76 Free Things to Do with Kids

Here is another great (and Free!) e-book for you! This one will come in handy with the up coming school vacations, or for all you moms with kids home all day.

  76 Free Things to Do with Kids: A Real Mom's Guide is free until Sunday, so go and get it now, and pull it out on a rainy day.  Or a not so rainy day.

Sage is getting to the age where going and doing things is fun for all of us, so I am excited about this one!

What are your favorite free things to do with your kids?

Through the eyes of a one year old

Being a mom means that every day I get to see the world from a new point of view.

That rock is really more like a mountain, and it needs to be climbed.

Crayon to paper is a magical thing, and can cause an ear to ear grin.

Food always tastes better when it comes form someone else's bowl.

The vacuum is terrifying. So is the blowdryer.

Books can be read over and over... and over and over, and still be fascinating.

Kisses make everything better.

There is always a beat to dance to, you just have to listen.

It's amazing the things you see everyday that you might not have even noticed without a little one with 'new' eyes to show them to you. I am so gratefl for this amazing perspective.

The road less traveled

When we head out the door we usually only have a vague idea of where we are going, or what we are doing. We call it an adventure, and it usually is. That's exactly what happened this weekend, here's how it went down:

Lets go camping.

Okay.

Where to?

How about the coast.

Sweet, how long should I pack for?

Uhm, at least three days, maybe a week.

And then we drive.

We always find a place to stay, and it's always awesome! (or we at least get a good story from it!)

So, on this particular adventure, we hit the coast and ended up off the beaten path and found an epic spot! I mean, I don't think it could've got any better. Plus it was so warm! I mean shorts and a tank top until you go to bed kind of warm... in MARCH! So, enjoy the pictures of our amazing spot, and maybe be a little jealous too. Not too much, just enough to go out on your own adventure!

That is the moon setting right before the sun came up. Pretty awesome!So, where have your adventures taken you lately? 

 

Bloom

This is probably my favorite time of the year. All the trees around here are full of blooms right now. Everywhere you look there are white and pink and even bright fushia flowers. It's so beautiful! Plus, it always reminds me of when me and Matt first started dating.

The other day it was quite gusty out, and I found myself in a 'snow' storm of blossoms. I full on giggled like a little kid and stuck out my hands like I was catching snowflakes. It was pretty great!

With all the new growth and blooms everywhere, I felt inspired to give the blog a fresh look too! A little spring cleaning and some fun new colors. I may need to do some more tweaking, so don't mind if something looks wonky for a bit. It's just me  moving things around. 

So, what do you think? I'm loving the brighter 'spring' colors right now.  

Using Essential Oils: Lavender

I recently have found the wonderful world of essential oils. I had used them before, but thought only to sprinkle a few drops in my bath to make it smell good. I had no idea what they really could do for you.
When Sage was born my mom brought some oils for me to try, since then I have been hooked! I want to start sharing them with everyone, because they really work!
I want to start with the oil that I thought I wouldn't like at all, and was very hesitant to try it... Lavender oil. Yeah, I didn't want to try lavender oil. I never liked the smell of anything lavender and thought that using it would leave me with nothing but a headache. Well, I was wrong... very wrong!

It turns out Lavender oil is awesome! I've used it for tons of things like:

Headaches! Yes, what I thought would give me a headache actually made it go away! I rubbed one drop of lavender with one drop of peppermint on my forehead and neck and my headache was gone in ten minutes!

Skin irritation. I have used it both for myself when my face is not so happy, and on Sage when his bum gets a bit red.

To calm and help sleep. A few drops in your bath or on your pillow or even rub some on the bottom of your feet before bed, seems to help you drift to sleep. I have even used some on Sage when he was having a rough time getting to sleep.

Some other uses that I haven't tried yet:
Calming a bee sting or bug bite
Easing motion sickness
Sooth a sunburn
To help a restless or agitated child calm down
It works to calm dogs too!

So, those are some of the great benefits of lavender oil. I'm sure there are many more, and I look forward to discovering them all.

Want to give it a try? Click here to get a bottle for yourself. Yes, it is my site, and I do benefit if you buy some, but I wouldn't be sharing this if I didn't think it was awesome!

So, which oils have you tried? Or are curious about?

lately...

Okay, have you been wondering what I've been up to? 

Maybe not, but I'll tell you anyway! Or show you rather, via instagram pictures.

