Friday Favorites!

It's Friday favorites time! This week is a few more baby products. :))

1. Miracle Blanket

I swaddled Ty when he was an itty bitty newborn and he loved it. "I" don't like my arms held down, so I stopped swaddling him. After all, he needs to stretch, right? Well, I decided to swaddle him again after reading the book in #2. :)  Ty went from feeding every 2 hours after midnight (3 hours before) to 4.5 hours! What the what?! Yee Haw! Happy Dance!

2.  The Happiest Baby on the Block

THIS is the best book on how to calm a crying/fussy baby. Ty has hit a fussy stage (partially due to my diet I have found) but the techniques in this book on how to soothe him are fascinating. There is a DVD available also, but I have not watched it.

3.  Chicco stroller frame

I love my stroller frame.  My husband and I opted for this rather than a travel system and I couldn't recommend it more. I am short (5'1") and pretty weak. ha! This has been a dream to get in and out of the car. It is compact when in stores, etc. as well. Click HERE.

That's all for this week's Friday Favorites!! :)

Friday Favorites

Hey guys! It's Friday, so that means Friday favorites!!  These are kind of all over the place today. :)

1.  Hobo Lauren

I love my hobo! It holds everything I need when I run out. I can just grab this baby and go. And since Ty was born, I throw this in his diaper bag and head out the door. No wondering if I'm forgetting something! It holds my checkbook, cards, money ok I have no money! ha! It is also big enough to hold lipgloss, etc. I love it! It comes in so many yummy colors and is the softest leather ever. It is one of those pieces that you will keep for years until it becomes "vintage".  You can purchase it at Nordstrom, or on ebay like I did, because who wants to spend that much money? 

2.  Makeup By Tiffany D Sigma palette

Even though I am not wearing makeup as much as I did before Ty was born (I don't head out of the house much with a 6 week old :) When I do get spruced up I have found I have only pulled out my Tiffany D palette since I have received it in December. The quality is outstanding, the colors are perfectly pigmented and last. Plus it comes with 2 gel eyeliners and a dual ended pencil eyeliner. The gel liners are the best quality of any gel liner I have purchased. And, yay!, it comes with a dual ended sigma brush. The E55 and E30. If you read my December favorites you know how much I am in love with the sigma brushes. When I purchased the palette, it also came with E05 eyeliner brush. Eeek! Check out her YouTube channel. She is one of my favorite go-to makeup gurus. And if you love OOTD photos as much as I do, check her out on instagram and her blog! You can purchase the palette here. 

3.  Misty by Sherwin Williams

Can I just say, I am obsessed with this color at the moment. I have been drooling over this color ever since Bonnie Donahue at House of Grace painted her new home this color but have really been putting a lot of thought into it before I use it in one of my rooms. I have a front "formal" living room which I use as a piano room. I am going to refinish my piano this spring in white and really, really want to paint the walls this color. I am going to add in accents of navy and yellow or green...I am still contemplating though. I am one of those that only paints every few years and don't want to get tired of blue. What do you think? Don't you love it!!

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Photo Credit

4.  Phillip Phillips

Ty and I listen to A. Lot. of music during the day. For the moment we are listening to Phillip Phillips (with a mixture of Baby Einstein and Baby Praise :) I love the mixture of Mumford & Sons and Dave Matthews in his music. I could listen to him all day long.

That completes Friday Favorites for this week! Hope all you busy bees have an awesome weekend! The kids are out of school today. Supposed to be winter weather this afternoon! Time for some hot chocolate. <3

Friday Favorites - Newborn Edition

Now that Ty is a month old, I have realized what has been some good purchases/finds for baby and mama, and what I have not used! Here are my top 5.

1.  Fisher Price Rock & Play

I love, love, love this little ditty! Ty sleeps in it and hangs out in it! I switch him back and forth between this and his flat bassinet during the day to keep him from getting too dependent on an incline. This is wonderful. Read the reviews. :)  I bought this color from Babies-r-Us, but there are tons to choose from. This folds up and we can take it to grandparents house with ease and it is so lightweight, I can carry it around the house.

