Best Hair Product for color treated hair? Joico color balance blue review

First, let me start off by saying I've been wanting to color my hair for a LONG time. My husband so lovingly told me he loves my hair just the way it is, without color. But, I read between the lines and know in reality, he just doesn't want me to spend $200 every 4 months (Let's get real).
Recently I was given the opportunity to get my hair colored while doing a shoot for a magazine, and lo and behold, my husband loved it (granted the costs were covered) but since then hes come to terms that coloring my hair is probably enevitable and we've both agreed that it would be a fine investment.

Look at me using words like investment! Well, it is in a sense. I spent a decent amount getting some color done. I normally have dark dark brown hair, and I chose to lighten it up, no easy task for most brunettes. I had an amazing stylist here in Richmond that did a beautiful job. Hair color can change due to a lot of things like heat, the sun, cleansing products, chlorine, and I needed to follow up and care for my investment with a great shampoo and conditioner. I didn't want to spend a great amount but I knew I had to up my product (and definitely not use the $1 shampoo my husband swears by).

After much searching I purchased the Joico color balance blue shampoo and conditioner. First off this line has specific product for the coloring you have had done to your hair. This blue line was for lightened brown hair to keep it from turning orange/brassy in color. This was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted my light brown and blonde color to stay that way for as long as possible.

The product is very interesting. The shampoo is dark blue and the conditioner is light blue. The shampoo had a light smell that was very pleasant (I usually like strong smelling shampoos) but that was fine because the conditioner smells great and has a stronger scent. For some reason I thought it smelled like strawberry bananas, it was nice!

The shampoo is a really bright blue color. This I guess makes sense because I'm sure there's a pigmentation correction going on with the lightening and the blue. I'm not a scientist, but it made me think there was some scientific reason for this. It left some blue pigmentation on my hand after, but nothing an extra hand wash wouldn't take care of for the most part. (So if you've just gotten a French manicure, I'm not 100% sure how the blue pigment would react to that).

I lightly blow dried my hair and I can honestly say I like the results. Now this is a toner shampoo so it can be drying, but I used this with the conditioner and my hair feels great! It's definitel not super sleek/soft, but there's some texture. I truly feel like the color of my hair is defined but in a softened way (in a good way) it looks great in lightening, and no brassy undertones. Granted, this is just one wash, but all in all I'm very pleased!

I would totally recommend this product line. It's definitely important to protect the investment you put into your hair, and if you can do this without it costing you a small fortune, that's nice too!

Update: I waited 2 weeks before posting this and I still love how my color is lasting! Definitely repurchasing!

Simplifying Life: Closet Hacks- Outfit Organization

Laundry and clothes seem to consume my world every week. I like getting the clothes organized and clean and put away. With a 3 year old and a 1 year old, I feel like I"m going through the closet every month to organize what's in season, what's not, what is too small, and what they don't have.

My dear husband who is so wonderful in so many ways, sometimes struggles in the matching clothes department (for the kids at least). I've tried many things, like hanging outfits together, giving him some examples, but it never fails... the kids come downstairs in camo pants and a striped shirt. Again, I'm not complaining (okay maybe I am). I appreciate his desire to get the kids up and dressed, but I wanted to find a better way that would make mornings quick and easy for all of us. So I decided to pull something together that will make morning dressing time easy while keeping the closet organized. I bought a $6 shoe organizer from Wal-mart, and broke out the cricut cutter and some vinyl for labels, and it was complete.

We are in an akward season right now where its rainy some days, but kind of sunny and hot others, so for now I've organized it by type of top and bottom. "long sleeved and pants" or "short sleeves and pants." I ball up a pair of socks, and voila an outfit! Hoodies and jackets and dressier clothes I still hang up, but the main outfits are organized into pockets. I decided for now to only do this for my 1 year old. My daughter loves picking out her clothes and I want to give her the opportunity to express herself each morning, however my 1 year old isn't quite into that yet. It is fun every morning to have him point to the pocket he wants to wear, so in a sense I'm giving him some options, but I don't have to think about it.

when putting away laundry I put together an outfit (with socks)....

pile them together.....

and roll them up. They stay unwrinkled too!

 So far I love this set up! As we pack for vacation it makes it so simple, and everything is rolled and ready to go into luggage. Heck I might roll the whole organize up for longer trips and put both children's clothes into pockets and make getting ready on vacation a breeze!

As the weather irons out and is more stable, I may switch it to "daycare" and "weekend" outfits. (Life at school can be fun and messy, so sometimes I get selective on what gets sent to school) My daughter right now is learning how to cut with scissors.. but she keeps cutting towards herself, which means lots of holes in her shirts....*sigh* she'll get it one day!

How do you organize your children's clothes, and what system works for you?

New Work Arrangements: Making Adjustments

As some as you know, I left public accounting in May of this year to take a step into the private accounting world. My goal was to allow myself more time with my kids, and to get home at a reasonable time. The company I decided to work for is a large public company headquartered in my area, and I was excited for the opportunity to be a part of their team.

After much discussion I had a separate meeting to discuss my desired hours and the need to be present at home with my children. I even went into detail on my sons medical condition and his recent hospitalization, weekly therapy appointments, monthly doctor visits, and quarterly cardiology appointments. When everyone agreed it would be a great fit, I was thrilled.

The next 3 months were very difficult for me. Not only was I a new employee trying to learn the systems and gain efficiencies, I realized the work environment was very different than the 37.5 hour work weeks I was communicated about in my offer package. My group worked through lunch arrived well before me, and still were in the office at 8:30pm after I left. They worked hard, and they were great at what they did, but this environment left me more stressed than I was in public accounting, and I became very depressed about my working situation.

