Dream Nursery Reveal: Kate's room

I spent countless hours planning for and getting Kate's nursery ready for her arrival.  I wanted it to be perfect - my dream nursery - and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

 

 

I wanted it to be super girly with a neutral color scheme and a hint of pink.  When I had my husband hang the chandelier I asked if he liked it and he said "it's pretty girly".  I immediately replied "oh good, that's what I'm going for!"

 

I found the curtains at Target.  I considered making some but it's much cheaper to buy curtains than to buy that much fabric.

 

The glider was also from Target.  I always try to have a picture of Christ in my childrens' rooms an I found the perfect one at Seagull Book & Tape that went right along with the color scheme I was going for.

 

I made the Kate wall hanging, mobile, bumper pads, crib quilt, and crib skirt.

I got the chandelier and framed mirror at IKEA.  You seriously cannot beat the price and the chandelier is the perfect touch - I'm in love with it.  I got the changing table at D&B Woods on Center Street in Provo and we had it stained to match the crib.  I made the changing table pad cover.

I love the custom closets in our house - it really saved us in this room.  Although I wanted it to look 100% like a nursery, it was our only remaining guest room a few weeks prior and I still have to store some stuff in there.  With the help of the custom closet, there is plenty of space to store everything with room to spare.

 

I got both bookshelves at Target.  I love to fill the shelves with pictures and toys and not just books when I can because I think it adds a lot to the room and keeps things interesting.  I filled both shelves with pictures of Kate's family, pictures of her mom, dad and sister as a baby, and a maternity picture from right before I had her.  I filled the fabric bins with bath stuff, bibs, toys and burp cloths.

 

It's my dream nursery - just what I wanted.  It took a while to put together but it was worth it.

Hawaiian Punch®: Aloha Morning™

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

What kid doesn't love Hawaiian Punch®?  I remember as a kid being so excited that I got to choose my own drink at Chuck E Cheese's because I could choose Hawaiian Punch®.  (I wasn't a huge fan of carbonation as a kid).

I'm always on the look out for fun things for my kids to try, which is one reason I was so excited to learn that Hawaiian Punch® now makes a breakfast drink called Hawaiian Punch Aloha Morning.  Hawaiian Punch®: Aloha Morning™ is made with 5% real juice and has 40% less sugar than other breakfast drinks.

I was never a big fan of breakfast until I had kids.  I never made a big breakfast and was lucky to even get down cereal.  I know it's the most important meal of the day, but it's hard for me to get going in the mornings!  Once I had kids I felt responsible to keep them healthy, and breakfast was a big part of that.  Although I don't always cook a big breakfast every morning, we do have breakfast every morning and I try to serve something more than cereal whenever I can.

I have been meaning to make a hot batch of German Pancakes with homemade coconut syrup lately and Hawaiian Punch®: Aloha Morning™ would go great with that meal.  Lily loves juice so she would be thrilled if I got her a new drink to try, especially something fun for breakfast since she's usually stuck with milk.

You can find Hawaiian Punch®: Aloha Morning™ at your local Dollar General store.

Living Planet Aquarium - GIVEAWAY (ENDED)

CONGRATS TO LINDA, JENNA, MARY, HEATHER AND CHELSEA WHO WON THIS GIVEAWAY!

We went back to the Living Planet Aquarium this week as a family.

 

 

Lily loved watching the river otters play.

 

We thought it was a lot of fun to pet the small sharks in the touch pool.

 

Our favorite exhibit this time was watching the 14-foot anaconda.  She was active when we went - slithering all over her cage and sticking her tongue in and out.

 

Shortly after we took the picture above she saw us looking through the glass and swam over to say hi!

 



 

She touched her nose right to the glass where Lily was - it was incredible to watch such a big snake!

 

The Sandy Living Planet Aquarium is closing in September to allow for transition into the new aquarium coming soon in Draper.  For more information on the new Draper aquarium, visit their website here.

