Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning around here starts with a new bloggy header. I plan to devote some serious efforts to clean up this page and give it a little makeover, but to satisfy my need for something NOW .. I decided to update my header and grab buttons to hold me over. I also added some social media buttons to finally join this century. SHEESH.

The new look …

Whaddya think? I can't decide, but thought it was decent enough to get something going. 

Now, onto REAL spring cleaning with those pesky cabinets, nasty garage and downstairs storage room. Oh, and I also need to update my child's wardrobe to items that actually fit him because his little toes are wearing holes in his footed sleepers. I also may try to sneak some Easter photos today! 

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its wayyyyyyyyy!

Essential Beach Items for Baby

It's true ... I took my baby to the beach AND enjoyed it. It was Bennett's first time at the beach and while we were so excited to share the new experience with him, I was also beyond stressed about what to pack and nervous that the trip would involve nothing but syphoning sand from his little mouth.

Babies and sad just don't seem to mix to me - not to mention sun and water safety and coordinating feedings and naps. I tried reading and finding great tips, but was always led off on adorable swim trunk tangents and all research proved to be unsuccessful. Anywhoodles, I did find a few blogs/pinterests etc that were helpful and here are some of my tips to other beach baby mommies!

hand and face wipes / baby pool / aden and anais blankets / sunscreen / sun hat / swimfloat / sun tent / swim diapers / sunscreen wipes

I can't tell you exactly what I loved more ... the small sun tent or the tiny swimming pool. Both were perfect for keeping little man out of the sand (which he obviously loved to eat). The sun tent was great for staying cool while he played or napped and we were actually able to {RELAX} (a word used loosely). Bennett loves the bathtub and the pool allowed him to play in the water in a safe and controlled environment. Yayyy for things that make parent's lives easier!

Obviously other items that were essential ... swim diapers and big ol' floppy sun hat along with sunscreen galore. My dermatologist recommended the Blue Lizard sunscreen and OMG I can't say enough about it. SO much protection for his fair baby skin and he walked away an entire week later completely unscathed with literally zero sunburn. The sunscreen wipes were also a great addition for when I needed to just dab over an area or his face. Love them!

Same story for the boogie wipes. I can't say enough about these fabulous little saline wipes, they are a staple in our house regardless of the beach or not. The blankets were also a great addition. The beach and blankets don't exactly mix unless your having a bonfire or something, but these work great because they are so light and airy while still keeping little man cozy during nap time. And last but not least, the swimming float. This was a great addition in the pool. Not only did it allow BUB some shade, but it also gave him some independence to play in the water and splash about.

Hope this helps with your next trip to the beach with little ones, so you can enjoy yourself on your much deserved vacay! Happy Spring/Summer!

Bohemian Bennett

If ya'll recall, last year hubs and I headed down to my momma and daddy'os place in the Bahamas to surprise them while they were on their winter getaway. It will go down as one of my all time favorite surprises because there were so many things circling. If you didn't catch it last year ... here's the post.

This year, although there was no surprise involved we kept our tradition of visiting. And added bonus ... WE BROUGHT A BABY! :)  Bennett's first international trip ... lucky little booger!

Whew! What a trip ... can we go back puhlease!?!? Here are some of my favorite photos and highlights of the week, but in all honesty it's hard to capture paradise in a brief blog post. So many great memories and so many UNcaptured moments. But here's a glimpse!

 Bennett on a boat!

 Daddy and BuBs. Be still my heart.

This was our first day, mom and dad had a 2 month head start on their tans … so don't judge ;) )

Feeding the piggies!!

PaPawwww!!!

 I mean, is this real? Yes, paradise.

 Beach baby smoochies!

 Hubs was brave enough to feed them with his mouth! Ahhh! I opted to be camera lady.

 Fisherman Bennett!!

 The cutest little fisherman I ever did see! <3

 Daddy's big fish!

 So many fishies!  Too bad Bennett was terrified of them :(
Just a boy and his gals.

 Obligatory Atlantis chair photo while we made a day trip to Nassua.

 Can't. Handle. The. Cuteness.

Until next time Island Time (that's the name of our boat).

Organized Clutter

My friends always tease me that I have entirely too many trinkets and my ability to fill an empty shelf in five seconds flat is a talent to be reckoned with, but until lately I have always shrugged it off. It wasn't until my home became entirely overrun with copious baby items that I realized I'm completely OCD about filling a space. And not just filling it, but filling it first and then accessorizing it, adding a few frills and accessorizing some more. Essentially, I've come to realize my style of decorating is organized clutter ... and it's possible my home will one day be on an episode of Hoarders. However, rather than a 'buried alive' segment, it'd be replaced with 'decorated trenches'.

I can't decide if I love or hate that when it comes down to it there is no better way to explain it other than just that: clutter ... yet organized. Sort of like me: tomboy ... sprinkled with an ounce of chic (or at least that's how I imagine myself anyways).

Nevertheless ... all of this babble brings me to my latest task. I've got about three walls in my home that I've been able to overlook and shuffle existing items around to keep me from going crazy, but always knowing in the back of my mind I want to complete them. Well ... I guess I've hit my being able to overlook them snooze button one too many times and it's now time to take on the task. So, I've begun my search for how I plan to complete the bare walls and I keep coming back to ... organized clutter ;)

Inspiration images include:

The Master Bath (okay, so full disclosure .. this isn't really "inspiration" this is more just the idea ... and I'm doing it. I'm currently in the middle of getting the baby bathtub pictures and I've already got 2 perfect frames. LOVE it) And of course our wall will include 3 pictures ... because of course Baby B has to be up there!
The Basement Wall

I've already got a few items on the wall, and I'm trying to incorporate more (go figure ... more clutter) ... anywhoodles, I think the use of a rod would be a good addition ... simple and cute

I've got a cutesy old shutter that I can't find a place for ... and this is an adorable way to accessorize!

Love the clutter. All of this. The hodge podge. I dig.

I love this idea, the use of an old window pane. Too bad I had the most perfect one ever that made it's way into the junk pile when we were cleaning out the garage last spring. Wommmmp. But, I do love it and you can always find great art to be restored!

The Playroom Wall

How adorable?! Little clips to hang all of the little artwork!

More clips .. this time with individual clip boards, sooo artsy!

And again, so precious.

So, there we have it. My current inspiration for organized clutter. So, while the rest of your are spring cleaning and tossing out old junk ... toss it on over my way and add it to my decor pile, because heaven knows I'll be able to find a place for it!  Now, let's just see how long it takes for me to actually complete these projects shall we?!  Too-dah-loo!