I'm very glad that I took the step and confronted my management on the reality of the role versus what was initially communicated to me during my hiring process. I think this is the step a lot of working mothers are afraid to do. I wanted to do it all, I wanted to be successful at work and at home, and I didn't want to confront management to let them know I couldn't do it. But I just kept seeing my children's faces, asleep tucked into bed, fed, showered and sleeping peacefully by the time I got home (thanks to my super supporting husband), and I knew this wasn't what I wanted out of my life. I needed more balance.

Now, the confrontation did not go as planned, and I was told things that were hurtful and disrespectful not just as a female in the workplace, but as a mother as well. But that's okay... I'm a mom first, and no matter what was said to me, it just solidified the decision to move on with my life.

Thankfully after conversations with my old Firm, I was hired back into an extremely flexible position. And it works! I feel horrible for abandoning my department and then silly for making a switch back so quickly but I'm so glad I was able to find something that works for me and my family. My schedule fluctuates during the year, but outside of peak season (peak season being January through April) I work 3 days a week, with goals set for me each month. Goals that are attainable and manageable, and it feels great!

Things I learned from this experience...
It's okay to not be able to handle it all. Just because someone chooses to work out of the home, doesn't mean they have to keep up with the persona that they can multitask, take care of sick children, be on 5 conference calls, and prepare 5 reports, all while saving the world. It's OK to not give up, but move on. Finding balance is not something that can be done in every situation that is given to you. It takes adjustments, every day.

Are there times that I still feel like I couldn't do "it"...that I couldn't be a full time "working mother" and do it all? Yes, but then I remind myself I AM doing it all....just in my own way, and that's good enough for me. The thing is we ALL do it all, every day. We manage, whether we stay at home with our children, or work the 80+ hour work weeks, we still love our children with all of our hearts, and that's what my goal will always be.

 

Crazy Hair Day

It was crazy hair day at school today.......and I forgot. 

I dropped the kids off at school, and once I got to work, my outlook reminder popped up "crazy hair day, 30 minutes overdue!" Son of a....

You might not know the severity of the issue here, but I forgot it was crazy hair day! I had all these grand plans. It was supposed to be a morning that I could spend 20 extra minutes with my daughter, instead of rushing through the house like a crazy person making sure everyone has socks and shoes on. I visioned Sophia and I making crazy faces at each other in the mirror, while singing Disney tunes...It was supposed to be a day where I could do something extra for my child, where Sophia's friends would say "oh man, your hair is awesome! Who did that?" MOM DID Sophia would scream with excitement, and then right there I would get bonus mommy points... Points I've felt quite often I haven't been earning through the craziness of work, and the sheer exhaustion of having a toddler and infant.

I forgot crazy hair day.......am I a bad mom?

The pipe cleaners I bought, would not be used, and Sophia's dark curls would not be braided into the craziness that I had planned. I failed.....

After I got home from school I was afraid to open the door, but I did, and there she was. Instead of a disappointed child, I saw a little girl who screamed "mommy I missed you!" And then she gave me the biggest hug ever. In that moment I realized, I may forget crazy hair day, I may not be skilled enough to make sandwiches into faces (I'm learning though), I may not have gotten the month by month picture in the same outfit (6 months out of the first year isn't too shabby), my daughters pig tails might not be even and her pony tail quite often has a few bumps (more than I can count).....but I'm the best mommy she's ever known, and I get points for trying, right?

Over the past year I should have learned that there are more important things to be worried about and that I should be counting how blessed I am. I'm going to try and be better at that. And, if I should remember a crazy hair day or two, that will just be that much sweeter....

Tomorrow is wear your favorite color to school day.....I've got this!

We all are working mothers

You've heard the term used over and over.. "Working mom" there is even a magazine devoted to it (great magazine by the way) and by definition we assume it is a female who is a mom, who has a job or a career. People call me that all the time, but recently when I talk about my experiences with my job, I do NOT refer to myself as a working mom, I tend to use the phrase "as a mom who works out of the home."

Yes, it's a mouthful, but look, I do not consider a mom who chooses to stay home with her child as someone who doesn't work. Heck that mom probably has many days where she works so hard you don't see a difference between the work of career and of keeping things together at home.

Here's to all the moms! We are ALL working mothers, and whether we work outside our home, or work alongside our little ones, we all deserve a bonus, a pat on the back, or just a sweet hug from our precious little ones. Yes, I'll take that hug over a pat on the back any day!

Grooving with Groovebook

I love Groove book. No, I haven't been contacted by the company to do a post, but I thought I'd share the love.

I heard about Groovebook through Shark Tank (I'm obsessed with the show its like the Home Shopping Network for me, I buy anything I'm impressed with). Then, I saw some Facebook ads, a post over at You are the Roots (love your blog Lindsay!). Www.youaretheroots.com if anyone is interested is checking her out, such a beautiful mommy blogger.

Back to Groovebook. So it's a subscription based app for your phone. I know it works for the iPhone, not sure about Android devices. The cost is $2.99 a month and you get a book of 100 photos each month delivery included. I take a ton of pictures which gets sucked into the "cloud"/space/vortex, wherever it goes, and on my computer. I never have time to get them printed. I needed something I could have as a coffee table book, to take with me when meeting friends for lunch, and my biggest success...the grandparents!

