Awesome alphabet print

I adore this alphabet print by Anna Bond - it's available at Rifle Paper Co. and SO cute. It would look great in the little man's bedroom.

Pics from the Rifle Paper Company.

We love cloth diapers

Cloth diapers are one of the biggest money savers when it comes to all the expenses a new baby brings. Over the course of a year they can save literally hundreds of dollars (instead of disposable diapers) and they're so much cuter! What really surprised me was how easy they are - I do one extra load of laundry every 2-3 days. Which really isn't a big deal considering the amount of laundry my son & husband create on a daily basis anyways. Plus the start-up cost for me was super low. I didn't spend more than $200 and I've got a good stock of diapers - 24 diapers lasts us 2 or 3 days between washings and they will fit the little man up to about 36 lbs.

Our favourite diapers are the One Size Heavy Duty AIO Diapers from LuvYourBaby Products. They've got snaps to adjust them as he gets taller and the waist is velcro so they're 100% customizable. The colours are great, too - all of our diapers are all boy.

Picture from theluvyourbaby.com

The biggest adjustment for us has been the lack of Penaten - I LOVE that stuff, it keeps the little man's bum in great shape. But it's only safe with disposable diapers - it just goops on to cloth and is almost impossible to wash out. But Dimpleskin's Bum Bum Balm is a lifesaver. It is totally safe with our cloth diapers and keep the little man happy, which is especially important now that he is sleeping through the night & has the same diaper on for 5 or 6 hours at a time.

Picture from well.ca (which is where we buy it - one of my favourite online shops, plus free shipping in Canada)

Wishing for cold weather..

As fall collections are starting to fill up the stores I'm finding myself hoping for overcast, rainy days like today instead of hot, sunny ones. One reason is how obscenely hot our little old house gets in the summertime & what a grumpy baby my little guy is when he's too warm. But the other reason is more superficial - I'm fair and I still have 10 lbs of baby weight to get rid of. I look much better in sweaters & boots than I do in a bikini.
Altamira (modelsoffduty.com) has been feeding my obsession with colder weather - their archives are full of drool-worthy fall & winter outfits that I'm eager to put my own spin on.

Pictures from Altamira

Creating my own workspace

Right now my workspace is a broken laptop propped up on my coffee table. I really need to find a place in my house that is just MINE. Little guy has a nursery, hubs has a basement "man zone" and I've got... well, the whole house, I guess. But none of the house is really a creative zone for me right now. I've got a miniature kitchen, a family room full of dog toys and baby stuff, and a master bedroom that is the worst utilization of space I can imagine. It really is awful. And it might just need a makeover before I can even find a workspace - it could even be the home of my own little workspace if I can get it organized and find some realistic clothes storage.
Until I start planning that, though, workspace porn!

via Living Etc.

Getting Organized

One of my goals right now is to get my life organized. I've made a ton of progress as far as keeping our house more organized since our little guy was born. It makes life about a million times easier knowing where everything is when you've only got 5 minutes to yourself to actually get things done. I still suck at keeping our schedule organized, though. The calendar in my phone is too tiny, Google calendar is perfect except I don't always have a chance to get on the computer, and my wall calendar can only hold so much information. So I ordered this planner from Doublebooked on Etsy.
So far I'm thrilled with it. The layout is perfect for me - I can see the whole week at once which makes syncing it up with my google calendar and wall calendar quick & easy. It's also got a mini to do list for each day (probably my favourite feature) and has pockets throughout for the random paperwork I usually lose.

But the best, best, BEST part of it? It's adorable! All of the books in the shop are made from old childrens' books. They're adorable and I smile every time I use mine.

Picture from doublebooked on Etsy