Say it every day...

This week has been a difficult one for many. Seeing the loss of so many young children, and their wonderful hero teachers, is difficult for anyone, but personally its been difficult as a mom. It became especially difficult when it was announced that many of these children were born in 2006.

In October 2006 I welcomed my first child. My life changed forever that day. I went from being a young woman who's only concern was what fun my husband and I could have to being responsible for a little life. I remember the moment he was born as literally the most overwhelming and joyous moment of my life. As he was placed on my chest I felt the most over powering feeling of love! I have never felt like that before! How you could instantly love something that much, its indescribable. If you haven't experienced it yourself, its just not something you can explain.

This tragedy really puts things into perspective. These babies are the same age as my baby. They were all so young and full of life, so much left to give this world and their families. And now they are senselessly gone. We'll never know what they could have done in this world. They've certainly left impressions on the world and their deaths will not be in vain I'm sure.

This tragedy as helped me appreciate what I have more. I have three beautiful, healthy children. Three wonderful souls who are going to make a mark on the world. I have a bright 6 year old who enjoys school, computers and has such a kind heart. I have a funny 4.5 year old who can always make me laugh when times are difficult. And I have a beautiful 1 year old daughter, who I hope I can have a close friendship with as she grows, she lights up my day and makes me smile with her goofiness!

I have a few hopes and dreams for my children. Its not that they are doctors or make tons of money. Its that they grow to be kind, generous and successful people. That they always know how loved they are. That they follow their hearts and do what makes them happy in life. That they feel comfortable to be who they are, no matter who that is! They are find love with who ever makes them happy and deserves them. That they see their lives are worth living, cause they matter to me. That people look at them and think happy thoughts, that no one ever fears them and only sees the light and love within them. I hope they are kind to others and others feel like they can lean on them when they are in need. I hope they are kind and polite to others. I hope they are generous and share with others. I hope they volunteer their time and give to those in need when they can. I hope that they laugh a lot and surround themselves with great friends and family. People who bring out the best in them.

I hope most of all that I can be the kind of mother who creates these people for the world. I see so much wonderful potential in them and I hope I am able to bring out the best of them and help to form great members to contribute to our society and make it a better place. I hope they hear my lesson that you don't have to be friends with everyone, but you have to respect them and be kind to them.  I hope that they can find a friend in someone who is in need of one.

So my lesson from this tragedy is to tell them something positive everyday so they grow into these individuals. To tell them they're smart, to tell them they are capable of anything, to tell them they're kind. To be sure they understand how much they are loved, how smart they are, how beautiful they are, that just who they are is enough and it matters to the world. That they're making a difference and that I appreciate everything in them. That I love them, more than anything else in this world.

Front Entrance Revamp! pt1

I recently just got sick of my Front Entrance. Its a small space and between four kids, 4 cats and two adults, its constantly a mess. Last year I tried to encourage the kids to hang up their bookbags andcoat by attaching 3m Command hooks. It worked well enough for a while, and then Lemon the destructor came along and ripped them off the wall.

Thanks to Pinterest I have had a few ideas pinned on how to solve this issue. Recently I started with measurements to figure out what I had to work with and where to go. I came up with a plan and headed to Home Depot! I found all the materials I needed and even got the guys there to cut the wood to the exact measurements I needed! Came home and put it all together!

Here is the before of the area... (older pic as you can see a baby seat shes been long out of :S)

I need to get a little more white paint and would like to hang a message board of some sort on top, so Im calling this Front Entrance Revamp pt 1! But here is my finished project! Total cost was $36 so far!

Welcome Visitors!

Hello everyone coming over from Tales of a Domestic Diva!

Today I was a guest blogger over at Tales of a Domestic Diva! I shared my simple pom-pom creations. Theyre cheap and easy to make and great for quick and easy decor ideas! I wanted to share a couple of my finished products over here so you all visiting and regulars can see what you can create! To see instructions be sure to see my post on her blog today here!

