Finish January With A Photo-A-Day

I've never done a photo-a-day challenge, but I've seen them all over the place with some awesome pictures. It seems like a great way to inspire some creativity everyday, especially when you're not feeling all that creative!

So, I invite you to join me in challenging ourselves to use this list to take some creative and beautiful pictures of our daily lives.

Follow me on Instagram to see my 
            daily photo challenge pic.

Follow me on Twitter to get a 
            reminder of each day's challenge!

Tag your photos so that everyone participating can see!
#AngeLeBoopPics
@AngeLeBoop


18. Water
19. Java
20. Book
21. Family
22. Light
23. Sky
24. Cuteness
25. Yummy
27. Organized
28. Shoes
29. Play
30. Cook it up
31. Silly

Happy photo-taking!

Is Your Pregnancy "Advice" Encouraging or Discouraging?

During my pregnancy, I experienced so many new things. Of course I did! I had never been pregnant before.

One of the biggest things that still unfortunately stands out in my memory is how so many people rain on other people's pregnancies (without even realizing they are doing it), especially first-time pregnancies! Sure, most people mean well and are just trying to offer helpful (usually unsolicited) advice.

  
As a first-time mother, a lot of these things were scary and discouraging. I was already anxious and scared out of my mind most of the time. I was going to be responsible for a completely new tiny human being soon. The last thing I needed was any type of negative or discouraging "advice." 

You know what the worst part was? A lot of these people weren't even parents themselves! When did anyone start thinking it was ok to give advice on something they have never experienced?!

Now that I have had a chance to try this "Mommy" thing out for myself, I can say that it is not as scary or horrible as some people make it out to be. It is a beautiful wonderful experience that I would not trade for anything.

Here are some things I was told that I can say were absolutely unnecessary, not useful, discouraging, and sometimes just plain rude.
*These are not exact quotes as my Mommy brain cannot remember that far back in precise detail. However, these are all things that were expressed to me during my pregnancy in one way or another.

The pointless advice joke 

"You better get all the sleep you can get now, because once you have the baby you'll be lucky to get a straight hour of sleep! HaHaHA!"  

Oh, wow! First of all, most expecting parents already expect some sleep deprivation. And guess what? Most Mommies are already experiencing it before the baby even arrives. Try sleeping with a bowling ball sitting on your bladder actually, make that bouncing on your bladder!

What is even the point of saying something like this? It is not helpful. It does not solve a problem. It definitely is not positive or encouraging. Just keep it to yourself. And the laughing, it happened; like they were telling some joke they thought was hilarious. 

Note to expecting/new Mommies: Once your beautiful baby is here, yes your sleep schedule is going to change, but it really isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.

Just remember to take it one night at a time and enjoy the bond you are building with your little one. You will cherish it for the rest of your life.

The back-handed compliment

 

"You look so nice today! But you know once the baby is here you won't have time to shower much less do your makeup and fix your hair."

Huh? I'm sorry, did you just compliment me then magically look into my future? Wow, that's amazing!

Did this come true for me?

Absolutely not!  

From day one of welcoming McKenzie into my life, I have been able to shower regularly and wait for it... even do my makeup and fix my hair when I feel like it. Sometimes, I even put some thought into what I'll be wearing!

Note to expecting/new Mommies: Shower, do your makeup, fix your hair, and get dressed up if you want! Even if the only fashion show you put on is for your baby. 

If these are things that you want or need to do then you will find time to do them. Believe me, there is time to do these things. It might just take a little extra planning.

Don't let discouraging people make you feel like once you're a Mom all you can wear are stinky pj's and nursing tops with spit-up in your hair.

      

 The truth that came out as an insult

"Your body is never going to be the same again!"

This was one I heard just as much from other Mommies as I did from women who had not yet had children. I think some were expressing their own fear of change during pregnancy.

Why can this statement, although true, come across as an insult? 

A lot of times it was said with this voice of warning like, "You might as well lose all hope now!" or an attitude of, "I'm sure glad I'm not in your shoes!" Keep in mind, it's not always the words that are spoken, but how they are expressed that makes all the difference. 

Note to expecting/new Mommies: "Your body is never going to be the same again. "This is true and it is something to celebrate not fear. 

Your body will forever be stronger! You just grew a human being inside your body. That takes strength and grace that you may not have even known you had.

When you see those stretch marks, it is not a bad thing. It is a beautiful reminder of the closest time spent with this beautiful new life you built!

You're going to have some extra cushioning for a while (not forever). Your body did this to provide the best place for this new life to grow.

So, next time you hear this phrase just smile, because you know what it really means even if the person saying it doesn't.

 The opinion that doesn't matter

"Have you got any names picked out?"

"We're thinking of the name _________"

• "Oh."

• "Are you sure?"

• "I knew a boy/girl with that name and they were awful!"