So, we moved a while ago and are still getting settled in. (hence the lack of posts) We are close to family now, which is awesome for Sage, and us too of course! No more 6 hour drives to see the grandparents. They are LOVING that!

Sage is getting SO big! He's seriously growing way too fast! He's pretty mobile now too, he's not quite crawling, but he can get where he wants to be! And somehow he keeps getting cuter! I'm not sure how that works, but everyday he's cuter than the last!

Here are some of the photos that I've snapped lately.

His first time eating dirt... I'm sure there will be plenty more of this to come.

"styling" moms hair... he's got the knotted look down!

Playing in the laundry basket. This was his favorite for days!

fun crochet project in the window between baby bedtime and moms bedtime

getting Sage's first Christmas tree

enjoying some of the best vegan sugar cookies ever!...or breakfast.

chocolate sourdough muffins, so tasty

we've had some epic sunsets lately

this kid... he thought he'd just hang upside-down off the couch or a bit

he's a happy boy!

see this!!! he's getting too big!

figuring this whole hat thing out

really pretty beets, sliced thin and ready to ferment kraut style

So that's a little of what's been going on here. Now that we are getting settled we are getting some fun projects going. It's pretty exciting. I'll be sure to keep you in the loop.

Speaking of projects, I've got the crafty bug biting me right now, any great projects I should try?

28

This week I turned 28. I'm officially in my late twenties... yes, I was counting 27 as mid twenties.
27 was such an amazing year, it's going to be a hard one to top. The only thing that can top having a baby is going to be seeing him grow in the next year! He is already getting so big it's amazing. It's funny trying to think of what I want to do in this next year, and all I can think about is watching my little boy grow and taking in every small change as it happens. The past five months that he's been here have gone by way too fast, I know the next year is going to do the same, and I'm not going to miss one single bit of his cuteness! That's my goal for the next year, tough I know! ;)

...like that cuteness. {he doesn't get the whole photobooth = funny face thing yet... or even the making funny faces thing at all!} So, here's to 28! I'm sure it'll be a fantastic year!

oh, hi.

It's amazing how time flies when you have an adorable baby to kiss, hold, take care of, and just stare at all day! Somehow I've managed to let more than a week go by without so much as thinking about looking at the blog! Yikes!

Last weekend we took a really long and way too short trip for my cousin's baby shower. That sounds a little weird, so let me explain... We drove 7 hours, straight to the shower on Saturday morning, visited with a few friends and family on Sunday and drove back home Sunday night! All the driving was exhausting, and we definitely did not get enough visiting time! If we could have I think we would have stayed all week!

It was a lot of fun though, seeing everyone, and seeing my cousins big ol' baby bump! I'm so excited that Sage will have a cousin so close in age! They are going to have so much fun together!

I wish I would've taken some pictures, it was such a cute shower, but, I was busy with Sage. The little stinker was up pretty much the whole drive being cute for me, and was SO tired when we got there. He was NOT a happy camper!

So, besides that busy weekend, my only excuse for not keeping up around here is one handsome little boy. Which is a pretty amazing reason if you ask me!

It's been two months...

I can hardy believe that it's been two months since my little man came into this world! On one hand it seems like he has been here forever, but it also seems like just yesterday I was holding that positive test in my hands!

I know I haven't been very present around here lately, {getting a routine down takes some time} but things are going great! Sage is growing like a weed, and already seems more like a little man than a baby! He sleeps really well, and I am sooo thankful for that! Momma needs her sleep! He's smiling and talking {gooo's and ahooo's mostly} and is the cutest baby ever! I know every mom says that about their baby, but look at this picture and tell me i'm wrong!

See why I've been absent?! How could you not want to snuggle that all day??!!

I still plan on getting all my snuggles in everyday, but I also plan on posting on a regular basis again. Definitely with some mom and baby stuff, getting back to our garden, and hopefully some fun projects too! I'm itching to turn on my sewing machine again!

So, until next time... which should be soon!

My baby boy is 5 weeks already!

I can't believe that 5 weeks have gone by already! It feels like yesterday that I was holding him for the first time. It also feels like he's been here forever. It's kind of weird how that works.

It's been an amazing, and busy, 5 weeks. I can't believe how fast they days go by just hanging out with my little man. Holding him, feeding him, changing his diaper, and just watching him and admiring the perfectness that he is! It's a wonder I ever get anything done!

