A load a day keeps the piles away / Persil Proclean

Shortly after I had Sloan I was scrolling through Pinterest and I saw a quote that said, "A load a day keeps the piles away."  I remember laughing because Sloan had such severe acid reflux that I was literally doing a load of her laundry everyday!  I lived by that rule for about the first six months of her life (when her spit up finally slowed down!).  Since having Phayre, I've gone back to doing about a load of laundry every day to every other day.

I know that seems like a lot of laundry right!  But hear me out!  Two things... Sloan and Phayre change their clothes so many times a day I can easily do a load of their laundry everyday!  And secondly, when I do a load of laundry every day or every other day it is so much easier to fold and put away.  I hate spending hours sorting, folding, and putting clothes away.

I throw all of our dirty laundry into two laundry baskets, one for whites/lights and one for colors/darks.  This saves me time sorting laundry.  Between four people (ahhh soon to be five), it's easy to fill one of those baskets in only a few days.  Mix in sheets and towels and you can easily spread four loads of laundry across one week.  And let's be honest, Phayre is one of the messiest children I have ever met.  If I didn't do her laundry often all of her clothes would have stains on them!

Now, how do I find time each day?  If I have enough dirty laundry for a load, I throw it in the washing machine first thing in the morning.  I try to run back up to the laundry room sometime between breakfast and lunch and throw the load into the dryer.  Since the load isn't huge, I quickly fold it during nap.  I put away mine and Eric's clothes and leave the girls folded clothes outside of their bedroom doors.  As soon as they wake up, I pick the piles up and put them away as soon as I walk into the girls rooms.

It sounds like a lot, but for me it's so much easier than doing several loads of laundry in one day!  Sloan is also at school two mornings a week so I always make sure to get caught up on laundry on those days.  Now not all weeks go according to plan and I've had my fair share of "six loads Sunday's".  I just hate spending that much time on laundry in one day so I really try to avoid it.

Now I mentioned my little Phayre Bear is one of the messiest children on the planet and I'm not joking.  She is constantly covering herself in food or anything else she can get her hands on.  The girl requires a decent amount of clothing in one day!  AND stain removal is key when it comes to washing P's clothes.  My go to laundry detergent is Persil Proclean.  Persil is tough on stains and doesn't require me to pretreat everyday stains like food and art supplies.

And the best part is, Persil is now available at Target!  When I was there last week, the entire end-cap was full of Persil and Sloan and P both ran up to it.  "Mama Mama look!  They have the clothes washer stuff here!"

I love a product that is first: affordable (check) and second: works for me and my family (check).  Persil really fits the bill for my family.  If you have a busy family, I highly recommend Persil Proclean.  I also visit their website from time to time because they have great laundry tips (think stain removal!).  If you have a messy child like Phayre you should definitely check it out!

Happy washing, fluffing, and folding mamas!  May your laundry baskets be empty each day!

Xo

Marisa

I partnered with Persil Proclean on this post, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own!

Hello Baby BOY Brown / nursery inspiration

As I've slowly, but surly gotten over my initial shock that we're having a BOY I have gotten really excited and gotten right into planning mode.  You guys, it's as if there was no way there was a 50/50 chance that this baby was a boy, I was SHOCKED.  And I felt like it was a boy the entire time, but somehow couldn't believe that we could actually make a boy!  I think because I have two daughters I could really only imagine having another baby girl.  Anyways, I'm getting really excited to welcome this sweet little guy and I want to make sure everything is perfect for him when he arrives.

We've really gone back and forth on planning the nursery because we're still trying to decide what we're going to do with Phayre's room (keeping her in a nursery with a crib versus a big girl room with a bed).  The baby is due a few weeks after P turns two and Eric and I are at odds when it comes to giving P the boot from her crib.  I'd like to keep her in her crib as long as possible.  Eric think's she's ready for a big girl bed and that the transition will be easier before baby brother gets here (he's probably right on that one).  Sloan moved to a big girl bed right when she turned two, two months before P was born.  Sloan was also hyper verbal, potty trained, and weaned from her pacifier by 18 months.  She's always acted so much older than her age and P just isn't that way.  I'm so afraid of rushing P out of her babyhood!  We're also thinking about moving P's room to our guest room and giving the baby P's nursery.  All of that just to say, we aren't exactly starting on the nursery right now and we don't have a clear plan.  BUT, I do have a lot of fun ideas that I'm super excited about.

Since I'm really unsure about P's room, I decided to start gathering ideas for baby boy's nursery!  Pulling my ideas together was super scary at first, I feel so intimidated by all things boy.  I have just been so deep in girl land over the past almost four years!  I know I'm good at the girl thing, but I'm not sure about my boy mom skills just yet!

