Friday, August 31, 2018

Best. Summer. Ever.


I will look back fondly at the Summer of 2018.  It has been such a fun summer, and not because we have taken a ton of trips or been busy every day.  In fact, the thing that has made this summer so wonderful is that I have intentionally under-scheduled our days and weeks.  We have had time to play, read, and laugh together.  I have had so many moments these past few months where I was able to just soak in the magic of summer with an almost three year-old and an almost one year-old.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

What We're Reading | Vol. 2



I have noticed that we tend to read the same books over and over again at our house.  Please tell me this happens at your house too!  There were quite a few books on this list that were the same as the last list.  In fact, we read Llama Llama Red Pajama three nights in a row before bedtime!  I found a great list of 100 Picture Books from Everyday Reading and have been reserving some of the titles at the library.  It has been so much fun to discover new books with my boys!  I have also started to rotate the books we own into Henry's bedroom and the playroom.  He has been picking these books off of the shelf and he as excited as a kid on Christmas morning when he finds a book that he didn't know (or remember) that we have. 

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

What We're Reading | Vol. 1



Reading books is an activity that both of my boys love to do. We read stacks of picture books throughout the day and part of our simple bedtime routine is reading three books aloud before lights out. I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to our rotation and thought it would be fun to create a collection here of the books we’ve read each week in case you are looking for new books too!

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Tips for Storing Kids Clothes



The other day I was helping Henry get dressed and I was having trouble get his shorts over his cute little bum.  I checked the size and they were 24 Months!  He will be three in October and has definitely outgrown his size 24 months clothes.  I'm pretty sure I bought him some size 3T jeans in April.  It was time to go through the dresser and closet to store the clothes that are too small so that Jack can wear them in the future. 

Friday, February 2, 2018

5 in 2017

A lot happened in 2017 and since I was MIA from the blog for all of last year, I thought it would be fun to share five things that happened to me and my family in the last year.

- 1 -
Baby Boy ||  This is by far the biggest and best thing that happened to my family in 2017.  We welcomed Jack into the world in September.  The transition from a family of three to a family of four hasn't always been easy, but Jack is an easy-going little guy who has smiles for days.

- 2 -
Home Decor || I channeled my inner HGTV star and redecorated three rooms in our house.  The Playroom, Henry's Big Boy room and our Dining Room feel like they are "ours" after living here for  over four years  (I hope to share some before and after posts with you soon!).

- 3 -
Backyard Oasis || We also ripped out the garden that I fondly referred to as "The Jungle" in our backyard to make room for a play structure.  It was one of the best things we did this year because it has become a favorite place for all of us to hang out.

- 4 -
Mermaid Vibes || Our doula took under water maternity pictures for us and it was such an awesome experience.  I love the water and it was a really fun thing for my husband and I to do together right before adding another baby to our family.

- 5 -
Fashion || As all of the fabulous fall fashions flooded my Instagram, I began to get a little depressed about not being able to wear dresses for the next year or so because most dresses aren't nursing friendly.  Then I found Milk Nursingwear and Seraphine's Nursing line.  Can you believe this dress I wore to High Tea at The Plaza is a nursing dress (and its on sale!)?  If your'e a nursing momma, I highly recommend you check both of these sites out!

As I mentioned in my first post this year, I really love blogging and hope to not let so much time pass between posts in the future.  To see what my boys and I are up to in between blog posts, follow along on Instagram!





Thursday, February 1, 2018

A Fresh and Clean Diaper Pail

diaper pail | dresser | changing pad cover  (similar) | lion

They say there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes.  If you are a parent you can add diapers to that list.  Whether you use cloth or disposable diapers, chances are you will tackle a smelly diaper pail at least once before your little one is potty trained.  Below are three quick tips to keep your diaper pail smelling fresh and clean.

  1. Buy a metal diaper pail.  A plastic diaper pail will eventually absorb the smell of the diapers you put in it.  We love our Ubbi diaper pail because the powder-coated steel helps to prevent odors from being absorbed by the diaper pail itself.   It's also nice that it uses standard kitchen trash bags so we don't have to purchase special bags just for the diaper pail.
  2. Add an odor remover to the diaper pail.  I picked up the Fresh Wave Fresh Pod Natural Odor Remover from Target and stuck it under the lid of our diaper pail.  It is the perfect size to fit under the Ubbi sliding door.  I replace the pearl pack every few months, or when I notice the diaper pail is starting to become smelly again. 
  3. Flush the poop.  Once your baby starts eating solid foods and their poops become more solid (and smelly), flush the contents of the diaper down the toilet before tossing the diaper and wipes into the diaper pail.  Don't flush the diaper and/or wipes because you will most likely clog the toilet.  This is the tip that I feel works the best in keeping the diaper pail from smelling like a diaper pail.
Along with regular spray downs using my Force of Nature cleaner, the steps above help to keep the diaper pail and my baby's nursery from smelling like dirty diapers.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Four Hundred and Seventy-Eight

image via
It's been a while since I have posted here on the blog.  478 days to be exact.  After my last post and transitioning from being a working mom to a stay at home mom I didn't really feel like blogging.  I was having so much fun being home all day with my then one year old.  I was also figuring out how to run a household, chase after a toddler, and maintain my sanity.  Every once in a while I would get an idea for the blog, but I never felt like I had the time or energy to take pictures, write a post, post about it on Facebook and Instagram, etc.  As I struggled with whether or not to keep this blog going over the past 16 months I knew one thing for certain: I do not want to publish a post just for the sake of posting.  I do not want to post fluff.

All of that being said, I have had a seed planted in my heart the last couple of months that I feel like I can no longer ignore.  I love blogging (even though I am a complete newbie and don't quite know all of the ins and outs).  It is a great creative outlet for me and I have fun writing posts.  Over the past year I have kept feeling an urge to write posts.  Of course, my best ideas come when I'm driving and by the time I am done driving I can't remember them.  It's as if as soon as I open the door all of the brilliant ideas and inventions I had just thought of float out of the door.

So I'm here to say that I'm back.  I hope that I will be able to post more regularly and definitely more often than every 16 months.  I have some things that I'd love to share with you all and as long as I don't forget about them before I can get the words onto my laptop screen I hope to share them with you soon.