Halloween Boo-ing for your Neighborhood {FREE Download!}

Every year when the crisp air rolls in (that's going to happen any minute, right?) I can't help but feel anticipation as we fully embrace fall. The apple picking, the pumpkin spice everything filling the air - and of course, my favorite holiday - Halloween.

Our neighborhood is a great place to live, lots of young families who are always busy and bringing in the FUN. A few years ago our neighbors introduced me to the Halloween tradition of being BOO-ED.

The kids and I were getting ready to head up for bath and bed time when the door bell rang. We answered it to find a plastic pumpkin head filled with Halloween goodies and a print out with instructions on how to participate in the neighborhood BOO-ING.

It said "You've Been BOO-ED!" The kids were delighted at the idea that our neighborhood ghosts and goblins had chosen us to participate in this fun Halloween tradition. After the kids poured over their loot - halloween stickers, pumpkin pencils, glow-in the dark necklaces and plastic spider rings we posted the right hand side of the instruction sheet up on the front door "We've Been BOO-ED" to let our neighbors know that we'd been properly haunted.

Next we chose two neighborhood families to BOO, printed out two of the instruction sheets and hit the store. Each of my kids picked out a few halloween-themed items to add to our witches cauldrons. Went out just around dusk (not too late!), placed our filled cauldrons on the neighbor's stoop, rang their door bell and all ran off like we were ghosts!! 

The kids were laughing and squealing with excitement that they had just BOO-ED their friends - they thought we were SO stealthy! It's a fun neighborhood tradition, and it can easily start with yours! Just scroll down and print the instructions and you're well on your way to creating a new neighborhood holiday tradition. 

Click here to download the PDF in color.

Click here to download the PDF in black and white. 

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Anders Ruff Workshop in Pineville & Davidson, NC

This mama is a level 10 goddess with a glue gun, but a nail gun? Not so much.... it gives me flash backs of the staple gun incident of 2005 (see this video for the embarrassing details). However, I do love honing my DIY skills and attending workshops. When the lovelies at Anders Ruff Workshop in Pineville, NC invited us to blog about one of their workshops I decided I'd have to leave my torrid staple gun history in the past and learn a cool new skill.

If you haven't checked out AR Workshop, you'll love what they're all about. In addition to creating useful and beautiful custom DIY masterpieces the ambiance is like stepping into a designer magazine.

The colors, the textures and the decor are all on trend. Their aesthetics woven with creativity and know-how provides the perfect backdrop for a memorable GNO, date night, party or just some YOU time.

I've been obsessed with all the projects I've been seeing on their Instagram, so choosing just one from all of their carefully selected options was hard! The ability to choose something that fit my home decor, while my cousin chose something that fit her home decor was one of my favorite things about the AR Workshop. We didn't all have to do the exact same project unless we wanted to.

I opted for the signature family established centerpiece box.

My cousin chose the monogram laurel wreath established plank wood sign. 

We saddled up to our benches to survey our wood, tools and pre-printed custom templates. Then we chose our stain and paint colors. We met Jeanette our table lead, who shared insider tips and helped us through each step of the project. If you are a super savvy with all things wood and power tools, or if you're a total newbie, the ladies at AR Workshop can adjust their instruction to make sure you're feeling confident and empowered to create something totally unique. 

Jeanette showed us how to use different tools and techniques to smooth then destress the wood. Next she guided us through staining, dry brushing and additional distressing with a hand sander. It was an interesting process to get hand-on-experience with. I already have another project at home that I plan to try wood distressing on with my new found knowledge. 

I received one-on-one instruction with the nail gun and was able to overcome my nervousness about using the power tool. My cousin and I laughed, distressed (in a wood-way) and enjoyed our conversation as we created our custom projects. We applied the customized template and technique to ensure that the letters didn't bleed outside of the lines. 

We did a tour around the workshop to see everyone's finished products, check out the Facebook LIVE video here. I was really excited about how my centerpiece box came out, it's going to be the perfect addition to our dining room table, and it's fun to tell people that lil 'ol me made it. 

