Pictures!

So...

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

Come on with a beautiful and funny

4 month

how can you resist taking pictures?

Not of myself.

I promise.

I have not taken one of myself since she was born.

Anyways.

What can you do with so many pictures 

without having to pay to print them?

Don't go to the local drugstore to get them on a CD.

I got a thing of A LOT of blank CD's 

for pictures and videos.

So if you have to many pics and videos and don't know what to do them.

Buy a CD case. 

(Nothing expensive.)

And a thing of CDs.

Then after putting them in the CDs 

put them in the CD case.

Problem Solved.

(I still have A LOT of pictures and videos to finish up)

Arrg!

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Feb 28- March 5 '12

Letter for

So I just love Hobby Lobby.

I needed to begin with that.

I just don't have money to buy things I can't afford.

With a baby girl now I wanted to make her room cute.

But cute can be costly.

I had been wanting to buy those glittery letters to put on her wall.

No money.

Until today,

I decided I was going to make my own.

So I did.

But.

I have no glitter.

I will just have to add the glitter later.
And it cost me $0
That's the best part.

Magazine Binder

So I mentioned before that I had a lot of magazines.

At first I wasn't sure what I could do with so many.

I wanted to keep them.

I just didn't know how to organize them.

Well.

It was easy.

All I needed was a binder and a hole puncher.

(You can use the plastic paper holders instead).
I just cut out articles that interested me,
Hole punched,
And placed in binder.

Stray Pens

Do you have a problem with your pens?

Are they always missing?

Or you find them in the weirdest places?

Why not take something you already own

and use to hold all your pens?

My husband, Casey, bought me flowers for Mothers Day last year. 

Very beautiful, might I add.

My favorite kind.

The hot pink.

Anyways.

Let's just say that the pot holder became available

but I had no use for it.

Wait.

I did.

I used it to hold all my pens, pencils, markers, etc.

Gum in Hair?

How many times do your kids get gum in their hair? Do you take them to a salon and get their hair cut off? Or did it yourself? There is no need for that when you can just do it yourself.

All you need is PEANUT BUTTER!

Yes! It works!

There is no need for scissors and it is really easy.

Just grab peanut butter and apply it on the gum.

Do not be afraid to make a mess. You may need a lot. 

Then just comb it out with a comb.

Simple as that.

Please. I had a lot of mothers bring kids in when I worked in a kids salon, saying "Just cut it off." I would just bring the peanut butter and slap it on.

There's no need to embarrass the child or yourself. 

Small Kitchen?

So the only con about moving from our last apartment

Is that the apartment we now live in has a tiny kitchen.

With a baby now

We have to make room.

She is now 4 months and

is starting solids.

We have no room for more food

in any of the cabinets.

We tend to store food

in case of emergencies.

So I had an idea.

We have an small cabinet of 3 shelves

that I plan using for her food.

But!

We already have all our spices there.

Above our sink we have a big window sill.

It's big enough.

We have our flour, sugar, and rice there.

So I am going to make space to place things there.

Of course, you can't stack things up.

So.

I needed somethings that would help me

separate items.

The first place that you will find me is at Thrift Stores.

They are great. You don't necessarily need new things. Just things that work.

I found this box at the thrift store for  $1.

It's in really good shape and I am putting all the spices in there.

I also have a shelf organizing set.

Depending on how you want to organize,

I am only using one.

(If you aren't lucky to find good things at the thrift store, Walmart is probably the best place to go.)

Depending on what works for you,

You can play around and finally see what works best for your kitchen. Or change it weekly. And Ta-Dah. I (You) have made space around the small kitchen.

Tips for small kitchen:

• When buying a mop, if you just have a tiny kitchen and small restroom. There is no need to buy a big mop. Where will you place it. Instead buy a small simple one. I have one that closes and can be put between the counter and fridge. Or you can spray the ground with product and use your foot to clean it with a cleaning rag. 
• DIY use things around the house that can be used again. I use empty formula cans for many things. For example: You can put sugar in it, flour, cereal. The baby cereal we bought, the cereal was coming out from the bottom so I put the cereal in one of the empty formula cans. Just make sure you label them. 
• You can also use pickle jars 

DIY utensil holder

So I have been needing a utensil holder for my kitchen.

(really for the utensils in the kitchen)

I just don't like having them in a drawer.

So I decided to make it out of a pickle jar.

What you will need:

A pickle jar.

Ribbon

Buttons

Glue gun and glue

This is a very simple task

Instructions:

Making sure the glue gun has glue.

