body weight in ounces of water every day: "Are you kidding me???"

But after a mere couple weeks of this oceanic experience, having drunk over 1,400 ounces of water already, I am ready to share my water-drinking tips with you. Ready to float away with me?


1. Put your day's worth of water in one large jug. This has probably been the biggest help, because I can see how much I've drunk and how much I still need to drink. If it's getting later in the day, I can tell at a glance that it's time for more "bottoms up!"


2. Use a large glass. When I used a mug, I failed pretty badly. Since it held less water, it gave me a false sense of drinking more than I actually was. Switching to a 12-ounce glass helped immensely! Now, I only have to drink eight glasses, as opposed to sixteen a day.


3. Flavor that water! I will be honest with you: Tang is my new best friend. I don't know why it's easier to drink water when it's not, well, water-flavored, but that's the way it is. In order to not completely rot my teeth out, I use about half the recommended dose. Lemons are also fantastic! Those who are unable to keep fresh lemons during the day, take heart! My mother has informed me that there's this great product called True Lemon-- crystallized lemon sold in packets that tastes just like the real deal. I'm very interested to try it! I've also heard that mint, crushed strawberries, cucumbers, or a small amount of juice helps make water irresistible!


4. Drink it at room temperature. Maybe I'm just weird, but I find it difficult to drink large amounts of chilled water from the fridge.



Is there anything I've missed? Please leave a comment! Remember, I still have about 18,200 more ounces to go till this baby is born! :-D

Be sure to check out the rest of the carnival fun at Rocks In My Dryer!

Works For Me Wednesday: Easy Homemade Yogurt

Wow, I can not believe that I have never written about my yogurt affair yet! This truly changed my life. I love my crockpot. And I love yogurt. And when those two combine, things get even better. Once you taste homemade yogurt, all other yogurts taste fake and look ridiculously expensive. It is great in cereal, smoothies, and on its own! It's also a great way to get calcium without much fat or sugar-- you control what % milk you use, and sweeten it as you so choose. Personally, I think honey tastes divine in yogurt!

The yogurt makers in coffee cans sounded just like something I'd bungle, so when I stumbled across a recipe for crockpot yogurt, I was sold! It's a very low-maintence recipe-- but be warned, it takes all day to cook.

Here's the recipe that I use, over at the blog A Year of Slow Cooking.

And that, my friends, is what Works For Me.


This is a participating post in We Are THAT Family's blog carnival today!

Works For Me Wednesday: Take Some Stress Out of Gifting

WARNING TO MY RELATIVES: Don't read this one, or you will know what you're getting for Christmas!

I have a lot of family members. I'm one of five kids, and my husband is one of six. Thankfully, his side does a drawing for Christmas, so each person only has to get a present for two other family members. But even then, this still amounts to a lot of gifts!

With so many people to give gifts to, I decided to simplify this year, and....

Give everyone the same thing.

This year, I'm making everyone aprons, but they're in a variety of patterns and designs. My sisters and female in-laws are getting cute, cute aprons, and my brothers are getting MAN-aprons, AKA tool belts. It was amazing how easy it was to gather all the materials needed! After finding the patterns I wanted (hint: eBay has some great deals on brand-name patterns!) it took just one evening of calculating yardages and taking a trip to Hobby Lobby to get me set.

This also applies to smaller gifts for people outside the immediate family. I'm thinking specifically of ornaments, because those are such great little gifts! DH and I are going to a church ornament-exchange party next week, but we are armed and ready, because I am mass-producing these puppies.

Thank you for stopping by! You can find oodles of other great tips at We Are THAT Family!

Wedding Registry Tips

This year, it seems, all of my friends decided to tie the knot.

Subsequently, I have waded through more than my share of wedding registries, trying to find that perfect gift for them. Some things on the registry made me shout out, "Amen, sister! Good choice!" and others left me chuckling. Seriously, a coaster holder? A banana hook? Blue jeans?

Eventually, I started thinking about my own registry. Having been married for a little over one year, I am now an expert at marriage (ha ha) and can maybe help brides-to-be with what worked for me in my registry.