• "Don't name them that! They'll hate you for it!"

• "They are going to get picked on so much!"

•  "I know way too many people with that name. You should go with something more unique!"

• "No one is ever going to pronounce that right!"

• "I wouldn't name my child that."

• "Too bad the best name is already taken!" (referring to their own child)

I wasn't told all of these, but I've heard them all before. They are all rude!

Parents put a lot of time and thought into picking a name for their child. I know Lane and I did.

The only opinions that matter are the parents'!

Note to expecting/new Mommies: This is your child and the name you and your spouse choose is the right name.

Do not let another person's opinion of the name affect your decision.  

I've actually heard of some parents choosing not to share the name until the baby was born or only sharing it with the closest family and/or friends.  

The respectful, nonjudgmental ones.

For some reason people aren't as rude to the face of a cute little baby. 

You might even witness these same, rude people cooing the new name affectionately as they take in the cuteness that is your new baby.

When did people become so unwittingly rude and discouraging?

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is the simple, age-old saying, "Think before you speak."

I wish I could say that I had more people give me positive, encouraging, and uplifting advice while I was pregnant but most of it was negative and discouraging in some way.  Unfortunately this continues after birth as well.

I only had a couple people tell me how much fun I was going to have being a Mommy.

Nobody told me that my heart would burst with joy at every little accomplishment McKenzie would make.

This is a happiness and love that I never knew I could feel and that is what I want expecting Mommies to look forward to. 

Note to anybody that knows an expecting or new Mommy:

Expecting/new Mommies are going to research and read up on all the obstacles they are going to face and all the things that could go wrong. 

What they need from the people in their lives are words of encouragement and happiness.

So, please, please, please offer up support and positivity to the next Mommy you see. 

If you don't have any, then just keep the negativity to yourself. There's no use in spreading that around.

Tiny Tot Tuesday: 10 Things I've Learned From Being "Mommy"

1. I'm a super hero! What? You don't believe me. Spend the day with me and you'll see. Oh, and if you're a mom reading this, go ahead and rock out that cape because you're a super hero too!

2. I love spoiling a tiny person more than I love being spoiled myself. Crazy! I know. Have you seen all the adorable tiny outfits?!

3. The Grinch and I have more in common than I thought! My heart grew three sizes the day I met McKenzie. Actually, I'm pretty sure it grew much bigger than that. 

4. I'm fairly certain that 'Baby Brain' never goes away. Oh well. Never remembering where I left my cell phone, keys, purse, that spoon I was using to stir that pot of whatever it is I was cooking... is a small price to pay for having the most amazing gift I could have ever asked for!

5. I am capable of so much more than I ever thought. Something about keeping a tiny human being alive and well makes anything seem possible and attainable.  

6. I am the "One-Handed Wonder!" Baby in one, and things to get done... Never fear! One-Handed Wonder is here! See! I told you I was a super hero. 

7. Gross, stinky, and yucky are all words that have entirely new parameters for me. Oh, there's poop going up her back. No biggie! I got this... with one hand. See what I did there. :-) Good luck trying to gross me out!

8. My pain tolerance is huge now! You may think I'm referring to giving birth. Oh no, no, no. That only lasted a day. I'm referring to breastfeeding (the first several weeks). There were tears involved and not from McKenzie. It was well worth it though!   

9. Speaking of breastfeeding, providing nourishment for another human being is one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. Even if I do feel like a milk cow many days. I'm definitely a happy milk cow though!  


10. Making a mess with McKenzie is much more rewarding than keeping a perfectly clean home with her in the background. 
If you don't like it, don't look. 
I don't plan on looking back on her childhood and thinking, "I am so happy my floors were always sparkly clean, the dishes were always done, and the laundry was always perfectly folded." Nope!
I want to look back and think of all the tea parties, twirling and dancing, building and knocking over blocks, spending the whole day cuddling, coloring, reading to her, and just watching her grow and amaze me with something new everyday!  
 

Budget: Bill Pay System With Free Customizable Printable

I have to write things down or I would lose my mind forget them. 

My bills are no exception. I write them down all in one place so I don't  have to keep track of individual paper bills or remember to check online the entire month.

They would constantly be late if I didn't keep track of them in my planner. I just wanted to share how I make sure my bills are always paid on time and how I know how much of my budget needs to go towards bills each month. I can also easily and quickly see if there is a difference in amounts due from month to month. This is especially helpful with utilities and cell phone bills since they can tend to fluctuate from month to month.

I created a spreadsheet on which I can track all my bills for the whole year. I print mine on one page and insert it into my planner. It could definitely be used on the computer if you prefer. 

Click on the picture below to go to the download.
Printing tips are at the end of this post!

When you download this spreadsheet you will notice that there are two blog trackers on one spreadsheet. I will explain why in the printing tips.

