Thievery

Oh God, I knew this day would come. I thought for sure, that when it did I would be a changed person. But I'm not at all.

I'm getting sick for the first time as a Mom and I can feel the sulking coming on already!! The drama! lol. But seriously, with my other half working on the other side of the country I don't have time to get sick! Plus I'm a big pathetic sook when I don't feel good.

Thankfully there is still a pregnancy popsicle stash left. I was sick my whole pregnancy. I'm not sure how the blur of an experience was so beautiful to me then, too. I couldn't keep anything down for the first trimester, including water (or Gatorade despite ALL the advice....). So, my diet consisted of 90% chapman's electrolyte popsicles. It was getting pretty serious until I found these! And here we meet again.. far too soon.

A couple of these flavors need to be retired forever because I'm having flashbacks of my first trimester.

So remember in my 15 for 15 post when I said that Thieves Oil was going to be next on my list for Essential Oils? Well, Pat on the back for that because now I need it! Thieves Oil is supposed to be best for germs, bacteria, cold, flu, strep, acne, or any inflammation, etc. Some even say using it in the home is better than any flu shot. Now is the time for it to be really put to the test...

So instead of doing something productive for naptime today I loaded up a bath with thieves oil and waited for the baby monitor to go off.

All I can hope now is I don't get any sicker than I am. Hopefully it helps with teething too! I'm confident!

 

As I was looking for a visual to sick you on to Thieves Oil (and promote someone else's website that knows what their talking about).. I came across this really cool Pin for kids! (Click on picture). What a great idea to incorporate essential oils into your kid's play time while their sick. I often hear to clean children's toys with it but this seems easier ;).

Here's to you NOT getting sick! Goodnight!

Hunter Boot Facelift

I hated Hunter boots when I first saw them, they made me think of a farm. But I was jealous on rainy days of the people that weren't as miserable as I was so I caved :).

It's been love ever since, I wear them on the nicest of days! Lol 

 I never owned a pair of crocs, but thank god I never tried a pair on because I imagine the relationship is similar.

I overwear my Hunters so they were already taking a beating. But now we've had acouple nasty slushy days and they really needed a cleaning. The hunter website sells a cleaner and polish for them but Pinterest also has loads of ideas ;). 

 

 

I combined two of the methods that lots of people were pinning.

This pin recommended to use a cleaning wax. I didn't have any but it inspired me to use a tire cleaner. After that I dried them and rubbed olive oil on them to shine and protect!

Lots of other pins also had recommendations to use goo-gone. Which, honestly, I'll try next time!

 

 

This is after being cleaned. The right one has rubbed in olive oil with a microfiber cloth.

This method did wonders, but from what I read the results from the goo gone last a really long time! If you are looking for a non - toxic solution, try using an apple cider vinegar/vinegar, baby shampoo and water formula to clean.

Check out this previous post for other things you can use baby shampoo for!

 

 

A-Baby and I are working on a fun craft for the play pen today! Check back and see what we come up with :)

 

.......She just pooped in my lap. Maybe it's just me but her timing is starting to seem like a reflection of her personality lol.

 

Thanks for reading!

15 for 15

I cant believe we are mid-way through the first month of 2015!

I spent most of 2014 pregnant and my body was constantly changing. I adopted a few products as my new essentials along the way and I thought I'd share.

1. Vichy - Normaderm Skin Care Line

Simply put, I have always struggled with my skin. I've tried everything - from the harshest chemicals to the granola-est brands and this has been the first thing to get it under control.

and by harshest chemicals, I 100% mean proactive, for GODS SAKE don't use that garbage. It will take your poor face a long time to recover and you will throw out many towels because it is bleach. BLEACH.

2. Essential Oils

There's a lot for me to learn about these because there's such a vast amount of types and benefits. I wanted a natural labor and started using them once I was over due to try and speed up the process instead of being induced. I was nautious everyday of the 41 + weeks and I wish I had the peppermint sooner.

I mostly use Ylang Ylang , Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint. Next on my list is Thieves for my household cleanser. I think it's going to be my new favorite!

Most essential oils are NOT recommended for pregnant women, so do some googling first.

