A good night's sleep is one of the most important factors to a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, it can be one of the hardest things to achieve. I don't know how many nights I've laid awake tossing and turning with my mind racing. For new moms, it's even worse. If your little one isn't enjoying solid sleep, you aren't either. A friend of mine insists that it's all about the environment and the ambiance. She recommended a white noise machine and essential oils to create a soothing, peaceful send off to sleep, and she swears by a humidifier during dry seasons. After listening to her advice, I decided it was worth a try. After searching online, I was most impressed with all of the functions that the HoMedics® SoundSpa® Slumber Scents offered. It's an alarm clock, noise machine and diffuser all in one! I loved the idea of decluttering my nightstand and using this SoundSpa as an all-in-one device. So, did it make a difference? After one week of giving it a go, here are my thoughts...
For those of you who follow us regularly, you know that we are big fans of the Christie Brinkley Authentic Beauty Skincare line. Recently, we had the opportunity to try a few items from the makeup collection as well and were just as pleased with the quality. Whether you're looking for a complete daytime and nighttime look, the Prime Time Day to Night Nudes Palette, Cheek Chic Color and Contour Powder Blush and Lip Beautifully Moisture Rich Lipstick will cover any occasion! We love that they are formulated to keep skin healthier and as with all Christie Brinkley products, they are cruelty-free!
Back-to-School shopping has begun! While we appreciate the amazing summer sales, we don't look forward to the crowded aisles and long lines that come with collecting everything on the classroom supply list. This year, Blu School Supplies is saving us some of the time, stress and hassle with their pre-made supply packs. We went with the Junior High/High School Kit with 19" Tech Pack, but they offer a variety of age-specific packs to suit any students needs as well. Since these kits are sold by the case (4 per case), it's perfect for large families! For smaller families, we recommend getting together with other parents and ordering together to take advantage of this major savings. At $16.60 per kit, you just can't beat the price!
With the new school year upon us, help your child's teacher start the year off right with the proper writing supplies. Ask any teacher, especially an elementary school teacher, and they'll tell you there's no such thing as enough pencils and markers. This year, we found a brand highly recommended by a few of our neighborhood teachers, so we reached out to the good people of U Brands to give them a try. They offer some fantastic liquid chalk for labels, dry erase markers for white boards, and colored pencils that should all make it into your teacher's gift basket this school year!
We can't believe that the new school year is almost here already! Summer always seems to fly by, but we love to keep Back-to-School time positive and fun with book-giving traditions. It's such a simple tradition, but we find that treating the first day of school as a celebration sets kids on the right track for another year of learning and improving literacy skills. It's a great time to get creative and find books that really suit your children's personalities. Some of our favorite book collections have come from National Geographic Kids. They have a nice variety of educationally-focused books that are written and illustrated in such a way that they appeal to a wide range of kids. They're also made really well, so they've held up for us for a very long time. (The Angry Birds collection is still a big hit.)
As you're collecting all of the school supplies on your child's classroom checklist, add a little fun with the Crayola Silly Scents collection! I've alway found fun writing utensils to be a great motivator to get kids to unlock their creativity and practice their writing skills. The Crayola Silly Scents collection must have had this in mind, too! They've covered every avenue with scented crayons, colored pencils, and a variety of washable markers. And of course, we've gotta start the school year off right with some Crayola classics as well! Consider putting together a special basket of Crayola items for your child's teacher this year. They spend so much of their own money on classroom materials and greatly appreciate the extra support.
Back-to-School sales have begun and it's already time to start loading up on supplies. But Back-to-School shopping doesn't have to focus only on supplies! In addition to picking out the basics, our family has had a long tradition of book gifting for the first day of school. It's a great way to get kids excited about the school year and promote reading while building special memories. This year, we have two little ones starting pre-K and Kindergarten in our family. One of my favorite authors at that age was Richard Scarry, so I wanted try to foster that same love with two fantastic Richard Scarry books.
This season, my husband and I have made it our goal to update our outdoor living space and try our hand at some basic herb and vegetable gardening. Years ago, we began using flower boxes to make the most of our limited outdoor space in our D.C. apartment. Now that we live in Florida and have a large yard, we still find that flower boxes are one of the best ways to grow plants and add style to our lawn and patio area. For those of you trying to decide which style of gardening is right for you, we've provided some of the biggest benefits that flower boxes and raised beds offer below. We've also included one of our favorite flower box recommendations, the IKEA Askholmen Flower Box, for its style, functionality and affordability.
We recently moved into a new home and love the light that streams into each room, but we still need privacy and shade once in a while. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on blinds installation throughout our home, we found a fantastically affordable professional-grade DIY option from Redi Shade. TheirEasy Lift Trim-at-Home Window Shades allow you to measure and install the shades all on your own, no tools required!
Do we love doing the laundry? No. It's time-consuming and does no favors to our utility bills. In our home, it seems like laundry is a never-ending chore. With as many loads as we do each week, an ENERGY STAR ® certified washer and dryer is a must. It keeps our bills low and we like knowing that we're minimizing the impact on the environment as well! We just purchased a new washer and dryer from Best Buy this month and can't say enough about how easy they made it. The delivery men were extra careful taking them up our new stairs and had each installed in a snap. If you're in the market for a new set, Best Buy's ENERGY STAR ® certified selection is vast. They are committed to helping families through their commitment to positively impacting our environment, with a huge assortment of sustainable products and appliances. This includes their large selection of energy-efficient products, including ENERGY STAR ® certified electronics and appliances.