Plug in the glue gun and let it sit until it is hot and the glue is melty.

While the gun heats up. Plan what you are going to do with your fun stuff. I chose ribbon and buttons. I want something really simple. (My kitchen is very small, nothing fancy anyway.) I measured how much ribbon I was going to use to have at hand. When the glue was ready, I only glued at 4 spots. Every quarter around the jar. And as soon as I glued I pressed the ribbon on. When I was done I simply glued a white button and voila. 

  **Getting the pickle smell out of the jar can take time. There are many ways to do it. The reason I was able to get the smell off was procrastination. I left hot water with soap in the jar for months. One thing I can tell you is that Vinegar does not work.Vinegar is in the pickle so that is what makes the smell. So it will not eliminate it.

Lotions

Ok for all of you pregnant moms out there.

I see that everyone is trying to find what will prevent stretch marks.

 Let me be one of the ones that say.

It all has to do with your skin.

Not everyone gets away without stretch marks.

I was one of the lucky ones and do not

have stretch marks.

At least on my belly.

I had to try so many things. 
Something that helps is not scratching.
Just rub more lotion every time you get itchy.
That's what I did.

I was so afraid to get them.

What I ended up sticking with was...

St . Ives vitamin E Moisturizer.

It is great!

Has such great smell and leaves my skin so soft and hydrated.

 I also use one their facial exfoliate.

Love how my skin feels afterward.

I would definitely have to recommend St. Ives. 

What homemakers really do.

 

 I found the following article inspiring.

What Homemakers really do... 

At times I feel bad.

I have one child.

She's 4 months

But Holy Cow

It is work.

No worries 

I still planning on having more

But if the home isn't all in place 

I feel terrible if Casey comes home to the mess.

But I also just want time to myself.

This article just let me know

I am not the only one

And if I leave things the way they are

one time doesn't hurt.

Loved it.

Bangs

Last night...

I had a strange dream.

Someone cut their bangs

horribly.

So I woke up and decided I am going

to post

some tips on cutting your own bangs. 

Like really?

Who wants to go into a salon

and pay for a haircut when all you want

is your bangs trimmed.

It's simple.

First of all you should know

DO NOT cut your bangs while they are wet.

When they dry they shrink.

Professionals know how much they'll shrink.

They are allowed.

 Second of all, cutting your hair with scissors that are not hair shears

will be a little difficult.

And third, you may want to cut them longer than where you want them. 

Just in case.

Plus if they are too short you may not be able to pull them back when you want.

 

Now...

Separate how much of your hair you want bangs. 

Do not separate a square.

You want more of a triangle.

You also don't want to go too far.

That just looks weird.

Example.

This is just too much for me.

But you decide what you want. 

It does look better when a person has fuller and thicker hair.

Then using your index and middle finger you are going to pull your hair forward.

Enough for you to see.

If you like the straight cut.

Make sure your fingers are straight.

Or your hair will look crooked. (if that is how you spell it)

If you like the uneven look,

You will use a different technique,

But your fingers should still be straight.

Do not grip hard onto your hair.

It needs to be a little loose.

Again, the hair will just pop back if your pulling it.

So don't pull.

If you like the straight cut.

Cut in sections or else it will look bad. (This is if you want THICK bangs)

Cut straight across under your fingers.

Not too quick.

Or else you will mess it up.

There are a lot of great videos on youtube.

People cut it differently.

You may just want to find which style

You like best.

If you like a little texture instead of straight cut.

What you will do is cut upwards

across with the tip of the shears.

Giving jagged cuts.
Careful not to cut yourself.

The "side swoop"
It is just helpful to have a razor.
Not the one you shave with.
I guess that could work.
Never tried it.
But, instead of cutting straight across
(which you could)
cut into a diagonal way.
not a drastic diagonal
Just a slight one.
You should leave your bangs to where they cover your eyes.
Or they will be to short and will show your forehead.

Questions?
I'm not great at giving instructions.
Hopefully you understood.
I'll get better.
Promise.

 

This is probably to cutest thing I've seen. 

I am officially obsessed with cupcakes.

It's ok.

I get obsessed with things..

and then..

I become obsessed with others.

Cake Balls. Delish.

 

My visiting teachers came.

I was home.

No one knocked.

When Casey came home there was a bag of treats.

Yes.

Cake Balls.

Yummy.

I am going to learn to make them. 

I'll let you know how that goes.

Another awesome idea for the kitchen. A walk in pantry. Awesome.

Cool Candles

   I don't think I need to explain the steps. How cool is this? Maybe when we live in a house. We are not allowed to have candles in the apartment. Don't blame them.