3. Bio Oil / Vitamin E

I mix it with whatever moisturizer I'm using or I use it as a night moisturizer on my face. When I don't have any left I use Vitamin E! It helps me with blemish scaring and tone, and I'd like to think it helped with stretch marks :).

 

4. Dr. Palmers

 

This was the only moisturizer I used on my belly (mixed with the oil) while I was preggers. Nothing else could get rid of the itch.. and I don't have any stretch marks I can see!

I confess I still use it on my belly in hopes to maintain any elasticity I may have left.

5. Mac Studio Fix Foundation.

As a new mom I needed a foundation that was portable with good coverage. I'm used to wearing BB cream and setting it with a loose powder.. so the term "full coverage" scares me and so do powder palettes... but I really love this and it's quick.

6. Omega Crunch

The best! First heard about this stuff on Dragon's Den and it was given to me in the early stage of my pregnancy.

It makes being healthy seem easy! Flax seed usually needs to be ground in order to get the benefits but this is flax is shelled already and comes in a table top shaker. I always put it on my salads and in my smoothies. 

It's a must for prego and breast feeding mamas... and everybody else too.

Go to their website here.

7. Johnston & Johnston Cocoa Butter

I needed a moisturizer that was safe for A - Baby. We have lots of skin to skin time while breastfeeding so I worry about anything that's not made with babies in mind.

and when you go up and down a cup size 6 times a day - moisturizer is a must...

I figured baby lotion would be safest and I love this stuff! (Still mix it with the Oil).

And as a plus - it's super gentle on freshly shaved legs lol.

9. THIS line of Lypsyl (Beezwax)

Ryan is super picky about his lip balm and in his words.. "I'm never putting anything else on my lips again".

I contest that statement but it really is the best department store lip balm I have ever used.

10. BREASTMILK!

I may feel like a fish caught on land, I'm so thirsty all the time... and I may be hungrier than I was at any stage in my pregnancy. But somehow I'm back down to my pre pregnancy weight and the stuff literally heals everything... Eye infections, rashes, cradle cap, eczema, diabetes, cancer, world hunger...

I'm giving my baby 24 years worth of immunities and the list only goes on. I feel like I could part waters.

This is my number one 15 for 15!!!

11. OPI - Tickle my francy

 

 

12. OPI - Lincoln park after dark

It usually takes me a year to get sick of my favorite nail polish and move on... so maybe these will be my 2015 signature colors lol.

13. Chalkboard Spray Paint

Not necessarily a product, but I'm constantly talking about it in my posts because I loooove it!

If it matters to you - I would take the spray paint over the can of paint every time!

Here is a post with some of the projects I did around the house.

14. Neostrata self tanner

I was too scared to tan during my pregnancy but my white legs were even scarier.

Nothing is like the real thing, but after lots and lots of recommendations, this is what I used. No orange, no streaks... all I ask :).

Definitely not organic, questionably safe for pregnant women.. but I was rubbing it on my legs, not eating it for lunch so I gave myself the o.k.

15. Lush Therapy Bar

I love the smell of this SO MUCH. It's full of organic essential oils..

And according to the really aggressive sales person -  It's supposed to have the same effect that breastfeeding does in releasing those happy endorphins (Did I translate that fact properly? Does that make sense?). Also the indents are to represent the percent of babies in the world born with innie and outtie belly buttons?!

1 - 3, cute!

Ok, That's it!

Woman crush... Thursday.

I had full intentions yesterday to do a woman crush Wednesday post, and that didn't happen. But I like the idea of taking a day to shine light on some of the women I follow or find inspiring/motivating. So happy woman crush Thursday :).

Andee Layne is a mommy/ lifestyle/ fashion blogger. I've been following her for a while and she's a big part of my love for the "blogging" community.

 You know when you see an outfit and you're talking to it, like - "I love everything about it, I need it, that's "me" in an outfit", etc etc. I feel that way about every single post she has done. EVERY SINGLE ONE!

 

Isn't she beautiful!!?? Hands down my favorite fashion blogger!

 

And she's in her last month of pregnancy! in my last month of pregnancy I missed my leggings. (Maxi dress only zone).