With Groovebook you can send a copy of the book for another $2.99. My parents beg me to send more pictures, and if they received a Groovebook, they would be overjoyed. Words of advice: Appeasing the grandparents is key. Especially when you can send them some love when they live Afar with the click of a button...works well with my busy schedule. Trust me the will reward you wil babysitting, trips to Costco and a candy filled child....okay scratch the last one...I'm not condoning that behavior!

So how does it work? It's an app on your phone, and depending on when you sign up you have until that day each month to upload photos to the app before it closes and your book gets made. I can upload 100 photos at once or throughout the month. I choose throughout the month, because uploading 100 takes time, but uploading 10-15 while I catch up on some emails, takes about a minute. It will even tell me which photos I've already uploaded, or if I've already used that photo in a previous book. They can't make it any easier. 

The book makes what looks like 4x6 photos binded but perforated so you can easily tear them out and stick them on the fridge or give them to a friend. It also marks the page (not on the photo but the perforation tab) with the date and time. That's pretty cool. From what I recall Groovebook gets its name from the little groove they had to put in the binding so it was flexible enough to qualify for media postage. (Dont quote me on that) Smart people!

I was weary about the quality.. I mean 2.9 cents a photo and I don't have to get off my lazy butt and drive to the store, it gets delivered to my mailbox, I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised! The paper was thinner than photo center photos, think photo printer paper, glossy, and a little thinner like the thickness of a magazine cover, like a good magazine like Star weekly (don't judge me!) I say this as I'm feeling up all the magazines in my house to get a good comparison. My daughter is staring at me funny. "Mommy's just researching honey" she's off, she says she's going to go research in her playroom.. Why does that sound creepy....

Okay I'm off topic again. Bottom line is I love this book, it's a cheap way for me to share with family. When I ordered they sent me a code: MILLIKAN3 

If you use it, you get your first month free. But keep in mind it IS a subscription, so you need to cancel or you will be charged $2.99 a month, even if you don't upload those 100 photos a month.

Less then the price of a Starbucks frappacino, totally worth it.

The Call....

If you are a mom who uses a daycare or child care service of some sort, you know what I'm talking about. The call...it's usually right when you are in the middle of an important project or have a hard deadline, your phone rings, and your child care providers name pops up on your caller ID. Chances are they aren't calling you to tell you your child recited his ABCs perfectly while using the potty and wiping his own bottom.....

You wait for it to ring a couple times while you assess your work status... Okay it's still ringing..this is not a hallucination....you pick up the phone

"Hi....ummmm...yeah....Junior just barfed all over his friends, you'll have to pick him up..."

Face palm to the head. It's only 9am and you need to figure out the escape plan, a back up plan, and a back up back up plan because you know when things start to go downhill, it's hard to really plan anything.

The project can wait, you pack your hand sanitizer and you are on your way to pick up your tiny bundle of germs, whom you love dearly, but would rather have healthy instead of sick any day (even though you love the extra cuddle time).

You're on the phone with your pediatrician while in the car because you know you need a doctors note to get your precious wee one back to day care anytime soon. 

Then there's the usual 24 hour after a fever rule before you can bring your child back to day care, which means you and your laptop and baby are best friends for the next 24-48 hours, welcome to mommy hood! 

Once the craziness dies down, and you are cuddling your sweet angel to sleep and sweating because the Tylenol hasn't kicked in for him yet, you stop and remember this moment. Because sometimes you need this extra time. There never is enough time, but right now in This moment your baby needs their momma, and you would go to the ends of the earth for them......Even if it means the report you were supposed to get to your boss by 3pm is not happening.....the world can wait.....someone more important needs you.

Usborne Books and More: becoming an educational consultant

Reading this, your like direct sales, that's so not me! Or, why be a consultant if you have a job? All great questions, and here's why.

I was introduced to Usborne books at a large Christmas craft show. The quality of the books are amazing, the books themselves are enticing, and draws children to them with their excellent illustrations, and amazing writing. Once I bought my first 2 books I was hooked. Do you remember the feeling you got when you were in elementary school and the teacher handed out the book order forms? The excitement of getting a new book, or possibly getting a new book. If I could just bottle up that emotion, and use it on days where I'm stressed or overwhelmed that would be the cure all! Where are those books I ordered? Probably ripped, broken, donated, trashed. The quality just wasn't there...

What if you can give that excitement to your child, and have books that will last....

Quality and Company

Usborne books is different, the quality is outstanding and these books will be passed down for sure. I've never once seen an Usborne book at a thrift store, or a consignment sale, and these aren't (for long while) offered on amazon. You have to go through a consultant to place an order. This shows the commitment the company has to their consultants. They offer a lot of tools for a consultant to be as successful as he or she wants to be.

Commitment

There is no commitment by a consultant to sell. I can host shows weekly, or decide I want to take time off, there aren't minimum requirements for sales. This is so important to me, because I don't always have time to breathe let alone promote my business.

Flexibility

I can host a party live, a Facebook party from the comfort of my home in my pjs, go to libraries and complete orders, or get into book fairs, preschool and reading drives. The ability to take this where you want is huge. If I'm holding a party, it's usually appropriate to bring my child. I don't have to be afraid I'm not spending enough time with my children, I can include them, and so can party attendees.

Support

The sport system is huge. My consultant team is like a family. They offer resources, tools, advice, and will even help me at party by skyping in and hosting the party with me. Any question about a book or recommendations are answered usually within the hour, and I never feel like my questions are dumb. Someone always wants to help me.

Fun

I told my husband I needed something fun to add to my work life. Something that I can try and succeed at, but can fail and it be okay. I want something I can make a little extra side money with, and pay for my daughters dance lessons, or my sons rehab sessions. It makes me feel good that I can do that!