Brilliant!

Period.

Old dresser into a kitchen island. Love.

The Inverse Power of Praise

So Casey's brother, Austin, gave us a book as a gift. 

I finally was able to sit down and read while our girl was asleep.

Nuture Shock.

It is a book over "new thinking about children".

It is a parenting psychology book.

I just read the first chapter.

The Inverse Power of Praise

What would you say if someone told you that you were ruining your child by praising him?

Not every praise is bad.

There are different kinds of praise and this book is based on a lot of research.

Apparently what we think are instincts are actually 

intelligent, informed reactions.

Lesson Learned: Do not give vacuous praise. Instead give direct praise. 

*This is probably the most interesting book I have read so far out of all "parenting" books.

Only moms like me understand...

I thought this pic was funny.

I know how that is. 

Even from just a few drops.

It's a disaster.

I never really made it to six when that happened. 

Or ever...

Here I go again!

So I was trying to make my day of "organizing" and "deep cleaning" 

Saturdays.

I just broke that rule.

My baby girl fell asleep and I moved one thing 

and well...

When I get started I'm like a 

Hungry Roadrunner

Whatever that means

But sounds about right!

Maybe that should be blog title

HUNGRY ROADRUNNER

Nah...

Cleaning Tips

So I was going through some stuff I have in a binder.

Where I organize papers.

I found a paper that has helped me.

I'd like to share it.

Perhaps someone may need these helpful tips.

First.

There is the:

TOUCH IT ONCE rule.

I try to be good at this by my Casey Cakes isn't quite yet.

It's not a problem for me.

We are all different.

Say you are cooking,

If you are using the pepper just once

put it back to it's place as soon as your done with it.

Don't put it over to the side or just put it down.

5 Minute Tasks:

You know if you are a busy mom with a baby, you may not have time for chores. So divide your chores to 5 minute tasks. I like to do them as soon as or girl is napping or during commercials. (if I'm watching TV)

Home Maintenance:

I like to make sure everything has it's place. Once I use I try to make sure I put it back where it belongs. Now with a baby, I tend to lose my mind. It is helpful to have things in it's place. All my crafty stuff is together. Books, movies, toys, etc. Try it.

Throw it Away!!

So I don't like having things sitting around but I also have difficulty throwing things away. It's as if I become attached. I don't know why. Anyways, I have had baby magazines sitting in the bookshelf. Every now and then I'd open it. Most of them are full of advertisements. So, I ripped out articles I found useful, hole punched them, and organized them by sections in a binder. Like recipes, milestones, arts and crafts, nutrition, and such. And then I was able to throw the rest away.

Help:

This is something I don't really use but it may be helpful to you. They may be helpful with children. You take notecards for each room in the house. Write exactly what needs to be done in that room and set it somewhere visible or give them to family members.

Click here, Flylady is a website that may be helpful to you.

What I like to do is go around the apartment, take things I want out, and divide them into three sections:

1. throw away

2. keep

3. give away or sell

Sometimes I fell like I don't do it enough

 Try this. If you are like me and don't like getting rid of things or are afraid to, begin with just 5 things a week. Then more as you go.

 Maybe you are like me and just have trouble starting to clean.

Use your 5 senses.

smell: choose a cleaning product that you love, light a candle, or anything relaxing to you. I bought air wick automatic sprays. (which reminds me, are empty)

sound: I love having noise while I am home alone w the baby. The music especially gets me into the rhythm.

 touch: Some people don't like cleaning because the cleaning materials are harsh. Protect your hands. I can't clean if I protect mine. It;s uncomfortable but I lotion right after.

Taste: This I think I overdo. Reward yourself with a treat while you clean. I am addicted to chocolate pretzels (m&ms especially)

 Sight: I don't know about anyone but when I declutter and make the place look clean, I love it. I feel so relaxed.

If you are a homemaker, like I am, think about the fact that you are there just about 100% of the time. (if you are not running errands or grocery shopping.) Make it about you. Start with YOUR spot. Somewhere you can just relax and read a book or whatever.

If it has a sentimental value think about what you can do to it. For example, I just realized that I have a box of cards we got for our wedding and birthdays. It's just sitting there but I don't want to throw away peoples notes to us. So I am thinking of a way to keep and let go of them. I will let you know later what I decide.

I hope this was helpful. 

Just think about the time and energy it takes to keep an item. Will having to see it, store it, move it, clean it, hold onto it, think about it, stumble across it be worth your time and energy? 

D&C 88:124 "Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to
 find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated."