Easy Ribbon Storage Solution: Wire Hangers

I am a ribbon hoarder.

It's not a joke. I have hundreds of thousands of yards of ribbon in my house. Between birthday parties and my Etsy shop, I constantly have a ribbon project (or twelve) in progress. It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed a ribbon storage solution. I had boxes and bins overflowing with ribbons of all colors and widths in every crevice of my house. It was getting out of hand. So many crafting supplies are awkwardly sized and present difficulty in storing them in a manageable fashion. I'm excited to share my ribbon storage solution with you - it is so easy!

Goodbye, giant piles of boxes of ribbons and trim! Hello, lovely organized collection of useful supplies in my craft closet!

You may have some old wire hangers lying around, but if not you can try calling a dry cleaner to see if they have extras. I've been given stacks of them several times - for free!

Just untwist the top and you'll be able to thread spools of ribbon onto the hanger!

It's a little bit tricky to re-twist the hanger back together once you have filled it with spools, but with a little practice, it becomes much easier.

I'm actually not willing to show you just how many ribbon-filled hangers I have throughout my house. It's pretty safe to say that I will not run out of ribbon for many years...maybe ever.

Do you have a ribbon storage solution? What do you think of this idea?

I won't lie: it gets to be a tangled up mess if you let all the ribbons become unrolled at once. It's best to secure the ends with tape or a pin to keep the ends from trailing all your crafting area.

That's it! My super simple ribbon storage solution...hope you love it as much as I do!

What's On Your... {December 2014}

I will not give up on this series, even if I never remember to post it. Even twice a year is good, right? It will have to do, since the last time I wrote a post for this series was back in May. Maybe I should turn it into a link-up! Would any of you participate?

Dresser | It's a hot mess. Like 13 tubes of lip balm, a bunch of Chewbeads necklaces that my kids beg to drag all over the house, jewelry that still needs to be sorted (it's clear I have other priorities, right?), a stud finder, a box of drill bits, two late 19th-century costume bonnets made out of straw baskets, and I don't even remember what else.

Perennial To Do List | Sewing stuff for my own kids. Editing videos. Figuring out a plan to be an awesome (or, at the very least - functioning) homeschool mom and not fail at preschool whenever we start it up again. MEAL PLAN. Can I meal plan for a year at a time? Because otherwise I feel like I'll never keep up.

Refrigerator Shelves | Leftover Christmas Eve food from my grandparents' house. So Delicious dairy-free Coconut Mint Chocolate milk (not an affiliate link - it's just divine). Fresh blueberries. Raw milk. Expired yogurt.

Itinerary | NOTHING. It is almost January and we are going to have a ton of pj-and-movie days and get our house CLEANED UP. I typically function fine in disaster zones, but it's so bad right now I can't even think about anything else until some of it is clean.

Fantasy Itinerary | I have really been dreaming about Disney lately. That's not in the budget, so to pacify us...for now, I think we're buying 2015 Silver Dollar City season passes!

Playlist | We've been hearing a lot of Christmas music lately, and Lincoln knows all the words to a whole lot of Christmas songs (particularly anything from Rudolph) - so that may be influencing our music selection for awhile. Right now, I'm really enjoying the Into the Woods movie soundtrack (which I got for Christmas, yay me!), William Joseph (awesome pianist), and as always because based on her lyrics, she just gets me...Mindy Gledhill.

Nightstand | Some pajama pants, the baby monitor, a big scratch, and my iPhone charger.

Workout Plan | Um. Bahahahahahahaha.

Phone | Not much storage space. Etsy app that goes "cha-ching" whenever someone buys something from my shop. Ebay app where I stalk vintage American Girl child sized dresses to use for costumes and Hanna Andersson clothes for my kids.

Top 5 List | New year, new goals, a clean house, a content heart, a fresh start.

Bucket List | Everything on my 30 by 30 list - because I've barely touched it and I have under two years to do it all now! Ah!

Mind | Purging, cleaning, and cleansing. I'm so over 2014 and need that lovely January 1 to roll around and inspire me.

Blogroll | I always love When at Home because Kristen is super real. I'm hoping to get back into a blog reading habit in the new year, because I've been so consumed with writing and sharing and chattering online, I have lacked time to network much!

Walls of Your Favorite Room in Your House | It's the Super Nintendo Nursery. Always has been, likely always will be. Though if it could have fewer toys to trip over, that would be lovely.

Last Credit Card Statement | Everything on earth and then some. Ugh. 2015 is going to be the year of banishing credit card debt, as well.

Screensaver | Still the same because it's a perfect shot! A really sweet photo of Addie walking at Silver Dollar City, wearing her sock monkey hat and grinning. It's my favorite.

TV Every Night | When the holiday season hits, we start watching epic movies. In the last couple weeks, we've watched several incarcerations of A Christmas Carol, and moving into the new year, we're starting a Harry Potter marathon. So far (in two nights), we've made it part of the way through Sorcerer's Stone. Clearly, parents get the short end of the stick when it comes to movie-watching ability.

What's up in your life this final week of December?

Currently // October 6, 2014

Happy Monday, friends! I'm trying to have an intentional/productive day over here, but I woke up to a child jumping on my face and then headbutting me...so I didn't get off to the best start. I'd probably feel a little more motivated if the cold/cough/ick I've had for three straight weeks now would just clear up and die, too.

However, I'm also trying to minimize whining and complaining because they are not exactly preferred or attractive tendencies in anyone - so let's get on with the day, shall we?

 Thinking //

...that I need a much better daily routine. Or, a routine at all. I just don't know how to establish this when my kids are up five times a night. Being exhausted all the time does not bode well for productivity, and just the thought of getting up even earlier makes my head hurt.

...that I'd love to be a vendor at a craft show, but I can barely get my Etsy shop stocked with new items more often than a few times a year. Putting together enough stuff for a show sounds like crazy talk.

...that I need to purge some STUFF. My.house.is.a.mess. And by mess I mean complete-and-utter-ridiculous-disaster-of-things-piled-everywhere. I'm past the point of "I can't deal with it anymore" to "I don't want to deal with it anymore," which means now I might actually do something about it. Great logic, right?

Listening //


...to Lincoln eating crunchy cereal while watching the new Octonauts movie I found at the library. Yep - my kids watch TV so I can blog. Addie is still asleep, after having been up several times in the night.

...to the beautiful sound of my dryer running in the basement. It's fixed after about three weeks of downtime. Hallelujah! And it only cost $32 for a part, vs. buying an entire new dryer.

Doing //

...a LOT of blog work today, I hope. I have a full week of posts lined up, plus need to do some prep for kid craft ideas floating around in my head, and start working on my Holiday Gift Guide (email  me if you want to be featured - directorjewelsATgmailDOTcom).

...preschool this week, after an unexpected couple of weeks off. Between living at my parents' house for three days due to curb reconstruction and all of us being sick and the mega piles of laundry in every crevice, I have not been motivated to make school happen. Going to get back on track this week.

...massive housework and organization. Somewhere in my head, I'm believing that it has to look worse before it can look better, but this is what a good room in my house looks like right now:

Thankful for //

...my now-working dryer and husband who spent all of his free time for the last week dealing with it. The poor contraption is going to run literally all day today.

...crisp, fall air and thunderstorms. I'm way beyond tired of heat and mugginess.

What's up with you? What are your goals for the week? Linking up at Hannah's Joyful Life.

I'm Kissing Kitchen Clutter Goodbye - For Good!

Disclosure: Thanks to Viva® Vantage and Walmart for sponsoring today's discussion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Today, I want to talk about something that affects all of us as moms.

At least, I hope it does. If I'm the only one...then heaven help us all.

What, you ask, is this irritating topic?

KITCHEN CLUTTER.

Piles of dishes. Piles of towels. Scant pickings of produce that got buried under the piles of dishes and towels and may have gone slightly rotten. Oh, that's just me? Awesome.

I'm what a lot of people would consider a granola or "crunchy" mom. I cloth diaper. I try to reuse as much as possible. I haven't been purchasing paper towels lately because I figure...I have all of these perfectly good washcloths. Why can't I just be responsible and use those and wash them daily and never have a smelly pile of towels fermenting on my counter?

Hello! I'm the mom of a toddler and a preschooler. That's just not going to happen. So when I was given the chance to try out Viva® Vantage Paper Towels and thought...okay. We'll give it a shot and see if some time can be saved.

Sometimes, it's okay to just admit that as a mom, I cannot do it all. I can't keep up with a house, a blog, a couple of side businesses, the needs of my family, and do excessive laundry because I won't ever get to sleep. And sleep, my friends, is quite important.

Cleaning messes with Viva® Vantage has become my new normal. Do you know how much easier it is to wipe up a disgusting mess and then just throw it away? Yes, please. I'll take that as my new normal.

Viva® Vantage Towels are not your average paper towel. They are stretchy and allow for maximum cleaning in all the little crevices where grimy things like to hide. They are designed uniquely with V-Flex Weave - which is what gives them that extra stretchy scrubbing power.

I am sold on Viva® Vantage and have on desire to encounter a pile of smelly washcloths on my counter ever again! Have you tried these paper towels? What messes would you clean with them?

Thanks to Viva® Vantage and Walmart for sponsoring today's discussion. All opinions expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

80,000 Is A Really Big Number {#FightToxins}

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central for Seventh Generation. I received a promotional item and product samples as a thank you for participating. All opinions expressed are my own.

Does anyone else spend an awful lot of time worrying about the contents of food and products that come into contact with their kids? I know it can't be just me. After Lincoln's birth, I started really researching things like household cleaners and their toxic contents. I have always been aware that you shouldn't ingest cleaning products, but the knowledge takes on a whole new meaning when you live with a mobile infant who is teething.

Here in the US, there are over 80,000 available chemicals that have never been fully tested for their toxic effects on our health and environment (source: National Resources Defense Council). I find that pretty discouraging. Moms have enough to worry about without having to wonder if we are exposing our kids to toxins that may cause cancer, Alzheimer's, asthma, or learning disabilities.

I don't know about you, but I think those stats are a little scary.

The first thing I did after I did more research was to stop using products that contain chemicals I don't trust. I'm a big fan of Seventh Generation, a brand that knows parents are looking for better products for their homes. I feel better about my responsibility to take care of my family when I know that my toddlers won't be ingesting something dangerous when they lick the floor (yes...this happens).

I also signed Seventh Generation's petition to Congress to reevaluate the Toxic Substances Control Act for the first time since 1976. If consumers don't demand that the products we use are safe, we can't complain when they are not. Will you sign the petition as well and join me as a Toxin Freedom Fighter? Click the badge to sign now and #FightToxins with me!

The goal is to gather 100,000 signatures and right now the petition is so close at over 95,000!

We're striving to be greener all around this year - in our diet, our carbon footprint, and the way we clean our house. I'm not going to lie - it's kind of overwhelming, and it's a lot of work. But for these two?

It's so worth it.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central for Seventh Generation. I received a promotional item and product samples as a thank you for participating. All opinions expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

What's On Your... {July 2013}

I shared a "What's On Your..." post back in April and thought it might be about time for a new one!

A thoroughly accurate representation of what's on my living room floor.

Vanity | I don't have a "real" vanity. My dresser is in the exact same state that it was in April. I literally have not organized a thing. It's getting on my nerves, but I never seem to be in my bedroom during the day anymore (especially since the shower is broken), so I never see it until Addie is asleep in my bed and it's too late to do anything about it.

Perennial To Do List | Hm, this hasn't changed a lot either. Still need to edit videos - they are weighing on my mind a lot lately. I'm really striving to get the Etsy shop up and running, but there aren't enough hours.

Refrigerator Shelves | Leftover pizza meatloaf. Blueberry Lemonade. Red Diamond Sweet Tea. Lots of string cheese. GoGosqueez applesauce. Probiotics. Cottage cheese for Lincoln (yuck).

Itinerary | Family reunion with my mom's siblings in early September.

Fantasy Itinerary | If someone told me they would take us to Disney, I think I would cry for a week. And then I would hire a vacation nanny.

Playlist | A Child's Gift of Lullabies (the kids never sleep, so I hear this a lot as I try to get them to bed). Josh Groban inspired radio on Spotify. Original Broadway Cast recordings of new shows I don't get to visit NYC to watch (Newsies, Cinderella).

Nightstand | Two boxes of wipes, a stack of American Girl books, two half-empty bottles of water, a mini tub of coconut oil, a piece of toy railroad track, "I'm a Police Officer" board book.

Workout Plan | Sigh. If I ever get to workout again, I think I'll be really excited. My muscles miss feeling the post-exercise ache.

Phone | Over 1,000 photos in my camera roll. Instagram. Wunderlist. Disney's new Mickey Mouse cartoon app (a certain little person steals my phone to "play" cartoons and would watch all day long), a bunch of voicemails from a window company that we would love to hire but really can't afford.

Top 5 List | Sleep. Snuggles. Air-conditioning. The end of a drama semester. Target.

Bucket List | This hasn't really changed. Musical theatre (need to play a Sutton Foster character before I'm too old).  Europe.  More babies - and maybe adoption.  Disney with the kids. Write a book. Right now I would give up these dreams for a couple of nights of completely uninterrupted sleep.

Mind | Parenting stress. Finances. Housework. What on earth should we eat for dinner this weekend that tastes good enough I want it more than takeout. Can't wait for my mom to come home from vacation.

Blogroll |  MommaB & Baby Boys. Notes from Nessa. Spit & Sparkles. Phase Three of Life. Supermommy! ...Or Not.

Walls of Your Favorite Room in Your House | I hung some new frames with family photos in the living room recently. Love them.

Last Credit Card Statement | Oh, so much. More takeout than budgeted. Quite a few cloth diapers. Groceries.

Screensaver | A picture of Rapunzel and Flynn and the floating lanterns. Lincoln keeps calling them "Mama" and "Dada" - what??

TV Every Night | Well "every night" is a little too generous - when we can (three nights a week?), we are watching every superhero movie we can find.

Sparkle & Shine {Cascade Platinum Pacs Review}

Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Before we had children, we washed dishes every few days. I loved to open up the dishwasher filled with freshly-washed, precisely-aligned gorgeous red and black plates, shiny glass cups, and sparkly stainless steel silverware. I've never liked putting dishes away - and quite often, we would just use the clean dishes right out of the dishwasher.

Fast-forward two-and-a-half years. I can't even remember the last time my sink was not filled with dishes. Seriously. We haven't even started Addie on any type of solids yet, and we are still overrun with the dishes created by two adults and one small boy. There's no way we can go more than a day without running the dishwasher or the kitchen sink piles up so high I can't fathom catching up.

There is nothing that annoys me more than opening the dishwasher to discover that two pans, a casserole dish, and three small plastic bowls all still have food residue stuck to them. Gross. I may be a stay-at-home mom, but that doesn't mean I have time to re-wash dishes - or even let them soak for hours on end. There is usually a very limited window of time to get those dishes put away (when no one is crying, nursing, sleeping, or determined to walk on the dishwasher door) so it is incredibly important to me that they are clean the first time.

Hello, Beautiful.

When I was given the chance to sample Cascade's new Platinum Pacs dishwasher detergent, I had my doubts I would see any difference. Dishwasher soap is dishwasher soap, right? The answer is no. I was definitely proven wrong and am amazed at the difference I can see from using Cascade Platinum Pacs.

Cascade Platinum Pacs advertise that their formula will remove food that's been stuck for 24 hours. I pulled the pan in the photos below out of my cabinet to cook stuffed shells last week (Wednesday) and realized that it already had a filmy food layer caked around the edge. I was in a hurry, so I used it anyway - then it went through the dishwasher this morning (Saturday). The "Before" photo is just before I put it for washing. The "After" photo was taken when the dishwasher cycle ended. Not only has the crusty spaghetti sauce disappeared, but whatever had been stuck previously (from probably several weeks ago) is completely gone as well! You can't beat that kind of cleaning power. As a bonus, the inside of my dishwasher is shiny and gorgeous, too!

Are you convinced yet? I don't buy a lot of premium products because they are simply not in our one-income budget, but this is one time I will make an exception. The time and energy saved are worth more to me - every moment I don't spend doing dishes is one I can use to love on my babies. Not to mention - pretty much anything that is shiny makes me smile. So, sparkly dishes? Yes, please.

Look at the shine!

