DIY

First of all, it's not over. The kitchen renovation isn't yet done, so the jury is out on whether or not I will actually survive. A little over two months ago, with the help of a dozen friends, I demoed out the entire kitchen. All of the flooring and cabinets and part of one wall. I literally ... voluntarily ... put my entire kitchen out on my curb. Then the panic sank in. WHAT. HAVE. I. DONE. Well, roughly 65 days later, I have gained about 8 pounds, inhaled more dust and paint fumes than I care to mention, and have spent almost as much money eating out as I have on cabinets. Ok, ok, that might be a slight exaggeration....

For me, the hardest part about being a working mom is missing my kids - simple as that. And I think most of my fellow working moms would agree. Because of this, we usually have pictures framed on our desk or tacked to our board because we miss those faces. Something I saw recently got me thinking of how I could create a statement art piece for my office that incorporates my boys on the cheap. And it came to me - get my kids to make it! Having pictures of your kids is wonderful, but when I see their artwork, I just melt. I already have an element of this that I started anytime my kids come to visit...

The journey to keeping our baby in her bed has been tough. She was a climber from the moment she could crawl and began climbing the couch before she could even walk. So naturally, trying to climb out of the crib came as soon as she was barely tall enough to see over the side rails. We tried the usual ... lowering the crib to the lowest available space. For most toddlers, this would be enough. But for my little gymnast-wannabe who can hike her tiny leg up to the top of the rail, this move was not enough. She was attempting to pull her tiny body up over the railing when she figured out how flexible she was. So clearly, we...

When we bought our house a little over a year ago, I knew that we'd have our hands full and our hair speckled with paint. I've learned a few things along the way as we've painted one bedroom, two bathrooms, 3 vanities, a dining room, nearly all the trim in the house and 3 doors (only two bedrooms, one bathroom, one hallway, an entry way and 17 doors to go). Painting your house is a relatively inexpensive way to make a dramatic change to your home, but it can also be very overwhelming. I've come up with a few tips, some serious and some not so much, to help you on your painting journey. Step 1: Pick A Color DO NOT, I repeat...

If I had $1 for every time I Googled or Pinterested (is that a word?) "creative ways to display kids' art" I would have enough money to build an art studio on the back of my house. But since I've been searching furiously for free, I have to make do with my formal dining room. I wanted my daughter to have a nice space to be creative, with lots of handy tools, and the wall space to see her creations proudly displayed. But because this is the first room you see when you walk into my house, I also didn't want it sticking out like a sore (and messy) thumb. I'm happy to report that I think I have...