Spring Cleaning: Part IV...The Dreaded Bathrooms

So this is it, the last room.  After this you can feel reassured that you have hit the darkest and dirtiest corners of your home.

1. Start with the cabinets and drawers.  Clean them out.  You wouldn't believe how much junk builds up in these things over the months.  Throw out the garbage and organize the drawers.  I can't even tell you how many empty medicine containers I found...seriously!?  Yea it was probably all me.
2.Remove everything that you don't need on the counters.  Even the toothpaste, you can find a place for this.  Scrub down the counters and only keep your soap dispenser and anything that makes the bathroom look more attractive.
3. Clean the shower.  This includes washing your shower curtain, or if you want even replacing the liner, you can get really cheap ones at Ikea for about 3 bucks.  Scrub the walls, fixtures, the floor.  Throw out any old loofah's.  These things are bacteria magnets!
4.  Toilet time.  I hate this part, but do it up.  Don't forget to wear your gloves.  After you are done with the swiffer, either stick it in some antibacterial wash or toss it and buy a new one.  This thing is just so gross.
5. Vacuum and mop the floor.  When you are done with this, grab the magic eraser and go around the molding.  This really will brighten up the room when you are done.
6. Wash any carpets or towels in the room that are used for display.

Voila...you have a clean house.  Or in the least, a more organized one.  The other possibility is that your other rooms have already started gathering dust and you'll have to start all over again!  Well, at least the knitty gritty is done!

Certain Level of Comfort with Number Two (baby that is)

My family went to visit some friends this weekend who just had their first child.  She is a beautiful baby girl, but SO incredibly tiny.  When I first saw her I instantly thought that there was NO way that my son was ever that tiny.  Sure enough their weight and height wasn't that much apart.  How is it that we could forget so quickly how small these little creatures are?  Infancy isn't just a walk in the park, it is a beautiful time period for both parents and baby, but no one would say that it s easy.  You would think after the journey we would at least be left with a picture perfect memory of those little buggers.

Maybe though the reason that we forget so quickly is sort of like the reason that we forget about child birth.  It may just be mother nature's way of populating this earth.  I am finally in my second trimester and I finally feel ready (well not totally) about having this second baby.  I have been so paranoid about my son, who will be 22 months when the next one is born, hating his sibling and throwing a fit every time I am holding the baby.  So of course this was my concern when I held our friend's baby.  He was so good though!  He did have one incident where he tried snatching the baby like a stuffed toy, but other then that I don't really think he knew that it was actually another human being.  He is totally different when I pick up another toddler.  Holding that little baby reminded me of how much we wanted to have another child.  Of course it is going to be hard, but I just can't wait to hold our second baby and experience everything all over again.  It also got me thinking a lot about breastfeeding and how I am really hoping that it works out this time around.  I had a lot of struggles with my first and I really hope that I can push through this next time around.  I feel like I should be able to handle it all a little better being through the infant phase once before...but who knows, I don't want to hold myself up to such big standards because this could lead to disappointmen.  I do know one thing, I will give it my best effort!

Is there a secret to where all the socks and pacifiers go?

Everyone is always talking about the sock bunny who must hang out in your dryer who mysteriously steals all of your socks.  It is so true.  I swear, I have two pairs of socks that I can keep track of and only because they are very brightly colored.  All my white socks, or smaller sized socks (my sons) have literally disappeared off the face of the Earth.  How come no one ever talks about the disappearing act that pacifiers play every once in a while.

We have a running joke in this house that at one point my husband had an obsession with keeping 4 pacis lined up on my son's crib at a time so that we would always know, hey, there's four pacis in the other room if we ever lose one.  Well, our son only uses his paci at night and for naps.  Needless to say somehow I, yes me, have lost all but one of his darling pacifiers.  I can't tell you how, or why.  All I can tell you is I have no clue where these things have gone.  We've searched high and low.  Thank God for his green pacifier though.  It's the only one that hasn't disappeared.  That is, until last night.  Luckily it didn't start until 5:30 this morning, but I knew something would up.  My son kept waking up, and at one point I knew I had to go in.  I found a very upset little boy.  It ends up daddy tried putting him back to sleep without his paci because it was gone.  Well, I tore apart that bed, the room, everything.  I couldn't find it!  At this point I knew my little boy wasn't going back to bed.  He was a mess.  This continued for a long time.  Poor little guy.

