DIY: Closet Separators (a must have for the nursery)

I just knew that my baby would have to have a walk in closet. Of course, he is my child, and I love to shop! I received so many outfits at my baby showers that the closet was full almost even before Korbin Bru was born. I needed some way to organize the massive amounts of clothing that he had. I also wanted something that could help my mom, dad, or even husband put up the laundry without having to ask where something went. (I have the issue that I want things done right and would rather do it myself so I know it gets done the way I want it.) This little idea gave me a little reprieve in terms of doing the laundry during those first few weeks and even months. 

This DIY was one of the most simplistic ideas that I did for Korbin's nursery. Not only is it helpful in terms of organization, it is also very pleasing aesthetically. 

You can see that I have a section that is labeled sleeper while every other hanger is label with months. That is because the sleepers actually used to be the newborn hanger.

I had Labels for Newborn, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9. 9 and 12 months

up close and personal with the closet separators

Easy Closet Separators

• As many wooden door knob hangers as you want (purchased at Hobby Lobby for 99 cents a piece)
• Scrapbook paper-I chose to have a different piece per hanger but you could do all the same or two colors or whatever, your imagination is the limit
• Removable Multi-Use Labels-trust me and get the removable ones. They are easy to peel off and replace. (See the picture above where I changed the Newborn out for Sleepers) This way you can change them as the baby grows. I purchased this Avery brand from Office Max for under 4 dollars. 
• Exacto Knife
• Ribbon of your choice
• Modge Podge

Cut the paper into manageable strips. Put the Modge Podge glue on the wooden hanger and then affix the paper. I had ends hanging off everywhere, and I let it dry like that. Then, I simply trimmed the paper with the eExacto Knife and then cut out the door knob hanger. I affixed the label to the center of the hanger and tied on a ribbon. Easy-peasy!

Coral and Turquoise

I have always been a girl who had a closet full of black. It was/is a slimming choice. There was no fashion risks. It was always safe. But now, I desire color and combinations that I never would have put together 5-10 even 2 or 3 years ago. I like stepping out of my "normal". I did this here. In the past, I would have never put these cowboy boots with this outfit, but I thought why not. I like the result even if everyone else is like what was she thinking?!

Somehow my husband made me look so short here. I am not "that" short-5 6"

Sweater Old Navy (they are sold out of this particular color)
Black top an old from Belk
Leggings old from Target
Boots Christmas Present

DIY: An After Baby Marriage Builder

As a teacher, I love little things that I can create to use in my classroom. I have smaller frames (5 x 7) with slim black frames that I post our daily objectives on in the classroom. I also have a small one of these that I created on a rainy day that I was completely bored. Here

I saw this idea of a "I love you because board" on Pinterest and just had to do it because it was cheap and easy. Plus, lets face it. After a baby, you barely have time to pee or eat let alone have time with your spouse telling him all the reasons that you love him. Trust. Those up and down at night wakings will have you stumbling blurry eyed till you may not know even what day it is. Or at least that is how I feel with my difficult sleeper. 

This is just one of those things that we can do to make each other happy and let the other one know we still love and appreciate one another. This is not something that we do everyday, although that would be nice, but it is much nicer to have it be something spontaneous and not forced. That way you know that the other person was really feeling that way at that exact moment. Again Trust. It will make the smiles that much bigger. 

This project can be completed with things you probably have already in your home. 

What you need: 
a frame (this one is an 8 x 10 purchased at Walmart for under $4.00)
a piece of scrapbook paper (purchased at Hobby Lobby for like .11 cents)
an old dangly earring
Super glue or hot glue/gun
computer and printer
Vis a Vis Pen or other wet erase marker-I find it cleans up better than dry erase

Seriously, all you do is type this up in Word, pick your fonts, and print on your scrapbook paper. I like that the love looks a little different. I thought about making the love red but changed my mind at the last minute. (I am in the process of making a similar one for Korbin Bru's room but without the flowers. I have something else in mind for him). Pop that paper in the frame and you are done. If  you don't particularly like the frame or are looking to jazz it up, find an old earring that you don't mind disassembling. This is actually one earring. I just took all the flowers off of it and started sticking them on with super glue until I got a look that I wanted. I had one left over so it went in the opposite top corner. 

Voila. A completely unique frame that just might make my husband say romantic things...lol

Freezer Meals: Crockpot Pork

During my pregnancy, I knew that cooking after a baby would be difficult. However, I didn't realize just how difficult it would be those first few months. My husband works late hours, so he was never really able to help out with dinner. Korbin was always awake around dinner time, and he would not let me put him in his swing or anything to fix dinner. He just wanted mommy. I made a lot of meals while pregnant that went into the freezer. When I saw what a life saver they were after the baby arrived, I decided to give it another go. Now with a baby in tow, I needed something that I could dump and walk away from. So, I found myself turning to things that I could do in a crockpot or one dish wonders for the oven that would hold up in a freezer. We have a big daddy freezer in my garage. If you don't have one, get one. It will be a lifesaver after you have a baby.

