Fall Bathroom Upgrade with DIY Toilet Paper Pumpkins

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FamilyCountsOnClean  #KeepLifeRolling #CollectiveBias

Finally. Finally! It is officially fall. I'm so excited. Fall brings many of my favorite things - sweater weather, warm beverages, fall holidays, changing leaves, boots and leggings, and fall decor! I managed to wait until the official start of fall to start this year's decorating. Today I'm going to share some very simple ways to upgrade your bathroom for the fall. 

DIY Toilet Paper Pumpkin

Materials: 

Roll of Scott® ComfortPlus Toilet Paper™
Orange tissue paper
Green ribbon

This craft is so simple to do and offers a really cute fall accent to the bathroom. Take a large sheet of tissue paper - the 20 in X 26 in size is perfect for this craft - and lay it completely flat on your table. Place your roll of toilet paper in the center. 

Gather all four corners of your tissue paper and twist all the excess.

Bend your excess paper to create your stem, and tie a green ribbon around it. 

And there you have it, a toilet paper pumpkin! Our family uses Scott® ComfortPlus™ Toilet Paper because its tested for strength and designed for comfort. The sheets are thick, plush, strong, and Septic Safe. We get our toilet paper at Family Dollar, and they currently have a deal for Scott® ComfortPlus™ 12ct Big Roll - just $4.25 ($0.75 Smart Coupon) valid from 9/2 - 10/22.

Basket of Gourds

Materials
Small basket
Faux gourds

Tissue paper

Grab a small basket and some faux gourds. You don't actually need enough gourds to fill the basket, you can use your tissue paper to fill the basket and place your gourds on top. This offers a cute fall harvest feel. 

Small accents

Some other small fall accents you can add to upgrade your bathroom for the season are fall shower curtains and simple fall stems in the center of your paper towel holder. These small changes really brings your bathroom into fall!

In our paper towel holder we have Scott® Paper Towels because they're super absorbent and quickly soak up messes - which we have a lot of with a pre-schooler in the house lol. Family Dollar has a deal currently for Scott® Paper Towels 6ct Mega Roll  - just $5.25 ($0.75 Smart Coupon) valid from 9/2 - 10/22.

Check out the Family Dollar store finder to locate a store near you and pick up Scott® Toilet Paper and Scott® Paper Towels!

Why I'm Loc'ing My 3 Year Old's Hair

Both my husband and I have locs. I've been thinking about loc'ing BabyCake's hair for a few months now. My reservations were:

Starting them myself - my husband and I both got our locs started by an actual loctician even though I maintain both of our hair so I was worried about starting locs for the first time.

Getting bored with all our hair - I love having my locs, but I liked still being able to style and experiment with my daughter's loose natural hair.

Worrying about what other people would think - everyone loves BabyCakes big curly hair, so I hesitated with not wanting to disappoint other people.

So why did I ultimately decide to loc her hair?

BabyCakes has been saying she wants locs like us - the combination of her vocalizing that she wants locs and imaging us a fully loc'd family was definitely a big factor.

Washing and styling her loose natural hair is very laborious - it's generally not a fun time for either of us. She mostly hates having her hair parted, which is no longer necessary with her locs.

It's only been two weeks since I put in the two-strand twists to start her locs but it's already a relief to know I don't have to fight to comb her hair. She also has a lot more freedom with her hair now. I don't have to be concerned about it tangling so she's gotten to wear it out much more often than when she had loose natural hair, and enjoys whipping it back and forth.

I'm looking forward to her experiencing her loc journey, and to seeing the fruits of my labor being the person who started her locs and will maintain them.

Taking a day to 'just' be a mom

Today was a rare occasion when I got to “just” be a mom. My only priority was momming. I wasn’t checking emails, I wasn’t thinking about obligations, I wasn’t even cleaning the house. I wanted the day to just be about having a good time with BabyCakes.

Parenting is the hardest when you’re pulled in 5 directions while also trying to parent. I’m so thankful for the times I get to/allow myself to enjoy her and push everything else to the back burner.

Today we had an awesome time at our first visit to Sister Cities Park in Philadelphia. This place is truly a hidden gem.

They have a splash pad and a really awesome Children’s Discovery Garden that has a pond, rocks the kids can climb, and a stream. You can send a boat down from the top of the stream and watch it go throughout the park to the pond. There is also a Library in the Park Book Cart that has books from the library out that you can read while you're there. We read two books while we waited for the garden to open.

Next time we visit I'm definitely going to bring some water toys and pack us a blanket and picnic lunch so we can eat there in the grassy area. If you have never been, definitely take the kids. I recommend getting there around 9:30am-ish so the kids can play in the splash pad for a while before the garden opens up at 10am. By noon it gets pretty packed so we headed out around then.

When is the last time you slowed down and just focused on ONE aspect of your life for a day?

Summer Savings on Fresh Cut Fruit

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FreshCutSavings #CollectiveBias

Summer is right around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited for warmer weather and all the flavors that accompany the season, especially all the fresh fruit!

Summer doesn’t exactly mean things are winding down, which is why Odwalla and ZICO products are the perfect staple to fit into your busy lifestyle.

Whether they are part of a breakfast, or a pre/post workout snack, these products are a perfect on-the-go solution to those that are trying to make a “better-for-you” choice.

For a limited time at Albertsons and Safeway you can Save $1 when you buy any (2) Odwalla 15.2 fl. oz. or ZICO 13.5 fl. oz. and (1) Fresh Cut Fruit. Offer valid with digital coupon.

