More to come!!

Lets just say that being a mother of two kids under two in CRAZY! In a good way but crazy.  I had just started to get into my grove with my daughter when I found out I was pregnant again (she was 5 months old when that happened) so it got a bit out of balance with me being tired, moody you know all that great stuff that comes with being pregnant.   So my second one is now almost 8 months old and in two months I will have a 2 year old.  My tow kids could not be more different.  My daughter, miss independant, sleeps like  a champ and wants to do everyhing on her own. Let me just tell you she has slept like a champ from 8 weeks on, thanks to the advice from my BFF Melissa.  Now my little loveable smiley guy, sleep terrible and keeps me up all night.  I have become a parent who co-sleeps because the only way I can get sleep is to put him in bed with me.  Don't get me wrong co-sleeping is great for alot of people, I just was never one for it.   So
So we are starting to get into a routine, our own unique routine, but a routine non the less.  So I will be back and there will be more fun post and I am going to start doing some interviews and posting (inspiration from my fav blog www.whatwouldgwynethdo.com).  Just be patient.  Oh did I mention I take my 8 month old to work with me?

To Paint or Not to Paint

Nurseries these days are getting super creative and very colorful. Long gone are the days of just pink, blue and yellow. Today's nurseries are every color of the rainbow and even wallpapered. If you are not ready to commit to a paint color for the whole room or wall paper from wall to wall consider just doing an accent wall.  It will give a great look without having to paint or wall paper every wall. The folks at one of my favorite blogs Oh Deed Oh featured some great rooms where they did just that. Check out some of my favorites.

www.ohdeedoh.com

www.ohdeedoh.com
Toddler Room

www.ohdeedoh.com

To Paint or Not to Paint

Nurseries these days are getting super creative and very colorful. Long gone are the days of just pink, blue and yellow. Today's nurseries are every color of the rainbow and even wallpapered. If you are not ready to commit to a paint color for the whole room or wall paper from wall to wall consider just doing an accent wall.  It will give a great look without having to paint or wall paper every wall. The folks at one of my favorite blogs Oh Deed Oh featured some great rooms where they did just that. Check out some of my favorites.

www.ohdeedoh.com

www.ohdeedoh.com
Toddler Room

www.ohdeedoh.com

Nursery Planning on a Budget!

So I am planning my new nursery and we are on a tight budget.  Right now the nursery is an extra space in our house the needs some major work done on it.  Actually it needs to be turned into a room.  We need framing, a window and we must work on the logistics of how two children will share one closet from two different rooms (will keep you updated).  So with the budget we have set forth most of that will be taken up doing that, as that may be we still need other items for the nursery. As luck would have it each time I have gotten pregnant someone has had a crib to give me which is wonderful considering a new crib could set me back a couple of hundred dollars.  We are also very lucky to have an extra space within our bedroom that we will turn into a temp nursery until the bigger room is ready.  It actually works out great for the first couple of months anyway with having to get up for late night feedings and that infancy stage.  We did it with our daughter and it worked out great.  The space is big enough for a crib and changing table.

In order to meet my budget I have turned to craigslist and second hand baby stores to help me stay on budget.  Purchasing items from these venues might require a little TLC on your end but will sure save you a ton of money.  For example I just purchased a used changing table and pad on craigslist for $35.00. It will need to be cleaned and painted, but other than that it is in great shape. One piece of advice when getting items second hand, make sure there is minimal work that needs to be done.  For example do not buy a piece of furniture that is missing piece or is severely damaged.  You will end up spending just as much money fixing it as you would if you had just bought it new.   Also I always make sure everything has come from a non-smoking house.  The last thing you want to do is put anything in a nursery that contains toxins.

If craigslist and second hand shops are not your thing, then Wal-Mart and Target are your new best friends.  I really love the nursery lines at Wal-Mart.  They have these wonderfully modern collections right now that are really catching my eye.  A three piece furniture set might set you back around $500 but that is really not to terrible considering you could spend thousands of dollars other places. They are also your one stop shop.  You can literally buy everything needed for your nursery in one place. There really are many places that will help you stay on budget and still give you a great looking nursery.