To schedule your one-of-a-kind workshop experience with AR Workshop you can check out all their workshop locations and projects here. You can follow them on Facebook here and Instagram Pineville here and Instagram Davidson here. 

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DIY Oversized Photo Booth Strip

As a kid growing up in upstate New York one of our favorite things was to go to the local midway during the summer and add to our collection of photo booth strips. I still have many of them spanning several years in a scrap book and get all sorts of nostalgic when I look at them.

I'd wanted to bring this retro part of my childhood into my house and decided to accomplish that by
making oversized photo booth strips as part of my wall decor. I wanted something low-cost, light to hang and easily changeable. To make my photo strips to the scale of the area at the top of my stairs I thought four 11"x14" black and white photos would work best. You could use smaller or larger photos depending on the size of the area you plan to place them.

I started by going to Lowes and buying a 4' x 8' 1/4" birch plywood. I had the folks at Lowes do my cuts for me. See the outline below. I was able to make three photo strips from one piece of the plywood.

Once I had my three 60"x13" cuts I sanded the edges to make sure they were nice and smooth. Then I painted the outer edges black. I used some left over chalk board paint I had, but any cheap black paint (even spray paint) would work. You only have to paint the edges because the photos will cover up the middle. You can paint the whole thing if you want, but I like short cuts.. 

Next I got my kids ready with their funniest smiles and favorite toys and props and took their pictures in front of a curtain. I made sure I took the picture from the same distance each time so that there would be continuity just like in a real photo booth. 

I used this template in Photoshop to create a small black border around each photo created in gray scale. You can use the template I used here for Photoshop, or you can also add the border in most photo ordering software. I purchased my photos from NationsPhotoLab, and right now (2/3/17) their 11"x14" are on sale for $2.10 each. That's the best price I've been able to find for these photos. Free shipping when you spend over $50. 

I mounted the photos on the board using painter's tape and started about 2 inches down from the top. Once I had the photos exactly where I wanted them I noted my measurement so I could re-create it on my other two boards. 

Last I used large picture Command mounting strips (holds up to 16lbs) at the top and bottom of my photo strips. 

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Nailed It DIY First Day of School Board - Using Family-Safe Paints and Stains *Plus Coupon Code!*

Shannon Evans and Misty Grant, owners of Nailed It in Fort Mill, SC invited my sister and I to craft and check out ECOS’s line of chemical-free, organic paints and stains they’ve brought on board for all of their DIY projects. I spend a lot of time educating myself on eco-friendly and chemical-free options to use in my home, so I was very interested to learn more about the products and her exciting DIY business. 

Check out those hues! Aren’t the colors so rich and gorgeous? 

As mothers themselves, Shannon and Misty wanted all the projects created at Nailed It to be adorable AND safe for their family and yours. ECOS brand paints and stains are locally-sourced from Fairforest, SC. They’re 100% organic, non-toxic, solvent-free, VOC-free and safe for your family. Shannon joked that you could drink them they’re so safe - we didn’t try that - but I was impressed with Nailed It’s commitment to offering their clients the most family and environmentally-friendly DIY option in the area without compromising the beauty of the paint. 

The timing was perfect for this DIY project at Nailed It. Aisles are overflowing with binders and book bags, and if you’re like me, you’ve pinned something similar to this adorable back-to-school board on your to-do-list before the big day hits.

I enjoy DIYing, but I’m no stranger to the #PinterestFail. I’ve never worked with paint and stains on a project like this, so I was nervous about how my board would turn out. I didn’t think I could create a board that would receive #PinWorthy status, or one that I'd be willing to debut in all of the back to school photos!

Nailed It is a super cute venue, it's inside of Birds of a Feather in Fort Mill, just south of Charlotte, NC and right off 77 at exit 85 (across from Baxter). It's about a 25 minute drive from Uptown Charlotte and even closer to South Charlotte. 

