And Then I Had to Call Poison Control

Today is my Birthday! Did you know that? Today I am 32 and my favorite five year old photographer snapped this totally awesome photo of me so that I might always remember how I looked when I was 32.

My birthday started out great despite being up for four hours in the night with a little girl missing her fuzzy. My husband left me the sweetest note on my nightstand when he left for work, my daughter brought me breakfast in bed, and on the kitchen table were some beautiful flowers that a friend had dropped off late last night.

I did have to work a little this morning but that was fine. Then as I was trying to figure out what to feed the kids for lunch, Samm came downstairs with a bottle of Melatonin and informed me that Laila was eating it!

I called my husband first, but since Melatonin is a supplement and not a regulated drug he didn't have any info on it and said I would have to call poison control.

I don't know if you've ever had to call poison control before, but it's like the call of shame. "Hi, my child just ingested...because I wasn't paying close enough attention and it was within her reach. Will she live?" It's horrible. Thankfully this was only the 2nd time I've had to call for one of my own kids, but I did have to call once when I was babysitting my younger brother and he drank nail polish remover.

The good news is that Melatonin is pretty safe and Kim (a boy not a girl) told me to just watch her for an hour and then call him back. After an hour she wasn't showing any signs of side effects other than wanting to take her afternoon nap pretty badly, so he said not to worry about it.

I was secretly kind of hoping that the Melatonin would make her take a good long nap, but I guess my punishment for keeping sleep aids where a two year old can get into them was that she only slept for an hour.

I am grateful it wasn't anything worse. And the day still isn't over. I get to watch all three of my oldest kids in back to back to back baseball games. Family is all that matters!

 

 

Linnen Closet Before and After

It may look nice and pretty now, but this is what the closet at the top of my stairs looked like just a few days ago!

 

Does anyone else see what is completely wrong with this picture? (Not including how messy it is!) Who puts their towels on the top shelf where no one can reach them, and hair color on a shelf that a two year old can, and has gotten into. Me, that's who! 

 

Saturday I went on a major cleaning rampage, mostly in our backyard and garage, but this closet was the one place inside our house that I knew I had to get to. For some reason we can't seem to keep the door shut so every time I walked up the stairs there was a huge mess staring at me. I didn't even start this until 9:00 after my kids were in bed, but it was worth losing some sleep over. The first thing I did was to rip out the ugly contact paper!

 

Then I got to work organizing and throwing things away. I don't know how I even fit all of this in there before!

 

I kept all the medicine on the top shelf where none of the kids can reach it, but now I actually know what we have. I threw away at least 4 bottles of nasal spray! 

 

I love this little desk organizer to keep all the little stuff in and separated. Now I don't have to go searching for the little syringe things every time one of the kids needs allergy medicine!

 

The hair products are now one shelf higher to hopefully deter Laila from trying to color her own hair again...yes it happened. I knew I needed a larger bin for everything, but still needed to be able to see what was in it. This wire one fit the criteria for both.

 

 

These bins are by far my favorite! I realized as I was going through everything that I had way to many rags and hand towels that never got used. Now when I ask one of the kids to get a clean hand towel for the bathroom I shouldn't hear any "but I can't find one."

 

Such a huge difference!

And, most of the sheets that I got rid of were still fine, just old and we didn't use them. So, instead of throwing them away, I simply cut out the elastic and put them in my stash of fabric to use when I'm doing a trial run on something.

Yay, for clean closets!

Announcement...

I think everyone should pose for pictures like this! Don't you think? 

 

We would if all the photographers in the world were five year olds. Or we might just do this!

Either way, pictures would be so much more awesome!

So yes, we are a little sleep deprived and goofy around here today. Laila had some sort of nightmare last night, I think about spiders, and she woke up screaming around 2:30. I tried putting her in bed with me for a while but she just rolled around and I can't sleep like that. So, I spent a good chunk of the night curled up on a Hello Kitty bean bag next to her crib. That way when she called out for me every ten minutes I could reassure her that I was still there.

It was not a fun night. But, I did learn that my kids talk in their sleep. A lot!

I'm checking out for this week to get some stuff done and pretend like I'm having fun with my kids this summer, but I will be back next week with some great tutorials and beauty tips for busy moms.

Enjoy your week!

Elastic Lace Belt Tutorial

 

 

Are you ready to make the easiest belt ever? Here is what you will need. A buckle. I found mine at JoAnn's right next to the elastic. Wide elastic to fit the size of your buckle. Mine was 2 inches. Fabric of your choice and lace.