When you pick up your own Cascade Platinum Pacs to try, make sure you hop over to Instagram to enter the #MyPlatinum Instagram contest! Each week in the month of June, you can add a photo showing off your sparkly dishes for a chance to win a new Whirlpool dishwasher or a Platinum kitchen makeover. Make sure you use the hashtag #MyPlatinum and tag @MyCascade. You have today and tomorrow left to enter the second week's contest!

-Week 1: My Platinum Plate (Entry Period: 6/3-6/9) Show us your best dish styled from the sparkling plate up!
-Week 2: My Platinum Bite (Entry Period: 6/10-6/16) Show us your best bite and most creative use of sparkling silverware!
-Week 3: My Platinum Clink (Entry: 6/17-6/23) Show us how you serve up creative concoctions in sparkling glasses. Cheers!
-Week 4: My Platinum Table (Entry Period: 6/24-6/30) Show us your sparkling tablescape for your most special celebrations!

Addie watched me load the dishwasher. Dare I hope she'll enjoy that chore?

Cascade has partnered with Gail Simmons - Top Chef judge and editor of Food+Wine magazine to share why meal presentation is just as important as preparation. If you like to take photos of your food (and who doesn't?) - Cascade Platinum Pacs will take your photography to the next level. For visual ideas on food presentation, hop over to the Cascade YouTube page.

Make sure you also stop by the Cascade website or "like" the Cascade Facebook page for all the latest updates!

Disclosure: I I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. Regardless, all opinions expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.

Dear Kitchen Sink,

I think I hate you.

I get it.  It's not nice of me to be so blatantly against you.  It's really not your fault that we have the relationship we do right now.

It's just that it doesn't seem to matter what I do - how many times I run the dishwasher, how many pans my mom washes for me while she is here, or how many times I eat on a napkin to avoid adding a plate to the mess.  The piles just keep getting higher.

Lincoln's dried-up, rejected cottage cheese is grossing me out.

The wet and sometimes smelly dish towels that have mopped up milk, cheerio dust, and baby spit are disgusting.

Mold-filled dinosaur bath toys - I know I put you behind the faucet, but I don't have time to fix you right now. 

Empty paper towel holder - seriously, you're empty again?

Sigh. 

I guess it's actually okay.  Because if I ever found the sink and counter, I would definitely need to clean them.  And that's something I can live without doing for awhile longer!

Soft Scrub Advanced Surface Stainless Steel Cleaner {Review + Giveaway}

Disclosure: As a member of Purex Insiders, I was provided with sample Soft Scrub products for review.  All opinions expressed below are my own. 

I recently gave my kitchen counters a run for their money with Soft Scrub Total All-Purpose Cleanser and after that was successful, I knew I had to try out the Soft Scrub Advanced Surface formula as well.

I have been in need of a stainless steel cleaner for a very long time.  You see, back when our dishwasher died in 2009, I insisted that we get a stainless replacement.  The same thing happened with our fridge in 2010.  And then - two weeks ago - we said goodbye to our faithful old stove.  Let me just tell you that a stainless steel appliance was not in the budget this month, but since the other two were already in place....we didn't have much of a choice.

All of that to say: I have not yet had a cleaner specifically formulated for stainless.  Yes, you read that right.  Even though I've been the owner of a stainless steel appliance for five years, I have not had the proper means to clean it.  Can we chalk this one up to laziness?

Every surface in my house is touched by little hands every single day.  Most surfaces also have cars driven over them, applesauce splashed on them....and sometimes, they are even licked.  Gross.  I'm sure you get the point that I definitely need a cleaning option that is quick and easy - because I really need to be using it every couple of days. 

I received a bottle of Soft Scrub Advanced Care and was anxious to put it to the test on my stainless steel appliances.  This cleaner is a rinse-free gel that is formulated for granite and marble countertops, glass cooktops, and stainless steel.  I had some pretty serious doubts that I could just rub something onto the super messy surface of my dishwasher and have it wipe clean, but I gave it a shot.  And I have a before/after photo to share with you!

I couldn't get it to photograph perfectly (the lights and shadows were doing some weird things for me), but I think the difference is pretty obvious!  In just a few moments' time, I was able to squirt on some gel and polish away the fingerprints, drip stains, and crusty food that had adhered itself to my dishwasher.  It turned out shiny and (aside from the dents from my 2-year-old's choo-choo train) looks like new again!

