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Dear Mushka,

How to Celebrate Easter... During the Coronavirus

This year, Easter will look different. Instead of gathering with our church families inside buildings, we'll be safe at home watching a service from our couches. We won't be having large egg hunts or hosting all our friends and family for a big meal or dressing to the brim in our finest dresses. 

But the reason we celebrate Easter... He is still very much risen. And we can celebrate all the same from within the walls of our homes!

This week on Instagram, @augustcloth and I are going to be sharing ways to make this Easter extra special. A thoughtful menu with Christ as the center, a beautiful tablescape, meaningful baskets and DIYsfor your children, etc. 

Join me @dearmushka and pop back over here for all the links!

For Your Table:

1. This tablecloth comes in so many color and length options!

2. I've wanted a set of plate chargers for years; the price was right on these and they look beautiful against our dark wood table

3. Bud vases with baby's breath tucked inside is the perfect addition to your table. Consider dropping one off on your neighbor's porch, too! (Baby's breath dries well so grab some anytime between now and Easter. Snipped branches from outside the morning of are also a great idea.)

4. Candles in the middle of the table signify the light of Christ that we celebrate on Easter morning. You could light simple candles or grab a candelabra like this one to pull out on special occasions all year long. This one comes in multiple metal finishes. 

5. Cloth napkins make everything more celebratory. This is an adorable set of 12 for just $14. Go on, let your kids use them, too! 

6. My earrings in the tablescape IG videos. The Comfort Earrings-- so lightweight and full of meaning. 

What to Wear:

This dress from August Cloth has my name all over it (literally haha). There are so many good ones in her shop and she's shipping in time for Easter!

Grab yourself some jewelry that can be an anthem for this season in your life. Do you need a reminder to rejoice in suffering? To praise Him for caring for you more than wildflowers

I'm wearing The Daughter Earrings, The Wrapped Necklace, The Believe Bracelet, and The Priority Earrings

For Easter Baskets:

Children are never to little to begin hearing the Gospel. A stuffed lamb like this one (so soft!)  to celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and a board book about Jesus are perfect treats for Easter morning. 

For our older boys, a great book about Jesus and an activity are perfect. These Water Wow pads are our favorite.  I'm also going to split this shovel set and give the boys a packet of seeds and some dirt as we celebrate The Creator and New Life! 

Resurrection Eggs are something our family loves. Gift them this year and then use them for years to come. The book Benjamin's Box is a great add-on with them.

 

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How to Begin a Cut Flower Garden

Last year, I started my first "cut flower garden." A cut flower garden is different than a flower bed because the goal is not to have a beautiful landscape (though cut flower gardens are beautiful); it's to grow flowers for the purpose of cutting them! 

One year in and I was hooked. I loved every bit of the process- choosing seeds, watching them sprout in our home, planting them into the dirt, watching them grow and bloom. And then being able to gift something so simple and special to friends for months on end!

Plus, I began to relate to so many of the garden metaphors in the Bible and found myself loosening my grip on control, knowing that it is only God who can grow; I just do the planting. 

Here are some bits of information if you'd like to begin your own cut flower garden:

1. Find a place for your garden and get it prepared. I used a funny little courtyard that was already at our house, planting in both the garden beds and two raised beds Robert built out of fence posts. You could also use pots! 

2. Order seeds- hooray! I love Floret Flowers and Johnny Seeds, but you could also grab packets from a local shop or a zillion other online sources. Before you grab anything that looks pretty, read a little bit to see how long the flowers will take to grow and the kind of conditions they'll need. Perennials take a while to grow but should pop back up the next year. Annuals make up the bulk of my flowers and are absolutely stunning, but will die at the end of the Summer. Also to note: Will the flowers get so tall you'll have to stake them? Etc. 

I love "cut and come" flowers that reward being cut- the more you snip off flowers, the more they produce more! Zinnians, China Aster, Sweet Peas, and Snapdragons all fall into this category.

Yarrow (a perennial) and lace flower were other favorites from last year. 

Pro tip: Grow half flowers & half filler/foliage to create a beautiful bouquet. I made this mistake last year and didn't grow enough greenery to add. I'm excited to attempt Eucalyptus this year! 

If you're already feeling overwhelmed, I can't say enough good things about Floret Flowers and their online resources. They have a beautiful and wildly informative blog with a fabulous search bar. Here's a great place to start! 