And she has a sweet little daughter named Ava, whats not to love. :)

andeelayne.BlogSpot.com

Window Shopping

Target is such a dangerous place for me. The man of the house can't justify taking a half hour to pick 2 frames, or going down every aisle to window shop - and that's fair.

So now when Dad's at work, A- Baby and I get our target fix.

Love this lamp!! And it wouldn't be a terrifying DIY.

Dreaming.... It wouldn't work for any space in my home but It makes me want a little reading nook... or a bar. 3 of these would look awesome hanging over a bar.... siiiiigh, constantly dreaming.

Here is a cool inspo of combining different shapes for something a little more grand.

I love Chapters just as much as target for home décor, maybe more.. just can't afford it :).

 

 

Someday soon when A is old enough to make some artwork - I will definitely get something like these standing gallery art frames to display it.

 

And I don't know what the heck these starburst like things are but they're sexy!!!!! I'm a crow when it comes to gold and these inspired me big time. I'm gonna make them to put on [one of our] floating shelves!!!

 

Got these wooden sticks at the dollar store in the craft aisle for a buck.

And don't you ever go into Michael's without a coupon!!! The app is free.

The coupon expires on the 15th, so going soon for some gold spray paint.

Wish me luck!!!

And on the topic of saving money. For all you mommy's out there. A free storage solution for plastic baggies.

Separate and layer them before you put them in.

 

With 3 fur babies and 1 human baby that explodes all over her outfits, this is handy to have in the car and the house. 

 

A large portion of my life revolves around poop and I've never been happier :). 

 

Happy shopping :). Thanks for reading xo.

A de-cluttering recap.

My weekend of de-cluttering / organizing was a success. I wore Baby A for most of the process and my body's feeling it now! So we spent this morning on the living room floor stretching and trying desperately to roll over.. she's so close!!

 

This mail/key organizer was one of my thrift store chalkboard painted DIY's I posted a while ago. It's amazing how much I managed to stuff in there. I had to get a system going to just to transition it all to my file folder.  My advice is to use a big space with clearly labeled destinations. Keep paper and pen nearby to create categories as you go. As morbid as it seems to say it.. if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, everything is now easy to find again! - and it's a great feeling.

Actually one of my other chalkboard paint DIY's were dividers for the nursery. But with so many generous people in her life, Christmas and all.. The dividers were getting a little lost amongst the madness...

So all the newborn clothes got retired and all the "mature" toys and clothes got special pink and purple Tupperware bins. Target always has sales on bins. I also bought some to pack away summer clothes, maternity clothes, business clothes, work gear etc.  I like to have clear bins for stuff like this. Lots and lots of clothes got retired this time around for me, but my patience for rooting through stuff I don't wear just isn't what it used to be. lol.

Under the bed bin's on wheels make for perfect storage for seasonal clothes, linens, towels.... or copious amounts of snapbacks.. Excited about having the armoire to myself :)

AND OF COURSE Target had them on sale for $10. Use open shoe boxes as dividers if you're storing different types of things.

 

My office always get's neglected - it's the room that gets the shelves, chairs and tables that have no other purpose in my home. As long as it's functional and neat I'm happy.

If you have exposed shelves for books.. they always look their neatest when they are color coded. example in the picture; yellow, beige, white with red writing, black, red, orange, purple, blue, white. I don't really have enough books on my shelf to show you how well it can be executed but this small effort makes a huge difference!!! With text books and kids books too!

 

Making book sleeves is super easy and looks great if you have only a couple ugly books that you don't want to store away. Dollar-store usually always has packing paper - unless it's Christmas time. Fabric works too!

 And last but not least for today's organization re-cap!!!!!!!! After throwing out old makeup and organizing everyday makeup away from the rest.. I'm embarrassed to say how long I've gone without doing this... but my brushes have never been so clean! I just used a little bit of baby shampoo and hot water in a Ziploc container, gave it a little shake, changed the water and let them soak for about 20 before I pat them dry. Love this tip!

I've also heard baby shampoo is great for using for your dog's bath or cleaning leather.. don't quote me! But it's nice to know, seeing as I have a serious stock pile.

