Proverbs 14:1

This is the verse I am really centering my life on right now.

Currently, I am a blessed temporary stay-at-home mom.

And I'm trying to use this time to honor God and bless my family.

After a newborn a lot of people struggle to maintain their home.

(Understandably!)

But for some reason, my nesting has finally kicked in and I am seeing how I am to build my house.

My first priority each and every day is this little man.

Making sure he is fed, dry, rested and happy.

When he is napping or content, I try to do things to bless my home and my husband.

First thing?

Make the bed.

 This small step each morning helps me focus on creating a calm home.

I used to NEVER make the bed. I thought it was pointless.

As the comedian Jim Gaffigan put it "It's like tying your shoes after you take them off."

But, nothing makes me happier than going to bed at night in a nice, made bed.

Then, during Levi's nap time I tackle the daily chore.

Our family has a chore chart and each day I clean one part of the house, so by the weekend the house is clean and it got done bit by bit vs. a one day blitz.

You can see our chore chart here.

Once that chore is done, I try and do any other little tasks that need completed.

Bills, responding to emails, extra laundry, errands, etc.

And before Mr. Free gets home, I make sure the house is picked up.

 

You'd be surprised the mess the babe and I can make!

I know that since Mr. Free works all day to provide for us during this time, it blesses him to come home to a calm home.

Though this is unfortunately a temporary stage in life, I am trying to make good habits now that I am balancing my marriage, my child and my home.

So upon returning to the work force I can continue to "build up" my home vs. tearing it down.

So ladies, whether you stay at home or are a working mom...how do you continue to bless your home for your family? Please share!

I'd love to learn your tips!

Playroom project

Now that the basement family room is finished I am ITCHING for another project.

Then it dawned on me...

Levi needs a playroom!

I mean, his room is itty bitty and as he grows, so will his toys!

And our home is small and would prefer not to have to house toys in main living areas (though we know they will be strewn everywhere once he's mobile!)

So, I talked to Mr. Free about converting our unfinished basement storage space into a playroom!

Now, this seriously will be done on a next-to-nothing budget.

No drywall going up, no flooring installed.

Basic.

But growing up, that was the kind of playroom I had and I loved it.

So, I've been searching the internet for inspiration.

As much as I would love to make something like this:

It'll probably be more like this:

or 

The color scheme will be this:

I picked up these storage pieces and accessories at Target and Homegoods.

Gosh I love those stores.

The unfinished storage area has a mural in black and white of the KC skyline that Mr. Free did a few years ago. We are going to keep that, along with a black love seat we have and put punches of color everywhere else!

We also have a big remnant of berber carpet from our family room left that we will just lay down as flooring.

We are going to paint and repurpose furniture we already have.

I told you...trying to do this for pennies!

One project I assigned Mr. Free as Levi gets older...

A skateboard swing.

He didn't object : )

I can't wait to get started!! We have a lot (A LOT!!!) of cleaning out to do in there first, then we can get started! Can't wait to share it all with you!

Do any of you have a playroom for your kiddos? Any suggestions or things we shouldn't leave out?

This view makes me smile...

As I walk down the hallway and peek into the nursery...

I see Levi's new dinosaur pillow and it makes me smile.

To me, little boys = dinosaurs. 

So, this weekend my mom and I were shopping for some items for the new playroom project and I spied this pillow. I knew my baby boy needed it!

Since we didn't know whether we would be having a boy or a girl we kept the nursery neutral. We love the way it looks, but the dino pillow just really makes it a "boy room."

And I'm so thrilled to be the mama to a beautiful little boy!

P.S. In a few weeks we will be starting on a VERY frugal playroom in our unfinished basement storage room! I will be sure to update as we work on this project!

Things I'm diggin' right now...

 International Delight Iced Coffee

Vanilla flavor

If you haven't tried it...YOU MUST!!

It tastes SOO good!!!

I like my coffee cold and plenty sweet and this fits the bill.

It's about $4 for a half gallon at the grocery store.

All you gotta do is pour it over ice and enjoy!