If you've seen Phayre's nursery you know that I am not a themed nursery person.  While I love a good party or holiday theme, I get tired of themes too quickly in a bedroom.  I love love P's nursery, but I definitely want to take a more minimalist approach to baby boy's nursery (boys don't need all the fluff right?).  If Eric gets his way and we move Phayre into a big girl bed, baby boy will inherit her crib.  It's such a simple and modern design, perfect for a boy or girl.  I hope you like what I have so far!  It's a work in progress, but I really love how it's coming together!  I'll make sure to update the blog with ideas and photos as I find them!

When I sat down to gather my ideas for this nursery, my first goal was to choose a color palette.  Obviously it needs to be masculine (I had a hard time moving past pink and florals #formergirlmomproblems), but it also needs to be soft enough for a baby.  Blue seems pretty basic, but out of my "boy color" options it's probably my favorite.  I like the idea of mixing a few different shades of blue with neutrals like white, gray, and tan/beige.  I want the room to feel light and bright so I'll most likely keep the off white walls.

I couldn't find P's exact crib online (because it's old!), but I found a crib that looks almost identical and is way cheaper!  I'd love to find a mid century dresser to also use as his changing table.  I might even try antiquing or thrifting one and refinishing it... If I get adventurous :).  I also love this neutral glider and ottoman and think that they'd be so beautiful in any nursery!

Now for the fun stuff!  I knew I wanted a good mix of blues, ranging from medium blue to navy.  I also love the idea of throwing in other small pops of color like mint and yellow.  When I found this rug, I knew it was absolutely perfect.  A great mixture of blues, but also a fun yet simple design.  I like having a lamp in my kids rooms for right before bed or first thing in the morning when the overhead light is too bright.  I fell in love with this mint floor lamp and think it would be perfect next to the glider.

A boys room doesn't need a bunch of fluff and knick knacks, but I do want to include a few fun decorative accessories.  I love these pom pom bins (large bin, medium bin, small bin) and could definitely see this little knit lamb doll by Cuddle and Kind popping out of them.  I also love the idea of a hand painted globe and hope to find one on etsy.

Both of my girls have wooden name blocks from Bannor Toys and a cloud mobile from Baby Jives.  I plan on ordering those for baby boy as well!  Funny story, when I showed my nursery inspiration picture to Eric he said, "We're not naming the baby Ethan are we?"  Haha no babe, just a photo I found on their website :).  I also love the whale toy box from Bannor Toys so I might see if I can work one of those into the room as well!

When it comes to artwork, I want to keep the walls simple and sweet.  I absolutely love the book quote art prints by Sugarboo & Co.  We have one of their pieces in our playroom and I love it so much!  They're so well made and make such a statement in the room.  Minted has some really cute whimsical art prints, I really love the "Eeny Meenie Miney Moe" print!  I would also love to hang a vintage baseball photo since Eric played baseball through college and loves the sport so much.  Plus baseball reminds me of our dating years!  I sat through more games than I can count, pretending to watch them game while really only staring at his bum (he was the catcher) :).  I also love love love the wooden signs by House of Belonging and think one would look so cute hanging over his crib.

I found a beautiful blue watercolor fabric online and I'm hoping to get a crib sheet and/or blanket made out of it.  I will not be going with a baseball theme (you know how I feel about nursery themes!), but I do love this vintage baseball player fabric and think a crib sheet or blanket would be so darling.  I also found this indie blue crib sheet by Madly Wish and I have officially fallen in love.  Madly Wish also has beautiful linen fabrics that I can't get enough of.  I love the "earth" color and I actually talked my friend Whitney (the owner) into sending me samples of white and navy linen fabrics!  I cannot wait to see them, I have a feeling they'll be perfect.  Madly Wish also offers boppy covers in the linen fabrics which I love!

That's what a I have so far!  What do you guys think??  Boy land is new to me, but I'm determined to give this little guy the perfect space!  I'd love any ideas you guys may have, leave them in the comments below!

Xo

Marisa

Hello Baby Brown number three is a... BOY!

Gold "it's a boy" sign c/o Blessed Blondies

Well it looks like we're no longer an all girl crew over here!  Oh my gosh you guys, the baby is a BOY.  I am going to have a son!  That is so weird to say, a SON!  I'll be honest, my first reaction was pure and utter shock.  A BOY!  Like I didn't even think Eric and I could make a boy!  I am definitely in uncharted territory, but I'm super excited to start making plans for our little man!

Our ultrasound was in the morning and we didn't find out the gender at the appointment!  She put it in an envelope and Eric quickly took it so that I couldn't peek!  We met my friend Lindsey of Lindsey Wiatt Photography and she had the ballon with blue confetti filled  (I ordered the balloons and confetti off of etsy).  She captured our reactions when we popped the balloon and even took a little video!  I'm so excited to share it with you guys!