How I use this spreadsheet:

The left side of the spreadsheet is for all of your bills to be listed. I type mine in before printing. I don't have enough regular monthly bills to fill all the spots, but those spots can be used if I have something pop up during the year. (Car maintenance, tag renewal, doctors visit...)

You may want to go ahead and add those in if you already know the dates and amounts due for the bills that don't occur regularly.

Before the start of each month, I write in the due dates, amounts due, and any additional fees for every bill. I don't have to worry about forgetting a bill because they are already listed on the side.

Now that I know when my bills are going to completely empty my bank account need to be paid, I mark each due date in my monthly planner with a red star which reminds me to refer to the bill spreadsheet. I use some color-coding in my planner; red is for bills. I don't worry about rewriting the bill name or the amount due since it is already on my spreadsheet.

When I am doing my regular planning and I see a red star, I just flip to my bills page and make sure to pay that bill. Unfortunately, my finances don't allow me the luxury of paying all my bills once a month so I usually pay bills on a weekly basis unless I am able to pay ahead.  

It would most definitely be a luxury to only have to confront my bills once a month and I may throw a party when that day comes! Or, wouldn't it be nice to just set them all up on automatic payments so I would never ever have to think about them...what can I say, I'm a dreamer!

Printing tips:

Please keep in mind:
*Your printer settings may vary, so you might have to tweak the settings to make it perfect for you. 
* Computer monitor colors may vary.
* Printer output color will vary depending on device and inks used. 

First, make sure to 'select' just the portion you want printed as shown below. This is the same no matter what paper size you're printing. 

If you just want one copy of the bill tracker to track one year of bills, then only select all the cells for one of them. 

If you want both bill trackers to track two years of bills, then you would select all the cells for both trackers including the blank rows that are separating them.


A5 - 5.5" x 8.5"

I use an A5 planner which holds 5.5" x 8.5" pages, so these are the settings I use to print my page.
*These settings work if you want to print one or two bill trackers.

Settings:

• Print Selection: Only print the current selection
• Orientation: Portrait
• Paper size: Letter (8.5" x 11")
• Margin: Custom (shown below)
• Scaling: Fit All Columns on One Page  

If you only want one tracker:

If you want two trackers:

Custom Margin Settings:

*Same for one or two. 

• Top: 0.75
• Bottom: 0
• Left: 0
• Right: 0
• Center on page:
• Horizontally - Check
• Vertically - Leave blank

* I add a small margin at the top so that you can punch holes in the page to insert it into an A5 planner.

After printing, you would just cut the page in half  and hole punch in the margin so that it would fit in an A5 planner.


Letter - 8.5" x 11"

If you would rather print the bill tracker larger and keep it in a traditional binder these are the settings you will want to use.

Settings:

• Print Selection: Only print the current selection
• Orientation: Landscape
• Paper size: Letter (8.5" x 11")
• Margin: Custom (shown below)
• Scaling: Fit All Columns on One Page 
  

Custom Margin Settings:

• Top: 1
• Bottom: 0
• Left: 0
• Right: 0
• Center on page:
• Horizontally - Check
• Vertically - Leave blank 

* I add a margin at the top so that you can punch holes in the page to insert it into a binder.


Using this bill tracker saves me from a bunch of headaches each month when I'm having to budget and pay bills. I hope it does the same for you!

The Lost Chores: How To Clean Your Washer

I had been working on my daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning checklists when it occurred to me that there are several of things that don't ever make it on my checklists or any others I've seen. Yep, I admit it. I am a checklist, to do list, really any kind of list person. I love them! 

So, I have decided to do a series called "The Lost Chores" in honor of all those forgotten, neglected areas of our homes.

These are going to be posts that showcase different cleaning tasks that we tend to ignore overlook. I hate to admit it, but this applies to a lot of things in my home.

The first thing I thought of was my washer. It's pretty gross.

First of all, I didn't get my washer new. My dad gave it to me after he had used it, and he got it from a friend, used. So, I have no idea when the last time it was thoroughly cleaned if ever. 

I did kind of wipe it down when I first got it, but I didn't do what I'm about to show you. It is disgusting! I'm a little embarrassed to tell the truth.

I am going to go through cleaning my washer step-by-step. I have a top-loading washer, so the process would be different for a front-loading machine. The same principle applies, though.  

"Scrub away the gunk!"

I used an all natural cleaning method using vinegar and baking soda as I'm not a huge fan of poisonous fumes in my home. Plus, there is absolutely no worry of either of those things messing up my next load of laundry if they didn't rinse away completely.

Vinegar helps cut through soap scum, it deodorizes, and it has antibacterial properties.

Baking Soda is abrasive enough to help scrub away tough grime without damaging the surface of whatever your cleaning and it also deodorizes.

