Hi all. Today I am issuing you a challenge. I posted here not that long ago about the differences between my dream house, and my real house. And while I've made peace with most of my mess and clutter, frankly, my basement bedroom is getting kind of dreary. Not only is is fairly dark, but now that it's winter, our little concrete box of a room is cold! I find myself longing to move back into our old master bedroom with the tray ceiling, warm carpets and window that actually let in light. However, baby girl needs that room now, and we're hoping not to be in this house TOO much longer. So here's the challenge. This is what my bedroom looks like now: Ugh. Not very welcoming, eh? What I want is a super low-budget makeover. I don't want to spend a ton when I'm just going to be moving out soon (I hope). And I want to keep things fairly neutral for the next owners. Other than mudding and taping and then painting the walls - I'm kinda stumped. How do I make this space pretty without spending money? This is where you come in. I would LOVE to hear your ideas. Did you see an awesome DIY on Pinterest that you think could work here? Link me to it! Did you run across a dirt cheap lamp or rug or anything online that you think might look cute? Give me details! Do you have a killer knack for decorating and/or organizing and have some tips for dressing up a space? Please jot them down!
I have seriously come to dread bedtime because I don't want to go back to my box. I used to look forward to relaxing in my cozy room. Not so much now. So any help or advice you might have is mighty welcome. I am grateful to all of you!
And when this is over and I've given my room some TLC I'll be posting a before and after. If I've used your tip, I'll be giving you credit! I may even have a little reward for the most helpful commenter. Thanks a bunch everyone!
Have you discovered Shabby Apple yet? If not, you're missing out! Shabby Apple creates some of the most gorgeous dresses, skirts, accessories and kids' items I have ever seen. Not only are their clothes both trendy and classic, but they even provide you with the tools to pick the perfect outfit. The website allows you to shop by body type, by clothing style, by event or even by outfit. And these clothes won't be going out of style any time soon. I can't stop adding their items to my Pinterest page. Check out some of the amazing sales they are having this December. I promise, you won't be disappointed!
Coming soon - our Smurfs playdate.
Today I am pleased to introduce to you Kelly-Marie from Our Footprints On The World. Doesn't she have the sweetest little boy? Take it away, Kelly-Marie! Tell us a little about yourself.
Hey I'm Kelly-Marie, mummy to my specail little guy Josh and wife to my best friend Matt. I love to blog and looove to take photo's of . . yes you guessed it, Joshy!! I work part-time in a small Post Office in my village which I love, plus it's right across the road from where we live so I just kinda roll out of bed to get to work. I've always got my camera with me to capture the world around me to share with you guys. Tell us a little about your blog.
You can find me over at Our Footprints On The World where I like to blog about everyday life and capture Josh growing up. Come say Hi sometime, we would love to hear from you! What inspires your writing the most?
Joshua is what I mainly blog about, I started really getting into photography but where life is so busy at the moment I have put it kind of on hold till after Christmas is over.
What is your favorite post item?
My favourite posts are the ones I do every month that are letters to Joshua about how he's growing up and learning new things.
What do you consider to be your biggest triumph.
Being a mummy to me is the most specail thing in the world.
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Christmas Day is the best day of the year, we don't do alot but it's just so nice to spend together as a family and eat loads of junk food!
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
I'm a nerdy Disney pin collecter ;) I have over 100 pins.
What is your best tip as a blogger?
Blog about something you love and blog for yourself don't become obsessed with collecting readers.
If you haven't signed on for this swap, but would still like to swap for something on my blog - feel free to contact me!
Here are the things I'm offering up:
1) Clothes -
3 vintage flowered skirts, 2 J Crew skirts, 1 Old Navy puff vest, 1 frilly skirt
2 denim jackets (1 J Crew, 1 Gap), 1 grey sweater, 1 Bebe red shirt, 1 red chord shirt I can send more detailed pictures of anything you'd like. Willing to swap as a lot or individual items. (all clothes are around size 4/6) Also, various 3-9 month baby girl clothes, mostly summer dresses and onesies (ask me for pictures)2) The following dvds:The Shape Of ThingsFusion Pilates: Exercise with BabyHouse of Flying Daggers Top 10 Christian Music Video HitsJeeves and Wooster season one3) I have two etsy shops. Mimi Baby Boutique sells jewelry and Big Red Kite sells appliquéd items and prints. Have a look around, I'm willing to trade just about anything in them. 4) 150x150 sponsor slots on this blog, a product review, a guest post or a giveaway slot. What I'm Looking For:1) Shoes in size 7-8. Especially fun boots, funky heels or fun sandals. 2) Kids' clothes in sizes 3T and up (for boys and girls)3) Ad space on blogs (for my shops or my blog, whatever works for you)4) Design expertise. I'd really like to tweak my blogs/buttons and could use some help. I blog in Weebly and don't know the html well - looking to expand my margins, clean up my sidebar, and get some really professional looking buttons for both this blog and my shop blog. 5) Felt in all colors (at least 8x10 sheets)6) Whatever you have that you think I might really like. I'm open to suggestions. I don't really need a lot of "stuff" - but you never know, I might just say "Oh! I've been searching for that!"Thanks all!!
Happy Advent all! Yeah, I know, I'm way behind. That's just my M.O. this Christmas, unfortunately. Anyway, I've been working my little tail off trying to get things ready for advent for my kids. I love holiday traditions and with all the books on Santa that we're reading, I thought I would try to get the kids excited about Jesus instead. Here are my top favorite resources for putting together a stellar Advent!
