Happy 6 Months, Hanky!

love,  sarah

Playroom Chalkboard DIY

i've been itching to try out chalkboard paint since we moved into our house. i can't count the hours that i have spent browsing the internet and pinterest for pictures of dark, beautiful, chalkboard painted walls.  fast forward to my feeble attempts to convince josh to let me paint an entire wall. my reasonable husband, then spent the following hours trying to convince me to rather paint a sheet of plywood. he knows me. the second the paint dried, i'd be second guessing the location and wanting to repaint.  i agreed to paint the plywood.

what you'll need:

• sheet of plywood
• sander
• painters tape
• chalkboard paint (i used Rust-Oleum Chalkboard paint!)
• foam roller
• stain
• paintbrush for staining
• chalk

the how to:
1. cut your piece of plywood to desired size.
2. use an orbital sander with a fine grit to sand plywood until smooth
3. measure your border (a speed square is very helpful in this step!) i marked six inches all around.
4. tape off border
5.  paint your chalkboard! i did about 5 coats, allowing for 2 hour dry time between each. this might be a little excessive ;) after your last coat, let it dry for 48 hours.
6. remove tape & "cure" chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk on its side all over the board
7. erase the board and decorate!
8. for a more finished look, stain the border.
9. after allowing for dry time, hang your finished chalkboard!!

love,  sarah

branch basics

i was never one of those people who cared much about going green, organic food, or staying away from the harmful chemicals that is in practically everything.

i thought-- what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.  right?  well that's good and well for me.  but things changed when hanky came into our lives.  i want the best for him.  as a parent you often feel so helpless because so much of life is completely out of your control.  but there are things i can control and so we do what we can to protect our children. 

branch basics was just what our family needed. 

let's talk about how it works because it is the easiest products i have ever used. all you need is soap! branch basics's main product is a highly concentrated soap that can be diluted for different purposes around the home: all purpose, kitchen, & bathroom cleaner, mirror & glass cleaner, laundry detergent, hand soap, shower gel-- you name it! we also used it on our pup and she is now smelling great, too! 

and the best part is i know that the soap is safe for every surface and every person in our family home. the soap is so safe that you could eat it. this is super important to me because i have a babe who will soon be putting everything in his mouth. the soap is free of all synthetics and GMO's. it is 100% plant and mineral based, as well as biodegradable and vegan. could it get anything better?

not to mention, that it cleans like a dream. so long harsh chemical based cleaners, you have been replaced! i feel so good about what's now sitting under my sink.

run, don't walk, over to branch basic's website and purchase your starter kit now! you can ever gen 25% off your purchase with promo code: PURE25.  this company is so sure that you will love their product (and so am i!) that they offer a 180-day money-back guarantee! talk about customer services. 

i love this product. i love this company. our house is now a branch basics home! 

love,  sarah 

branch basics was kind enough to provide this product for our review. all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are me own. 

interested in learning more about branch basics?

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Radio Silence

it's been pretty quiet over here lately. we're totally drained. josh had back surgery a little over two weeks ago and it has been tough around the house. no bending, twisting or lifting. which means he can't take care of hanky. thank goodness for our moms helping us out… but i haven't been able to keep my eyes open much past 8:30 PM lately. i'm exhausted and josh is frustrated that he can't help. hanky is happy as can be.

let me just take a moment to tell you how amazing that husband of mine is.  he is such a good dad to henry and seriously i would lose my mind without his help (and i have, for the past two weeks).  but we knew that surgery was the best option for him to get back to work and not live in constant nerve pain. he's feeling better and better with each day, but it's been pretty rough.  this experience really has shown me just how much i need him.  he's the best partner and parent on the planet. so for now we will just lay in bed until this man of man can get back to playing all over the place.

i promise we will be back with some more updates, projects, and fun.


love, sarah

Happy 5 Months, Hanky!

love,  sarah

Month 4 Update + Solids

well hanky had his four month appointment with our pedi this week and he rocked it.  we have had such a good time watching him grow and fatten up, that we we're really excited to see how much he weighed. sometimes i swear wakes up three times bigger. the morning of his appointment an 'arctic blast' blew through and every fleece outfit we put on him was too small.  even our pediatrician joked that we were going to have to cut off his outfit for the examination-- how embarrassing!! needless to say that after the appointment, we immediately went to carters and raided their clearance section for 6 month fleece jams.

so here are the stats: henry is currently weighing in at 14 lbs 6 oz and 24.5 inches. he is actually on the growth chart now, hovering right around the 30th percentile. did that boy really gain 4 pounds in 2 months? yes, yes he did. 

although he's getting those delicious fat rolls on his thighs and wrists, we are still struggling to figure out hanks gut issues. he still spits up like it's nobodies business- 20ish burp cloths & 8 outfits a day kind of spit up. the past few weeks he has also been having horrible constipation, gas, and fussiness. he also went from happily taking 6 oz to wanting to eat about 11-12 oz a feeding.  he is still getting some breast milk at each feeding-- as much as I can provide-- but the majority of his bottle is formula. 

so putting our heads together with our pediatrician, we have switched his formula, trailing an rx for zantac, and starting on some solid foods!! 

it was suggested to us to stay away from rice cereal (due to constipation) and try an oat base instead.  we're also skipping veggies for a few weeks and trying some bland fruits, again to assist with constipation issues. 

and after a few confusing bites…

hanky went to town. 

but we did take some breaks to catch the blind auditions of the voice. 

we've had some food three times now.  last night he was grabbing at the spoon and shoving his apple&oats covered hands into his mouth.  it is so fun to watch him work on coordination and see his eyes light up with the taste.  watching this babe grow is really my favorite. 

love, sarah 

Happy Four Months, Hanky!

love, sarah