Speaking of budget, it is always a great idea to establish that before you start purchasing any items. If you don’t establish a budget ahead of time how will you know if you are sticking to it? I would suggest sitting down and making a list of all the items needed to make a nursery (even if you have them, still put them down), then figure out your budget.  I love to make spreadsheets on excel.  I will make my list and then fill in the price at which I purchased my items to help keep a running total of my expenses.  Don’t forget to include in your budget little items like, storage baskets, rugs, paint, wallpaper etc.…  All of that is part of your budget.  I am also constantly pursuing websites and blogs for inspiration.  I find it more productive to have a picture of what my end result will be rather than jumping in blindly.

So just remember no matter what your budget is, how big or small your nursery is, your vision of it is always attainable.

Busy Bee!

So it has been a while since I have written.  I have actually been quite busy.  Emma is growing like a weed and is now crawling.  She goes non stop, crawling everywhere thinking she is so cool and independent.  She is eating on her own and is a great sleeper.  Also going on in our family is the fact that Emma will be welcoming a little brother in February(told you I was busy).  We were very shocked at first but could not be more excited to welcome him into our family.  So my life is adjusting to being pregnant, having a ten month old, getting ready for baby number, and running a household as a working mom. 
We bought our first minivan last week and I thought that would be the one thing I would NEVER do, but I love it.  It is so easy to use and has so much room.  Even my husband likes it.  So my post for a while we will be about adjusting to this new life and all the great things I am finding out on how to make it more productive.  Any comments, advice or suggestions are always welcome.

Child Care

When I found out I was pregnant I considered myself lucky that I had so much family in town to help me out with babysitting when the time came. I have my parents and I have my husbands parents to watch Emma. However I ran into a dilema, I had a party to go to last friday and neither sets of parents were going to work out.  I was in sort of a predicament. These days with child saftey being my number one priority and being able to to trust someone with your child I was a little stumped as to what to do.  Then I remembered a friend of mine that I knew through Junior League had recently started a nannie and sitter placement company called Little Sprouts Family Care, LLC (http://www.littlesproutsfamilycare.com/).  So I quickly emailed her in the middle of the week asking her if she had anyone available from that friday and she said absolutly.  Now mind you the people she employees go through background checks, they are certified in CPR, they must show proof of automobile insurance and the list goes one.  One might think they were applying to the FBI.  So on friday at 6:50 my door bell range and a wonderful very sweet manored women shook my hand and stepped into our house.  I picked up Emma and within seconds Emma was smiling and reaching for her.  I showed her around the house gave her some minor instructions, and filled out her paperwork from the agency and off my husband and I went.  She sent me a text with her phone number within minutes of leaving and a text when Emma went down.
I have to tell you it was a wonderful experience knowing I could trust a non family member with my daughter. Working with the agency was great and I know I will use them again. In this day in age whe it is so hard to trust anyone with your baby I am so glad there are companys like Little Sprouts Family Care.

The art of diaper bag packing

The diaper bag, the bag filled with all the essential goodies to make our little one happy. It is important not to forget anything, because that one time you do is when you will need it. I have put together a list of what I put in my "Main" diaper bag.  It may seem like alot to tote around and it is, so I keep a smaller bag with me at all times that I put the items I need for that particular outing.

1. Diapers
2. Wipes
3. Diaper garbage bags- For those times when you need to stash the dirty diaper in your bag.
4. Bottles
5. Formula- for those breast feeding just switch the formula for a nursing cover.
6. Bottle of water- I never trust the water anywhere except my own house.
7.Changing pad
8. Change of clothes for baby and mommy- I always keep an extra shirt with me for those little accidents.
9.Bibs
10.Blankets- I always have three
11.Any kind of toy or favorite item to keep the little one occupied
12. Pacifier
13. A packet of food. and spoon.  You never know when you will get stuck somewhere at a feeding. I love the Sprout Organic baby food the packaging is just perfect for tossing in your bag.
14. Camera/Video camera
15. Important phone number sheet.
16. Medical packet to include: infant/child Tylenol, gripe water, gas relief drops, neosporin, thermometer, and band aids.

Like I said this sounds like alot but I have smaller bag that I fill.  Speaking of diaper bags below are some of my favorite diaper bags, if money was no object :) )

Louis Vuitton Monogram Diaper bag retails for $2,150.00



Rebecca Minkoff diaper bag retails for $475.00



Timi and Leslie Charlie diaper bag retails for $149.99