Shannon guided us step-by-step through the process. She is a talented teacher who dropped  some creative know-how on my DIY-curious self. She gave guidance on applying the paint, sanding and working with the stain and on how to create a rustic look. 

With her help it was fun, easy and we got to connect with the other ladies in the class while we shared laughs and wine. If you haven't had a chance to work with Shannon - she has an amazing energy and contagious laugh. She made us feel immediately at ease and empowered by her DIY can-do. We also realized we're both SUNY Oswego alumni and even attended during the same years - it's a small world! 

I was amazed by how easy the paints and stains were to work with. They had great coverage, zero toxic smell and a little went a long way. Check how Larisa and I rocked the rustic look!

Shannon's instruction added to my confidence and my board ended up being 100% #PinWorthy! When I talk to other moms who aren't DIY confident I always hear - "I'd love to, I always thought it sounded so fun, but I'm afraid mine would turn out just awful." From one #PinterestFailQueen to another, take my advice and try this class. Each woman in the class came from a different age, background and skill level but created a unique and beautiful piece. 

I wasn’t the only one that was impressed with my new DIY skills, my 7 year old made me show her the Nailed It stamp on the back of the board to prove I hadn’t bought it! Yup. I totally Nailed It. 

My sister and I had so much fun with this project - plus it's a keepsake we can use year after year to help mark the Milestones and Memories of the first days of school. We’re planning on returning to make holiday advent calendars we can have for our family to celebrate the holidays! 

Nailed It is offering my favorite readers (yes that’s you!) a $5 discount for any class you sign up to take at Nailed It between now and the end of 2016 using the code MOMABOUTCLT in the promo area when you book. 

You can check out Nailed It on their website here, follow them on Facebook here and obsess over their must-have DIY creations on Instagram here. Nailed It is a great venue for birthday parties, wedding and baby showers, bachelorette parties, girls night out, family gatherings and neighborhood get togethers and fundraisers. Plus they have paint, wood and will travel - they'll even come to your event and set up shop - that's DIY on the go! Check out their website for more info.

I was provided this class free of charge allowing me to blog about my experiences, but as always all of my opinions are my own and my promise to my readers is that I won’t share anything I don't love and recommend. A huge thank you to Larisa Black with Photography By Larisa for providing all of the photos in this blog. 

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Controlling Playroom Chaos: Bin me up Scotty

Well, another Christmas has come and gone, leaving in its wake - playroom chaos. I'm still (trying) to institute my "rule of 5" that I previously blogged about, and it has been helpful to keep down on the sheer quantity of crap that covers my floors. However, I realized I needed to organize the 'fives' to make any daily impact.

That's when I decided to {Bin me up Scotty}! We set off to the institution that is IKEA, filled the kids with Swedish meatballs (free kids meals that weekend) and navigated the labyrinth of organizing options. We finally settled on 4 tower TROFAST's and their assorted bins. We wanted to be able to keep certain items up and away from our 3 year old, but within the reach of our 7 year old, and with it's 57" height it met our needs. The TROFAST system was on sale during the month of January.

In addition to the TROFAST organizers, I also consolidated their games by recycling all the boxes and moving the game's contents into labeled Ziploc bags. This reduced our towering pile of boxes to bin-able easy to see and grab games. It look so much neater and the kids have been playing with them more because they're accessible, unlike the ominous teetering tower of boxes.

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Parent/Child Painting Night at Olive's Mud Puddle

Our kids are very well loved emotionally, but also spoiled with material items. Every Christmas, birthday and just because our home seems to adds about 10 square feet of new toys. Our playroom runneth over, and I end up having to picketh it all up...

So, for S's 7th birthday I tried to focus on getting her gifts that were experiences to create memories instead of things that would pile up on our floor. She's a fan of crafts and so I thought a painting class would be a fun activity to try together. 

We talked with Debbie at Olive's Mud Puddle in Fort Mill, she created an adorable holiday interactive painting to create for our Mother-Daughter night out. S really enjoyed the experience, so much so that she said, "This is the MOST FUN night I've had for a girls night out - like ever!"

