No stud required

I am a huge commitment phobe when it comes to decorating my house. I don’t like anything too permanent, for fear that I’ll hate it 5 minutes later.

Fortunately, when it comes to home improvement, my hubby is seriously Mister Handy. I swear he can do it all. But we sadly drive each other nuts when it comes to hanging stuff on walls. It’s always a major production. I get the same speech every time… “ok, let me get my hammer, and find the perfect sized nail, oh but wait I gotta find a stud in the wall first…yada, yada, yada.” And I’m all.. “Stud?! Just freakin’ nail that sucker in the wall, gosh darnit!” and then of course 5 minutes later, I hate it and want him to move it. Cycle repeats.

So. I found a solution to both of our problems.

     

I am madly in love with 3M for inventing this stuff. It’s awesome and is currently holding up everything in my house that is under 5lbs.

No nails. No studs. No annoyed hubby.

Best part: it’s not permanent. You can take anything off the wall without any holes left behind and no damage to paint!

Here’s an example of what I’ve used it for…

Happy hanging…err, sticking?! ;)

I’m back!

I told you a couple weeks back that I was on a mission to find an easy, kid-friendly way to travel.

Well, we just came back from a Father’s Day vacation that included 110 degree weather, a lake, and a boat. We were in need of a lightweight, compact stroller that we could navigate around a hotel, push down a boat dock while having beach gear strapped to my back, and something that would store easily on the boat. 

We already have an UppaBaby Vista Stroller {which I LOVE}, however it’s big and HEAVY. There is no way we were going to fit it in our SUV along with coolers, beach chairs, umbrellas, pack ‘n play, etc, etc.

Thanks to CSN, I found the Kolcraft Tour Sport Reclining Umbrella Stroller, priced at only $38.95. FedEx delivered it about 2 days before we left. I wasn’t expecting much, since it was competing against other umbrella strollers that were double the price. But, it met all of my requirements. It is super lightweight {about 11lbs}, opens quickly, locks easily, and folds up compact just like an umbrella…hence the name, right? ;)

The fabric is surprisingly good quality, the seat does recline, it comes with a sun shade, and cup holder. The handles are high enough to push the stroller without bending down, which was a big factor for my hubby since he’s 6’2”. I wasn’t too thrilled with the sun shade. It’s small, doesn’t really provide much coverage and it consistently popped off when we closed the stroller to store it away. Minor complaint compared to the other positives.

        

Bottom line: job well done. I would recommend this product to anyone looking for an inexpensive and convenient umbrella stroller.

Before & After

       

I’ve learned a few things this past week:

1. My tile floor, specifically the grout, is not supposed to be a light shade of BLACK.

2. The darker vs. lighter shades of the stone is not just a “design”…it’s DIRT.

3. OXICLEAN is my newest BFFE!!!!

Needless to say, my floors were in need of a DEEP cleaning. Like, the type that requires you to get on your hands & knees, break your back, blister causing, brush scrubbing – type of clean!

I took a 1/4 scoop of Oxiclean and mixed it in a medium sized bowl of hot water, spread it over my tile floor & grout, scrubbed the hell out of it, and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then I mopped it off, let it dry, and then mopped it again with just water to clean any residue away. LOTS OF HARD WORK…but holy cow my grout is like 10 shades lighter!!! 

It should be known that I still use & LOVE my McSteamy, but it doesn’t do much for grout grime. Even my husband was impressed and he’s not exactly the type to get all giddy over a house cleaning product…so you know it’s gotta be good!

{it’s CSN Product Review time…well, almost}

Last month I had the pleasure of working with CSN Stores and hosting a fabulous giveaway for one of my lucky readers. Well, today I have been given the opportunity to review one of their products, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Do you know that they have tons of amazing products for a home makeover? Like these Bathroom Vanities if you're undergoing a bathroom project, as I've seen many bloggers doing lately. We just completed a backyard makeover to get us ready for summer!

Speaking of summer…we have lots of vacations planned for the next couple of months. And every mom knows that vacation + kids = hauling lots of stuff! So I’m on a mission to find something lightweight, compact, and a lifesaver when it comes to traveling with a baby. Stay tuned for my rant or rave of a fun product that I can’t wait to share with you!

Now you know too

I am in shock that I have never heard of the website, Card Pool, before. If you have how come nobody told me?! Thanks to my brother-in-law, who sent me this link yesterday, I now know how to buy discounted gift cards! Love it…and so will you.

Check it out here:

The perfect SleepMate

I’ve been meaning to blog about this for awhile now, but it completely slipped my mind until today.

I bought this white noise machine for my son’s nursery a few months ago on Amazon. I paid $49.95 with free shipping, and honestly it has been the best money I’ve ever spent.

All moms out there, know, I mean really know, how important nap time is. Especially uninterrupted nap time. So I’m sure you can understand the predicament I was in when I tell you that I live on a small cul-de-sac and everyone but us has dogs. Multiple dogs. Big, barking dogs. And every time I laid my son down for a much needed nap these dogs would go crazy – ultimately waking my son. Grrr.

I tried many things to block out the noise – fans, heavy curtains, music mobile, etc. Nothing muffled those dogs. So I turned to Amazon to help solve my problems.  I stumbled upon the Marpac SleepMate 980A Sound Conditioner. Amazon had over 900 positive reviews on this thing…and now I know why. It’s really a sleep God in disguise. This thing works wonders. It quiets every outside or external noise. I swear my son has not been woken up once by a dog, lawn mower, ambulance, loud screaming-swearing husband during football season, etc, etc. It has dual speeds with multiple adjustments in order to get the perfect “whooshing” sound. And it’s also perfect to travel with.

                                                                            image provided by Amazon

The reason I was reminded to blog about this today is because we just recently finished renovating our backyard. Which consisted of about 2 weeks of major construction, with pounding, sledge hammering, digging, and sawing. It was LOUD. And I am thanking my lucky stars that I purchased this noise machine because not once did my son wake up. I think every mom can agree that nap time is oh-so important, not only for baby but for the sanity of mama. Now only if I could find something that drowns out the sound of a snoring husband ;)

Winner Wednesday!

 

Congratulations to Lucia D. for winning the CSN giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered, became a follower, and blogged about my giveaway!

Enjoy some free shopping Lucia :)