 

One small note about the lace. You will notice that most lace has one straight edge and one scalloped edge. You don't want that. Look for some that has either two scalloped edges like mine, or two straight edges. That way your belt won't ever be upside down.

 

I didn't want white lace so after I got home I took out a few boxes of Rit dye I had laying around and...

15 minutes later I had some pretty charcoal grey lace. Except where the stitching was, it was more off white, but I actually liked having the dimension to it.

These are the lengths and amounts of fabric that I used for my belt, so of course you will have to adjust for your measurements, but it won't be hard. For the elastic I just measured it around my waist, added a tiny more for looping through the buckle and cut. My fabric was 6 inches wide ( I meant to cut it 7 inches wide though so I ended up just having to use a smaller seam allowance) and 8 inches longer than my elastic. If you want it bunchier than mine just add a few more inches. And you may have to sew two strips together if the standard 45 inch fabric isn't long enough, but that is totally fine. My lace was already somewhat gathered so I cut it only 4 inches longer than my elastic.

First step is to fold the fabric in half with right sides together and stitch along the raw edge. I also did a zig zag stitch to finish it off.

Turn the fabric right side out and then press so the seam is in the middle.

Attach a safety pin to your elastic and feed through the tube, just make sure the other end doesn't go up inside the fabric and get lost.

When you get to the end, center the elastic inside the tube and pin. Repeat on the other end. (Actually, what I should have done here just to have a more finished look is to tuck the raw edges in 1/4 of an inch, but I didn't. I won't dwell on that though.

Now stich across both ends and finish with a zig zag stitch.

When you are done, it should be nice and scrunchy looking, like this...

Now lay your lace fabric on top of the side without the seam and sew across each end.

You should have something that looks like this

Now pull your elastic taut and pin in the center. It would be very helpful to have an extra set of hands at this point, but if you don't then just do what I did and use your knees! Now hold it in the center and pull one end taut and place another pin in the center of that section. Repeat on the other end. You should have 3 evenly spaced pins. This will make sure you lace gets evenly distributed.

Now, starting at one end, somewhere to the right of the center, sew a few stitches and a couple back stitches and then pull out from your first pin until the lace is all the way stretched out and sew down the elastic. When you get to the first pin, pull tight from the next pin and sew down, repeating until you get to the end. Then go back to the beginning and do the same thing all the way down the left side. The lace will lay down better if there are two sets of stitches instead of just one down the center.

Once the lace has been sewn on, just loop your ends through the buckle, pulling them until it fits snug around your waist and then hand stitch the ends to the back side of the belt. I also pressed my finished belt with a warm iron when I was done because my lace was popping out just a little more than I wanted.

 

And your done! Can you believe how easy that was?

 

 

 

 

 

Linked up: Here, Here, Here, and Here    

 

Limit Toxin Exposure During Pregnancy and Save Money at the Same Time {With Guest Blogger Katie Moore}

Our family has recently started to make some major lifestyle changes, so I am excited to have Katie with us today to share a few tips.

Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.”

Whether you have kids, are currently pregnant or just wanting to live a healthier life, there are plenty of options and no better time to start than right now.  When I was pregnant I had SO much to learn, from circumcision to what my baby’s cord blood was to swaddling and more!  I knew that a natural lifestyle was a priority. Many people associate a more natural lifestyle with added expenses. It's true the cost of organic produce and non-toxic household products is generally much higher than the price of conventional items, but this is only part of the story.

Many of those toxic household products can be easily and cheaply replaced with homemade versions using only a few ingredients. If you've never looked up the ingredients of window cleaner or baby bubble bath, it's time to start. Household products are filled with known carcinogens, untested chemicals, and many toxins that accumulate in the body with minimal exposures over time. Give your family a clean environment and safe personal care products with the following homemade solutions!

Bubble Bath
It's sometimes difficult to get the kids in the bath, and bubbles help tremendously!  They are also good for your relaxation. However, most bubble bath products at the store contain chemicals considered probably carcinogens by the FDA. One use isn't the end of the world, but multiple uses accumulate the chemicals in you and your children. The effects of this during pregnancy have never been studied. Look up specific bubble bath test results on this list from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Rather than paying twice as much for a more natural product that likely still contains potential toxins, you can make your own bubble bath from a few common ingredients. The following recipe is a great option for anyone already making Castile shampoo, which is really easy. You'll need:

* 1/4 of your homemade Castile shampoo
* 3/4 cup of filtered or distilled water
* 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
* few drops of any desired essential oil (optional)

Start by mixing the shampoo and water gently in a bowl. You'll add the salt to this and continue mixing until it thickens. Add in essential oils at this point, and jar your bubble bath creation. Now you and your kids can enjoy a bubbly bath without the toxins!