He's changing so much everyday. This week he has started to smile! Matt got the first real smile out of him, and I got a good one two days later. This morning we both got him to smile a big ol' grin. It's pretty much the greatest thing ever! I can't wait until this is a regular thing!

And now I'll leave you with the cutest thing ever... baby toes!

Lately...

This past week has been a little all over the place for me.

Last Friday I got an exciting call from my cousin telling me she is having a boy!
All day thoughts of our little ones playing together ran through my head.
Will we have two little boys running around? Or a girl and a boy just like her brother and I were!
Either way, the thoughts were so fun and exciting. Making me even more excited for this little one to come.

Later the same day I got another call from my dad, letting me know that my grandma who was in a bad car accident was not going to make it after all. They had been optimistic that she would recover despite her many injuries, but a cat scan revealed that her brain had pretty much shut down. They were taking her off support, and it was only a matter of time.

I knew for a few days before, that this was a possibility, but I don't think I really let it sink in. It has been about five years since I've seen her, and was really excited for her and my grandpa to come out this fall to visit us all and meet mine and my cousins new babies. I didn't want to think of that not happening.

It's crazy to think how quickly things change.

She passed away the next morning.

It has hit me little by little all week. Remembering little things here and there. How she taught me to use a sewing machine when I was just a little girl. The goofy songs she would sing. How no matter what, she was always happy.

I'm trying to stay positive, that's what she would want. It's hard, but I'm trying.

They say that new life makes losing life easier to understand... It really does. Not any less sad, but maybe easier. We are saying goodbye to a great lady, but getting the joy of new little ones to love immensely.

That is how I'm staying positive. Remembering the past and embracing the future. Being Happy.

via

She always did.

A day in nature

This weekend was so nice! We pretty much are in a coastal climate, which stays cool for the most part, but we are a short drive from some really warm weather. I think this weekend you'd call it hot, not warm! We left our house and it was about 75 degrees, got into the hills and it was 101 at one point! It was kind of amazing! We like the heat, it's what we are used to!

Being 100 degrees we went looking for water and a chill place to hangout for the day, we found the best little spot!

It was so nice! I think it was more like 90 degrees down by the creek, so it was perfect!
We spent the day just lounging, enjoying nature, and we even got in a game of cribbage!

We found the cutest little frog who kinda hung out with us too! I was hoping to see him catch a bug or something, but he was just hanging out.

It was pretty nice just spending the day with this handsome guy!

And since it was Mother's Day, and I'm pretty much a mother now Matt got in a big belly shot of me! Beware, it's big! Oh, and in a bikini! Lol!

I can't believe that my belly has another month of growing to do!

On our way out {and while we were there} we noticed a ton of trash everywhere! Mostly beer bottles and cans left by a bunch of drunk idiots. I really don't get the whole 'leave your trash all over the place' thing! So, we decided to go around and pick up all the bottles and cans we could see... while still in my bikini too! 

 Made for a funny picture, a big preggo lady holding multiple beer cans! lol! But seriously, this was a pretty small spot we were at, and look at how much crap we picked up!

I'm sure none of you would leave such crap behind, but do me a favor and punch anyone you see doing this square in the face! You can tell them it's from me! We picked up what we could, but there was broken glass all over the place! It looked like people were intentionally throwing bottles into the creek! I really don't know what is wrong with people... I'm assuming they were dropped on their heads or something!

Anywho.... It got me thinking, if all of us awesome, un-douchy people spent a few minutes picking up what these morons leave behind wherever we are, it totally could make a difference. We probably spent about 5 minutes and made a big difference in this one spot. If I actually had gloves we could have done even more. {there are somethings I'm not touching with my bare hands!}

Even just picking up one thing on the street or on a trail here and there adds up! So think about it next time you see trash somewhere. It's not your responsibility to clean up after others, but it sets a good example, and maybe it will start a chain of good deeds! Who knows?!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, and now week! I know I did, even on trash duty!

Gardening the Natural Way

So, we have been spending a whole lot of time in our garden lately. Digging and planting and weeding! One of our well meaning neighbors saw us hoeing and picking weeds and asked why we weren't spraying them with round-up...