I have no excuses now - this kitchen cleaner is so easy to use that I simply have to keep up with this task.  Shiny stainless steel appliances make me happy - so now that I can keep them fingerprint free, I think my kitchen may be a better place overall.  Make sure you connect with Soft Scrub on Facebook for all of the latest product updates!

Giveaway

Three Director Jewels readers will win a Free Product Coupon from Soft Scrub.  This giveaway will end on May 19 at 11:59pm CST.  This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)!  Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well.  All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want!  Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Soft Scrub for providing my review sample and the giveaway prizes!  I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.  For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

The Lost Art of Scrapbooking {Sigh}

Yesterday was National Scrapbooking Day.

I've known about this holiday for several years.

I feel like maybe once I actually spent the whole day scrapping!

Not this year.

Nope, this week, both of my kids have been teething.  Epic, terrible, awful teething.  As a result, I've been up almost every hour almost every night.  Everything has been moved to the back burner while I try to get through the days on no sleep.  Fun! 

So when I realized that it was National Scrapbooking Day, I didn't even entertain the thought of being able to work on an album.  Instead, I took some photos of the mess that is my current scrapbook "organization."

In the main room of our basement (where the TV is), there's this huge pile of binders and photos and cards for Project Life.  The blue binder is part two of 2012; the yellow is part one of 2013.  There are about twenty photos in this year's album so far.  No journaling.  So far behind, but I am going to catch up.

This is my scrapbook room.  It used to be solely dedicated to scrapbooking.  Now it also contains a kid's craft table, treadmill, TV, and everything else that doesn't fit anywhere else in the house.  I've actually been in the midst of a major revamp for about...two years.

The closet is literally overflowing.  Papers, stickers, albums, books, cards, ribbon...  I love crafting way too much, and I have supplies everywhere.

Those paper towers are full.  Completely full.  I wish I were kidding.

Random "Equal Rights 4 Women" sign is a prop 
from Schoolhouse Rock Live!, which we did in 2008.

This big bookshelf houses some of my photo albums, more books, Project Life albums, patterns and other randomness.  I have an obsession with those plastic totes, if you can't tell.  They're super handy for stashing all sorts of supplies!

The thing is - the room actually looks pretty good right now.  Now, if my little ones ever decide to be asleep at the same time, I might be able to finish the last few piles and have a room that inspires me.  I'm so excited to have the kid's craft table in there - when the babies are old enough to enjoy drawing and painting and stamping and hey, even just coloring (without eating the crayons), we are going to have so much fun!

And maybe one day, I'll celebrate National Scrapbooking Day again.  I think next year... I'll at least try to make a single scrapbook layout.  Baby steps, right?

Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleanser {Review + Giveaway}

Disclosure: As a member of Purex Insiders, I was provided with sample Soft Scrub products for review.  All opinions expressed below are my own. 

Keeping a house clean becomes a whole different ball game when you have kids.  Honestly, I don't even remember the days before Lincoln arrived well enough to tell you how often I used to clean.  I confessed not long ago that I dust about once a year.  And the rest of the house?  To be honest, it doesn't fare a whole lot better.

So, when I actually do break out the cleaning gear - it has to be something that will get the job done.  Soft Scrub offered to send me their Total All Purpose Bath & Kitchen Cleanser, so I decided to give it a shot.

After my kitchen sink disposal disaster last week, this seemed an appropriate place to begin cleaning!  Soft Scrub's all purpose cleanser is formulated to clean surfaces throughout the home, but most specifically in the kitchen and bathroom (think counters, sinks, showers, tubs, etc).  I had to apply just a small amount in my sink, and with a bit of brushing, it worked up the nice lather in the photo above!  It only took me about five minutes to get my sink washed and rinsed (and it was gross - if I actually cleaned more often, it would probably take two minutes or less)!  And a bonus - the lemon scent made me forget the potato peeling mess ever happened!

Overall, I'm definitely pleased with how easily this lemon cleanser took care of my kitchen sink!  I'm taking it to my shower next - it needs a serious deep clean!  Make sure you connect with Soft Scrub on Facebook for the latest updates!