3. Get to planting! Google your last frost date (around Middle Tennessee it's usually middle of April) and count backwards. If a seed packet says "start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date" you'll know when to begin work. For me, I began some slow growing seeds end of January and will continue doing so until I plant outside. 

I love these trays + this seed starter mix but there are lots of options. Here's a good blog post to get you started. Follow instructions on your seed packet for seed depth, water needs, etc. I set them up in front of window with these lights above. 

4. Plant outside when the time is right, after "hardening off" your baby plants a little at a time. Some flowers may be "direct seed", which means you'll just put the seeds right in the ground. Zinnias are great for this and make an excellent first cut-flower garden flower!   

Here are a few books I absolutely love (click photos for direct links). Cut Flower Garden by Erin at Floret Flowers is an invaluable resource. She just released a second book, A Year in Flowers, about arranging based on what's in season. It's a great follow-up once you have your flowers blooming! 

 A Tree in the House was informative and also beautifully written; her words were a work of art in and of themselves. In Bloom is another fantastic resource; I'd recommend it with Cut Flower Garden above. 

Here's my full Amazon List with garden favorites, but I have to say: A flower "frog" as they're called is amazing for arranging flowers in a vase. And wide mouth mason jars (or pickle jars!) are perfect for gifting flowers to friends. 

 

Something I'm doing differently this year: Keeping track in a binder. I have graph paper to plot out my flowers (I'm trying to cram more in this year), a sheet with dates so I know when I planted, and sheets for each type of flower to keep track of necessary details. It's a little added work, but I think it will help me feel less chaotic :) 

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A Day in the Life: Mom of Three + Business Owner

Every day looks a little different, but here's a typical Wednesday or Friday around our house. I have three boys (5, 2, 5mo) and a growing business! 

6:00 Alarm goes off. I get up, put on work out clothes, and feed the cat.

6:10 Sit down in my cozy chair to spend time with the Lord. You can read my details of a typical "quiet time" here!

Here are the prayer pages I use. 

7:00 I put away dishes and prep breakfast for the boys if I have an extra moment. 

7:15 The boys usually start waking up around this time. I try to feed my youngest his bottle before I let the other two out of their rooms so he isn't too distracted to eat. 

7:30 Breakfast for the boys. We usually do oatmeal and a protein smoothie on weekdays. We also spend this time reading a devotion, saying a memory verse, etc

Lately, we've been talking about a verse from The Fighter Pack and it's been so good for our home's atmosphere. 

8:00 Clean up the kitchen (the boys are in charge of cleaning where they sat), start a load of laundry, get everyone dressed 

8:15 Exercise. I do a 30 minute BeachBody workout while the boys play around me. 

8:45 Take a quick shower and get ready for the day. I usually put my 2 year old in the bathroom with me so I can keep track of him ;) 

9:00-11:00 My youngest goes down for his morning nap and I play with the older two. Sometimes we meet a friend or go to the playground (my husband works from home so he's there with the baby); other times we play in our yard or do puzzles and play dough inside. 

Somewhere in there, I'll make my protein smoothie. You can read about why I do intermittent fasting here if you're curious. 

11:30 Lunch time! My youngest is up and we're all in the kitchen together. Sometimes I read to the boys while they eat and other times I'm folding laundry or posting on Instagram and answering messages.

12:00-1:00 The boys play in the playroom while I get a few things done. I do anything from meal planning, to cleaning a bathroom to switching their closets to the next season. 

1:00-3:00 The boys nap (or have quiet time in their rooms) and I work! Usually, I share on Instagram stories during this time and squeeze in lunch, too. 

3:00 Everyone is up. We snack, read, play outside, etc. 

4:30 The day's orders are packaged and my husband is usually done working so we all pile into the car to drive to the post office. It's nice to get out of the house if I haven't done so that day! 

5:00 I work on dinner while my husband wrestles with the boys to get some energy out. We eat around 5:30. 

6:00-7:00 Playtime

7:00-7:30 Bedtime! Quick baths, pajamas, and a few books in bed.

7:30-8:30 Robert and I snuggle up on the couch to watch a show or catch up from the day. 

8:30-9:15 I head to our room to read or journal as I unwind. 

9:30 Asleep! If I don't get to bed around this time, I won't be ready to wake up at 6:00am the next morning. Sometimes, it's hard to make myself close a book or get off the couch but it's always worth it. 