It was so hard letting Lindsey find out before us, but SO worth it!  I love that she caught our (very shocked) reactions!  She did such a wonderful job documenting this special time and I am so thankful for her!!

One of my first thoughts was, "How will I dress him?"  immediately followed by "Can I seriously not put bows on him??"  I am really excited to start buying boy clothes, but probably equally sad about the bow situation ;).  We currently do not have ANY boy names, not a one.  So that's priority number one, finding this little guy the perfect name.  Oh and nursery, I'm super excited to plan a boys nursery!  So far no plans though, boy land is all so new to me!

Sloan had no reaction to finding out the baby was a boy, she simply didn't believe it.  We both bent down and said, "Sloan it's blue!  That means it's a brother baby!"  All she said was, "I like the sparkles!  I'm cold mama, I wanna go home now."  She spent the rest of the day talking about our baby girl and I started feeling really bad about not giving her another sister!  It didn't take too long though and she finally understands that the baby is a boy and she seems ok with it.  Eventually I'm sure she'll get excited, but right now it seems to be a pretty big shock for her too!

Most of the old wives tales pointed to girl along with the Chinese gender calendar!  So, I officially don't believe any of that crap :).  My initial gut feeling was a boy and I should have just relied on that.  There's something to say about a mamas intuition!

We had a little reveal with our families and close friends on Friday night.  We had cupcakes filled with blue frosting and had everyone bite into them at the same time.  It was a really sweet moment!  Everyone is so excited for us that we get to experience having a son!  My friend Lisa from Lilac Butterfly Custom Cakes made the cupcakes and they somehow tasted even better than they looked!

Thank you so much for all of your excitement and congratulations!  You have made this time even more special and I am so thankful for this community of mamas!!  Now share all your boy tips with this former girl mama!!!

Xo

M

I LOVE Eric's face in this photo!!  He was so happy and excited!

Friday Favorites on a Thursday :)

I have a few fun things to share with you guys, but I know I'll forget to post tomorrow so how about a Friday Favorites on a Thursday?!  Makes me seem like such an over achiever right!  I'm not really an overachiever though... we find out baby Brown number three's gender tomorrow!!!  We're even having a little gender reveal party with some friends and family tomorrow night.  We've never done one so I figured it's now or never and I'm so excited!

But first, I have to tell all of you that PHAYRE GOLDA BROWN went pee pee on the potty last night!  19 months of pure sweetness and she's officially turning into a big girl (insert excited happy emoji along with bawling eyes out emoji because omg so bittersweet)!  So so proud of that sweet thing.  Annnnnnd moving on...

I think I need to start a new hashtag on Instagram for #thetravelingstool.  We have this sweet little Elephant stool from Neapolitan House that the girls drag all over the house.  I had originally gotten it for our downstairs bathroom because the girls need a stool to reach the sink.  It has since been dragged upstairs and circulates between all of our bedrooms.  My favorite recent use was when Sloan sat Phayre down so that she could "braid her hair".  She flipped P's hair through her fingers and pretended to braid it while P soaked in all the big sister attention :).  The stool is so darn cute, I had to share!  Plus Neapolitan House has lots of other fun goodies in their online shop!  And just for you guys, use code "babybrown" for 15% off their shop!!

Speaking of stools and bathrooms and washing hands.  If you don't have these sink extenders, BUY THEM for your little people.

My obsession with kids pajamas is reeeeeeeal.  Always has been.  I posted last week about a few of my favorite pajamas and then I found another cute pair that the girls obviously HAD to have (I'm hoping the 2t will work for P even though she isn't quite into that size yet).

I also grabbed the girls these flamingo shoes this week and my only complaint is that they don't come in my size.  You guys... tell me these are not the cutest things you've ever seen?!

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If you're planning a birthday party for your little lady, definitely check out these new number cake toppers by Fancy Free Finery and Hooray Everyday.  We won't be home for Sloan's birthday this year (we'll be in Disneyland, poor kid ;)), but I think I'm going to order one for P's birthday!  Remember her little "1" cake topper from her first birthday party??  I'll be like 37 weeks pregnant at her party, so I should probably plan some things ahead!

This week we tried breakfast quesadillas (genius) and a creamy chicken tortellini soup.  Both were delicious and I plan on making them again!  Find both recipes on my "Good Eats" pinterest board!  Make sure to follow along on Pinterest too!

We tried this sensory activity this week.  So easy and P played with it forever, such a great rainy day activity.

That's all for now babes!  Next time I log in I'll be sharing the gender of our littlest babe, CANNOT WAIT!  Have a great weekend (and just pretend it's Friday when you read that ok)!

Xo

M