 

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY TO SEE THE LIVING PLANET AQUARIUM IN SANDY BEFORE IT CLOSES?

 

5 lucky winners will receive a family 4 pack of tickets to the Living Planet Aquarium!

 

To enter, just leave a comment telling me what you're excited to see in the new Draper aquarium.

 

Make sure to include your email address in the comment if it's not linked to the profile you're commenting with so I can contact you if you win.)

 

For additional entries, leave a seperate comment for each of the following:

-Like Utah County Mom on Facebook

-Follow Utah County Mom on twitter

-Follow Utah County Mom on Pinterest

-Share this giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook with a link to this post (1 entry each)

-Subscribe to Utah County Mom via email (enter your address on the left sidebar)

 

This giveaway will end at 11:59 PM (Mountain Daylight Time) on July 31, 2013.

Fine print: Although I received free tickets to review this venue, the opinions on this post are 100% mine. The giveaway is for people willing to drive to Sandy only.

"Hang in there" Missionary Care Package

My sister only has 6 weeks left of her mission so I sent her a "Hang in there" package filled with monkey and banana themed things.

 

I started off by making her this card.

 

I kept to a yellow and brown color scheme and added some banana flavored pudding as well.  I got a small stuffed monkey at Toys R Us for $3 and added a pile of pictures to update her on what is going on at home.

 

I picked some yellow candy and made a label that reads "I'd go bananas without you!"

 

I picked some brown candy and made a label that reads "You're more fn than a barrel of monkeys!"

Summer Missionary Care Package

I put together a summer Missionary care package for one of our sibling's who is serving an LDS mission in Florida.

 

I stuck to a red, white and blue theme for the most part and chose candies that reminded me of summer.  I put in a few small squirt guns and a pile of pictures of all the fun we have been having this summer.  Finally, I tucked in a letter and a picture from Lily.

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"I hope you're having a ball" MTC Missionary Care Package

 

My youngest brother entered the MTC last week making it 3 siblings between my husband and me currently serving LDS missions.

 

Between my mom and his friends' packages, I figured this Elder was getting more candy and junk food then he could possibly eat in his two-week stay at the MTC so I sent him a non-food MTC care package.

 

I heard through the grapevine that he has been enjoying playing basketball with the Elders so I sent him a glow-in-the-dark over the door hoop, a pile of pictures of family and a card my kids drew.  I added a card that said "I hope you're having a BALL at the MTC" to tie it all together and I was set.  Simple and sweet.

The ball/hoop was only $10 at Toys R Us so it didn't bother me that he would only get to use it during his limited amount of free time and have to leave it behind when he went onto his mission a couple weeks later.

It brought a smile to his face and that was my goal!

Crafting for money

People are always looking at crafts I have made and saying "you should sell that stuff! You'd make a fortune."  They are wrong. Here's why.

Crafting and sewing both take quite a bit of time.  The finished product may look impressive when its done but often it costs almost as much to buy the supplies as purchasing the finished product.  Especially in the case of sewing, the time it takes to create your masterpiece (masterpiece to you only because it involved so much work but simple and ordinary to everyone else) makes it difficult, if not impossible to get paid a reasonable hourly wage.

I love crafting and sewing. Especially sewing. Love it. But not as a job, as a hobby. I love to create, design, invent, come up with something all my own and taylor my project so it fits my needs perfectly. It's exciting for me. It's fun.

As soon as I agree to do it for money though it loses its appeal. It becomes a job, a task I must get through. It's stressful because I want it to be perfect for my customer.  It's stressful because even when I charge what I think is a ridiculous amount, even for a custom-made item (like $350 for this comforter), to make a semi-reasonable hourly wage of a whole $10 per hour, I still feel like I am losing money because I would have made more by just working my other job with much less stress involved.

So I don't usually craft for money.  No thank you. I will stick to medical transcription and sell DVDs online to bring in a little extra cash.  I will keep crafting fun.