I shared my entire Day in the Life over on IG stories so be sure to check it out here

 

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Home Tour: Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The last leg of our home tour (see parts 1 & 2) takes us to the four bedrooms & two bathrooms. Pardon this incomplete blog post; I'll get more photos taken soon but wanted to go on and post the links!

Bedroom one is our baby's room:

Book ledge: IKEA

Crib & Small Rocker: Hand-me-downs

Wallpaper: Here

Doc a Tot: Target

Curtains: Target

Glider: Target (old)

Baby Blanket: IKEA

 

Bedroom two is our 2 year old's room:

 

 

Wall Color: Moody Blue by SW

Dresser: IKEA

Wood Sign: Etsy

Bunk: IKEA

Bedding: Target

Book ledgeIKEA

Curtains: Target

Tree: Pottery Barn

Bunting: Smallable

 

Five year old's room:

Dresser: IKEA

Bed: Wayfair

Bookshelf: Target

Curtains: Anthropologie (old)

Bedding: Target (old)

Baskets: Target (old)

Map: Crate&Barrel

Ceiling Fans (in all bedrooms): Amazon

 

Boy's Bathroom (work in progress):

Vanity: Wayfair

Hooks: Amazon

Towels: IKEA

 

Our Bedroom: 

Dresser and Nightstand: Overstock

Bed: World Market

Bench: World Market

Chair: IKEA

Curtains: Target

Quilt: Anthropologie

Pillows: Etsy (old)

Large Art: One King's Lane

 

Our Bathroom:

Vanity: Vanities Depot

Mirrors: Wayfair

Art: Anthropologie (or search for a cheaper source)

Dresser: IKEA

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Home Tour: Living, Dining, Kitchen, and Library

The home tour continues (part one here) with our living room, dining room, kitchen, and library/my office. 

Let's start in the living room. We mainly opened up narrow doorways, added walls to make the library on the end, and evened out all the floor levels the house had.

Wall color: Snowbound by SW

Frames: IKEA (Ribba variety)

Couch: Old from Sprintz

Antique Stand: From Clerks, my favorite local antique shop

Pillow Covers: Pottery Barn ( don't see them here, but linked in case I'm missing them!)

Rug: Rugs USA 

I mentioned that the rug stays clean because we have a no-shoes-in-the-house policy for our family. We don't enforce this with guests so shoes are definitely around some, but it's better than it could be!

Here's the other side of the living room. 

CurtainsHearth & Hand

Art: Deann Art. Looks like mine is currently sold out, but there are so many beautiful ones!

Fiddle Leaf: Real! 

Baskets: Old from Target or TJ Maxx

Lamp: Old from Target 

Coffee Table: Wayfair

And the side leading towards the library!

The chair, cabinet, and globe are all antiques. 

The baby is not available ;) 

This is our dining room. Please ignore the giant leaning mantle, it belongs in the living room entry way and is too heavy for us to move alone. Ha!

Wall color: Snowbound on top, Peppercorn on the bottom. We did the panneling ourselves, it was a quick project. 

Light: Crate and Barrel

Table: Made by a family member

Chairs: Wayfair

Rug: Anthropologie (sold out)

Grey Cabinet (not visible): Target

Pom Pom Garland: Old from Target, hanging for a bday party :)

This fireplace was a little tricky to figure out, but it feels good and simple right now. 

Mirror: Anthropologie (I actually can't remember which one it is!)

Sign: Target

Flower Vase: Target (flowers are my dried ones)

Logs: Terrain

Basket: Target (we have these baskets all over, they're also on the living room coffee table, in the library and kitchen, etc)

The dining room attaches to our kitchen. 

Cabinets: Dorian Grey by SW

Green Wall: Homburg Grey by SW

Here's a picture of this space in action. We eat here most mornings for breakfast and the boys listen as I read or we listen to worship music. 

Here's one of the Bibles I mentioned.

This area will probably be a family "command center" one day, but for now its a cute little drop zone. 

Dresser: Antique

Lamp: Target (with those build yourself pieces)

Frame: Anthropologie

NY Print: Rifle Paper Co

Planter: Anthropologie

Plant: Home Depot

Books: These are my gardening go-tos! I'll do a whole garden post soon. 

And here's my office/library!

Baskets: Target

Prints: Etsy

Chair is old and covered with a coverlet

Pillow Cover: West Elm (old)

Here's the library in action. Our boys grab books and read in here all the time. 