Enter Crockpot Pork

My husband loves pork tenderloin, and I like that it is a fairly healthier cut of beef. I also like that when I buy it, usually there are two in the wrap so I can do two totally different things with them (or like I did this time I made two of these for the freezer. This stuff seriously falls apart, it is so tender. I swear I know the cranberry sauce sounds so funny, but just trust. I HATE cranberry sauce, but I LOVE THIS!

In a gallon freezer bag (I label it with the name, date, and instructions prior to putting in the ingredients)

Ingredients:
a Pork Tenderloin
1 can of whole cranberry sauce
1 package of Lipton soup mix (I have used onion and Beefy onion)
2-4 tablespoons of mustard (spicy, Dijon, just not the regular yellow mustard)
1-2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tablespoons of Lite soy sauce
1/2-1 tablespoon of liquid smoke (I love the smoky flavor)
Splash or two of bourbon or whiskey (optional)

Label the bag and put the instructions on the bag. (That way you can just have the hubby throw it in if you are otherwise incapacitated (napping, feeding, diaper changing, or trying to do those mountainous loads of laundry that will pile up after the baby is born). * I forgot to put the instructions on this one because I make it so frequently that I just know what to do.

To cook: Thaw overnight in the fridge. DO NOT PUT IN THE CROCKPOT FROZEN! Pour contents of bag into your crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Side Note: You can also make this without freezing first.

Another note: after searching the internet, I found a recipe very similar to this one. However, I use more liquids and spices than this cranberry dijon pork recipe does. But for those of you that like something a little quicker and less ingredients, here you go.

Coming Soon: White Chicken Chili

2-3 Month Favorites

1. Graco Sound Machine- This machine has been a life saver. Not only does Korbin Bru like it, but mommy and daddy does too. It has this neat little blue light that I just reach over and tap when he wakes up for a feeding. It keeps it nice and dim in the room but provides enough light for mommy to feed the little guy. It has 12 different sounds, including lullabies (one of which he really likes), nature sounds (the sound of rain and bugs are his favorite and truthfully our favorite too) and white noise sounds. It is small and portable and also has a feature to use your IPOD or MP3 player which I haven't tried yet. 

2. Double Feature Mirror-This little beauty keeps our son occupied for hours (not really hours but a good 20 minutes-enough to gobble down something quick to eat). On one side it is a mirror, which Korbin loves to "talk" to the baby in the mirror. The other side has 6 black and white pictures (high contrast graphic toy) and has helped him stopped being cross-eyed all the time which always freaked my husband out. We have used it prior to nap time to help settle him down. We have also used it during tummy time. We place him on the Mambo and put the mirror or graphics down under him and he will look at it ( and drool on it)!

3. Carseat Canopy- Mommy likes that it keeps Korbin covered while Korbin likes the pattern side and the softness of the solid side. I got this carseat canopy with a coupon that the hospital gave me. It took me over a month to go over all the little pieces of paper that I knew were just coupons and information that might or might not be pertinent. (When your baby sleeps giving you time to do things, the last thing on your mind is a COUPON! Later, as we were cleaning off our desk, my husband found it and we decided to get it. All we had to pay for was the shipping and handling. It has so many different prints to choose from. I love how easy it is to use. It just has velcro snaps that attach over the handles. Now they offer a personalization for the covers too. I wish they had that option when I ordered mine (they may have but in my sleep deprived state, I missed it). I picked the Maddox. The also offer a whole Caboodle which has like 5 things included. I decided not to use my coupon for an upgrade but just to get the free cover instead. I sort of wish now that I had just used it as an upgrade. Hindsight.

4. Mod Swad - This is the softest product that he has. I truly wish that they made these in adult sizes because it is so soft. The bamboo one is the one that we purchased. At first, the little guy was not having it at all. But, we tried it again, and he fell asleep on his own in his crib for a nap. I was like AH-HA! The only thing that worries me is that our little guy is super strong. He really likes his hands but he still can't sleep with them out. They don't flail like they use too but he can't stop rubbing his face and his eyes when not in a swaddle. He is so strong that he can pull it up over him, but not for long. If I had a little girl, I would definately have the head pieces that match because they are too cute! When he can actually do the no swaddle thing, we want to get him the sleeper. 