 

  Here are some pictures before I started cleaning. Yuck! We don't use bleach in our home (like I said, poisonous fumes), so the little bleach bowl/reservoir generally goes untouched. It just sits there collecting dust and getting grimy.

Cleaning Supplies

• 3-4 cups of vinegar
• About 1/2 cup of baking soda
• You can definitely use more if you want.
• Toothbrush
• Towel/washcloth
• Rubber gloves 

1. Set your washer on the biggest load and hottest water setting.

2. Turn on the cycle to fill your washer with water, then shut it off.

3. Pour the vinegar and baking soda into the washer.

    

4. Turn on the washer and allow the machine to agitate the water for a minute to mix in the vinegar and baking soda.

     

5. Shut off the washer.

6. Remove the center, spinny piece. Super technical terms here! It should easily pull straight off the base. Just set it in the water to soak while you scrub other washer bits. * If it doesn't easily come out, please do not force it. Your washer may just not come apart like mine. Just clean around it.

 

That base was nasty! You can kind of see it in the picture. The inside had black gunk and there was a black ring of yuck on the outside.

 

7. Scrub, scrub, scrub. I started with the washcloth, but found it was much easier to get rid of the gunk with the toothbrush.

 

8. Keep scrubbing. Dip the toothbrush in the hot water and scrub away the gunk in all the nooks and crannies. Use the washcloth to wipe the barrel, lid, and outside of the washer. I also scrubbed the washer knobs with the toothbrush because mine have little ridges around the edge.

 

 Eeeek! Do you see that?!?! I can't believe I've been washing my clothes with that!  

 

On to the center, spinny piece!

Mine has a bowl in the center for fabric softener, which wasn't as gunky as it could have been. We don't use fabric softener, but that's another story for another time.

As I started cleaning it, I discovered that this too comes apart. It did so very easily, so as I said earlier please don't force it as yours' may not be meant to be taken apart. Mine just popped off and snapped back on just as easily.

    

I am so glad it came apart, because look at  that gunk I wouldn't have been able to get get rid of if it hadn't.  

The inside of the center, spinny piece was really nasty. It required the most scrubbing, and I ended up pouring more baking soda directly into it to help scrub away the gunk.

9. Put everything back together and back in place.

10. Close the lid and turn the washer back on so that it can complete the cycle.

You and I have sparkly clean washers now!

Before and After

I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. I will definitely be deep cleaning my washer at least once or twice a year from now on. I can't imagine letting it get this bad again and still washing clothes in it.

*Tip: If your washer ever gets a mildewy smell, try leaving the lid open after every wash so that the washer can dry completely. 

Now that your washer is clean, it's time to tackle your laundry and get it under control!

4 Simple Steps to Get Your Laundry Under Control!

1. Use hampers

photo credit: Wicker Paradise via photopin cc

• Put a few hampers in a designated spot and label them with the type of dirty laundry that should go in them. Make sure the hampers are only big enough to hold one regular load of laundry each.

• Towels
• Linens
• Delicates
• Darks
• Lights
• Use whatever categories you and your family are used to!
• *Tip: Create an "I don't know" hamper. This is great if you have children who can separate their own laundry, but may not always know what category something might belong. This way, things are less likely to end up in the wrong hamper and they don't have to ask you for help every time they are sorting laundry.

• Now, you don't have to dig through a pile of dirty, smelly laundry to sort out your favorite sweater so it doesn't end up shrinking in the wrong wash!

2. Straight into the hamper!

• As soon as a towel is used, bed is stripped, or clothing taken off it should go straight into the appropriate hamper. No more soggy towels on the bathroom floor and no more going through the entire house in search of dirty laundry all over the place.

3. Instructions (Especially helpful if other people in your home can help do laundry!)

• Type/write up some easy-to-follow instructions for each type of laundry that you labeled your hampers.
• Attach these instructions to the corresponding hamper or somewhere easy to spot by the washer and dryer. I highly suggest right on the hamper.

• Instructions are helpful for a couple reasons:
• Show your children the laundry label on clothes and teach them to match it up to the instructions when sorting if they're not sure which hamper it goes in.
• Once the hamper is full, it can be dumped into the washer and anybody in your home can follow the instructions to do a perfect load of laundry! 
• No more whites unfortunately magically turning pink!

4. Do a load a day 

• Wash, dry, fold, and put up the biggest hamper load everyday.
• This shouldn't take too much of your time since everything is already sorted and the hampers can only hold one regular load of laundry. Just don't wait till the hamper is overflowing. That defeats the purpose of this system and makes that one load seem so much more daunting.

"But, what if I only have a 

single dirty towel one day; 

I'm just supposed to wash that!?" 

Nope! That is a sign that you have accomplished your goal of staying on top of the laundry and you can take that time to do something for yourself! Go on... Kick your feet up and relax a bit.