Glass Cleaner
Conventional cleaners from the store, especially those popular industrial-strength brands, are full of toxins. Many children are poisoned outright by these products every year, and many more suffer the health consequences of repeated, minimal exposures to nerve agents, hormone disruptors and carcinogens. Since cleaning chemical manufacturers are not required to test ingredients, it's especially important to reduce exposure during pregnancy. If your current window cleaner has any sort of caution label, it's time to get rid of it for a non-toxic and equally effective cleaner. You'll need:

* Distilled water
* 1/4 cup of white vinegar OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Just mix these together in a spray bottle, and enjoy an entirely non-toxic cleaning experience! You'll still have to watch your kids in public to keep them from rubbing their faces on glass cleaned with toxic products, but your home will be much safer.

 

Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of, motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.

 

 

Thanks Katie! I know my little girls would love it if I made them some bubble bath!

 

 

 

 

A Resolve To Be Better

It’s 8:00 am and I’m sitting at my computer with the windows open breathing in the crisp, clean morning air of the country. The birds are chirping happily and if I listen carefully I can still hear a few crickets and frogs singing by the pond.  By some miracle all three of my children are still nestled snug in their beds hopefully dreaming of something wonderful.

And then my peace is interrupted by the sound of a 4 wheeler flying by.  (True story!)

Still, I find myself feeling overwhelmed with gratitude this morning.  My life has been richly blessed. I have a loving, kind husband, three beautiful girls whom I adore, a roof over my head and a view from my window that most people will never know. 

It seems impossible with so much beauty around me every day and so much to be thankful for that I can still have days like the one I had yesterday.  

I was recently diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, an auto immune disease that attacks the large intestine. This causes me to be extremely fatigued…pretty much all the time.  So whenever I wake up full of energy and ambition I try to put it to good use around the house.  Yesterday was no exception. I spent all morning cleaning the house. I picked up every room, vacuumed, mopped, cleaned bathrooms; I even went as far as cleaning out the fridge. I was so proud of myself.  By the time that was done it was lunch time. After lunch I was still feeling the unusual burst of energy and decided to tackle the upstairs craft room/storage room.

When I went upstairs I noticed that the door was open and that a few boxes of stuff that I had arranged a few days before had been thrown onto the floor in a big mess and the box was missing. It wasn't hard to guess who had done it or where the box was. (My girls love to play in boxes).

My anger at seeing the mess caused a reaction in me that I of course regretted later. I let the girls have it and told them they were not allowed in that room anymore. I even threatened to start throwing away their toys if they couldn't leave my stuff alone.  It was not one of my finer parenting moments.  My oldest daughter told me I was a “mean mom” and “never let [them] do what [they] want to do”.  I harshly replied that she could do a lot worse and I’m not that bad of a mom.  Oh, the irony. 

I spent several hours in that room, first cleaning up the mess they had made dumping out the boxes and then on to the rest.  When I finally got done organizing, and cleaning, and throwing stuff out I came downstairs proud that I had accomplished so much. When I rounded the corner I was shocked at the mess I discovered!

It doesn't take much to push me over the edge. This easily could have. But I had made a choice while I was working upstairs, a resolve if you will, to do better; to not let me temper get the best of me. I would prove to myself and my children that I was a good mom and to make sure they knew how much I loved them. So I calmly asked the girls to help me clean up the messes that were made so we could get started on dinner. And they did (with a little pushing of course).

By the time dinner was made and on the table my oldest was singing my praises and bragging to her sister that she would get to sit by me “the best, most wonderful mom in the world.”  After the way I had reacted earlier in the day I knew I didn't deserve it but I was so grateful to hear her say it.  My mom always said that the one thing she wanted with her kids more than anything was to make sure we knew she loved us. And we did. Now I’m hoping for the same thing. Despite all the bad parenting moments I hope the love my children feel is the thing they remember most. And I resolve again on this beautiful Tuesday morning to do better; to be better; and to remember how truly blessed I am. 

p.s. They are still asleep!

Highlight of My Week

We've done a lot this week, but the simple things will always be my favorite. Right now there isn't much that can top a family bike ride on a cool summer evening.