Next week: The bedrooms! 

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Home Tour: Playroom, Mudroom, and Studio

We moved into our home Summer 2018, after renovating its (very poorly) flipped rooms. The house is quirky in imperfect- a true 1970's ranch home- and it's exactly what this growing family wanted. 

I don't have great before pictures (drats!) but here's one from what is now our playroom. We wanted to keep the built-ins, but they were actually falling off the walls. The other side of the room had cork walls, so we took those down and added two closets. 

The unglamorous side of renovating: discovering the mold and water damage hidden behind poor flip jobs. 

But here's this space now! Scooters no longer allowed inside ;) 

Wall color: Requisite Grey by Sherwin Williams

Map: Gathre

Bench: Handmade

Blocks: Melissa & Doug (a beloved toy in our home)

Rug: Rugs USA

Basket: TJ Maxx

Trampoline (not pictured, but mentioned in my IG story- we LOVE this thing)

Curtains: Hearth & Hand. They still need to be hemmed & steamed, but well worth buying the 95" length. 

Shelves: IKEA

Books: Maps, How To, Stuck, Julia Child, The Gardeners, Jabari Jumps, Up in the Garden, Who Sang the First Song

Ottoman: Goodwill

Couch: Sprintz (no longer available)

Rug: Rugs USA

The boys were gifted this kitchen last Christmas and play with it almost every day!

Kitchen: Hearth & Hand (sold out at Target, available here)

These bins make organizing the toys easy and doable. Even my two year old knows how to pulls balls in the ball bin, trucks in the truck bin, etc. And the best part is that they're only a few dollars each. 

Lots of sizes available here.

What was once the laundry room is now Robert's office. It isn't done yet so no photo here, but you can see it in the background of the one below. 

Wall Color: Homburg Grey by Sherwin Williams (proof that you should test every color in your home before you paint; this reads more teal in our home than online; I love it)

Runner: Anthropologie

Sign: Smallwoods

 

This isn't a great before picture of our mudroom space; it was actually an open breezeway when we bought the house! Here it is with drywall, tile, and a door. 

We painted the original outdoor brick (Snowbound by Sherwin Williams) and made it our laundry room. All our outdoor doors are painted Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams (seen a tiny bit in the photo). 

We still need to cover up all those laundry connections. Ahh, the never ending to-do list :)

Laundry Bins: Amazon

Drying Rack: Amazon

Sink: Wayfair (can't find the link, sorry!)

Here's a very messy photo to show you how this mudroom really functions. We each have a "cubby" for jackets, purses, hats, etc. All our boys shoes and socks stay in their baskets; Robert and I keep some shoes in our closet, but our most worn ones are here. We have a no-shoes-in-the-house policy so they usually don't come past this point. 

We also don't have a garage space so strollers, chalk, helmets, etc end up here. 

The bottom of this cabinet has our cat's litter box in it. If you're building/ renovating a home try to think about details like that. It makes all the difference!

To the right of this photo heads into our house; to the left of this photo heads into our garage-turned-studio! 

When we moved into this house we knew Dear Mushka could function out of our garage for a time while we figured out her long-term home. We're about at max capacity, but it's working for now. 

Most of the white furniture is from Ikea. The table is old from World Market. Orders get packaged there!

The rug is from Rugs USA. The black shelves are old from Wal-Mart. 

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I'll be back soon with the rest of our house! 

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FASTer Way to Fat Loss Review

I just finished my first round (intro week + 6 weeks of the plan) of The FASTer Way to Fat Loss and so benefited from others' reviews, I thought I'd write my own here!

In short: I LOVED it. It's the first eating plan I've ever done that left me feeling completely equipped and motivated to continue far beyond the original 6 weeks. I wasn't looking forward to the end at all. I lost multiple pounds and multiple inches + gained muscle and energy. And mostly, I felt a freedom from food for the first time in long time. 

There are four parts to the FASTer Way method, which was a little overwhelming at first. But don't worry, you catch on quickly!

1. Tracking Macros. All food is made up of macronutrients- protein, fat, and carbohydrates- and our bodies need certain amounts of each to thrive. With a few clicks in the My Fitness Pal app, you're able to see how many of each macro you should eat in a day and record them. Once most of your regular foods are in the system (including common recipes and meals you eat), logging your daily food is quick and easy, truly. 