Not interested in becoming a consultant? Host a party on Facebook, and get double free books until the end of September if you host with me. For example, a party with $350 in sales and a booking, you've earned $120 in free books, plus more at half price. Fun, easy, and all you need to do Is invite your friends and promote the books, which really sell themselves!

Interested in Usborne books, check out my company website at www.usbornebookclub.com.

Email usbornebookclub@yahoo.com with questions

Reflection time

I tend to do my best reflecting In the 5minutes I have after dropping my children off at daycare, and before I pull out of the parking lot. Yes, I sometimes sit in my car by myself and drink my Luke warm coffee, and think about what I'm about to do during the day. Do I have everything, did I remember to bring my daughters favorite book to school because its book day. Yes, ok good. Do I have my computer? okay great. Did I pay the kids tuition today? Did I end up switching the laundry to the dryer....darn it i didn't....ill have to redo that load later. 

I watch all the other parents drop off their kids. It's very therapeutic because I often feel sad I don't get to spend my whole day with my children, but I see other parents like myself dropping off their kids, and I feel like I'm not alone. There's the mom in the suit probably running late to a meeting, yes, those were breakfast crumbs she was wiping off her dress. There's the dad in the workout pants, and t-shirt, I wonder if he works from home, or maybe he gets in a run before he heads into the office. There's the parent with 3 young kids getting them out of the car one little one at a time. (I'd hate to see their tuition bill!) The mom who lugs a car carrier with her baby and a toddler Into the building by herself. There's someone with a car messier than mine (I told my husband that was possible). I saw those pieces of goldfish fall from the car and land in a little pile in the parking lot. I can spot goldfish a mile a way. I see the kids  run inside with huge smiles on their faces, greeting the teachers, backpacks on, ready for their field trip to the zoo.  

No matter if I work outside the home, work in the home, or stay at home, as long as my child is safe, healthy and happy, I'm doing a good job!

Then I snap out of it, put my car in reverse, and head to work. 

I may not have remembered to put the creamer back in the fridge before I left the house, and I'm wearing one black shoe and one blue shoe, but my child has her favorite book for book day...that is good enough for me!

A lesson from The Sandlot

Happy 4th of July! The family and I kicked it off with one of our favorite summer movies of all time...The Sandlot.

We seem to find ourselves quoting the movie from time to time...I don't know when the movie came out, but I've feel like I've been watching it FOREVERRRR FOREVERRRR (see how I snuck that in there)....

I really focused on one scene today, it's where the mom encourages her son to ask her step father to teach him the play fetch. She was like "well go in there and ask him" que awkward scene where boy stutters, and shyly asks. Every time I watch this scene I think to myself "why doesn't the mom just tell the dad to do it...why doesn't she pull him to the side and say 'hey, in a few minutes go ask your stepson to play catch, make him feel special like you WANT to do it" then I realized....that's the problem....what I'm thinking should happen is the problem...

I feel as a parent I am guilty of wanting things done for my daughter. Buying things for her because I know she'd like it, not because she's asked me for it. I find myself asking my husband to sign her up for things like dance because she likes dancing, but have I ever asked her if she wanted to have or do these things? Letting family know what to get her for her birthday when they ask me, instead of telling them to talk to her and figure out her likes and dislikes. Now that she's a big talker, I want her to use her verbal skills to communicate with others, in a polite and respectful way.

Is that an issue these days, where we provide things for our children without them asking or letting us know why they want or need something? Do I see the correlation around me, where people are afraid to ask for things, like a raise, and just wait until someone tells you you did a good job, and when that doesn't happen, you get angry and quit. Wanting something from someone should be a two way street. What do you want? Why do you want it? What does it mean to you? Is it an appropriate time for you to have what you want?

Im going to do better with how I treat My daughter, and ask her what she wants. Instead of providing her things and her just expecting good things to happen. Will she always hear yes? Heck no! She SHOULD hear no, and be okay with that. It should be an open conversation, she explains why she needs something, I explain why she can't have it right now, and if its something she can work towards, explain to her how she can achieve it.

This parenting thing is exhausting, and I know I'll never get it right, but ill try my hardest to do it in a way that works best for my family, and gives my children the opportunity to grow up to be respectful to others and themselves, that's my #1 goal.

Thanks Sandlot!

(Photo courtesy of www.imb.com)

I gave my child A Kid Cuisine meal.....and it's OK

Walking down the frozen section on my local Kroger the other day, I stopped in front of the frozen dinner section. There....I saw it! That blue box that took me back to my childhood. A Kid Cuisine frozen meal. This brought back memories of summer at my grandmothers when we were all too tired from a crazy filled day, and dinner had to be quick. It still however was rare. Once in a blue moon my mother would let me pick a Kids Cuisine meal from the freezer. "It's not healthy" she would say. She also said that about my cookie crisp cereal I always begged for but never got.

As a child I grew up thinking that blue box was bad for me, yet I still craved it.

Once I had kids I saw it, the health food craze. I made my daughter baby food from scratch, I choose organic when I could. I bought the fancy baby food cook books, with the ingredients I couldn't pronounce, because if given the option we always want what's best for our children. I felt like I'd set myself up to fail. I didn't always have time to roast the butternut squash or find the organic quinoa. My daughter didn't always like the fancy meals I spent hours pre making at the beginning of the week. It was hard. Why was I doing this? And why do I feel like a horrible mom for not wanting to sometimes. I had to let it go, and not put too much pressure on making everything perfect. I had to tell myself it was OK to buy the pre made baby food once in a while. Yes 2 ply toilet paper was okay, and store brand baby wipes got the job done.