First up is the colourful pom-poms I made for my daughters nursery! They add a pop of colour to her room and bonus, only cost $3 to make!

For her birthday this year, as mentioned in the blog, I decorated with a couple pom-poms around the house, as well I made the owl pom-poms as shown in the blog! They made great cheap decor to go with the owl theme and everyone loved them!

So go check out the instructions and see how easy and cheap it is to make yourself! And thanks for all the guests for stopping by! Make sure to follow to see more project ideas!

Coconut Oil

A few days ago on Pinterest I saw a pin about getting soft silky hair and I had to check it out. I'm at a terrible stage post-pregnancy where my pregnancy-thick hair is now all fallen out and I have terrible regrowth going on. Its also super dry and breaking easy. I anxiously opened the pin to see what this miracle cure was!

Coconut oil! "Humm that's simple enough!" I thought. Stored it in my brain for my next grocery trip. This week I grabbed some from the store, $6.99 a bottle, not bad since it will last quite a few applications!

So here's what you do, open the bottle, flip your head upside down, then take a big handful and spread it through your hair. It kinda melts from the warmth of your hands so don't take too much you can always add more.  Work it through your hair and down to the tips (oh my poor tips needed it bad!). When your hair is coated take it into a pile and clip it on the top of your head.

Now you can do 1 of 2 things, put on a shower cap and put the hairdryer to it for about 15 minutes, or let it sit for 30 minutes. Since I had other stuff I had to get done (hey, I'm a mother, I'm always multi-tasking!) I decided to just let it sit while I finished folding my laundry ;)

After half hour, hope into the shower and wash like normal. I did read it could take 2 shampoos to really get it all out, this is what I had to do, then condition, dry & style as normal. 

Now my 1st day I wasn't so sure what to think. It was certainly nicer looking, smoother, my frizzys were MUCH better, but it was a little greasy looking. I had a busy day so I just threw it in a ponytail (as usual) and went on with my day.

Today I did my mom stuff in the morning and by lunch decided it was time to shower again! I just washed and  dried it and amazingly I didn't even NEED to straighten my hair, I'm usually a big puffy mess if I don't. I did straighten it some, but I was relieved to see I didn't NEED to!

Now brilliant me forgot to take before pictures, but trust me, there's a huge difference! Its so shinny and healthy looking! I'm sold!

Pom Pom decor!

Hey everyone! I've been working on some cute Pom Pom Decor I just had to share! Its a cute DIY project that is super cheap and easy to do which can easily brighten up any room or party!

I've done a couple projects now but my latest is for my daughter Lemon's 1st birthday party! My first project was to have some puff to hang up at the party as an easy and cheap decor option. 

All you need is: 

• Tissue paper from the dollarstore 
• Wire from the dollarstore (I use invisible, stretchy jewelry cord as I had some here from making necklaces) 
• And a pair of scissors!

Now here comes the easy step by step guide ;) 

Lay out the tissue paper flat and begin from one end to the next folding like an accordion

Wrap a Floral Wire around it in the middle (This photo was before I used the invisible cord, I switched to that cause it was easier and worked better!)

Cut the top and the bottom in a half circle

Now, very gently and delicately separate each layer, they rip easily so be careful!

Fluff each later so it is round. Then I used a large needle and clear thread to go through the layers in the middle so I could hang it.

I don't have any photos from the party yet as it hasn't happened yet, but I will share the ones I made for her bedroom so you can see them in action! Then make sure you come by my blog to see the end result in a few days!!

 Using hooks installed in the ceiling I hung the pom poms up! And Voila! My Baby girl has an easily decorated room! Total cost for this project was under $5!

Now, while searching on Pinterest I also found an adorable way to make owl pom poms (her birthday theme is owls!). So I thought they would be super cute on her desert table. Again I don't have final pictures on the table as they party hasn't happened yet, so make her you drop by my blog for an updated picture!