When we told him that we preferred to not spray toxins in our yard, especially around the food we are growing, he just didn't understand. "It's so much easier to spray"..."It won't kill your plants"..."You don't need to do all that work"

We told him about the run off and that we just didn't want to use poisons in our yard. Then we explained that we use vinegar to kill the weeds that are left after we've gone though and 'weeded'.

He didn't seem to understand why we were doing it the way we are, but eventually just dropped it and went on his way.

After this encounter I noticed how many people in our neighborhood were out spraying round-up all over their yards! All around their plants, along their fences, in every crack in the sidewalk!

I was amazed!

Don't the know how BAD round-up is for EVERYTHING?! Their health, their pets, the rivers and our water sources! They must not, or they wouldn't be doing it. Or would they? Do they think that is their only option?...Yes, I was getting a little worked up on my drive through town!

So, now I'm here to share with all of you that plain white vinegar KILLS weeds! 

Weeds + Vinegar + Sun = Dead Weeds! It's that simple!

Let's weigh the facts:

ROUNDUP

Toxic Chenmicals

Kills your soil

Creates 'Super' weeds and bugs

Kills or mutates benifecial bugs in your yard

Not safe to use around kids or pets {I don't care what they might say!}

VINEGAR

It's completely natural and not toxic

 Kills the weeds

Does NOT hurt your soil

Safe to use anywhere!

Oh, and it's cheap!

Seems pretty clear to me! 

So, please give it a try next time you are fighting the weeds in your yard! It works, I swear!

This is going to be a great year! (giveaway)

I am so excited for everything this new year has to bring! Okay, mostly excited for baby to get here, but I'm sure there will be tons of other great things too!

I'm not usually one for making resolutions, but this year I decided to make one. Just one little thing.

I figure once baby comes our lives will be flipped upside-down, so the more I can do now the better! Plus if I get in the habit of doing more now, it won't feel like there is so much to do once baby is here. Maybe.

So, I'm starting now with the intention of doing more everyday. Not just more things, but more things that make me happy and enhance my life and everything around me! Setting time aside each day not just for what I have to do, but for things that have taken the back burner for way too long!

Of course this will flow over into my world of blogging too! So look for more fun things here!

Also, to start the year off, I want to do something to make YOU happier!
I'm giving away 3 Large Ad Spots to 3 lovely readers! All you have to do is enter with rafflecopter down below!
The giveaway will go through midnight January 23rd, and I will announce the winners on the 24th!
Good Luck!

And for everyone else, all ad spaces are 50% off right now! I'd love to see some fresh faces on my sidebar this year! {not that I don't love you ladies that are there already!} So head over to my sponsor page and check it out! Just enter nifty50 at checkout!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

at home dilemmas of an interior designer

Say you wanted me to design your living room.
I'd ask you a few questions, maybe show you a few pictures, find out what you really need and take some measurements.
Then I'd come back with a whole wonderful design, you'd be happy and that would be it.

NOW, lets go to my house. I quickly got it to unpacked and livable then stopped.

I have too many ideas, too many likes, too many options, and I stare at it all day thinking of new ones...

I'd say this is not uncommon in the design field. I even had a teacher once that told us 'your house will never be done, and will always be the last thing you want to do!'

It's so true! Before it was that I was designing and sewing and painting all day at work, so it was the last thing I wanted to do when I got home.

But now, I'm just overwhelmed, not only by options, but by the funkiness of our house. We are currently renting, so no painting, taring down stupid dropped ceilings or replacing a soooo outdated kitchen.
I have made peace with this now, and am moving forward!

I already know that i want to cover the {ugly paneling} walls with art and pictures, take down the tacky blinds that only half work and hang curtains instead and have Matt make us some sweet new furniture! We pretty much sold everything when we moved.

Then I can re-evaluate.

Before starting any project I always look for good inspiration.
Then I find the theme from everything that caught my eye, and go from there.
So, here is my inspiration as of now. and yes, it's on my pinterest!

Source: themarionhousebook.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: thinkdecor.tumblr.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: westelm.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: google.ca via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: touchofmodern.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

Source: thinkdecor.tumblr.com via Ameryn Marie on Pinterest

So, it looks like a neutral pallet of white, grays and woods with pops of color here and there.
I'd say my style is a bit mixed. Thriftstore-modern-industrial. That's a thing. Seriously.

Now I have to do it! That's the hard part, getting motivated. But, I'm there, ready to DO!

How do you get motivated for big projects?