Well, we found the pacifier, thank you for that.  This just scares the heck out of me and what we can expect when we decide to get rid of it once and for all.  What's everyones opinion, should we do it before the new baby arrives in November or say, hey, who cares he likes it.

Spring Cleaning: Part III The Bedroom(s)

Ah, the bedroom, the beloved sanctuary of your home.  It definitely is my sanctuary it is where my husband and I throw all of our junk when we get company or we just can't stand the sight of dirty clothes.  Well, since the morning sickness kicked in our bedroom looks like it was hit by a hurricane.  Too bad I am so backed up on the rest of my spring cleaning that it might take another week before I can get to this room.  For you lovely ladies who are hopelessly devoted homemakers and are following along let's move on to the bedroom.

1.  Look around at all the dressers and get anything off of them that doesn't scream romance or relaxation.  A book you are reading can stay, perfume, jewelry, pictures of your husband and you, but get rid of the junk. You might also want to get rid of the pictures of your college friends.  I am guilty of this, but it is just so unromantic!
2. Get rid of the clutter, the paper and put everything in it's correct room.
3. Tackle one dresser at a time, dust everything.
4. Organize your drawers, get rid of anything (give to good will or consignment) anything that you haven't worn in over 6 months and don't plan on it.  This includes in your closet.
5. Pick up the things that don't belong on your closet floor and organize your clothes.
6. Sheets off the bed, wash, and don't forget even the comforter needs to be done once in a while!  Dry clean if necessary.
7. Wipe down the blinds and if you can remove the curtains give those a wash too.
8.  Dust lamps, antibacterial doors, windex windows and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum!

If you have more than one room follow the same step with all of these.

Next week we tackle the last room...the dirty bathroom!

Blogmania 2010: We are participating!

Hello Ladies.  I have some very exciting news.  I am sure many of you have heard, but for those of you who haven't Blogmania 2010 is coming.  On April 30th, 2010 there is a great event going on hosted by Between the Pages. Here is a post about the event

BLOGMANIA
Hosted by Between the Pages - the Originator of Blogmania - A Twice Yearly Blog Extravaganza!

And Blogmania's two Co-Host Blogs

The Black Sheep Dances

Books, Books Everywhere

Facebook Fan Page
Who - What - Where - When



1. Would you like to have access to hundreds of prizes?

2. Would you like to discover new and exciting blogs?

3. Would you like to experience the Thrill of the hunt and the Ecstasy of winning?

4. Would you like to do all of this in just ONE DAY?

If you can click on the links we'll provide, you can get all this and MORE!


YOU CAN BEGIN AT ANY OF OUR PARTICIPATING BLOGS (Look for the Blogmania Badge) on April 30th and again on September 15th


SAVE THE DATES - We just love VISITORS AND FOLLOWERS!Here's a post from Between the Pages, one of the hostesses of Blogmania!

Blogmania Early Bird Check List:


We want all of our visiting guests in our first Blogmania Event scheduled for April 30th to Get On Their Marks-Get Set…
It’s not time to go yet, but if you want to have the most fun and scoop up as much loot as possible, here are a few Early Bird Reminders to help you do just that.

 1. Be at any of the blogs participating in the Blogmania Event as early as possible on April 30th. The easiest way to find a Blogmania Blog is to look for the Blogmania Badge.

2. This is an international event, so understand that there will be some differences in time zones. My advice is to start early and stay late to catch all the blogs.

3. Each blog will have their own giveaway requirements. Read them carefully, follow through, and then move on as quickly as possible. If you run across a blog that you really like and want to spend some time exploring, copy their URL and then visit them after Blogmania is over.

4. We will have a 100+ blogs for you to visit. Each one will post their number like this. ( This is blog 47 of 100) This is to help you keep track of which blogs you’ve visited, and which ones you still need to reach. I’d suggest that you prepare a blog sheet which is numbered from 1 – 120, then mark off each numbered blog as you visit them.

 5. All blog links provided will also have a number like (Blog 89 of 100). Look for the blogs that you haven’t yet visited and follow those links until you’ve checked off all the blogs on your sheet.