This post was sponsored by Music Magpie.  Although it was a sponsored post, all opinions were still 100% mine.

It's HOT outside!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Coca Cola. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's crazy hot outside!

We have been having a lot of fun this summer going swimming, to parades, fairs, parks, up the canyon, having water fights, and playing in the kiddie pool in the back yard.  Even at night it's hot so we always keep a beverage handy to help cool us off.

With all our outside fun, I try hard to ensure my kids and I stay hydrated.  It's really hot outside!  Espcecially while nursing, I watch my liquid intake cloesly to make sure I don't get dehydrated.

My husband has been getting really into Coca Cola products lately which has made it easier to cool off when it's hot.  I can't even count how many NOS® he has drank this summer, keeping him hydrated and giving him energy to go to the gym or just get through the day.

Lily obviously doesn't drink NOS® so I try to keep other options on hand like Dasani®, Powerade®, Fuze® or Vitamin Water®.  Having a variety of beverages for her to choose from helps make it easier to get her to drink often.

I was thrilled when I learned that Sam’s Club has unbeatable prices on NOS®, Dasani®, Powerade®, Fuze® and Vitamin Water®.  My husband saves up the points from his NOS® to get prizes, and with the prices Sam's Club offers he should have his next prize in no time!

What are some ways you help your family stay hydrated while having fun in the sun?

EcoFresh Carpet Care: Review and Giveaway (ENDED)

 

CONGRATS TO JEN FRAME WHO WON THIS GIVEAWAY!

 

Our carpet is 9 years old and definitely shows its wear.  I had rented the Rug Doctor carpet cleaners from my local grocery store several times and it had never done much, if any good.  I gave up hope a few years ago of my carpets ever looking new again and dreamed of the day when we could replace them with a carpet that hides heavy traffic and stains a little bit better.

 

When EcoFresh Carpet Care offered to clean my carpets I decided it was about time I clean them anyway, but explained when they got here I knew my carpets were beyond help and although they may be able to make them look a little better, there was really nothing anyone could do about them.

 

I WAS WRONG.  Check out the difference - I took this as they were doing my hallway.  Obviously the left side is the side they had cleaned so far and the right is what they hadn't got to yet.

 

 

I was BLOWN AWAY with how much of a difference having EcoFresh come made.  These pictures are not altered in any way.  This is the real deal.  I cannot get over how big of a difference it made.  Check out the before/after shots I took.  (Before on left or top, after on right or bottom)

 

I seriously cannot get over how much of a difference it made.  My carpets look new again.  You can't see the dark spots where there is heavy traffic.  You can't see an embarrassing line of dirt and wear around the coffee table anymore.  AMAZING.  If you are looking for Utah carpet cleaning, I definitely recommend them.

 

The service was incredible too.  They scheduled a time with me and were exactly on time.  They wore booties over their shoes while in my house and the people who came to work on it were very friendly and polite.  I am now a customer for life.

 

And it gets better!!

 

EcoFresh would like to give $100 worth of free cleaning to 1 lucky winner!

(Cleaning must be done in Utah County)

 

To enter, just leave a comment telling me what you would use your $100 to clean.

(Make sure to include your email address in the comment if it's not linked to the profile you're commenting with so I can contact you if you win.)

 

For additional entries, leave a seperate comment for each of the following:

- Like EcoFresh's facebook page

- Hit the Google+ button on the top right corner of their website.

-Like Utah County Mom on Facebook

-Follow Utah County Mom on twitter

-Follow Utah County Mom on Pinterest

-Share this giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook with a link to this post (1 entry each)

-Subscribe to Utah County Mom via email (enter your address on the left sidebar)

 

This giveaway will end at 11:59 PM (Mountain Daylight Time) on July 17, 2013.

Fine print: Although I received a free product for reviewing this product, the opinions on this post are 100% mine. The giveaway is for people willing to drive to Utah County only