Digitsaver Pinch Guard Sale!!
Digitsaver Pinch Guard for Door Knobs 20% off this week!! $9.99 $7.99 We love the Digitsaver at our house! Not only do we use it to keep little hands from getting smashed in the doors, but around here we like to keep our doors open in the summer to let the breeze blow through. Digitsaver [...]
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The opposite game & why it doesn’t work in our house (wink-wink;)
If you want your kids to do something, turn it into a game. It’s simple but the best ideas usually are right? Want an easy game idea? Read on. Its called the “opposite game” and the rules are simple: agree to say the opposite of what you mean. For example: Me: Ashlyn, I don’t [...]
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Loving Naturals Organic/Gluten Free Suncsreen and Insect Repellant Sale!!
Loving Naturals SPF 30+ Natural/Organic Gluten Free Sunscreen Loving Naturals SPF 30+ Natural/Organic Gluten Free Sunscreen Stick Loving Naturals Organic/DEET Free Insect Repellent 20% off this week!! 100% Natural, Gluten Free, Vegan. Made in the USA Watch Heather’s Loving Naturals Insect Repellant review video here!
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Return of the Jedi
My five year old loves Star Wars. When I say loves, I mean loves, plays, dreams, breathes Star Wars. I recently sat down with him to watch a suspenseful scene from one of the episodes in which Yoda battles it out with Count Dooku. We watched the scene together, but really I just watched him. [...]
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How to create a shared bedroom for a boy & a girl
Our oldest two children (Hunter age 8 and Ashlyn age 6) have shared a bedroom for about a year. It began when our in-laws brought us the bunk bed my husband used as a child and set it up in Hunter’s room. It didn’t take long before Ashlyn was joining Hunter each night and pretty [...]
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La Leche League Sale!!
La Leche League Nursing Wear 20% off this week!! Super comfy and super versatile. You CAN wear cute little tanks while nursing! The La Leche League strapless bra is made of super soft nylon/spandex and also comes with pads and clear straps that can be worn several ways. The La Leche League Strapless [...]
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Top 5 kids’ audio picks for road trips
Earlier this month our family took a 7+ hour road trip together to the coast of Washington. In many ways this distance seems like small beans compared to the times we trek from Northern Idaho to Minnesota or Southern California to visit family. However, any extended car seat time can leave little ones (and their parents) longing for [...]
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Francie Pants Sale!!
Its summer time and if your girl is anything like mine she LOVES herself some dresses. Ashlyn wears a dress or skirt EVERYDAY. I’m not kidding. In the winter she loves to wear tights underneath to keep her panties covered, but what is a girl to do when the warm weather comes around? [...]
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DIY: Summer Parasol Wreath
I love the idea of a well trimmed door with a fresh new wreath awaiting each new season! I found this idea for my summer parasol wreath on Pinterest. All you need is: -A wreath (either foam or a grapevine as shown below) -A box of mini parasols (I purchased a box of over 100 [...]
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Kangapouch Sale!!
Kangapouch Goose/Duck Down Baby Sleeping Bag $125.99 – $145.99 $102.50 – $121.25 Tired of struggling to keep your baby covered up at night? Worried about the safety of blankets in the crib? We’ve marked our prices down on a Mom 4 Life favorite that will solve your problems! The five-star reviewed Kangapouch [...]
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Grace Upon Grace
I’ve been increasingly frustrated with my 3-year-old lately. There are some basic house rules we’ve laid out. She knows them. She understands them. She can follow them. But daily, hourly, even minute-to-minute she chooses not to. And it makes me want to pull my hair out. Why, oh why, sweet child would you dump water [...]
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Never Go Hungry Again: A Spiritual Nutrition Guide for Moms
It has been a while since I have mentioned where I am at in the process of publication for my manuscript. This is mostly because I don’t know much yet. I am still waiting. Several weeks ago I was updated that my manuscript is now in front of an editorial team being considered. This was very encouraging [...]
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MyLittleSeat Sale!!
MyLittleSeat Compact Fabric Travel High Chair 20% off this week! $29.99 $23.99 MyLittleSeat is a compact fabric travel baby high chair that folds down to the size of a diaper in its own matching bag. It has 4 ties and 2 harness straps to help secure even the more energetic tots!
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The Magical Fruit Called Beans
It would appear that the whole world is under financial strain. Our mighty dollar has weakened, and we are almost all feeling the pinch, no? For that reason, we all desire to be more frugal and so we flock to great money-saving blogs (such as this one) looking for deals, coupons, and helpful tips on [...]
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Chalk paint dresser makeover (& a giveaway)
I used to be scared of projects like the one I recently completed. I never imagined I would be sharing a post about a piece of furniture that I restored. People that do things like that have blogs with names like “Crafty Mama” or “Furniture Chick” (neither of which oddly enough are active websites!) But here I am giddy with excitement to show you my “trash into treasure’ project which was all made possible by a product I had never heard of before until my good friend Selina over at Creative Juices for Decor told me about it. The product is Chalk Paint. At this point you likely fall into one of two categories. Either you are nodding your head in agreement saying “yes isn’t that stuff wonderful?” or you are assuming that I am talking about Chalk Board paint (also a fun product but totally unrelated).
“What is Chalk Paint?” you may ask.
Only all your furniture dreams realized in the form of a can of paint.
Only the most simple solution to restoration (the furniture kind) that I have found.
Only amazing. No sanding. No priming. A-mazing!
Ready to see it in action?
-I found a three drawer dresser on Craig’s List for $10. It was nice and solid and had good lines. I had planned to use it as dresser. However, 2 of the 3 drawers were sticky and didn’t slide well. I decided I could turn two of the drawers into shelves. I offered $5 and they agreed. As it was lifted into the back of my car, the 1 drawer that did work toppled out and broke on the road. Bummer. Not figuring that they would want to buy it back from me, I decided to see what I could make it into. I decided to remove all 3 of the drawers and install shelves, transforming it into a toy storage unit.