5. Nap Nanny - This product was truly a good product for us. Our son was diagnosed with reflux fairly early on. Everytime we would lay him down flat, up it all came. It would scare him, and he would scream. This would wake him up and we would have to start the whole put to sleep process all over again. Seriously, mommy and daddy were super tired! We bought this product because I had seen it recommended and heard good things about it. Although he didn't sleep nearly like some of the other reviewers said their babies did, his sleep did improve because it didn't take us as long to get him to go to sleep and stay asleep. Plus, momma didn't worry about him choking on his spit up as much as when he was laying flat. Luckily, Korbin has outgrown it in terms of his sleeping arrangement which is good news for us because the product has been RECALLED. This saddens me because I really would recommend this product if it had not been recalled. 

6. Fisher Price Rocker/Sleeper - We really wanted Korbin out of the Nap Nanny, but he didn't like his crib or play pen sleep area just yet. We knew we still could not lay him down flat. This little rocker has an incline that was just the ticket. He sleeps so good in this thing. Of course, it still isn't great sleep yet. It does have an extra deep seat so the baby feels that he is safe and secure. It does rock, and it is easy at 2 am in the morning when you are to blurry eyed to even make out your own hand, to reach over and give it a gentle "push" to make it rock. It is so lightweight and easy to move around. The only downfall is for me is that it is a little on the short side. I do wish that it sat just a little bit higher or my bed mattress was a little bit shorter (lol).
But it seems like all the products that I really like and have success with has been RECALLED. The reason for the recall is for possible mold. They are not taking the product back they just give instructions on how to clean it. 

To Return to Work or Not?: Korbin's Choice

I could kiss this little face all day long...sometimes I do. Now that I have extended my maternity leave for a couple more months, I can enjoy this face and the kisses that much more. I was seriously having a heart attack at the thought of going back.

I "talked" to Korbin to get his perspective on what he wanted mommy to do. A couple days later he got sick. The doctor ordered a few different medications and for him to stay in a "controlled environment" which is basically like a quarantine because he couldn't go anywhere. We even had to give up our plans for a cabin for my birthday and our plans for New Years Eve. Welcome to Parenthood! I am not upset. I got to have time with my little guy at home; that is just as good as time at a cabin.

I truly felt like this was Korbin telling me what he wanted. He wanted me to be there to take care of him. Because I like to know that things are done right, especially with my son, I wanted to make sure that his medication was given to him properly. Unfortunately,  when there are so many medications and some that have to be taken multiple times a day  there must be communication about when he takes it.

Seriously thinking of creating a medication board for him!

It would be very easy for me to think that my husband gave him the medication, or  him think that I did and Korbin not get his medication. On the flip side, the same could go for over dosing him on it. There has to be communication! I just want to make sure that he is safe, and unfortunately, I am not that trusting. Heck, I have only been away from him for a max of 4 hours. So for now, Korbin has decided that mommy isn't going back to work this month. 

Hello 2013

As my family said goodbye to 2012, I had to pause and reflect on my year. It was an absolutely great year. It was a life changing year. I accomplished most (not all) of what I set out to accomplish. However, I am a person that likes to look forward, not back. So, I have some goals for the new Year. 

Goal # 1 : GET IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. 

Usually, I am the one snapping the pictures. As I look through the photos uploaded to my computer, I notice that there are so many of Korbin and daddy and not so many of mommy and Korbin. I am not ashamed of how I look. I realize I have more gray hairs, my eyes droop and have black circles and bags under them, I am a pasty pale tail, and I just look plain out TIRED. I don't care. I am enjoying every minute, every sleep deprived minute of being Korbin's mommy.

Goal #2: GET KORBIN TO SLEEP!!!!!! 

This is a biggy. My son hates sleep. He is like allergic to it or something. We are extremely lucky to get four hours of sleep straight. That is on a good night. More often it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-3 hour stretches. It makes me feel horrible that all these other mommies have babies that sleep through the night. I have to figure out how to help my little guy get the rest that his growing body needs. 

Sweater & Skirt from Old Navy

Goal # 3 FIND MY NICHE

I need to find out what my niche is. Where do I fit now in this world? I used to think that I knew. I was a teacher. That was my niche. Now, I am not so sure. I am not sure that is where my heart is any more. I also want to find my niche in the online world-you know-am I the butcher, the baker or the candlestick maker?. I have some new ideas for this blog. Be ready for a 2013 makeover! 

Goal # 4 ORGANIZE

I want to organize my life, my job, my home, my computer. I want to discard the clutter (the paper, the excess junk -you know the kind that finds itself sitting in the back of the closet for years or out in the garage in the thought that I might use it one day) the people that are not positive or make positive impacts on my life. 

This goal is important to me because as a mommy of a fairly needy baby, I do not get a lot of time. I need to make serious use of the time that I do get.