Now don't get me wrong, I have many friends that just prepare organic, and that's great. I come from the thought that we do what works for our families. Moms need to do more supporting of one another instead of pushing what we feel works best for us. I think then, we will all know we are doing the best we can, and mommy guilt may be a thing of the past....maybe....

It came as a shock to me, that the other day, I stopped and actually reached in to grab one of those blue boxes for my daughter. "Penguin food mommy!" It put a smile on my face to think back to those random memories, but I thought what the heck, one meal won't be bad.

2 weeks later I was stretched thin for time. As a mom who works outside the house, dinner time fits in the sliver of time between sitting through rush hour to get home, bath time, and bed. I try my hardest to cook a wholesome meal each night, but this night it wasn't working out. So I broke out the penguin meal. Her eyes lit up, and she cried at the fact that she had to wait for it to cool down before eating up.

While she was inhaling her food (which never happens...my picky eater usually sticks her nose up at dinner time), I read the back of the box. Cooked spaghetti, whole grain pasta, tomato sauce with tomato, onion, and garlic, spices, soybean oil, Romano cheese from milk, meatballs with pork and beef, corn (with sugar....that was a little odd), applesauce, 280 calories, 9% of daily intake of fats, 15% for sodium (lower than I thought), it seemed to me that this meal seemed pretty well rounded for a frozen dinner. Now, I'm not a health expert, I don't claim to know anything really about nutrition, so I could have this completely wrong, but it seemed "healthier" than those lean cuisines I spent my 20's devouring for lunch.

Now, my goal is still try to cook a nice meal for my family each night, and enjoy it.... but if I have to break out the blue box once in a while......I won't feel like a horrible mom. My daughter CAN have a meal from a box and its OK. 

Sometimes I need to take a step back and look at the big picture....and tonight that picture is of a penguin, and he's snowboarding next to a pile of meatballs.....thanks Kid Cuisine!

An update...finally

So it has been over 6 months since my last post, for good reason, I promise!
I last posted the end of September. I had all these grand plans before baby came...I was going to do a what's in my hospital bag post (because I thought I had gotten it right this 2nd time around). I was going to do a my favorite things post for fall...but, as children are, baby Braden was VERY unpredictable.

Braden was born October 3rd, three weeks early, which wasnt too surprising since Sophia was born 4 weeks early in 2011. I thought I would have the perfect bonding experience with little man, at home, but shortly after arriving home, things were not what they should have been. See, Braden was VERY lethargic at home, barely opening his eyes, and only crying ONE time after we got home the first week of his life (during bath time...but I'd cry too!) He felt cold, I couldn't wake him, he wouldn't nurse. I took him to the pediatrician 3 times that first week home. The first check up was a normal first baby visit, I explained my concern that he wasnt eating enough (this wasnt my first rodeo) but he had gained weight, so it did not indicate a problem. Babies are sleepy, I was told, which is true and normal 99.9% of the time. I asked to come back in 2 days, and I did. By 7 days old He was sleeping 23.5 hours a day, and only drinking about 2 ounces a day. Still making wet diapers (I don't know how) and ge had gained an ounce. (How, i don't know!) But I still felt something was off. I was sent home. That Friday I called and made a sick visit because things were bad. He was still sleeping almost 24 hours a day, he only drank 1.5 ounces a day. I saw a different pediatrician, since my normal one was not available. They took him temperature.. 92.2 (something like that) I panicked, but the nurse went and got another thermometer, get his time it was somewhere between 92.2 and 93... I can't remember I just remember freaking out.
The doctor came in, and said he had gained an ounce, and that she didn't think their thermometers were very accurate, and he "felt" fine, so they sent me home.

Well flash forward 2 days later, Sunday night about 11:30pm, Braden was having trouble breathing, and breathing fast so we took him into the ER after calling our pediatrician our pediatrician a office, and that is where our nightmare started.

I won't go into ALL of the details of our 42 day stay in the hospital, but it included being told my son was in heart failure, being told he might not make it through the night, an emergency transfer to UVA hospital, my son being placed on a bypass machine to pump his heart because he was unable to do so, and being wait listed on the heart transplant list at status 1A.. The highest need. My life was in shambles, and I still see pieces of it, the worst days, like snapshots on a camera...but the feeling of being told your son may die, and his medical issue was unknown, stays with you forever....

I slept all 42 nights on a bench right beside my sons hospital bed. My husband and I were blessed with friends, family, and prayers all over the world and our prayers were answered. On the 42nd day, the week of thanksgiving, he came home with us.

Without writing a novel, the diagnosis was Myocarditis...a virus that attacked his heart muscle. This is very serious in newborns as there are not many known cases. We were told that most infants pass away in their sleep or it goes undiagnosed, or labeled SIDS. The rate of survival for a newborn was very, very small.

Although Braden has a long way to go, I am so blessed I have these days with him. Although his heart is not normal, and he may one day need a transplant if it gets weaker, I am so honored to be his mommy, and so blessed to have him in my life.

So there you have it. Occasionally I will make updates on the blog about Braden, but I don't want to dwell on the fact that he is not well, I want to rejoice in the fact that I have my family, and we can experience and enjoy every moment we are blessed with!
I hope to start blogging again soon, in between messy diapers, getting thrown up on, and a house full of crying babies, but you know what?....I love every moment......even the smelly ones......