 

 

 

When I was in the Tim Horton's drive through today I'm scrambling through every bag and purse realizing I do not have change for my less-than-2-dollar coffee. So I go to grab my debit. No debit.

 

Anyway, I didn't wanna drive off and mess with their system even though I was mortified... So I just said "Sorry, I left my debit.. didn't wanna drive off..etc etc". And I'm sure you know how the story ends - she looked behind her, winked, gave me the coffee, told me to have a nice day and I found it in-between the seat and the armrest. 

Super simple, seems pretty ordinary but I couldn't take it for granted so I wanted to pause on it for a moment.

 

Hopefully you've been inspired to either clean your shelves, makeup brushes or be nice to somebody. As always, thanks for reading :). 

A weekend of organizing!

I'm currently sitting in bed, baby latched, eating avocado salsa and sour cream from last nights dinner, scrolling through home organization tips, thinking - this baby cow onesie was sooooo cute until it made me feel like I had udders.

An annual organization/purge is extremely necessary for my family because we are definitely hoarders. I have clothes that have survived the last four annual "purges" and didn't get worn in between... Aaand we hoard paperwork, never know when something will come up! Great example... My better (and this is why he's better) half gets me to keep the receipts for every lotto ticket he buys in case we win. I take great pride in my filing system!! lol. But with a recent baby, move and Christmas, the unfiled "paper pile" in my foyer has gotten a little out of control so it's going to be a fun job this year.....

So... The small, medium and large stackable bins have been bought (On sale at Target this week). New hangers have been bought (Can't bear the wire hangers anymore, I NEED THEM ALL GONE). Everything in me wants to buy a label maker, but I tend to get ahead of myself at times so I'll halt the breaks there for now. Check back to follow my de-cluttering journey.... life is so
exciting.

On another, similar note... Breastfeeding makes me hangry. Anything high in protein with little prep is everything I need right now, so it's a plus this avocado salsa tastes good.. 'cause I would eat it anyway! lol.

 

I made it for last nights dinner to spice up my frozen fillet and minute rice ('come dine with me' guests would be appalled). Now, I'm having it with tortilla chips and I didn't have to lift a finger. When babygirl was ready for her snack, so was I :). I don't know how much of what spice I put in, this recipe is pretty freestyle. I often make some version of it, sometimes with red onion, sometimes with green onion, usually ALWAYS with tzatziki on the side - but I didn't have any last night..

And I'm not sure why I keep calling it Salsa... not sure where I picked that up, but it works.

I used:

 

1/2 Can of chickpeas

3 Tomatoes

2 Avocados

Jarred Jalapenos

Chopped Garlic

Fresh Parsley

Onion Powder

Oregano

Cumin

Cayenne Pepper

 

Chop, Spice and mix however you please :). As always, Thanks for reading xo.

 

 

Baby Girl's OOTD

I never thought I would be so obsessed with pink but I can't help myself!! The color looks perfect on her skin tone. Although, all the pink in the world wouldn't keep her from getting mistaken for a boy.. I'm getting used to it lol.

And YES!! I'm doing micro fashion posts - judge me if you like but my baby has some cute stuff. At this rate she is growing out of her outfits within weeks so showing it off helps us enjoy them :).

Hoodie: Tommy Hilfiger

Pants: Baby Gap

Onesie: H&M

Booties: H&M

 

Here's to a purpose for today :)

Raclette and Homemade bread

I don't remember the last time I spent New Years Eve at home. I think the closest most recent memory I have of spending it home - was celebrating at my cottage for Y2K. I choreographed a dance to S-Club 7 for my cousins and I to perform to our parents and than we waited for the world to end. Now, for the first time in a long time I had an excuse to be low key again.. and for the first time ever I pumped my self a little stock pile of milk so I could treat myself to a NYE drink! and by treat myself I mean by three glasses I threw in the towel spinning, went to sleep and woke up to a headache and sore nipples for days.