 I really enjoyed myself too. Debbie took us step through step and I was impressed how S was able to focus her energy and go slowly as the painting developed. We used teamwork to build our "masterpiece" I created the outlines of the larger items and she colored them in. She chose the colors for each of the birds and ornaments and even decided to explore her artistic license and added eyelashes to our reindeer. 

It was a positive experience and all the girls and moms who attended seemed to enjoy the experience as well. In addition to painting Olive's offers family clay/pottery classes.

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How Much to Spend? Teacher & Daycare Gift Giving Survey

It's holiday time and I'm in my gift buying frenzy. Each year I tangle with the question of how much to spend on the AMAZING and wonderful teachers and daycare providers that care for our children.  These people are priceless in our lives. If I was growing a money tree in the back yard I wouldn't hesitate to spend bushels of cash on them. Unfortunately, until I get the money tree genes spliced properly (now that's a GMO I would actually condone..) our family budget does set a limit on holiday gift purchases across the board. So I'm stuck with the conundrum of putting a price tag on their gift.

I figured I couldn't be alone in my gift-giving plight, so I  put together an anonymous survey to find out what real parents in Charlotte, NC were planning to spend. I've tallied the results below to offer an overview of what parents are spending on gifts for teachers and daycare providers. 

Gift giving is a personal decision, but my geeky science mind likes graphs and data - so here you go ;) We had about 80 responses to the survey. This graph shows all data for all salary ranges, the y-axis is the percentage of respondents.

Teacher Gift Giving Data for all Salary Ranges

• Pre-K 1-2 days a week had a gift giving mode of $21-$30. 
• Pre-K 3-5 days a week had a gift giving mode of $11-$20. 
• K-6 had a gift giving mode of $21-$30. 
• Daycare Full-time had a gift giving mode of $21-$30. 
• Daycare Part-time had a gift giving mode of $11-$20. 

Respondents had annual salaries ranging from $0  to more than $200K, however the largest number of respondents had an annual household salary of $100,000 - $124,999 (22%) with an annual household salary of $75,000 - $99,999 being the second largest number of respondents (18%). Interestingly, I found that there was not a large correlation with average household income and the amount of money parents reported they planned to spend for households making over $75,000 per year.

A huge holiday thank you to all of the wonderful men and women who educate and care for our children all year round. A survey can tell us what people are spending on gifts - but you are truly priceless!

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Re-purposing Kids Toys

If your house is like mine we have summer and not summer toys. Here is an idea to re-purpose your room devouring water table for cold weather. Just add some rubber mulch for a clean and fun way to create a digging, hauling and dumping site for little ones. They'll spend hours moving rubber from one side to the other, and no dirt means no messy clothes. Score!

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Pinspiration for the Master Bedroom

Hello, my name is Lareina and I'm a pinner.

Hello Lareina. 

Pinterest is my favorite go-to-place in my efforts to make dinner that's not baked chicken every night, and decorate my home so it doesn't look like I'm still in college.

Both are a challenge, because I don't enjoy cooking -  and with two kids I don't have as much time to shop for decor. So I've resorted to pinspiratons on Pinterest to tackle these endeavors and more.

Since moving into our house I've decorated and themed both of the kid's rooms, their bathroom and the common areas. But our poor master bedroom has been put on the back burner. I decided to do some pretty direct steals (pinspiration) from bloggers/decorators with far more talent than myself. 

Here is my first go at the wall over our master bed. All items were purchased at Hobby Lobby, except for the swirly frame which is from Michaels. The bed is from Wayfair.com, but I bought it for a reduced price on Joss&Main. The top is my pinspiration from HouseOfRoseBlog.com, the bottom is my go at it. 

I'll add pictures as I complete the room! 

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DIY Valentine's Day Wreath In Less Than An Hour

Extra large DIY Valentine's Day Wreath.

Make this fast, easy and in less than an hour for under $25!