Linen closet organization

I'm back at it, trying to organize my house and my life one room...or closet at a time. For MONTHS I've been wanting to clean up my child's/guest bathroom linen closet. Everytime I'd walk in and shove towels away I'd shudder at how disorganized it was. Then I'd shut the door and run away. "If I don't look at it long, it doesn't exist"....

I'd find myself using the same 2 towels, washing them and using them again because the closet was so disorganized I could not even see the other 5 kids towels I had in there. Subconsciously I kept telling myself "must buy more towels" because I didn't know what I had. A thing I learned about organizing my possessions is I actually spend less because i know what I have, and I use what I have.

 I went to my favorite store ever...the dollar tree. I actually laughed out loud because a sweet little old lady at the register next to me stated "dollar tree is my favorite store ever!" I picked up 9 baskets/buckets for a whopping total of $9.48 and was on my way.

I whipped out my trusty old Cricket and started labeling away. I wanted to differentiate my daughters sheets, from my sons, from the guest room sheets. I guess it's odd I labeled one teeth care instead of oral care, but my daughter knows the word teeth/tooth and I wanted to be able to show her how things are organized in the closet.

I think it turned out pretty good. It was a nap time project, which is the only hour and a half I get to do anything uninterrupted sometimes. Here's to getting things crossed off my to do list!

Before....

After.......

A new job, a fresh start

So I left public accounting....I actually left. It was a bitter sweet moment for me, as i had been with the same Firm for 8 years. But I needed to move on and find something that worked a little better with my new life.

I started my new job 3 weeks ago, and its pretty awesome. I'm in private industry now.  I'm still working full time, but having a more regular schedule allows me to be present at home a little more, both physically and mentally.

I'm so excited for what the future holds in my career, but always remind myself of the most important job I have, mommy to 2 pretty amazing little kiddos.

(I'll keep telling myself that as I listen to my 2 year old have tantrum number 3 for the day... And it's only 8am! )

Love her always!

September Citrus Lane: We finally say goodbye to each other!

So I received my second Citrus Lane box. From my past post, you probably know I was kind of on the fence about them. I had some questions about why I was getting 3 year old items, when I signed up for a 2 year old box, but in the end I was going to give them another month.

Well, another month comes, and I wasn't as excited about the September box as I'd hope. I googled sneak peaks of other people's boxes, and saw block and some of the boy items that I was excited about possibly receiving, but I didn't see any girl items. The day came, and the box arrived. Here is what I received:

 

1. Charley Harper ABCs. I like this book. It's unique, and my daughter loves books. The pictures are interesting, my daughter had a hard time figuring out what some of the pictures were because they were so unique, but I like books, so this was a plus! (value: $7.96)

 

2. Goody Bag from North American Bear Company. My daughter made a B-line for this. It's very small, it can probably fit a Clementine, and that's about it. I wasn't impressed because first, Sophia has a ton of little purses, she obsesses about for 1 day, and then it goes into her never ending dark hole toy chest. However, this purse is very well made, AND apparently you can wash it in the washing machine which is nice. But, I just keep thinking how I could buy a cheapy purse at the dollar store, and my daughter would like it just as much, so I didn't find too much value in this item for me personally. Although, again, I have to confirm it's great quality, and my daughter liked it for the whole day! (value on their website $12)

 

3. Playful Wash from Episencial. This was only a 3.8 ounce body and hair wash, which they dont' sell that small. So although it's larger than a "sample" I feel like it's not really a full product, so that was disappointing. based on the price per ounce of a full product I estimate the value to be $3.83

 

4. Super Toddler Bar from Happy Family. This looks delicious, and Sophia loves candy bars! I put a value of this of $1-$1.40 depending on if you buy a full box at retail or not.

 

5. Item for mom: Julep nail polish value is listed at $12, but I'm a Julep member, so I can add on polishes to my monthly boxes and when they are on sale they can be a cheap as $4.99. Because I have a bunch of Julep polish, I personally put a value on this of $4.99.

 

Total Estimated value of box: About $30

I paid $25 for the box

 

I tend to like to get a 50% mark up on my boxes. So... if I pay $25 for a box, I want to get a value of about $38, which I did not.  I finally decided to cancel my subscription to Citrus Lane. I think there are a ton of other boxes I want to try.

 

So....although I LOVED how excited Sophia was to open the below box, i just reminded myself I can either try a different subscription box for her, or I can just go to Home Goods, pick up some items each month, put them in a little gift bag, and surprise her. I'm sure she will be equally as excited!! :)

Who knows, maybe Citrus Lane and I will cross paths again soon, but for now I'm taking a break!

Build your own: Nail Polish Rack

With the bathroom renovations going on, and my new vanity make up area, my goal is to be more organized. I told myself  "no more digging through tubs of nail polish! I'm going to organize my polish!"
I wanted to build something that I could keep my nail polish, and other nail items organized, but also see everything at once so I knew what colors I had. (for some reason I kept purchasing the same darn colors over and over again...reds and pinks!)
I googled the web and found a pretty neat looking rack that had instructions and seemed easy to make. See my inspiration blogger here: http://www.planepretty.com/2013/01/nail-polish-storage-diy-shelf.html

I wrote down a list of materials and off to home depot I went. Well, like most craft projects I couldn't follow everything to a T. I couldn't find 8 foot boards, so I bought 6 foot boards that were pine, and very well made. I asked the guy to cut each 6 foot board into 3- two foot boards. Well apparently he couldn't do that because the cutter takes out like a 1/8th of an inch when it cuts or something, so I told him... "well, if you can make 3 even boards out of each 6 foot board, I will be a happy camper, as long as they are EVEN....EVEN is the key here for this project. They all have to be the same!

