Category Archives: Before Baby To-Do List

Before Baby To-Do List: The Impossible Bedroom Makeover

Warning: You are about to seriously question my judgement.

A little over a year ago, our family moved into our new house. We made a very conscious decision to think big with the land and small with the house, with our main objective being to grow a lot on our land while keeping our footprint and overall environmental impact small.

Great in theory. In practice? Well…we have a dilemma.

THIS is our son’s room. We really haven’t done anything with it since we moved in.

Please excuse the diaper laundry (they’re clean, I promise.)

This is NOT a nice room. The carpet is ugly, the walls are dull, and there is not a single full-size wall to put furniture against. One wall has stairs, one wall has a radiator, yet another is a partial with a weird-shaped closet. And overall, it’s very small.

Here’s the best part: In 10 weeks, we will be moving baby girl in there, too.

How on EARTH am I going to do it? WHY did we ever think this tiny house was a good idea?! 

Honestly, I do have faith that it can be done, but I know I’m going to need to get creative. Storage is key, and we’re going to have to think “vertical” to make use of all the space. Plus, I know that a coat of fresh paint can make all the difference. Just look at what it did for our awful, 1985-dusty-rose and tacky gold turned cool mustard yellow office!

Hard to believe it’s even the same room!

Even though I have to remind myself of it sometimes, I still believe in our initial commitment to a smaller house. We do have an attic that we plan to turn into 2 bedrooms, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon…and a home decor genius, I’m not.

That’s why I need you! I know that lots of you out there are just full of creative ideas (I’ve seen them, and you amaze me every day!) so I’m hoping maybe you’ll take a look at our pics and send a few of them my way.

What can we do? I need help…and fast! Project Kids’ Room starts the moment the holidays are over!

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Filed under Before Baby To-Do List, Green Living, Home & Garden, Parenting & Family, Pregnancy #2!

Sesame Street Live: Elmo Superheroes, coming to Hershey, PA!

Guess where we’re going in January! It will be one last big hurrah for us as a family of 3 before we welcome our newest member, and I’m so excited! (Even though they might have to push me in a wheelbarrow… :lol: )

Are you local? If you can make it to Hershey, here is all the info you’ll need to come see your favorite Sesame Street characters, and save $3 per ticket with this coupon!

Sesame Street Live

“Elmo’s Super Heroes”

Hershey, PA; Hershey Theatre

Friday, January 11 – Sunday, January 13 Continue reading

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Filed under Before Baby To-Do List, Travel

Before Baby To-Do List: 5-minute DIY Plant “Coasters”

Don’t you love it when a tiny little DIY project makes a great big difference in your house?

I think I’m a pretty good mom, and a pretty good gardener, but I’ve never been great when it comes to houseplants. Between work and everything else that keeps my schedule full, I tend to neglect them. A lot. I’m not proud, but it’s true. Poor babies.

Luckily, my husband is pretty good about watering them. But not long ago, I noticed that some water spillage has been happening. Along with some rogue plant dirt that is NOT doing good things for my windowsill.

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Filed under Before Baby To-Do List, Green Living, Home & Garden

Before Baby To-Do List: Featuring Danze Faucets

Let the nesting begin!

Forget that idea that nesting happens in the last few weeks of pregnancy. This time around, I’ve already started a “Before Baby” to-do list, and it’s getting longer by the day. This could have something to do with the fact that we’ve only been in this house a year, and I’ve been taking careful notes the whole time, trying to prioritize projects and decide what I really need to do, and exactly how I want to do it. My goal was not to jump into anything too quickly, as we plan to be here a while and I want to love the changes we make.

But I just couldn’t wait any longer on the kitchen faucet. Check out this monstrosity!

Now, I can usually handle something not looking great, as long as it’s functional. Well, this thing was leaking terribly and it made me feel like a pitiful “greenie.” Wasting water on a daily basis is never OK, so a fix was in order.

Enter Danze. When we started this project, I wasn’t very familiar with Danze faucets, but the look of the single handle faucet with side spray from the Parma Collection really sold me. The style was so sleek and cool-looking, I just knew it would give a whole new look to my kitchen.

And it did! I LOVE it!

What a difference, right? It changes the look of that whole end of the kitchen, and that is the part of the kitchen you can see from the other main rooms of the house.  I often find myself sitting on the couch, watching TV, and glancing over at my kitchen sink. It’s really amazing how small projects can make your home feel so much nicer!

Dad review:

One of the biggest bonuses of this whole project was that my Dad offered to install the new faucet for us – while I was at work! I left with an ugly faucet from 19-who-knows-when, and came back the very same day to a pretty new one! My dad’s kind of a rock star…

He did comment that the installation process was really easy (and that it was a good thing we did it, because the old one practically disintegrated on the way out…) and that the faucet itself felt strong, sturdy and well-made. My dad can do pretty much any home project he puts his mind to, and he knows his stuff, so I thoroughly trust his opinion. He has always taught me about the importance of quality, and he gave Danze his seal of approval. :)

We also used a Danze deckplate, and it matches seamlessly with the faucet.

No more hard water marks, no more leaks…just clean, sleek brushed nickel. When I clean my sink now, it actually looks clean! The water pressure is great, too, both from the faucet and the sprayer.

A few other raves:

  • I love that this faucet features an easy, single-handle shut-off so I can turn it off with one hand or elbow (if my hands are dirty while cooking or if I happen to be holding a baby.)
  • The side sprayer is amazing! It has a lot of weight to it, so it seems to almost put itself back into its place when you’re done with it. The sprayer hose is the most flexible I’ve ever seen, and has great maneuverability. If you’ve ever used a sprayer with a hose that just didn’t seem to want to bend, you know what I mean.
  • The 7″ high faucet not only gives it a high-end look and commanding presence in the kitchen, but it also makes it easy to fill tall pots and pitchers (the length is 8 1/2″.)
  • The ceramic disc valve means less of a chance of leaks, and that’s better for our Earth. :)

So, that’s my new non-leaky, super stylish, efficient and elegant Danze kitchen faucet. Don’t you just love the feeling of checking things off your to-do list? Bring on February! We’re going to be ready when this baby gets here! (Or ready to wash dishes, at least… :lol: )

To learn more about Danze products, visit them at Danze.com, or follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

*Disclosure: This is a Type C post. I received a complimentary faucet to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and I was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

 

 

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Filed under Before Baby To-Do List, Green Living, Home & Garden, Product & Restaurant Reviews