 6. We have all types of blogs participating in Blogmania, which means that the range of items in their giveaways are diverse. I have previewed many and they are awesome.

 7. Why not contact a friend and partner up. Compare notes, share loot, or organize your own friendly neighborhood Blogmania Competition.

This is our first Blogmania Event, but it isn’t our last. Blogmania is a bi-yearly Giveaway Extravaganza. In fact, our next Blogmania Event will start September 15th, and do we have some cool stuff planned for you! So keep in touch with our Blogmania Blogs, because they will be giving sneak previews, secret codes, and who knows what else in the weeks and months ahead.
 
The best news is, Coffee Mugs and Sippy Cups will be taking part in this event. We will have some great giveaways and it should be a fantastic day!  Stay tuned for more on this event, and don't forget to mark your calendars!

Cabana Life On Zulily! Up to 60 % off Infant and Toddler Swimwear

Founded by a melanoma survivor and mother, Cabana Life- Zulily represents a stylish approach to sun safety.  All outfits, swimwear, and even hats have sun protection.  The swimwear is just adorable, and I just purchased the sailor shirt for my son!  I can't wait to see it on him this summer.

Thought I would share on this lazy cold day in the North East...let's hope the summer comes soon!

New Jammies  is also having a sale on adorable jammies, if you need to stock up. 

**Update: Laken & Lila Etsy Shop Review and Giveaway (Skirt Giveaway added)

Inspiration comes from many different places.  When looking through some Etsy shops I came across a truly adorable shop that really inspired my creative side.  Once I saw some of the products made by Heather from Laken & Lila, I fell in love.  These outfits are just so cute and unique that I had to get in touch with the owner.  I was so happy to have received a response from Heather and a follow up to do a review of her products.

Heather's creative side started when she was very young, she remembers making little dolls that looked like snowman when she was only 6 or 7.  Like me she is a stay at home mom of a little boy.  She turned her passion for children and for the arts and made her hobby into a business, and thank God for that!

Laken & Lila is named after her son, Laken, and the hope for a girl one day...Lila. 

When I received a shirt from Laken & Lila I was very impressed with the quality of the product.  The shirt itself was made from a very soft cotton.  After looking at the seams that were sewn I was even more impressed.  I always worry about how the seams will rub against my son and f they will be uncomfortable.  I didn't have to worry about this with his new shirt.  The craftmanship is truly superb.  The shirt I received was a t shirt in size 18 months.  It fit perfect to size and when I washed and dried it I had no shrinking.  The felt stood up well to the wash. The shirt had a blue birdie on it, with a red "button" eye.  I received many compliments when my son wore it to our playgroup.  I had a little pulling at the top of the felt after the wash, but it was easy to smooth down and did not affect the look of the shirt.

In all honesty, I highly suggest a stop at Laken & Lila Etsy Shop.  Right now, if you become a fan of the shop's facebook fan page you can receive free shipping on your order and then you will receive a coupon for 20% off and free shipping on your future orders from Laken and Lila.  I really hope you can stop by, and even drop Heather a note!

In addition, Heather is offering one of our readers a skirt, under 21 dollars, of the winners choice!  Here are some rules to enter:


To enter, do the following and leave a comment for EACH, the winner will be announced on April 29th, Noon. Good luck!


1. Visit Laken and Lila and tell me what skirt would you pick if you won? First Entry- mandatory

2. Become a public follower of my blog. 1 extra entry

3. Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and post the URL 2 entries
4. Follow me on Twitter 1 entry

5. Follow Laken and Lila on Facebook 1 entry

6. Add me to your blogroll 1 entry.

7. Visit one of my sponsors in the side bar. 1 Entry.
8. Name one other item from Laken and Lila that you like. 1 entry

Spring Cleaning: Part II: Dining and Living Rooms

I hope that many of you were able to conquer your kitchens last week.  I have made some good progress, but am still working on that toaster oven!  I just haven't been able to bring myself to it.  I will probably have to finish that today before moving on.

This week we are going to work on the dining and living rooms.  The dining room, so sacred and rarely used should not be so hard (unless you are like us) we have a dining table when you first walk in...so you got it, everythig piles up on that table.  The living room is another matter.  This is the place where family gathers, children play.  Let's get to work.