He understood, calculated some measurements and started cutting. Well, he cut the first board, and apparently he said his calculations were "off" so he tried to fix it. To make a long story short, I had him cut the 3 6 foot boards into 3 even sections each, so a total of 9 pieces that were "even." I don't know what the exact lengths were, but I wasn't cutting it, so I didn't want to get to picky!

I took that home, and I measured out the spacing on the wall, and figured I actually only needed 7 of the boards to tweak the project how I wanted it. Because some of the boards weren't exact, I picked the 5 boards which were the most even, and those were my horizontal pieces. I picked 2 of the remaining that were about the same size, and those would be my vertical pieces.

I painted them white, and gave the project to my husband and said "screw 'em together like this picture, and hang them up" and he did. Because the vertical pieces weren't exactly the same length, I decided NOT to square the top of this project like the original poster, and I just left the top part with sides. This is why it was really key to have all the pieces even, or you are going to have trouble screwing the project together.

In the end it turned out perfect for what I needed. My husband hung it up with some framing hooks. Not entirely what I wanted, but it works, and I didn't have to do it, so I was happy.

See below for my finished project! I still haven't put nearly all of my polish on this rack. I need to go through a box of polish to fill the rack up some more, but it's done!

No Sew Valance: Finally done!

So I finally finished the curtains from hell. Actually, they weren't that bad, it took 2 hours, but I'm a very fast paced person, and 2 hours seems like eternity for me.
Anyways, I saw curtains on Esty, but for a double wide window, a valance would be about $60 for someone to make, not including the rod. So, I wanted to do it myself and gave myself a $20 budget.

I bought $10 worth of the perfect yellow and gray striped fabric from Joannes.com (they had 15 cent shipping one day), and some no sew "stitch witchery" or whatever it's called from Joannes, and I went to town. I cut and ironed, and measured and it turned out perfectly! I put it up on a rod I found on clearance for $14 at target, and it looked great.....

except when the sun shined through. My "hem" going along the bottom (which was just fabric folded inward and ironed shut) were not exact. Meaning the part I folded inside wasn't straight across. So it looked fine when I looked at it, but when the sun shined through I could see the uneven "tuck" of material, and it totally bothered me.

So... I spent another $5 on some blackout curtain liner, and pretty much did the project again to make a liner in the back to keep the light from shining through.

SO...lesson learned....if I would have just taken a little more time and cut straight, i wouldn't of had to have the liner, but oh well, it's done!! I was planning on doing another one for my daughters room, but being 9 months pregnant, and standing for 2 hours in front of a hot iron, is not my idea of a good time....
However, I am so proud of myself, and hopefully baby boy will think about how hard I worked on his curtains every time he looks at them......(yea right!)

Home Renovations: Part 2

So 9/15 is a big deadline in tax world, so I've been a little behind in posting anything, but I think I'll be getting back on track!

We're in the home stretch for our bathroom renovations, and it looks like another week and everything should be complete!
Flash back to my first post about the bathroom finishing: Home Renovations: Bathroom Makeover

After a small tile mishap (the tile company had a portion of our tile on back order until November) I had to re order all NEW tile so that our bathroom could be done by the end of September. It all worked out for the best, because I think the bathroom tile looks awesome, and things are still on track!

See below for some updates.

One of my key necessities was the make the small space look big. We put some recessed drawers towards the back into the wall, which gives us more floor space, which is great!

We decided to go with a Roman Shower (I think that's what they call it) so no doors, but the water should stay inside the walls of the shower. This means no more Squeegeeing (I don't think that's a word) any glass doors, or worrying about glass streaks! (yes, less cleaning for me, makes me a happy camper).

Those 6x6 tiles on the top was the tile I wanted that was delayed from the other tile shop, so I had to go to another tile place to find NEW tile that had 12x12s and 6x6's in the same style. I lucked out, because this turned out pretty nice! Another feature I wanted was dark floor with dark brown grout. For some reason the water in our area turns shower floor grout reddish, and reddish rings in the sink and the toilet. It's a pain to clean, and so I wanted dark grout. I also splurged and upgraded the grout to a higher quality, so it's easier to clean, and harder to break down, or something. (I don't know if it's going to make a difference, but I guess we will see!)

I can't wait to get some final things done, and the fixtures installed, the final plumbing and drywall, and then I'll post the final pictures.

Stay Tuned!

August 2013 Subscription Review: Citrus Lane

I've been hearing so much about Citrus Lane, through blogs, and facebook feeds, so I had to try a box. (Continuing on with my subscription box addition here....) But, I felt better about this one, because it wasn't for ME, it was for my daughter (although it was fun for me to open as well).

Citrus lane is a monthly subscription box which contains specially selected products each month (depending on your child's age). The products are often popular baby/children gear items, either currently popular, or up and coming. The subscription is $25/month if you do a month by month subscription, however if you choose a 6 month subscription it's only $21/month (and I believe they charge you for the whole 6 months up front). I wanted to try the month to month first, and then decide whether I wanted a 6 month subscription.

I signed my daughter up for a 25 month old box, and was excited when my box arrived 2 weeks later.

The box was a good size, and my daughter and I had so much fun opening it. First you will see a card that lists the items the box contains. I went down the card, and read all of the descriptions, then I went through products. Sadly, one of the items I was supposed to receive (per the card) was not in the box (more on that later). However, I still happily looked through the other goodies.