2.  Target nursing tank

I knew from the beginning this was going to be on my favorites list. I honestly don't know how I would nurse easily without it! It keeps me discreet and is so comfortable. Here is one that I have, but I have several from Target and love them all. :)

3.  Black & White patterned flash cards

Of course, Ty loves staring at our faces. Newborns are fascinated by the human face. But they also love black & white patterns. It helps their eyes develop. The stimulation is very important for their brain development. They prefer black & white over colors at this stage. Here are some that I use, I found them online.

4.  www.kellymom.com

Let's just say, this website has been a lifesaver!

5.  Real Food for Mother & Baby

I highly recommend this book! Here is the description from Amazon:

"Nina Planck, one of the great food activists, changed the way we view old-fashioned foods like butter with her groundbreaking Real Food. T hen she got pregnant. Never one to accept conventional wisdom blindly, Nina found the usual advice about pregnancy and baby food riddled with myths and misunderstandings. In Real Food for Mother and Baby, Nina explains why many modern ideas about pregnancy and infant nutrition are wrongheaded and why traditional foods are best. While Nina can be controversial—her op-ed in the New York Times on vegan diets for infants was one of the paper’s most e-mailed articles— she’s no contrarian. Readers applaud her candor; they also trust her research and welcome her advice.

Nina’s basic premise hasn’t changed—whole foods are best—but some of the details are surprising. Pregnant women need meat and salt, not iron supplements. Nursing will be easier if you act like the mammal you are. Delaying the introduction of certain solid foods doesn’t prevent allergies. Cereals are not the best foods for tiny eaters; meat and egg yolks are better. From conception to two years, the body’s overwhelming needs are for quality fat and protein, not for carrots and low-fat dairy. Even as she casts a skeptical eye on the conventional wisdom, Nina is reassuring. She shows you how to keep your baby healthy on good, simple food. Real Food for Mother and Baby will be the new classic on eating for two."

So very informative, I will read it several times I am sure.  I only wish I would have read it when I was planning to get pregnant!

This is my top 5 for the first month of babydom! <3 

Friday Favorites

I decided to go ahead and do my December Friday Favorites post today, the first Friday because, well, it's December. I will be spending the rest of the month snuggling, diaper changing, feeding, adjusting, snuggling, preparing for Christmas, snuggling, and loving on my girls. <3 So why not go ahead a post. :)

1.  My Label Maker

Anyone who knows me knows I love everything labeled. :) Probably a little too much I would say. But it makes me happy when everything has a home and we all know where it's home is.

Here is my label maker.  There are tons on the market, but I just got a cheap one from Walgreens. It is a Dymo Personal Label Maker (not sold online) It does the job. The "sticky" is not all that great on the labels themselves, but it works for me for now. Maybe in the future, I will get me one of those snazzy ones.

2.  My tumblers

I love a tumbler! I use these even more now that I am home and I can refill them easier with filtered water than when I was at work.  This particular one I received as a Christmas gift last year from a coworker.  These are great! It is the only way I can make sure I drink the proper amount of water each day without drinking out of those wasteful water bottles! These are double-walled and can be used for hot or cold drinks. Love!

3.  Sigma F40 

I love the Sigma F40 Long Angled Contour Brush.  It is perfect for contouring, which I do every day. :)  It places the color and blends exactly where I want it and with the proper amount of pressure. The weight of the handle is unbelievable and makes application so easy. It practically does it for you....well maybe. lol.  I have tried several contour brushes and hands down this one is the. best. I loved it so much, I purchased several other Sigma brushes and love them too, but that will be in another post. ;)  Click here for more info.  And for those that may be interested, I use NARS Laguna for my contour powder. :)

4.  Flip Fold

Flip Fold? What is that? It is only the best invention ever!  It is the FlipFOLD® Laundry Folder. My husband loves his undershirts folded just right in his drawer to make getting ready in the mornings fast and easy. 