What turned out to be the THE BEST ITEMS:

Heavy-duty metal measuring cups

• They won't get dents or melt in spots, ensuring accurate measurements every time. Not to mention, they're heat-proof! I once accidentally left a burner on and started a fire with a bunch of metal utensils and a plastic measuring cup. Guess which one bit the dust. Also, I like to occasionally make mini-pies in the metal cups and stick them right in the oven. Try that with your plastic cups! (no, really, please don't)

Knife Block:

• A great way to get all the knives you'll ever need-- and an easy place to store them! Be sure to request a block with knives that you'll actually use. I knew I would need a chef's knife, a bread knife, a paring knife, and some steak knives, so that's what I looked for. A boning knife or an oyster knife, not so much.

Pyrex Dishes

• Mixing bowls, baking dishes, measuring cups: they are all indispensable in my daily kitchen. They are oven-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe, and they're very hard to break. Believe me, I break things all the time. :-p A huge plus is that they now come with lids!

Something for Hubby

• My husband, who loves quesadillas, was absolutely enthralled with a contraption called a Quesadilla Maker. So, being the nice fiancee that I was, I added it to the registry. Personally, I think it's a waste of cupboard space, plastic, and Chinese labor. But when I see the glow on Adam's face and the chorus of singing angels that fly around his head when he makes quesadillas on that thing, I know that it was a good idea.

What turned out to be a BAD IDEA:

-Kitchen-Aid Mixer

• Hear me out on this. I LOVE Kitchen-Aid. I drool every time I see one in the store. It is awesome. So I asked for it. For some odd reason, however, no one wanted to shell out $300 for a wedding present! What I should have done was ask for a more modest mixer, waited several years, and then twisted Adam's arm on my birthday. :-P But as it is, I ended up having to buy a mixer I could afford... which has one speed and leaves lovely metal shavings in my cookies.

Wine Glasses and the like

• In the spirit of putting enough items on the registry, I asked for all sorts of wine glasses, goblets, snifters... you name it. This may be a good idea if you are a great wine connoisseur or entertain a lot, but as a near-teetotaler who was attending a university with a stiff no-alcohol policy, I wasn't thinking. After the wedding, I set up house with 956878 wine glasses and ZERO real glasses I'd actually use every day.

Incompatible cookware

• Another classic case of Not Thinking. I asked for metal spatulas and stirring utensils to go with my collection of Teflon pans and griddle. I seriously have only one pan I can use those with. After the wedding, I had to go out and buy all silicone/plastic cooking utensils. Did that solve the problem? Mostly. Unfortunately, my dear husband was not as enlightened about not using metal utensils on Teflon. That was a sad day.

Silicone Bakeware

• It is a great idea, unless you're someone like me who hates creating more dirty dishes than necessary. So putting a silicone liner inside a pan I would have used anyways didn't really jive with me after the first few weeks. They now sit on a high shelf and say, "I'M SO LONELY!" every time I open the cupboard.

What I WISH I'd put on the list:

More kitchen utensils

• I forgot to ask for a lot of utensils that I'd need: pizza cutter, ice cream scoop, vegetable peeler, meat thermometer. And a good rule of thumb: you can NEVER have too many scrapers/spatulas, whisks, or wooden spoons.

Rugs

• Nothing says, "home" like bathroom rugs, kitchen rugs, and welcome mats! And nothing hides carpet stains better!

Sheets

• This was a major fail. There is nothing like setting up the bed after a long day of moving and discovering that you don't own a single pair of sheets. And those things are expensive! We went through our first year with one set of sheets, no joke. Wash, dry, and remake the sheets in the same day. Last month, I thought it'd be appropriate to get us a second pair of sheets- second year of marriage and all- and there was much rejoicing in the house.

In conclusion

• Research your registries. Registries are awesome, but some are more awesome than others. I have heard rave reviews about some retail store registries and horror stories about others. I will say this: as a gift buyer, Bed, Bath and Beyond has always been an easy place to navigate with reasonable prices. I would have liked to have registered there, but my tiny hometown was two hours away from the nearest BBB store. The place I registered offered some nice perks, like 5% back on every registry purchase, in the form of a gift card, but the merchandise was a little too expensive for my liking.

• Ask for high-quality items. Lord knows, if you're young like I am, that you probably won't be able to afford this stuff on your own for a while. And it is truly devastating when a wedding present breaks! So ask for things that will stand the test of time.

• Ask for things that you think you'll actually use. Apartment space is limited, after all. Think about what your mom uses in her kitchen/bathroom/bedroom. Ever hear of the 20:80 rule? It states that people use 20 percent of their kitchen items 80 percent of the time.

• Research your appliances. Consumer Report is great for this sort of thing. You don't want a coffee grinder that never fails to give you an uneven grind (this is the voice of experience speaking) or a vacuum that is notorious for clogging up.

I hope this was a help to somebody out there. Have fun with your registry, and Mazel Tof!

This post is linked to We Are THAT Family, who is hosting Works For Me Wednesday. Check out all the great ideas flying around!

Works for Me Wednesday: Kitty Corners

I don't have any kids yet, but having been a babysitter extraordinaire in high school and the eldest of five siblings, I have had considerable experience in keeping kids occupied! 

What works for me today is a great game that always goes with me to a babysitting job.

This game is bingo with a twist. Players roll two dice, one with an assortment of kitties, and the other with actions. The players put little cardboard mice on any squares with the rolled cat doing the rolled action. When someone gets five in a row, they yell, "Top Cat!" You can read more about it here.

This is a great game for all ages. I have played this with a five-year-olds, my siblings, college roommates, and my husband. Kids especially love this game because a) it's really simple, b) all the cats have their own names, so it's that much more personal ("Let's find Ginger eating her food!"), and c) you get to throw  roll dice!

When I would go back to babysit a family a second time, almost invariably the first question out of the kids' mouths would be, "Did you bring Kitty Korners?" 

For more great ideas, visit www.weareTHATfamily.com!

Works For Me Wednesday: Microwave Mug Brownies

Some days, my sweet tooth slaps me in the face and demands to be fed right now. If you're like me, though, you really don't want to make a whole batch of cookies or an entire pan of brownies. Because... well... this happens.

  

Gotta keep that girlish figure, right? ;-)

Allow me to introduce you to a dessert that will revolutionize those sweet cravings! Reader, meet Microwave Mug Brownies. Microwave Mug Brownies, meet Reader. All right, now that we've got introductions out of the way, you're ready for the recipe!

1/4 cup flour

2 Tbsp. sugar*

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. water (or more, if it's too dry)

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave-safe mug. Try not to eat all the batter before it makes it to the microwave! Nuke for 1-3 minutes (depending on how fudgy you want your brownie). 

*The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of sugar, but even I can't voluntary eat that much in one sitting. It seems to be fine with half the sugar.

You can also add chocolate chips for extra chocolatey goodness.

Last time, in a half-hearted effort to redeem this nutritionless dessert, I used half whole wheat flour. My husband actually liked it better that way! Feel free to experiment with the recipe.

Eating a rich dessert with controlled portions Works for Me! Check out all the other great tips at We Are THAT Family!

Works For Me Wednesday: Reusing Plastic Bags

Welcome to my blog! Today is Works for Me Wednesday: Backwards Edition (hosted by We Are THAT Family), so I will ask you all for solutions to a quandary of mine. MWUAHAHAHA...

I have a confession to make: I have about a million plastic grocery bags stashed in a closet. The past month or so, I have been taking my own reusable bags to the store, so I've slowed down the rate at which those things are reproducing, but I still have a good amount of them!

I hate to throw them away since they can be reused; I'd like to know the clever ways you all have used plastic bags. 

So far, this is what I use them for:

• Trash can liners
• Packing material (instead of foam peanuts or newspaper)
• Wet swimsuit/dirty laundry bag when away from home

What else can I do to use up my army of plastic bags??

Works For Me Wednesday: One Old Banana

It has happened to everybody: you come home from the store with a beautiful, slightly green bunch of bananas. One by one, they are eaten, until you have forgotten all about that bunch you brought home. A couple weeks later, you find one pitiful banana languishing in the bottom of the fruit basket, sporting an unpleasant brown-and-black coat.

(Now THAT is one bad banana!)

"Aha!" You say. "This looks like the perfect opportunity to make banana bread!" Unfortunately, every recipe seems to call for at least two bananas. If only your unfortunate fruit had a friend!

