Goodbye Christmas decorations... Hello New Decor

Anyone else love the satisfaction of cleaning up after Christmas?

I love Christmas, I really do... but there's something so satisfying about everything being put back in order. As a teacher, I capitalize on putting it away early, which gives me more time to enjoy my clean, well as clean as it will ever be with a 3 and 6 year old, living room before it's back to school time.

So because I cleaned, I'm obviously dreaming of new furniture and new spaces for the new year. I find myself repeatedly going back to my mantle for inspiration.  After the Christmas stuff has come down, it's very winter-y and exactly the feel I want for my house...

Blues and beige, with natural wood, a little bit of sparkle, and the feeling of being near the beach...

I love this color scheme and love that it can spread through the whole year, with some yellow and white flowers added in for the Spring, or some deeper browns and maroons for the fall. I have a few favorite pieces that have been sitting in my online carriages, just waiting for me to push the "Submit Order"...

Sofa: Ektorp from Ikea / with Chaise
Sideboard: A TV stand from Walmart in weathered or blue / White from IKEA
Dining set: White set from IKEA / Honey Wood Set from Walmart
Rug: White Wool from Target
Desk: Weathered Wood from Wal-Mart

I think they'd look so amazing in the house!

Anyone else find they want to rearrange everything and order all new furniture after you take down the holiday decorations?

xo, Heather

An Honest Review of Nectar Mattresses

If you're a parent, you know that in life, the kids end up with what they need, and usually want as well, before you end up with what you need. For the past year, Dave and I have been saying we need a new mattress. The mattress we have was purchased in January of 2010, making it almost 8 years old. Now most mattresses say they last between 5 and 10 years, but let's be honest- our moving in together decision was quick! WE had planned to stay where we were: me, living basically rent free with my family and him living in an apartment with a super low rent with one of his friends for a few more months so when we decided on a Friday to move in together sooner and signed papers on Sunday for said apartment, we grabbed a cheap mattress. It fell apart quickly.  There is currently a dent where each of us sleeps.  We can feel the springs, even though it has an extra padded pillow top. A full night's rest was no longer restful. Add in two kids who like to wake up at 5:30 am and crawl in for morning snuggles, it was time for a new, bigger bed.

Also, do you know how hard it is to bring kids shopping? Like I literally do all of my shopping online (minus groceries) because keeping the two kids in tow, without fighting is worthy of a trophy in itself, never mind adding in a room full of bouncy, jump on me mattresses!

I started researching online mattresses months ago.  I read reviews, watched videos, and compared specs. I mean, I did research. And then I fell in love with Nectar Mattresses.  It offered an affordable price point, gives you a 365 night trial, free shipping and a forever warranty. For under $800 I could be sure that we had a mattress we love. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and before you know it the money you were going to use on a mattress went to dental costs, back to school items, and new tires so you can imagine my excitement when Nectar reached out asking if we'd like to try out their mattress!

The mattress arrived a full week earlier than I was expecting, which to me was both amazing and stressful since we didn't have a bed frame for it yet! A quick order to Amazon for a simple bed frame and two days later we started to set up!

The mattress itself arrives rolled up and compressed.  The mattress felt heavy at 89 lbs, but the packaging does tell you to team lift and with the help of my husband, I was able to move it.  

Set up is a breeze. I mean, probably the easiest I've ever dealt with.  Because it is packaged up so tight, it was easy to maneuver down the hallway and into our bedroom.  Honestly, with the angles we have, I'm not sure any other mattress would have made it in!

We removed the outer packaging and laid the mattress as flat as we could get it on the bed frame. Then we took off the next set of packaging - super carefully! We even used the awesome tool they included so we didn't nick the bed. I was really impressed with the fact that there was no gross, chemical foam type smell that can be associated with these types of mattresses. I was a bit concerned at first though, because even though the packaging says it can take up to 3 days to fully get back to its original shape, it was looking a little flat. I left it alone for a couple hours and took the kids shopping. When we got back I could not believe how different it was! The mattress was thick and so comfortable!

I like firmness to my mattress but I also like the feeling of sinking into my pillows and Nectar gave me exactly that.  It's a medium firm mattress but the soft foam is so comfortable.

The idea of ordering a mattress online, without ever trying it out was petrifying but I am so glad we did! I literally get the best sleep I've had and it's so ridiculously comfortable. Now that we have a new mattress, we needed new bed sheets, so now we're looking at paint colors- so I can't wait to share a full bedroom overhaul soon!