Well I have always folded my shirts using sturdy gift bags or large thick magazines or books as my "template" for getting the shirt the correct size.  Well I broke down and bought one of these bad boys and it changed my life.  OK. I may be exaggerating on that last part but it makes folding his and my t-shirts easier and I can do it in half the time! The day I received it in the mail, I may or may not have refolded every shirt in the house. ;)

                  

They can be purchased online or in store here.  The closest Container store to me is about 2 hours away. My husband is very grateful for this. ;)

5.  Shaklee

I began using Shaklee cleaning products when I found out I was pregnant.  I was looking for cleaning products that were chemical free and actually got the job done. With 2, soon to be 3 children, a husband, and 2 inside dogs, I needed something that works!

Insert interesting fact:  

I read that a study was done at the University of Oregon where women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. This study from the University concluded that this was a direct result of the increased exposure to toxic chemicals, many of which were found in common household products. I work at home as a homemaker; I fit that job description. Did I really want these chemicals around my children? NO!

So I decided to try Shaklee and I fell in love. I use their Basic H and Basic G. My next purchase will be the dish soap and laundry soap. 

Basic H:  Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate

This is the all purpose cleaner. You receive a 16 oz bottle which makes up to 48 gallons of cleaner! You may also purchase the set of 3 spray bottles as well, which is what I did.

To make the cleaners:

For all-purpose cleaning:
Add 1/4 tsp. to 16 oz. of water.

For windows and mirrors:
Add 1-2 drops to 16 oz. of water.

For degreasing:
Add 1 1/2 tsp. to 16 oz. of water. For bigger jobs, add 2 oz. to 1 gallon of water.

For 1 bottle of Basic H retail price is $12.15. As a member you pay $10.35. (if you are interested in learning more about membership, I can send you information :)

You may think? $10 for a bottle of cleaner?! Please know, I have only bought 1 bottle of this concentrate!

One bottle of Basic H equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex. :)

Here is a cost breakdown. Click for larger picture. :)

See why I love Shaklee so much? It is all I use to clean my house. You can go to www.shaklee.com to see all of their products. They also have a health and beauty division as well, which I have yet to try. Please let me know if you have any questions about Shaklee! I will be glad to answer any that I can. <3

XOXO,

Friday Favorites

I am going to try to do a Friday Favorites post at the end of each month letting you know what were some of my favorite beauty/home/etc. things for the month!

1.  Satin Taupe by MAC

This is my favorite eyeshadow! This color works perfectly with my skin color. It goes on sheer for daytime but buildable for nighttime. :) Available at www.maccosmetics.com

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2.  Naked and Naked 2 by Urban Decay

These have been my go to palettes for over a year now. The Naked 2 was released last December and the original was released August 2010. I missed the release of the original and it sold out EVERYWHERE! It took me forever to get it. With the Naked 2, I hopped on that bad boy the second it was released! lol. I mostly wear natural colors and this covers every realm! They did just release the Naked mattes palette which features 6 matte shades. I will pass on this because I have on order the Tiffany D for Sigma palette so I don't need it. I have hit pan on the "naked" color in the original Naked palette and will probably order just that color from Urban Decay. It is the perfect blending color. :) Available at www.urbandecay.com

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Ok, enough with makeup for today. :)

3.  Deco Mesh

I am loving deco mesh this holiday season!  I added it to all my decor and could not love it more! <3  I will do a holiday decor post at a later date. :)

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4.  Organized like Jen

I am slightly OCD about organization. I am not, by nature, an organized person, so it is extremely difficult to keep things the way I want them. But this little youtube guru is my all time inspiration. Thought I would share with you. :)  Click here for her channel.

5. Henri Bendel

I love my Henri Bendel bangle! I got this quite a while ago and I have worn it so much since! I love that it came in petite size. I have a hard time finding bangles to fit my wrists and this is perfect. It has a slight oval shape so it stays where it is supposed to perfectly. I wish I could have one in every color....oh it's fun to dream. <3 www.henribendel.com

Until next time...

XOXO,