Here is where you take that one banana... and put it in a batch of pancakes! Maybe add some chopped walnuts, or some chocolate chips, if you really want a balanced breakfast :-D (wait-- what? Chocolate isn't a food group??). This instantly jazzes up your breakfast and becomes something that you'd pay six bucks to eat at IHOP. Works for me!

Check out all the other great ideas at We Are THAT Family!

Works For Me Wednesday: Tortilla Snack

 I learned about this hearty snack at Backpacking class (I know, that is pretty much one of the most far-out classes offered at my school!). It worked really well for me when I was on a three-day backpacking trip, as well as now, whenever the hungries strike! This is a poor man's Power Bar, if you will.

What you need:

1 tortilla

Peanut Butter

Honey

Uncooked oatmeal

Smear peanut butter on the tortilla. Add honey. Sprinkle with a liberal amount of uncooked oatmeal. Roll up and enjoy!

You could probably add raisins, coconut, nuts, or whatever tickles your fancy. Personally, I find the original combination so good, I actually haven't experimented yet. Best of all, this is the only snack I can think of that actually satiates my appetite and doesn't leave me rummaging through the pantry again in ten minutes! Works for me!

P.S. For a really good homemade whole wheat tortilla recipe, look here. I substitute canola oil for the olive oil, because olive oil is too pungent for tortillas, in my humble opinion. :-) And I've found that cooking on an electric griddle works the best.

You can find other great tips at We Are THAT Family!

Works for Me Wednesday: Jewelry Organization

Since I've participated in WFMW only once before, I'm going to go ahead and write a new post about what I think is the best household solution I've ever come up with!

I am a gal who loves her necklaces.

I am surrounded by people who love to give me necklaces.

Over the course of a lifetime, little jewelry boxes ceased to work for holding all my bling. Even those large stand-up jewelry chests, as beautiful as they are, left much to be desired, since I own more than ten necklaces, and several are too long to fit on the necklace racks. (not to mention, the price of one of those things!)

BUT!

Take some of these...

And one of these...

And voila! Easy, organized necklace storage that is out of reach of little hands! 

You could use a really decorative bulletin board, too! I used to have a purple/orange/green flower foam board... that my newlywed hubby absolutely refused to hang in our room. So I just kind of hide this one behind the door area.

That Works for Me! Be sure to check out all the other great ideas at We Are THAT Family!

WFMW-- Handy Recipe Helper

Graciously hosted by Rocks In My Dryer.

Ahhh, sticky tack. Its uses have matured with me. That wonderful substance reminds me of Sunday School giving charts (why was the fifth-grade class "thermometer" always higher than my class-- except for when I was actually in fifth grade myself? Hmph), and later on held any thing I ever hung on my dorm wall in college.





Come to find out, it has also become very handy in my post-dorm days: namely, for keeping the recipe I'm currently working on from getting covered in oil, obscured by a flour bag, or just getting lost. Any cupboard will do!




Works for Me! (and for my recipes, too)

WFMW- Homemade Instant Oatmeal

 I despise having to wash one single more dish than I absolutely have to. One morning, as I was cooking a pot of oatmeal, I bemoaned the fact that not only did I have to wash the breakfast dishes, but the pot that the oatmeal was cooking in, as well. I make lots oatmeal during the week, which equals a lot of pot-washing. I thought back to my dormitory days, when all I had were those instant oatmeal packets. All I did was add boiling water...

EUREKA!

I discovered that this does not work only with over-priced, sugary packets of oatmeal, but it also works with bulk quick oats and old-fashioned oats, too! Here's how you do it:

1. Put on some water to boil. 

2. While you're waiting for the water to boil, scoop the desired serving amount of oatmeal in the bowl you plan to eat out of. The oatmeal will expand a little, so don't fill the bowl too full!

3. When the water is boiling, pour it over the oatmeal. Be generous, because the oatmeal will absorb a lot more water than you think it would.

4. Let it sit for a couple minutes (the old-fashioned oats take just a wee bit longer). Put on all the toppings you like (I myself love cinnamon, brown sugar, and walnuts), and enjoy!

No more dirty breakfast pots! That works for me!