I thought about cooking up a big meal for the stay at home event, and some appetizers to snack on etc etc. But Ryan and I had a stock pile of milk and an eventful year to celebrate so I figured our meal should be something a little more laid back so we could enjoy each others company. I was thinking home made pasta or raclette, or cheese fondue... I seriously love cheese fondue... Probably because It's melted cheese and wine. I love wine, I love cheese, wine in cheese, wine with cheese... and I looooooove bread. Cant go wrong.

But we decided on Raclette! It was a little safer.. Ryan kept saying fondue reminded him of cheese whiz and  was grossing me out. Plus raclette is just another extension for my love of wine and cheese. Raclette is a type of cheese (Costco!!) and a traditional swiss dish. Its usually served with pickled onions, gershwin pickles, baby potatoes, dried meats. french bread. The term Raclette translates to a term similar to the meaning "to scrape". A traditional raclette machine is a mini grill to sit in the middle of a dining table to fry meats or onion, with individual skillets underneath to melt your cheese with the meats or any other ingredients you like.. than you scrape it out of the skillet and eat it! Like so....

 

Fun right!!!!???

It's a great brunch idea too! You could make your own little skillets!

We didn't have any baby potatoes so we just boiled some white potatoes and diced them. I left them a little firm so we could still put them in our skillets with the cheese or grill them on the top to serve on the side. We fried bacon on the top skillet with some potatoes, onions and a little Montréal steak spice. We had lots of cured meats to load up in our skillets with the cheese!

Yummmm...

I made a couple baguettes to have with it. Not by choice... It was NYE and all the grocery stores were closed. But it worked out for the best! If you want to make your own bread you will need:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tea spoon salt

1 table spoon  sugar

1 tablespoon herb de provence

1 pkg dry yeast

1 cup of warm water.

This bread recipe isn't going to blow anybody away, it's super simple and doesn't require a mixer or bread maker. Usually I'm using it for pizza dough! It freezes really well too if you store it before you let it rise. This recipe will make you about 2 baguettes.

• Mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients
• Add the warm water and mix until all the flour has been combined into the dough.
• Add enough more flour to make the dough kneadable.   
• Flour your counter top and knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball - add more flour if needed
• Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil
• Place the dough ball in the bowl, covered with  a tea towel for 40 min
• Preheat oven to 350. 
• Roll out the dough as much as possible into a rectangular shape
• Slice that down the middle lengthwise.. Round the edges, keeping it fairly flat
• Now let them rise for 25 min
• Put a few slice marks along the top of the baguette so it doesn't get too deformed while its baking.
• Grease a cookie sheet and bake them for 15 minutes. For this particular recipe I like the bread extra crispy soI glazed the baguettes with a whisked egg and let them bake an extra 5 min.

In the future if I plan on sharing a recipe, I'll take better pictures.. Happy Thursday! :)

Baby's First Christmas D.I.Y Ornament

I've been lacking inspiration lately. In the best way possible, floating around in new mommy utopia. If I do the math I have successfully changed over 1000 diapers and produced well over 2000 ounces of pure gold breast milk. Amazing.

With an exclusively breast fed baby I'm often trapped sitting on my butt. It really is a form of meditation - I couldn't tell you what I think about besides just being grateful for the whole experience. Despite being alone with my thoughts all the time I relied on pinterest for Christmas inspiration this year.

There was lots of versions of this handprint ornament.. Salt Dough, genius!!! I never thought of baking it to keep it's form! When I was little my mom used to make me this as play dough and she would put food coloring in it.. and catch me always trying to eat it... eeuuww lol.

I had everything for this one so it didn't cost me a dime. The dough should make about 10 ornaments and you should allocate about 4-5 hours for it to bake on low heat. I love metallic so I put my own little spin on it with some things I had around the house.

Here's a link to the recipe I used for the dough.

 

You will need:

 

Flour

Salt

A Straw
To make a neat hole for the string

String

I used a hemp string from Michael's - always download a coupon

Paint

I recommend spray paint, using a brush messes with the texture I found - I used metallic

 

Super easy and doesn't need to be a Christmas craft! I'll use this recipe again for sure. If you are using a human baby I recommend a big feeding before hand. My 3 month old was pretty milk drunk for this one!!