Be sure to check out Nectar mattresses and order one for yourself! With the 365 night trial-- you have nothing to lose! Click through on my affiliate link and be sure to let them know where you heard about Nectar mattresses!

xo, Heather

Breathe Easier with Luma Comfort Humidifiers: HC12B Review

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, however all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

We keep getting hit with more snow. Like I'm seriously over snow... I have been for at least 3 weeks. We have 'sprung ahead' and the Red Sox are playing in Florida... it should be Spring. 

I am over the snow. I'm over the slush.

I'm over the 42 layers of clothing.

I'm over the ridiculous electricity bills.

I'm over the dry air that just makes me want to curl up in bed all day.

Humidifiers have been our best friends this winter; I swear it's the only reason we have survived this long without dry hacking coughs and red noses.

We have an amazing Luma Comfort Humidifier (HC12B) for our open concept living /dining room and kitchen.  It covers up to 650 square feet easily and the cool mist is perfect because little man does like to make his way over too it, so I'm not concerned about any type of steam burns.  

I also love that it runs for 45 hours on a tank.  Long gone are the days are refilling the water every 6-8 hours!

The best part is how chic is it! The vase design blends in seamlessly with most decors, and with it's almost silent operations, it's hard to tell it's a humidifier!

Here's a quick video from Luma Comfort to see how seamless and gorgeous these humidifiers are:

Our video isn't nearly as "professional", but I love being able to see how these things actually work in the home, instead of just on a stage. I apologize in advance for my small yelling children in the background!


As I mentioned before, it is a dream, an absolute dream.
The features make it better than any other humidifier we have ever used.

Features:

1. It is a cool mist humidifier. 
This is super important to me for a few reasons. With a small guy who is attempting walking, I know that even if he finds his way over to it, there is no way he'll hurt himself or burn himself because the steam is not hot. Also, cool mist humidifiers do not brred the bacteria that warm mist humidifiers can.  It's safer for our family.

2. It is almost silent.
For some thins isn't huge but for us, it's perfect! We have so much noise already between two kids, a cat, and a dog... another obnoxious whirring noise would not be okay. My refrigerator makes more noise!

3. It has an alarm!
I am yet to figure out if this alarm is for when it's tipped over or for when it's low on water (The husband believes it's the latter) but the dog ran right into it by it and knocked it off and it immediately let out a little beeping noise! As soon as I had it right side up again, the beeping stopped!
I thought it was a great function because it would minimize messes but the husband thinks it was letting me the water was low, you know, because it was on the floor, but when I put it upright it stopped beeping and I hadn't added any other water!
We haven't run the machine to empty yet so I'll be excited to find out!
And that leads me to my next feature...

4. It runs a single tank for 45 hours!
We haven't refilled the tank yet! And when I'm struggling to remember if I showered last night or this morning, one less thing to remember to have to do each day is great!

5. It has a remote!
Yes, a remote. My husband loves the remote and I do too! If we're watching tv in the living room and I notice it's not on, I don't even have to get up to turn it on! Super lazy? Yep. Super convenient? Oh ya.

Why buy ugly when you can buy a Luma Comfort Humidifier?
You can purchase one for less than $140 at Wayfair, Home Depot, and many other retailers!
Check out the other amazing products that Luma Comfort carries at their website and stay up to date at their Facebook page!

Obsessed with Heather Stillufsen

A friend shared an image on her Facebook timeline and I immediately fell in love.

Sometimes it's hard to be a mom and the night I saw this print was especially hard.  I needed to see this that night and remind myself of what was actually important. 

So naturally, I need to investigate who the artist is and stumbled upon Rose Hill Design Studio, which is illustrated by Heather Stillufsen. I am literally obsessed.  Her pictures are gorgeous and every card is adorable and many are inspirational.  Here's a few more favorites:

Are they just the best?!

You can find the illustrations on Facebook, at her website, or on the Etsy site!

A Gallery Wall for Under $50 with Ikea and Shutterfly!

Our house is still in shambles after moving.  I feel like it's actually messier.

And yes, I know we moved 3 months ago but in that time frame we also had a small child and I'm lucky to find time to shower with two children, never mind organize. I do make plenty of time to look for home improvement and home decor ideas on Pinterest.

Now, I have unpacked.  And organized but I'm not loving it. And if this is my forever home, I should love it, right?

I know there are a few furniture pieces I want to switch out before I hang things in the living room but I knew this hallway wall that goes to the bedrooms was just perfect for a DIY wall art treament. After looking at tons of decorating ideas, I decided it would be the perfect spot for all of our favorite family pictures. 

It's just blank and empty and needs some love.
It's practically begging to be a gallery wall, right?

At our most recent Ikea trip, we grabbed a handful 15 frames, not all the same.  We wanted to be able to add more in later even if one particular frame was no longer available.