I thought this part was going to drive me nuts, but scanning foods' barcodes (from string cheese to broccoli) made it very simple and painless. It takes me less than five minutes a day and I usually do it in the morning so I can plan my day before I even begin eating. 

Keeping track of macros was eye opening. I learned that I wasn't eating enough protein in a day and was substituting it with way too much fat. Balancing all this out was a game changer for me! In the future, I probably won't record every day in the app- I know what a typical day looks like now and don't need to- but it was extremely helpful to do so for 6 weeks. 

My favorite part of keeping track of macros was that I began to see all food as just... food. If I wanted a bowl of ice cream I could eat one; it just had to fit into my macros. If I wanted a giant breakfast sandwich one day or pasta on date night that was okay- I just adjusted other foods and made it work. And because this is a lifestyle, not a crash diet, I felt so much grace to get back on the horse if I was off one day. No biggie!

Note: Some people buy a food scale for the highest level of accuracy in counting macros. I couldn't see myself doing that long-term so I didn't do it.

2. Carb Cycling. This is an alteration of carbohydrate intake to prevent fat loss plateaus and keep your metabolism working effectively. Basically, you cycle between low carb days (Monday and Tuesday) and regular carb days (Wednesday-Sunday) to ensure that your body burns fat effectively without causing significant hormonal damage or dips in energy. 

The keto diet is really popular right now (and for good reason- people lose weight quickly!) but it can be dangerous, especially for women, and it's hard to keep up. We all want and need fruit, rice, beans, etc. I loved carb cycling because it was only for two days... and on those days I got to enjoy extra fat like cheese, avocados, nuts, bacon, etc. Yes, please. I looked forward to my low carb days and learned very quickly how to adjust my eating to match them. 

3. Intermittent Fasting. On this plan, you limit your "feeding window" to eight hours a day. For me, I did 10:30-6:30, but you could skip breakfast all together and do something more like 12:00-8:00 with a snack in there.

According to the FASTer website: "Daily periods of fasting change your body at a cellular level. In addition, it helps to regulate hormones like insulin and HGH to make the fat stores in your body more accessible energy sources. The time given to your cells to repair during fasted periods allows cells to remove waste and function optimally. Intermittent fasting allows time for the body to utilize fat as its main source of energy, which means you not only lose weight, but you’ll see an improvement in your overall body composition. Intermittent fasting allows you to maintain muscle mass which speeds up your metabolic rate, while helping you shed fat."

This part was effortless and enjoyable. I had a little trouble getting all my calories in during a shorter eating timeframe (I just wasn't hungry!), but waking up and knowing I was going to fast was good for my mind and soul. It kept me praying, and it cut out my two worst eating habits- sugary coffee in the morning and pointless snacks after the boys' bedtime. 

4. Exercise. The workouts come with the program and you can choose beginner, home, or gym. They are scheduled with your carb cycling days (sprints on low carb days, strength training on normal days) to help achieve the best results. I loved every one of them... and also loved the two rest days (Friday and Sunday). Ha!

I used a few different dumbbell sizes and tennis shoes. That's it! 

I think the biggest question people have is what do you eat? I originally tried to find lots of peoples' meal plans and then realized I was over complicating it. There's no need to find lots of low carb meals. On those days (Monday and Tuesday) I ate my morning smoothie with half a banana instead of a whole one, a big salad for lunch with plenty of protein fat like two hard boiled eggs, bacon, cheese, olives, nuts etc, and a dinner that included meat + veggies. Some veggies are higher in carbs so we avoided those and focused on ones like broccoli. If my family was eating something that called for rice, I'd use riced cauliflower instead. 

While I wouldn't like to eat low carb all the time, it was easy to do just two days out of the week and I felt great! I was also able to enjoy a piece of dark chocolate or a peanut butter cup "fat bomb" after dinner (so good!). 

M/T Sample Day

Breakfast: Protein Smoothie with half a banana

Lunch: Salad with lots of protein and healthy fat or scrambled eggs and chicken sausage

Dinner: Steak, broccoli, and roasted carrots or tacos

Snack: Fat bomb

On all the other days, you eat "normal macro" or "low macro" meaning you follow your My Fitness Pal guidelines or cut them by 25% on the two days you aren't exercising (Friday and Sunday). I ate my morning smoothie with a full banana (to get more carbs in- you really need a lot on normal days!) and enjoyed sandwiches or sweet potato bowls for lunch, big bowls of fruit and yogurt with honey for snack, and basically anything we wanted for dinner-- I just watched how much fat I was eating, which was most often my downfall.