Now for supplies you need

• Tissue Paper from the dollarstore
• Styrofoam Balls from the dollarstore
• Floral Wire (again I used invisible jewelry cord I have left over)
• Some felt (which I had left over from previous projects)
• Scissors
• And a glue gun!

Start out by cutting the tissue paper in half width wise so they're not too large. Set one aside, and then with the other begin to fold accordion style again and then put tie the cord around the middle tightly!

 Now cut the sides, this time I decided to try cutting into triangle shape instead of rounded

Then fan out the side and begin to slowly and carefully pull the pieces apart, again being super careful as they rip easily!

When the whole project is puffed up, find the middle and flatten them down so you have a flat spot for the head:

Now take a piece you set aside and  fold it in half, then place the Styrofoam ball in the middle and wrap it around the ball

(ack ignore my nailpolish! It needs to be fixed badly!)

Next take another piece you set aside and cut out some wings and ears. Then get the felt and cut out some eyes and a mouth!

Now all that's left to do is use your glue gun to put everything together!! Glue the head in place, then attach the wings & ears, then finally the face! and Voila! An owl center piece for the table!

Total cost for this project was about $4!

Hope everyone enjoyed reading this easy DIY project and has fun making your own! 

Sophie

Our Cleaning schedule

This is our family cleaning schedule. I created so I can add items later and sent it off to be laminated at Staples. Now I can use a dry erase marker to check them off as I go! Works great for staying on track! Download it here, modify it to fit your family and try it yourself!

Carseat Safety Stickers

I am a Certified Child Restraint Technician and was asked this morning about creating some stickers that people could put onto their carseats with information about the children in the seat, in the event of an accident. Such a great idea! So I went ahead and created the following, which can be printed on sticker paper, filled out underneath with their personal info and attached to their seats.

Download the PDF for this sticker HERE!

Please keep in mind, don't place over another identifying sticker and also place somewhere easily seen by emergency personnel! 

Summer Fun List!

I keep meaning to blog on this so here I am!

On the day after the last day of school, Button and I sat down together and made a list of all the fun things we wanted to do this summer! We ended up with quite the list! Heres a copy of it to show you!

As you can see its quite the list! We're slowly but surely chipping away at the list ;) Today they knocked out another one! "Roll down a hill" check them out in action (sorry only a crappy camera phone picture)

They sure had fun! I think it was 5 straight minutes of this before they got bored and moved on... but it was good for lots of laughs!

And while they were doing this, I was enjoying this:

How did this happen!

Yesterday while I was trying to prepare a meal I had to dig through my casserole dishes to get to the one I needed. I stopped and looked around and thought, wait how did this happen! What a mess!  So it was put on my to-do list for today! Must fix up this cupboards!

So while Lemon napped today I set out! They started like this:

Supposed to be my tupperware cupboard 

Eek! What a mess!

And now my after photos:

This is going to be so much easier to get to! I even finally put my lid organizer to work! lol I bought it months ago and it had nothing in it all this time! Now I feel much better that Ill be able to just reach in and get what I need, without making an even bigger mess!

Next up - My lazy Susan and Pantry! But my little miss is now awake, so they'll have to wait! Stay tuned!

The Dresser Makeover

So Jaime and I havent had a proper dresser since we moved into our house. The last year Ive been watching peoples DIY projects and been dying to do a dresser! One day while shopping at Value Village I came across this beauty for sale for $20 and so the makeover began!

I had to get the dresser to my parents place as they have a garage I could fix it up in (we've had a lot of rain lately) and once there got lots of advice from my brother and my father. As I set out to sand the dresser, my brothers electric sander died and I had to hand sand it! Took me 3 hours to get it done!

Then came the painting. I did 3 coats of white paint on the dresser & drawers to get it perfect!

I decided to plurge and get the pretty glass handles I had been eying for months now! Im defintiely glad I did because it turned out perfect. All in all I spent around $90-$100 on material. For the price of real wood dressers these days I think I did great! I was able to buy material over time so it wasnt such a large about of money all at once, and in the end it was worth every penny!

And now, the after!!