do it yourself: Crayon Monogram

I was recently in need of a project for a special person in the boys lives. I decided to try a DIY project I saw online a while back on pinterest. Man am I loving pinterest. It is way too fun to find and take on new projects! 
Here is my inspiration photo: 

  

Now, this person is way crafty...with their fancy xacto cuts and perfectly straight lines. Part of my project was done while a 3 year old constantly asked why we were beaking crayons ON PURPOSE?! and the other half was just me getting angry at the xacto knife for not making perfectly even cuts and cutting my hand.

Either way, I think it turned out pretty darn good for a person with pretty much no artistic talent. I like to think stuff up, and I feel like I know a little bit about art when it comes to being behind the lens...glue on the other hand? Not really my thing. 

For this project we used a box of crayons, a frame from IKEA, a piece of photo paper, and a hot glue gun. Total cost on this was about $6. I'm not going to say it was easy...but I think R is kinda hard. Once I figured out what I was doing though, it all started coming together. Here are my results...I hope I make my super crafty sister proud! ;)

do-it-yourself: Bookshelves

These are my boys...

they love books. I wanted to find a way to make Ethan's books easily accessible to him in his new big boy room. I started searching the internet for options that wouldnt take up his whole room with a bookshelf. We don't have a ton of space in this room and I didn't want something huge that could easily take over his room.

 

I came across this online and thought it was pretty great. No big bulky shelves or bookcases taking up the whole room. Even better? These are IKEA shelves. This meant not only a cheap project, but a trip to one of my favorite places and cinnamon rolls. Oh how we love the cinnamon rolls!

So off to IKEA I went. I purchased three of the larger Ribba shelves from IKEA at $14.99 each. Total project was $45 and a little sweat from my hubby. Besides, who doesn't love watching their hubby break a sweat? ;)

Here's our finished project, I LOVE them. Thanks hubby!!

Michigan Summer Days...

Well since the last time I wrote was May, I guess you can tell it's summer in Michigan. Summer in Michigan just happens to be my favorite time of year to live here. There are SO many fun things to do, the lakes, the wineries, the campgrounds, farmers markets, oh I could go on and on.

A little update, We've just been enjoying the summer months as much as possible! We've had a few bonfires, played at Meijer Gardens, camped in Mackinaw City, and Pretty Lake, Pool parties at Grandma's house, Vacation Bible School, and lots more!

Ethan just turned three last month, and he's just as spunky as ever. He loves tractors, especially John Deere and anything that goes fast. :) He is currently taking a sports class at the YMCA every Thursday where he gets to learn a new sport every week. He loves it so far and hates when it ends each week!

Nolan is learning new things every day. While we are still working on asking nicely and not yelling (he's a screamer!) He is saying lots of new things. He loves anything cuddly, blankies, teddies, monkey, daddy. :) Pretty much anything that ends in -y.

I've really been enjoying trying to get healthier these days and have been working on my fitness a lot. Ian is kind enough to not pick on me too much when I'm trying out new Pilates moves. I've also been trying to incorporate cleaner eating. While we do indulge in some non-healthy treats every now and then, overall I think we are all eating a little better these days! I'm buying more organic products, and really reading labels to make sure we aren't taking in unnecessary junk! I'm going to try and start posting some healthier treats and recipes as I learn to make them!

Happy Summer!

A lovely little product review: Rainwater Botanicals Natural Sunscreen

Have I said how much I love Etsy? I love it. I have searched and searched in trying to find a natural sunblock for my kids that doesn't cost $20 for 3 oz. Why oh why must we pay more to keep our kids from wearing chemicals and unnatural, unneeded ingredients? I just don't understand. I think natural should be the norm. But hey, what do I know?
I came upon this lovely little shop on Etsy, and decided to try their sunscreen. First off, it smells amazing. It goes on easy, it's not at all hard to rub in like some are. We were out in the HOT southern sun in Tennessee and I lathered some on the boys. They didn't get a hint of color at all! I started to feel my feet getting hot, and normally end up with bright red feet and lines where my flip-flops sit. Awesome look by the way. I lathered some on my feet, and not a touch of color at all. This stuff works. It protects that chubby white baby skin, and it does it safely. I can't wait to order more when we run out. Oh yeah, the price is AFFORDABLE! Whoo hoo!

See the product HERE.

A lovely little product review: mrs jones Laundry Detergent/Fabric Softner

This week I purchased some all-natural laundry detergent from an etsy store. I have been really searching for new ways to bring less chemicals and un-natural ingredients into my children’s lives, especially when it goes on or near their skin.
I found a lovely little store selling a lot of fun household products. I decided to try the laundry detergent. It shipped AMAZINGLY fast, and even came with a little sample of soft cleaning scrub! Opening the box I immediately smelled the lovely scent. It smells SO good!
The detergent does not suds up when you put it in the water, so at first I thought, how good can it really clean? Our clothes came out very clean and very soft, with no static right out of the dryer! Yeah! No more laundry sheets, fabric softner, and detergent. When your jar runs low, you simply buy a refill bag, at half the cost of the original purchase price of the glass jar. I’m pretty sure it ends up being less per load than the tide free and clear I was previously buying.
There are only four ingredients, coconut & citronella soap, borax, washing soda, baking soda. It smells amazing, as does my entire laundry room now…bonus! It’s affordable, and safe for my kids. I give this product an A+.
See the product here