-Because the initial piece was two toned and because I was going to allow some of the under color to show through when I distressed it, I decided to replicate the two tones with my paint choices. I used the “Arles” (yellow color) Chalk Paint on the top “changing table” area and also on the inside. For the rest I used “Emperor Silk” (red color).
-The only “prep” work I had to do was wipe down the wood with a damp cloth to remove any dust and lose particles. After that, paint! The first coat of paint went on fairly quickly and I was surprised by how fast it dried. But the second coat was even faster. Because I planned to distress the furniture and allow the original wood to show through, I didn’t have to worry about putting the paint on thick enough to completely hide the original colors. I was amazed at how much could be covered with so little paint!
-Once both coats of paint were dry, I went over the entire piece of furniture with sand paper lightly sanding a smooth surface and spending more time on the edges, corners and any areas that I wanted to appear distressed and aged. This was a fun step.
-Next I covered the inside back by painting Mod Podge over 12×12 sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper cut to size using a paper cutter.
-My husband cut to size 3 thin boards purchased at Home Depot and glued them on top of the pre-existing drawer sections (after removing the small wooden glide rail which was no longer needed).
-To finish the Chalk Paint, I covered the entire painted surface with one thin coat of Johnson’s Wax (which I purchased at Home Depot) using an old t-shirt. This provides a protective seal on the wood and brightens up the paint which, after sanding it, had been dulled.
-Using some left over scrapbook paper from the Mod Podge part of the project, I created coordinating labels for the plastic storage bins. I choose to have the most baby friendly items toward the bottom and coordinated each row of labels to match, in an attempt to make it easy for the kids to put each drawer back in the correct section.
The end result turned out better than I could have expected. It is bright and colorful, highly functional and because of the distressed nature, durable to child abuse.
Being able to look for furniture based on how solid it is and the beauty of its lines, rather than its color, opens up a whole new world of possibilities. I had been initially hesitant when I first saw that Chalk Paint was sold by the quart rather than the gallon. I had only ever purchased paint for the purpose of re-doing an entire room. However, after finishing this project, I can now see that a small quart of paint would be more than enough for most furniture projects. There are even small 4 oz. “sample” Chalk Paint sizes available which can be used for smaller projects such as picture frames, chairs or a small bench or stool. I also LOVED that the VOC s are so low. I couldn’t detect any paint fumes which was a huge plus. I am already eyeing my next project! If you have some additional questions about chalk paint, you might find your answers on this FAQ page.
How about you? Would you like to try out Chalk Paint on your own project?
Of course you can simply go to the Stylish Patina and buy some, but I would love for you to win some! Kelly over at Stylish Patina has graciously offered to give one lucky Mom 4 Life reader a $45 gift certificate to her store! I might suggest spending it on a quart of Annie Sloan chalk paint ($38) and perhaps a set of paint brushes ($10) or “sample” Chalk Paint for accent colors or a small side project ($13.50). To enter simply fill out the rafflecopter form below (you must be on the blog to view the entry form). The giveaway can be entered until Monday June 18th (MST). There are several ways to enter, good luck!
Also, if you like to be inspired, Kelly posts some fantastic stuff over on her Stylish Patina facebook page, go take a look!
Turn buttons into beautiful: DIY framed monogram
I’m over at my friend Selina’s blog (Creative Juices for Decor) this week sharing one of my favorite DIY crafts: a button monogram. Come join the fun!
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BabyLegs Sale!!
All BabyLegs are marked at least 20% off this week! That’s right! 20% off Cool BabyLegs with UV Protection! 20% Off Regular BabyLegs and even bigger markdowns on our discontinued BabyLegs!
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Who Delights in You?
Sometimes I find myself saying in frustration, “I just can’t please everybody!” For example, not everyone delights in my decision to be a stay-at-home mom. I’ve heard people scoff, saying what a waste my legal education was if I was just going to stay home. Some say I was a fool to give up my career. [...]
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Clearance Sale!
Mom 4 Life is moving again! That’s right, we’re moving to a new website. That means we get to have another moving sale! We have some great buys on a few lines that we only have one or a few left. Check them out below!
my lie
When I was a child there was a span of time in which I was getting headaches quite often. My mom told me she would make an appointment to see the eye doctor in case I needed glasses. The idea that I might soon be the owner of my very own spectacles was almost too much excitement [...]
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Bravado Nursing Bra Clearance Sale!
If you are the right size, we have some great prices for you!! Bravado Lifestyle Microfiber Nursing Bra in hot pink 37% off! We have two left in size 38B! Bravado Supreme Plus Size Nursing Bra 36% off!! We have this style left in 34E, 36G, 36H, and 46F.
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It’s ok to ask for help
Her phone number sat in my inbox for three weeks. Every time I’d check my e-mail, I’d get that feeling in the pit of my stomach, knowing I needed to call. Remembering why I had asked my friend for her number in the first place. I made excuses as to why I hadn’t called yet. [...]
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RuffleButts Bloomer Sale!
All of our RuffleButts Bloomers have been marked down to $14.99 a pair! Twelve different styles to choose from! Click here to see all of the options!
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bumGenius Cloth Diaper Sale!
This week we’ve marked all of our bumGenius cloth diapers and Diaper Sprayer down 10%! bumGenius 4.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers $16.16 Econobum One Size Cloth Diaper $8.96 Flip Stay Dry One-Size Diaper $15.26 bumGenius Diaper Sprayer $40.46 Are you still trying to decide which cloth diapers are right for you? Are you confused about all [...]
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