Click here to load your card to offer

Enjoy all the flavors of Fresh Cut Fruit without the hassle - ready for snacking or to add to your own fruit smoothie or smoothie bowl!

Don’t pass up these #FreshCutSavings - available for a limited time!

*Participating products:

• Odwalla 15.2 oz bottles
• ZICO 400mL

Offer valid 5/16 - 6/12 and while supplies last. Purchase must be made in a single transaction. Digital coupons are not valid unless downloaded to your Loyalty Account. Retailers include: Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Shaws, Star Market, ACME, Pavillions, Carrs, and Jewel-Osco retailers.

Bed Upgrade for Less than $600

This post contains affiliate links. For more information read my full disclosure policy. 

Ya'll. I have a confession. Up until recently I was sleeping on a bed frame that my grandparents gave me for my first COLLEGE APARTMENT. I'll save you doing the math, that was 13 years ago!

Hubs and I haven't been sleeping well because of a number of inefficiencies in our bed situation. Besides the 13 year old bed frame we were also dealing with a box spring that was actually two box springs put together, and they slipped apart every time we sat down. On top of those two precarious box springs was a spring mattress over seven years old that you could visibly see the indentations of our bodies in. Needless to say, we desperately needed an upgrade. After a bunch of research, review reading, and price comparisons we have completely upgraded our bed and I am so happy with it.

Mattress

For our mattress we opted for one of the foam mattresses that come in a box. Yes, the same type you probably hear advertised on your favorite podcast. But we didn't want to spend thousands of dollars so we chose the Zinus Memory Foam 12 Inch Green Tea Mattress. It came rolled up on a box and it was pretty cool to see it expand. It was like magic. I really love having a memory foam mattress. It's such a different sensation from having a spring mattress. It doesn't have much give, it just absorbs your weight to support your body in just the right way. It also absorbs movement so we don't feel each other moving around in the bed nearly as much. 

I will note, BabyCakes was not happy with the new mattress. She thought it was "broken" because it doesn't offer the same bed jumping ability as the spring mattress did lol. 

King sized mattress all rolled up.

Platform

I knew going into our search that I wanted anything but dual box springs. I wanted one solid piece to support the mattress. We ended up ditching box springs all together and opted for the Zinus Upholstered Diamond Stitched Platform Bed. It's been so nice to have a headboard again. It's nice to be able to sit up in the bed when watching TV or using my laptop and not have my pillows slip down between the mattress and the wall. 

Pillows

I was sent Overfilled Down Alternative Pillows complimentary from Wikibuy. We really like how firm they are and will probably buy a couple more. They have the feel I always like in hotel pillows. 

We are really happy with our new bed setup. The rest of the changes to the bedroom we'd like in the future are more cosmetic. I'd love to get a triptych to hang above the bed, and I'd really like to re-paint the room in the future. 

How are you sleeping?

One Product, Many Uses - Thaumaturgic Bio Mist

 I was given the opportunity by Theralight, Inc. to review this product. All opinions are my own. 

I love a multipurpose product. I'm trying to actively declutter our home, and products that can be used for multiple things, and on the whole family, are super convenient. My most recent product find is Thaumaturgic Bio Mist.

BabyCakes and Hubs both have sensitive skin and eczema so I have to be very careful about what I purchase for them. Thaumaturgic Bio Mist is a cosmeceutical-grade, pure and stable product designed to support the skin's natural defenses against many skin conditions and is formulated for all skin types. It doesn't have any of the bad ingredients: sodium sulfates, parabens, fragrances, or artificial colors.

For myself I've used it on my face when it is particularly inflamed because of acne. I've also used it on shaving bumps to reduce irritation and on chub rub! For BabyCakes I've used it on her itchy skin from eczema, on her scratches that comes from eczema irritation and on the scrapes she gets while playing.

The mist is also recommended for:

• sunburns
• scar reduction
• bug bites
• redness
• scrapes
• and more

It's really great to have products around that I can use on all of us, for multiple purposes, and I don't have to worry about the ingredients. HOCl is the magic ingredient that makes Thaumaturgic Bio Mist special. It mimics the natural molecules that work as part of our body’s defense mechanism. Check out Thaumaturgic Bio Mist for your family today!

Connecting with my Preschooler with Dough Dots!

I was sent these products complimentary from the creators of Dough Dots!™ All opinions are my own. 

I just came home from being away for five days for work. I could not wait to get home and play with my daughter! I missed her. I missed interacting with her. It probably didn't help that I was away at a Children's Museums conference, seeing all kinds of fun exhibits and activities for kids. When I got home I laid out some new play items for us.

I was recently sent products from Dough Dots!™to try out with BabyCakes. She loves creating with clay so I knew they would be a hit. We love creative toys that allow her to use her imagination. What makes Dough Dots!™special is the ball packaging. The balls make it super easy for her to open the dough herself, and the package itself is creative, featuring various animals. The balls hold the dough and are toys within themselves.

Designed for ages 2 to 6 Dough Dots!™come in four different vibrant colors, and you can get various cutters and molds to kick start play. Even though the balls are easy to open, they close air tight to preserve the quality of the dough.

I am so excited to be back home with my BabyCakes and to have a new activity to play with together.  We're currently working on letters and sounds, so we incorporated the Dough Dots!™in helping her learn the letters in her name. Some of her other favorite Dough Dots!™activities:

• Making "pizza"
• Rolling the balls off the table intentionally (so I have to go chase them lol)
• Recalling what primary colors can be put together to make other colors, and mixing pieces of dough
• Making snake families

 Check out Dough Dots!™today for your child.