1. Bear on the go Puzzle by Barefootbooks $12.99
I've been hearing a lot about Barefoot books, and was excited to get a puzzle from them in this box. The puzzle contained 4 4-piece puzzles each with a different picture of their bear series. My daughter LOVED the puzzles. She wanted to do them all, about 5 times in a row. Later on in the night, she talked about the puzzles, they even showed up in her prayers that night ("thank you for puzzles!"). So they were a big hit. The only complaint about these puzzles is it said NOT for use for 0-3 year olds because it's a choking hazard. I thought it was odd Citrus Lane would send this out in a 25 month old box. Fortunately my daughter doesn't put things in her mouth (except food), and I watched her while working on the puzzles, but definitely always look at the box and the recommended age, and make sure you are monitoring your child during play!

 2. Fun Things to Color from A to Z $7.99
This book came with markers, and seemed so fun. Again, when I turned it over, it said 3 and up. My daughter just turned 2, and she doesn't play with markers (or I'm not brave enough to let her play with markers yet) So I don't know if I'm going to let her play with this quite yet, or maybe hold it as a gift. It looks like it is great quality. The pages are thick, and seems like an awesome coloring project for a 3 or 4 year old. My 2 year old would just do a couple lines on each page and say "DONE!" so giving this to her now wouldn't serve it's true purpose.

3. Ouchies Bandages $5
Based on the description, these look adorable! My daughter loves bandages, (she calls them stickers!) and they make her tears go away when she get a boo boo. However, I didn't receive this item in my box :( TOTAL BUMMER!! They forgot to include it.

4. Clean Well Sanitizer Wipes $5.50
These were orange vanilla scented, and will definitely be perfect for the car. At first I thought they were to wipe down surfaces (since they look like my clorox wipes) but it says it's for hands and faces. So, I kept some by the high chair, and used them on my daughter after she ate some hummus and carrots. It cleaned off her hands and face very well. It was hard to get the wipes started and pulled through the loop, I still don't think I have it pulling correctly, but I can get them out. They are kind of soapy/sudsy at first when I was wiping off my daughters hands, but the suds wiped off.

5. Sample of Annies Cheddar Bunnies (sample, no value given)
Sophia loves her goldfish, but these Cheddar Bunnies seem to hit the spot and taste just as delicious. I wouldn't say she preferred one over the other, so these will definitely make it into the snack box if I'm at the store, and want to pick up a snack.

6. Free month of FabKids subscription ($39.95 value) just pay $4.95 shipping
This is a monthly subscription that sends you the choice of an outfit each month for your child. I don't know if I'm going to use this yet or not. I heard it's hard to cancel, and I'm not sure if I can convince the husband that ANOTHER subscription is in the family budget. But it would be nice to get the trial month to see the value of the clothing you receive. I think Christina Applegate is affiliated with the company, so I'm sure the quality is great, and the outfits are adorable. I'm still debating on this one, and have another week to decide before the code expires.

TOTAL VALUE: $31.48 plus $39.95 (if you want to count the voucher for FabKids) for a total of: $71.43
August was a GREAT box, and I'm glad I picked this month to start!

However, here were my issues with Citrus Lane:

I sent an email letting them know an item was missing from my box. I waited 2 days and did not get a response, so I called and got a customer service rep. I explained that I emailed 2 days ago, and hadn't heard back, and I just wanted to make sure my email went through. (I'm a very cordial person, I HATE being whiny, especially to customer service people, who I know had nothing to do with my issue, and are trying to help). Well she looks up my account and while she is looking it up she goes "Yea, we've just been too busy." That kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but I didn't let it affect my conversation with her. She said she saw where I sent the email, and she was going to get them to send me my item within 48 hours. About 5 days later I received the item, so not too bad. It was about 7-8 days to receive a missing item from when I first contacte them, I'd say that's pretty good turn around.

My other issue was the age of the items in the box. It seemed more for a 3-4 year old. I sent (another) email to Citrus Lane asking them to confirm that they had my daughter down as 25 months, just to make sure. It took 4 days to get an email response (I'm sure they were super busy, so not a big deal), plus I think they were checking with the manufacturer. They indicated "parents like to see things on the earlier side whenever possible, so we do include such items for a few different reasons: families may already own items that are rated for their little one's exact age, folks they like having items their little ones will grow into, and we like encouraging activities that parents, older siblings, and little ones can enjoy together as a group." This is all understandable, I still will probably wait to give Sophia the marker and book set, because she wouldn't really "color" it with anything besides a few scribbles (and it's a nice quality marker coloring book). I kind of wish she had something to do from the box now, besides the puzzle, but that's alright. Just a note that you may have items that are a little older than your child's current age.

I'm leaning towards canceling my September box, but I might keep them for 1 more month to see what September brings.

SIDE NOTE: do not leave puzzle pieces out.....the dog had a good time eating a part of 2 of the pieces... ugh...I can never have anything nice in this house I guess. I've managed to repair the pieces to the best of my ability. But, my daughter knows and cries "Broken!! No No Beamer (our dogs name)" every time she puts together those puzzles... oh dear....


If you are interested in trying out Citrus Lane you can get $10 off your first month by signing up here: Citrus Lane Subscription which makes it $15, an AWESOME deal for everything you get (if you do get everything you are supposed to get.) If you sign up via this link I also get $10 off my next box, if I decide to continue on, we shall see!
 

Office Prank: Balloon filed Cube

So I got back from vacation and this is what I found....

 

My cube was completely filled with Balloons! My oh so sneaky co-workers decided to office prank me for my recent promotion to Manager.

 

So how was I going to get into my cube, run and bust through of course.

They got me good this time.... but pay back's a.....what's the word?! :)