1) After spending hours on Pinterest (that's probably not much of an exaggeration) trying to come up with the perfect Advent calendar, I finally decided to make an amalgamation of these two garlands (click images for links):
I'm using a combination of the envelopes and the mittens - not going to finish in time to have all 25 days this year, but so far it's looking adorable! And the best part is, they are super easy to make - just stitch up a couple pieces of felt and you're done! I have 2 envelopes and a mitten sewn up and un-numbered, so I'll just be reusing them every 3rd day this year and finish up after the holiday crunch. Oops - at least my kids are forgiving. 2) In each pouch I'm adding a verse from here and from here (this one can also be made into a paper chain if you're not doing pouches). I'm also adding one charitable act to perform each day, and a special treat (dinner out, candy, extra bedtime books, etc). And we do a fun Advent-related activity every day. You can find ideas for activities here, here and here. 3) And because I have been reading about it everywhere, and I really wanted to go all-out this season, we're also following along with Truth In The Tinsel. It's a great e-book (only $4.99 and you can download it instantly!) detailing a verse, a craft and discussion points for each day of Advent. It's easy enough for young kids I'm so excited to get started with my kids. (click the picture to buy the book). If you celebrate Advent, what fun activities have you put together? Please feel free to share so we can all learn from each other!
Today I'm going to share with you why I am such an avid fan of the Medela Pump In Style double electric breast-pump. If any of you ladies is having a baby soon, I seriously recommend that you check it out. This pump is super easy to use, very easy to clean, and has amazing suction. It even comes in a sleek and convenient carrying case.
And this is why I love it so much:
I've always envied women who produce milk over-abundantly. I hear women speak about leaking and engorgement and just get jealous. I'm sure it's not fun, but before I had kids I very much wanted to exclusively breast-feed my kids. I pictured having the same round, chubby, happy babies my sister had. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that some of the women in my family simply have a genetic predisposition to, well, dryness. Dry mouths, dry eyes (I can no longer wear contacts) and, unfortunately, difficulty producing milk. My sister, apparently skipped that gene. I didn't.
Not only did I have issues with milk production, but I had extensive healing to do after my first baby's birth. I could sit, could barely stand, and was on a lot of meds. The meds made the baby sleepy, his latch was bad, I got sore and bled. The pain was so bad I'd lie in bed and sob when I heard him cry for food. I had a constant stream of La Leche leaders parading through my house showing me how to hold him, when to latch, how to rock him - it was exhausting. So hubby and I decided to get a pump. We reasoned that maybe I could pump the milk, then feed him with a bottle, which was easier to latch onto. But, we didn't do our research. We let our wallets guide us and bought a Medela Swing single electric pump because it was the cheapest one we could find. It's probably fine for some women - but it was NOT what I needed. It had terrible suction and only pumped one side at a time. So after 30 minutes of pumping, I had maybe an ounce of milk to show for it. Since I'd been warned of the evils of formula by numerous people, I just kept at the pumping and the nursing and the crying. And soon my sweet baby boy dwindled from this adorable chubby thing:
To this 5 lb 10 oz waif of a child:
It absolutely breaks my heart to look at these pictures. I cannot believe that I was so dazed and stressed and out of it that I didn't see how frail my poor sweet child was getting. Fortunately, several people I loved intervened and finally convinced me to put him on formula. I started to heal, and eventually we were able to resurrect the nursing relationship to the point that he was only fed formula for half of his meals. I am thankful to say that by week 4 he was up to a healthy weight and has been healthy and happy ever since. However, I truly believe that we are still reaping some emotional consequences from those early weeks of deprivation.
Because I was terrified of this happening again (and knowing how I struggled to make milk), I made sure to have a double pump for my second child. However, I still bought the cheapest pump I could find. It only worked half the time, and when it did, it's suction was awful. Fortunately, nursing went much more smoothly with my second, but I still found instances where I really needed to be able to pump. I am so blessed to have a best friend who heard my complaints and shipped off her own Medela Pump In Style (yes, I used sterilized replacement parts - no ick there) so I could try it. I was hooked instantly! Instead of the paltry 1 oz I got with the other pumps, I had almost 4 oz in about 15 minutes! I was delighted! When nursing was too painful, I could pump. If baby's sleep didn't match up with nursing time, I could pump. If I needed to leave baby with a sitter, I could pump. Baby #2 still got some formula, but my supplementing was just minimal.
I really do wonder how different things would have been with my first baby if I'd had a proper pump. Perhaps he wouldn't have lost so much weight. Perhaps he could have drunk less formula. Perhaps he wouldn't have quite the same emotional high-needs now that he does. Who knows. Either way, that's my loooooooong way of saying that the Medela Pump In Style is an amazing product and if you're planning to pump, that's the way to go!
NOTE: Please do not hear me to disparage formula. Due to medical reasons, my daughter was exclusively formula fed, and she is a happy, healthy baby. However, I did prefer to feed my kids breast-milk if I was able. I am VERY sensitive about wanting women to feel no shame about the method of feeding they decide is best for their family. I simply wanted to make this information available for those who wish to breastfeed and pump.
I got really into the whole 'swap' idea this fall. I swapped baby items, hand made ornaments, and now accessories. My swap partner was Chelsea over at Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles. She is just a doll and has a darling blog. And here are the goodies that she sent me! (This picture totally looked clear on my camera *sigh* - time to get a new one). Aren't the bracelet and earrings adorable? Thanks Chelsea! If you'd like to get something similar, hop on over to Mama's Nest Designs - she's got lots of fabulous things in her little shop. What a fun swap!
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