I'm not making nearly the Starbucks runs that I used to, but this satisfies that caffeine need mid-afternoon and its saving me lots of money too!

Trader Joe's Cookie Butter

This stuff is amazing.

Addicting.

It is Speculoos cookies, ground into a butter.

Speculoos cookies are from Belgium (I think...) and have a mild caramel, gingersnap taste to them.

I ate a jar this week.

*hangs head*

And I'm currently eating the last lit bit smeared on a crossaint.

So.stinkin.good

BumGenius Albert Print Diaper

I got some fluff in the mail today!

The new Albert print diaper!!

For Earth Day, Mom's Milk Boutique had their BumGenius diapers for 25% off.

I quickly snagged this hard-to-find print!

Grandparents!!!

Levi is so blessed to live within 15 minutes of all his grandparents, and 30 minutes from all his great-grandparents.

What does this mean?

LOTS of eager baby-sitters!

They have been a godsend to help whenever we need it.

I seriously don't know how people do it without the grandparents near!

Being home with my lil' man

I am very much cherishing this time I have to dedicate to my son, my husband and my home.

The quality snuggles and milestones I get to to witness each day with my son is amazing.

With this time I've also been able to keep our home the cleanest and most organized its every been.

I've been able to knock out some long-needed projects.

I know that my husband coming home to a kept house and a happy son is a blessing to him.

My time at home will be up come next school year, but I feel so very blessed that God provided this extra abundance of time to dedicate to my family.

What are you diggin' right now?!

Levi in pics

Levi is 11 weeks old today!

I thought I'd share some pics from the past 11 weeks!

Professional pics

Courtesy of LeGrand Photography

Newborn

One Month

Two Months

And some non-pro Mama shots

Time is sure flying!!!

Back to the Basement

Now that our basement has been lived in for awhile and decorating is complete (for now), I thought I'd share some pics!

Keep in mind...this is a FAMILY room. It is lived in. 

By 2 adults, 2 dogs, a cat and a baby.

You've been warned.

The family room kind of has 2 "sides".

The TV side, and the baby side.

The focal point of the TV side.

We just got a Mac Mini off of Craigslist with an apple keyboard and track pad.

Since we are a non- cable family this is an awesome option as we can watch TV shows online via their station website, Hulu and Netflix.

The view from the baby side to the TV side

Baby side. 

Got our play gym, Levi is rockin' the swing and his Bumbo.

On the baby side is a hand-me-down recliner to sit and enjoy baby.

I tried to dress it up by adding a throw blanket and pillow.

It helps.

Also on the baby side is a little desk workstation.

Mr. Free got it for me for my birthday.

The bookcase is full of Levi's books and future DVDs, my favorite books, games, toys and our candy stash.

Yes, we have a devoted candy stash.

Candy is Mr. Free's favorite food.

Thank goodness his sister is a dentist!

The TV side.

Sectional from Nebraska Furniture Mart with pillows from Pier 1.

The couch on the left is a hand-me down sleeper sofa.

The ottoman is from Walmart with the tray from Target.

The art above the sectional is Mr. Free's and the framed picture is from our good friend.

This area is so cozy.

We constantly have people over for TV and movie nights and can fit everyone!

View from the corner of TV side. 

Still love the beam Mr. Free made to cover the I beam.

View from the Desk area to TV side.

The desk, ottoman and lamp are from Target.

The ottoman has storage for pens, stamps, etc.

The basket next to it have baby blankets.

Great for tummy time!

Door to the laundry room.

Still love the family sign I got from Hobby Lobby on clearance!

Up close of ottoman and sectional. 

We spend a LOT of time here.

Lots.

Side table that also houses an ottoman. Gotta love multiple uses!

Dog bed for our bassets to lounge. It's huge, can fit all three pets easy and only $20 from Costco!

Also next to the couch is a diaper caddy.

It holds a few cloth diapers,  cloth wipes, diaper area spray and lotion, hand sanitizer and a changing mat.

Perfect for quick diaper changes.

Starburst mirror is from Target.

So this is where we now live! We love it so much!!!