Giveaway

Three Director Jewels readers will win a Free Product Coupon from Soft Scrub.  This giveaway will end on April 21 at 11:59pm CST.  This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)!  Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well.  All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want!  Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Soft Scrub for providing my review sample and the giveaway prizes!  I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.  For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Just Throw That Type-A Personality Out the Window

Yeah, that's easier said than done.

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it many, many more times before my career as a stay-at-home mom is done.  This job is hard. 

Before I had my sweet little ones, I was a very productive person.  Sure, I still might have never had everything done, but at least I made progress.  I could stay up until 4am and survive a full day at work on two hours of sleep if I had to, and I was glad that I could if it meant I had accomplished something.  But these days, I am spending hours and hours awake every night with my toddler who still won't sleep through the night.  Where is the productivity in that lost sleep?  I sure can't find it.  And when I drag my groggy, sorry self out of bed when he is again awake at 6am, I can't find any motivation to wipe the kitchen counter clean, much less do the 47 piled-up sewing projects, scrapbooking inspirations, and thank you notes and memory journals and meal plans. 

And it is driving me absolutely crazy.

Maybe some stay-at-home moms feel content or even proud when their day is done and everyone in their house is alive.  I have days like that, occasionally.  If it's bedtime and I have managed to nurse the baby twelve times, change sixteen diapers, take a shower, feed the toddler something other than cheerios or crackers, run the dishwasher, wash four loads of laundry and get the clean clothes upstairs - even if not put away, and bathe at least one of the kids....  I probably should feel proud, right? 

But most of the time, I don't.  Most of the time I go to sleep at or after midnight, frustrated because all I wanted to do that day was write three blog posts, order photos for my scrapbook and all the grandparents, clean out the office closet, tag 246 items for the upcoming consignment sale, meal plan things that we will all enjoy even with my dairy restriction, grocery shop, and oh, you know - do a dozen Pinterest-worthy children's craft projects every day and keep the toilets clean and the floors vacuumed and have a hot meal on the table when Daddy walks in the door.  Mom confession time: Daddy does 98% of the cooking in this house.  And that is not an exaggeration.

The worst thing about all this is that people are constantly telling you to cherish these days, because they won't last and you'll wish you had them back.  That's the problem.  I know this - and I really do try to always appreciate the time that I have with my kids.  But what am I supposed to do when the toddler is running circles around my kitchen after I've asked him to stop eight times, but I'm busy changing the baby's fourth poopy diaper in ten minutes so I can't catch him as he lands headfirst in the door frame?  Giant scratch on his head?  Check.  Feelings of mom failure?  Double check.  And then heap on the guilt because I'm not enjoying that particular moment of my life.

They are hard work, but at least they're the cutest kids ever.
Photos from Instagram last week.

This stage of parenting is hard because my kids aren't old enough to help me yet.  I have to take care of two other people, so caring for myself falls by the wayside.  Lincoln's one chore of throwing away pieces of trash or dirty diapers is only successful about 75% of the time.  I should look on the bright side though, because today I asked him to bring me the box of wipes while Addie was nursing and he gave me the brightest grin and did it immediately.  It's moments like that one that are most helpful to the survival of a mom of tiny kids.  I have great hope that a year or two or five from now, things will be at least a little easier.  Maybe I'm nuts.  But if I'm wrong, please don't tell me.  I think I'll handle it better if I find out these things as I go.

And hopefully, by that time I'll be a little more okay with having days that are not up to my productivity standard.  Until that day comes... I guess I am a work in progress. 

I am also very, very tired.

Woolzies Dryer Balls Review + Giveaway

If you've read a post or two around my blog, you've probably come to the realization that I seem to always be doing laundry.  It's not an exaggeration.  My washer and dryer run almost all day, almost every day, and I never seem to get to the bottom of the dirty pile.  Yikes.  You can probably imagine that if I can find a way to reduce the time I spend doing laundry...I'm all for it.  So, that's why I am so excited to tell you about Woolzies Dryer Balls!