W-S Sample Day

Breakfast: Protein Smoothie with whole banana or english muffin with jelly and/or peanut butter, eggs, and fruit

Lunch: Big bowl of fruit, yogurt, honey, peanut butter, and granola or a sandwich with veggies and ranch/hummus, or a sweet potato, rice, fried egg bowl

Dinner: Basically anything, I just had to watch the fat content (like no baked potato with a ton of butter, cheese, and sour cream. Ha!) See this post for how I meal plan and choose our dinners.

Kelly, my instructor, was also so great at sharing her Pinterest boards with recipes, meal plans for the weak, Costco and Alid shopping trips, etc. I felt more than equipped to find foods/recipes that not only fit the plan for me but that our whole family would eat. 

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Overall, I'd 100% recommend this program and am so glad I stumbled across it. 

$199 gets you the 7 week program with coaching from your trainer (mine is Kelly Stewart- she's awesome), accountability and encouragement from a small private FB group of women doing this with you (they even prayed for me when I got sick), and daily workout plans. It was more than worth it for those 7 weeks, but now I also have a huge workout plan I can continue to follow, and tons of favorite recipes. 

 Kelly's next round starts July 15th. If you'd like to feel freedom from food, get control of eating habits, or have accountability as you begin exercising I can't recommend this more. 

Click here to sign up and/or to read more and see lots of FAQs. I'll also talk about it on my Instagram stories and save them to my highlights!

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Friday Favorites: A Bedroom House Tour

Every Friday I share some of my favorite things on my IG stories from our newsletter for the week. This week I thought I’d do something a little different and share some of our faves from our home's bedrooms.

Watch the video for a virtual tour and get a sneak peak into our home. You can find some of the mentioned favorites linked below.

Our Nursery Room is the new baby’s room!

We’re so ready for little Mushka number three to come home. If you’d like to find out how you can make our next adoption possible, you can find more information here.

The shelf and burnt orange blanket is from IKEA with artwork from Rifle Paper Co. The hanging mobile is from Target and you can find the wallpaper from D. Marie Interiors.

Our Two Year Olds Room

Features a bunk bed that is actually supposed to be a loft play area also from IKEA. We painted and are absolutely in love. It’s perfect for transitioning a little one from a crib to a bed because you can’t really fall out.

The kids’ bedding is from Target. I’ve also used a DIY Pom Pom trim to hang as makeshift “bunting”. I love it because it gives the illusion of being expensive when really it’s just from a craft store, comes in a zillion colors and costs just a few dollars per yard.

The curtains are from Target. To get more fullness I sewed two panels together! We’ve used the same IKEA shelves in this room because the boys love to see the covers of their books and they are great for promoting reading.

Our Four Year Olds Room

We’re still working on this one and plan to get a desk for him and some final touches. We upgraded our bed to a King Size (best purchase ever!) so our little man, Brooks, got the Queen Size.

The US map is from Crate&Barrel.

The dressers are from IKEA as well - can you tell we love IKEA? They are great for organizing and you can easily place a changing mat on top of them if needed.

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DIY Laundry Detergent

I've been making my own laundry detergent for seven years now and occasionally get asked about the recipe so I thought I'd share it here. 

It's easy to make, effective, and inexpensive (costing around $.14 a load). With three little boys, I do roughly 5-6 loads of laundry a week. This last batch lasted a solid nine months! 

You can find all the ingredients stacked together at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle, or scattered a little at most Targets (it's hit or miss for me). You can also buy them all together on Amazon for a little more money. 

You'll Need:

One box of 20 Mule Team Borax 65oz

One box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda) 55oz

Three bars of soap (not detergent) like Fels-Naptha or Dr. Bronner's

1 tub of Oxi Clean (optional- good on stains, but not "natural")

 

 

To Make: 

Roughly chop your bars of soap and put in a food processor until they're crumbled into bits around the size of a pea or smaller.

Combine all ingredients into a 2 gallon canister (something like this) for use. I pour in half the ingredients, mix, pour in the second half, and mix again. It makes a lot! 

Use around 1 Tablespoon per load. 

That's it! 

I'm usually asked if it really gets out stains and my answer is a resounding YES. If something doesn't come out, I soak in oxiclean and water and then re-launder the next day. I rarely have a problem. 

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