The fifteen picture frames from Ikea rang in at a very do-able $32, rather than the $5-$12 per frame at other  retailers. The frames we picked up included the RIBBA, the HAVERDAL, and the NYTTJA.

Next was ordering images from Shutterfly. I literally order about 100 every other month so I have no idea how I pared it down! The total for the 12 images (Sounds like I'm missing 3... hold on...) plus shipping was less than $5.

To break up just pictures of our family, I went deep into the boxes of unpacked goodies in the basement and pulled out some gorgeous watercolors of Plymouth where I grew up, and where hubs and I met.
Because each image is of a beach town store front or the ocean, it really lends a nautical vibe.

With a $4 package of nails from Target (or anywhere you buy that type of stuff) and a hammer we already owned, I was ready to hang.  Unlike most people, I did NOT map it out first! I wanted to be free flowing and organic so I can continue to add more frames as I want without worrying about having 2 vertical pictures so it stays balanced.

I love the way it came out.

 Grand total time:

$32 on Ikea Frames
$5 on Shutterfly pictures
$4 for nails from Target

$41 dollars total.

The most time consuming part was actually walking through Ikea and picking my images!
Putting pictures in every frame and hanging only took an hour!

What home project should I work on next?

Get Organized for Back to School with Zulily!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  Content was created for zulily but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Everyone knows my real job is teaching English to high schoolers, but I started summer vacation 6 weeks early this year.

My last day of work was May 5th.

Last week I started we started our summer support program, I found notebooks and "back to school" signs at Target, and tonight I'll be attending the KidzVuz Back to School party at Blogger Bash. 

I think it's safe to admit that I'm thinking about back to school in another month.

(Yikes-- another MONTH!? Ugh!)

And obviously with back to school comes back to school shopping! 

My back to school shopping is divided between stuff for the princess, who is starting preschool this year, new clothes for me, supplies for my classroom, and things to help make the year go smoother.

Zulily is offering a TON of back to school deals to make it easier on mom and dads wallet!

I am loving all the items they have to help get you organized so you can keep running smooth during the school year. 

A chalkboard calendar to keep everyone organized.

A menu planning board to make nights that much easier.

I love this! each kid can have their own cubby for their backpack, shoes, etc. Nice and clean!

How great would this be!? Each kid could have a pocket? Or you could have one for papers in, papers out, and even the mail!

I'm going to be so stressed this year.  Teaching full time and then coming home to TWO children this year! I'll need all the organizational help I can get!

So tell me, what's your best "get organized for the new school year" tip?

Be Earth Friendly with Seventh Generation!

Happy Earth Day!

I was recently given the opportunity to host an in-home Seventh Generation Healthy Baby Home Party and just had to share!

Seventh Generation uses plant derived ingredients to create healthy, sustainable products that you can feel good about using with your children!
Additionally, Seventh Generation has started a petition asking Congress to hold companies responsible for what chemicals are in their products.
You can sign that petition HERE.

Seventh Generation also sent me a wonderful box full of samples to give to my guests and I saved a gift set for one of my readers!

So here's what you can win:

2 samples of dish soap,
2 samples of laundry detergent,
2 samples of soothing lotion,
2 samples of baby wipes,
and
coupons for Stoneyfield, Happyfamily, and Seventh Generation products!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!
US winners only. Entries will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was provided free product in exchange for hosting a Healthy Baby Home Party, I chose to post about the products.

30 by 30: Update!

I'm still whittling away at that 30 by 30 list I started last year!

And I'm happy to report we crossed off another item!

3. Buy a house.

We are so happy and blessed to be able to buy our first house and I am just obsessed with it!

It's brand new construction in a tiny little town near the water and it's just perfect for us.

Taking the Plunge: House Hunting!

Well, apparently it's that time.  

We're growing up.

We have started looking for a house.

And more than just the "let's creep on Ziprealty, and Zillow, and Redfin and see if we love something" but actual, pre-approval letter in hand, looking at houses kind of house hunting! Yikes!

We're not in a rush but it's really fun so far!

What's the best piece of advice you could offer to us, since we are property virgins!

I'd love to hear some words of wisdom!

I Can Paint : The Urban Art Bar

I have a new obsession.

It's called Art Bar.

Have you heard of it?

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Urban Art Bar in South Boston last week to try it out. 

Now, I can't paint to save my life.  Literally, my students often pick on me for my drawings on the board.  I teach English, not art, so whatever, but I have a few friends who LOVE going to art bars so I've been itching to try it out.

The way it works is that you go online to their calendar, pick out a picture you like, and register online!

What is nice is that there are no tickets involved, you just show up and give them your name.

For only $45 they provide you with everything you need for the experience: an apron, the canvas, the paint, an instructor!

I picked out a really great Boston skyline picture.