Living Room
-First off, get a box, or a bag and gather everything that doesn't belong in this room and get it out!  Don't start anything else until this stuff is out and in the appropriate rooms.
-Once you've got that taken care of slowly move around the room working on the tables, any tv stands and remove everything.  Start dusting!  Isn't it fun?!  Once you've dusted a tabletop or a shelf put it back together in an organized fashion.  Once you've moved all around the room you should have a very pretty and less chaotic space.
-Move those couches and vacuum.  You are also going to want to move the cushions if they are removable.  Vacuum under the couches, under the cushions and throw those cushions in the wash.  If you have kids you know the spots that can build up over the course of a year.. When vacuuming be sure to get the corners of the room too.
-Dust the ceilings, especially in the corners
-Magic Erase the spots on the walls if you have white walls!  It really does wonders.
-Wash those windows, indoors and out.  If you have blinds, dust over those as well!
-Why not add a touch of spring to the room, bring in a bright colored accent...it will really brighten up the room.
Enjoy!

Dining Room
-If you are like us you have a beautiful hutch that you probably only get around to dutsing after you have a dinner party and remove all the wonderful plates.  Well, get to it.  Remove all the glasses and plates, give them a brief dusting and then wipe down the shelves and windex the windows.  White vinegar will also do the trick and give that smell of clean.  Dust the top, the inside shelves and then move on.
-Remove anything that is sitting on that table (more for me than anyone else).  Change the table linen or give the table a nice dusting.  Vacuum the cushions on the chairs or wipe those down as well.
-If you have drawers that are loaded with stuff, sort through and see what you can do without.
-dust those lights.
-Vacuum and get to the floors.

Once I finish the kitchen, and these three rooms I will be super psyched because these are the first three rooms you see when entering my home.  It will be a relief. Dreaming of it is only half the battle =(

Good Luck Everyone!!

Whew! I'm back, and thanks for sticking with me!

Ladies, I am so sorry for the week gone, without any notice.  What can I say, it's been a crazy couple of weeks.  I am still adjusting to this pregnancy and my little man is running me ragged.  My days consist of at least 10 hours of sleep at night and another 1-2 hours of napping during the day, and I am barely getting by!  I don't ever remember being this tired with my first!  Probably because I didn't have him to chace around.  I think when I was pregnant with him I spent the majority of my days surfing the internet and indulging in daytime television.

With my first pregnancy I finished my first trimester strong, just graduating law school, on a move to a different state...I had big plans in mind.  I was going to find a job, be a professional and await my little one.  Well, plans didn't pan out.  I couldn't even study for the bar exam while battling horrible depression and anxiety once I hit my fourth month.  I ended up putting the bar exam on hold and fighting my own battle at home.  I couldn't find a job which only made it worse, because I was my own worst enemy.  I stayed home patiently, or not so patiently, awaiting my husband's return.  I could barely get myself off the couch to clean.  Thank God for the family that I had to get me through those rough few months.  I wouldn't have wished them on anyone.  That is why, even though I have nausea, fatigue and a crazy one year old...I am so grateful for my life right now.  I am happy and trying my best to focus on the present.  I've got my cup of coffee for the first time in a month, and I'm feeling good.

I am getting back on my feet and am hoping to have a good week!  With that, I have a few plans for the week.  You can come back tomorrow to check out part II to our Spring Cleaning Guide, and then later in the week I have a great review, and possibly a giveaway to go along with it.  Stay Tuned, and have a great week! 

Thanks for sticking around!

Friday Follow and Week in Review

Happy Friday!  This weekend couldn't have come soon enough.  My hubby has been working the longest hours he ever has, and I have been feeling the sickest I ever have (morning sickness, blah).  It's supposed to be beautiful out this weekend and I can't wait to give little man his Easter Basket!!

I hope for those of you that celebrate Easter, you have an amazing one!

Here are some posts from this week, and don't forget to check out our Review/Giveaway!

Pastina, Egg, and Veggie Recipe

toddler/infant sales around the web

Spring Cleaning: Room One

Baby Booty Giveaway: C Bino

Let me leave you with this parting gift:  my son and the Easter bunny