Until Woolzies offered me a set of dryer balls to review, I had never heard of this concept.  It's possible I'm just living in the dark ages (I'm a mom who has very little contact with the world outside of diapers), but maybe you aren't familiar with dryer balls, either!  Here's the scoop:

Woolzies are an all-natural alternative to traditional dryer sheets.  Available for purchase in a set of 6, these pure wool dryer balls do the same thing as fabric softener, but they don't contain any chemicals that coat your clothes.  One set of these dryer balls will last for over 1,000 loads - which means they are a far more frugal choice than dryer sheets.  They are also handcrafted from 100% pure New Zealand wool by women in the democratic republic of Nepal, so when you purchase, you are contributing to a great cause.

Lincoln thinks the Woolzies box is great for car storage.

So you think that all sounds great, but maybe too good to be true?  It's not!  In the past few weeks, I have used Woolzies in every type of laundry we do here in our home - normal clothes, baby clothes, sheets, towels, and more.  Woolzies dryer balls create space between the items in your laundry load by bouncing around during the drying cycle - this effectively cuts down drying time!  According to Woolzies, the drying time is decreased by about 25% in large loads and up to 40% in small loads!  That's a huge savings.  I definitely noticed a decrease in my small loads of laundry.  Most of my laundry is done in ridiculously-epic-huge-amounts however - so in those loads, I did not see a huge difference.  Woolzies suggests using 8 dryer balls instead of 6 to achieve maximum benefits.  I think I need a couple more...or my kids need to stop going through three outfits a day!

The dryer balls do a great job at keeping static at bay, as well.  The balls are good for up to 1,000 loads and instructions are included to refresh them in the washer if they become less effective over time.

Overall, I'm definitely pleased with these dryer balls!  They have cut down my drying time, made me feel better about having fewer chemicals in my house, and bonus - I think it will be a fun chore for the kids to help me find the balls in the clean laundry when they're a little bit older!

You can purchase Woolzies on their website and on Amazon.  One box of six dryer bottles is $34.95 with free shipping to the USA.  Make sure you follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates! 

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a box of 6 Woolzies Dryer Balls.  This giveaway will end on February 10 at 11:59pm CST.  This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)!  Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well.  All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want!  Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Woolzies for providing my review sample and the giveaway prizes!  I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own.  For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Confession: I Threw Out My Coupons

When you have a baby or two and you have one income, it's almost always essential to learn how to save money on diapers.  Not to mention, you're spending so much money on headbands for your tiny princess, that you need to save money on pretty much everything else to make up the difference. 

Back to the point.  When I found out I was pregnant with Lincoln, I knew that I wanted to be a stay at home mom.  I started reading books and blogs about saving money.  I clipped every coupon I could find.  I got a newspaper subscription.  I actually even wrote a coupon blog for over a year.  And while I did save a lot of money, I spent an extremely ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out how to get all of the freebies, samples, and deals that I could. 

When I knew that Adelaide was on the way, one of the first things to go was blogging about coupons.  I loved deal blogging, but it requires being online almost constantly to watch for new deals that may be gone within minutes.  I have a huge respect for the awesome coupon bloggers who have been sharing deals for years on end.  That job is hard. 

I still tried to keep up with my coupons, though.  I read the deal blogs.  I liked every page on Facebook that might share a freebie at random times.  I kept my newspaper subscription.  But as I dealt with morning sickness and a very busy toddler, my coupons started to expire.  I realized that I was not getting to the drugstores more often than once every couple of months (in the deal world - you almost have to visit weekly to keep up with the drugstore game).  I desperately tried, but finally, this week - I GAVE UP.

I threw my coupons away.  Almost all of them.

I simply don't have the time or energy right now to worry about keeping up with all of the deals - just to maybe save $2 on a pack of diapers once a month.  And that's only if I happen to make it to the store.  Please don't judge me for not sending my coupons to a military group or a coupon swap.  This week, I really really just needed to be DONE with them and this was the best solution. 99% of them were way expired, anyway.

I kept a few restaurant coupons (most of which I can't use anyway since I am currently eating dairy-free, but maybe my hubby can use them), some Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons, and a few other retail coupons.  My enormous coupon binder seems manageable right now.  I am absolutely positive that one day in the future, I will again be a couponing queen.  But right now, it's simply not feasible for me to keep up.  My tiny kids are more important.

The only thing that I found upsetting?  This:

Who lets a coupon for a free box of diapers EXPIRE?!  Seriously.  Fail.