First, read this great tutorial from May May Made it on how to weave the deco mesh. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xisrAu1eHoY

Next, here are the supplies you'll need and where I found them. Using coupons at Michaels and Hobby Lobby help to make it so much cheaper! Both allow you to use mobile coupons. Your cost will vary depending on what you decide you want to include on your wreath. I used two rolls of deco mesh for a 20" frame, so if yours is smaller you may be able to use one. 

20" Box Style Wreath Frame $4. I used my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby. $2.40

2 rolls of 21" Deco Mesh reg. $9.99/roll (on sale 50% off at Hobby Lobby this week)

2 Owls $3.49 each (on sale 30% off at Hobby Lobby this week)

1 pack of Valentine's Day hearts on a wire $1.99 at Michaels (40% off this week) $1.19

1 pack of Valentine's Day felt hearts $2.99 at Michaels (40% off this week) $1.80

1 pack of Valentine's Day heart stickers $2.99 at Michaels (40% off this week) $1.80

2 6" dowels for securing owls (had these at home already)
White duck tape for securing owls together (had this at home already)

Hot glue gun to secure decorations (had this at home already)

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Dining Out with Kids - Like a Boss.

I'd be lying if I told you each time we go out to dinner with our kids, ages 18 months and 5 years old, it's all perfect behavior and warm meals for Mom and Dad. However, for the  most part, we've come up with a plan of attack that allows us the flexibility to go out to dinner and enjoy ourselves with two in tow. Here are my quick and fast tips for Dining Out with Kids - Like a Boss.

1. Dine prepared - I have my dining out bag in my car at all times. It includes:

Bambinos Tidy Table Tray & Flexi Diner

• Wipes/Diapers
• Bambinos Tidy Table Tray & Flexi Diner (which I ADORE)
• Tiny play dough, matchbox cars, crayons, a small notebook of paper
• Snacks (This may sound odd, but think of it as an emergency appetizer if the service takes too long)
• Ipad/Iphone for desperate times and happy parents.

2.  Strategize

• Don't hesitate to ask for a slightly larger table, or a table off by itself, or a larger than necessary booth - this will give the kids a place for some potential wiggle room before the meal arrives. 
• Check out the kids menu first, and order their meals when you order your drinks. This way their food comes out first and you can get them started. By the time you've cooled down, and cut up their food your meal will be on its way, so you can eat while it's hot. 
• Eat on out on weekdays or odd hours on the weekends. If you know there will be a 45 minute wait and it's a Friday night - abort mission. 

3.  Dining out doesn't have to mean McDonald's

• Most nicer restaurants ($15-20/plate) have kids menus and cater to families, including changing tables in the restrooms.
• Don't be afraid to go to restaurants that have linens on the tables and  two sets of forks! Servers at these restaurants know how to meet your family's needs and are usually happy to provide a bread basket or quick munchie for kids to eat. 
• If your children don't like what's on the kid's menu ask if you can get a kids sized portion of an adult meal, they're usually happy to accommodate. 

4. If at first you don't succeed - keep on trying!

• It's not by accident our kids are well behaved when we go out to dinner, it's because we've done it often and they've learned 'how to eat out'
• Don't let a negative experience  make you run in fear!
• If all else fails send one parent to the car with the kids and get the meals boxed up. 

What are the tips and tricks YOU use to dine out with your kids - Like a Boss??

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A Unique Way To Tell Your Husband You're Pregnant

Telling your husband that he's going to be a Daddy is so exciting! I wanted my husband to have a unique memory of the moment I told him he was being upgraded to Dada.

My daughter (his step daughter) and I brought him to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I had printed and stuffed the fortune cookie with a piece of paper saying 'You're going to be a Daddy! Lucky Numbers 7.5.2012' I asked our daughter to pass him the stuffed fortune cookie. He opened it and read it - looked at me and with a surprised smile said "Is this cookie real?!" It was a fun way to share the news. He carries the fortune around with him in his wallet next to a picture of our son. 

How did you tell your husband you were expecting?

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