Can't Keep Up!

Despite my best efforts I can't keep up with my housework, cooking, shopping list. It seems likes it never ends. Pre- baby I kept everything in its place and would not go to bed unless my house was camera ready at all times. Now, I'm lucky if there isn't toys under feet, laundry in the living room, and the office, we just keep that door closed because who has time to file?

My friends are proud of me being able to let go...  I honestly try to remember that these days with my daughter will fly by and remembering her smiles are more important than the mess. But it's really hard for me.

                     (she's "helping" me clean up boxes from her birthday)

My mantra right now is: I'm a full time lawyer, mother and wife. I can't do it all.

Ohh I wish I could. I'm spending as much time cropping the mess out of my photos as it would to clean it up, ok not ,true cropping is a lot faster, but still, I could probably at least fold some towels.

PaInT paint PAINT

The week before Easter my sister agreed, as she is always my partner in crime, to come and help me do some painting in my house. We moved in three years ago but the color of the main area I really liked, Agreeable Grey by Sherwin Williams and rest of the house was plain 'contractor cream'. We had painted the nursery a minty aqua (Valspar I can't remember the exact color) before our little one was born but other than that, I had just been doing touch up with the paint the contractors left. (Our house was a flip.)

All the walls were done with flat paint. I hated it from the moment we moved in. The creator of flat paint should be brought on trial. It shows every bump, mark, scrape. Not so friendly with a husband that's less than careful, dogs and a toddler. I had literally scrubbed down to the sheetrock in some places.) So I decided it was time to paint the guest room, which had seen better days after a friend had stayed with us for a period of time, the bathrooms and the hall. And this time use a washable, wipe-able paint, in a satin sheen.

I always use VALSPAR paint. I've tries Behr, Benjamin Moore, Glidden, Olympic, American Tradition (by Valspar), Dutch Boy, and that's just for wall paint. I could do a whole other post on spray-paint, furniture paint and polyurethane.

So this time I made the mistake of asking the sales person's opinion. I had picked all Sherwin Williams colors, because I just love their color wheel but, I had planned to buy Valspar. He told me he had been a rep for both and that he thought Sherwin Williams was more durable and that it was the only way to get a color guarantee.  Against my better judgment I made a rash decision, and went with Sherwin Williams.

I WONT MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN.

Valspar is superior in my opinion and here's why. Sherwin Williams showed every roll, edge mark, change in pressure. It didn't cover as well as Valspar and therefore didn't go as far either. I mean don't get me wrong, if I couldn't get Valspar I would choose Sherwin Williams over Behr, Olympic and Dutch Boy (I can't remember what I didn't like about Benjamin Moore but I just remember not liking it as well).

~ I only photographed one bathroom. I painted both Sea Salt by SW. Its a chameleon color as its blue/gray/sage. it looks blue during the day in this bathroom and a slate grey at night but in the smaller downstairs bath, it looks more sage/grey. I really love it. If you don't want to commit, this is the color for you.~

Valspar pretty much covers in one coat, goes on even, you don't see streaks or marks from your edgework, assuming you don't drip or leave pressure lines, no paint can forgive that. It wipes down easily and wears well

I just like it better. Lesson learned. Going forward im going back to Valspar.  (Ohh but for trim work I like Glidden high gloss).

~The guest room we painted Anew Grey by SW. It was a last minute decision. My sister thought that my choice of Dorian Grey was too dark for this basement level one window room and she was right. As a note, we painted the hall Agreeable Grey again but in the satin sheen.~

If your thinking of painting I hope you will consider my review, because Valspar is superior. I know I know SW just bought Valspar- well all I can say is I pray they don't change the formula.

*this is not a sponsored post.

Humidifier Tip

Even though we are having a mild winter here in the Northeast, the heat is still on at my house. The lack of snow, hasn't meant a lack of dryness from my forced hot air heating system. With a little one in the house, there is a delicate balance of keeping her warm and not turning her into a sweat monster.

Since my daughter started daycare, she has struggled with colds. She has also had a cough on and off since she was small. The doctors and my mom have said repeatedly, keep her nose clear, use saline and a humidifier. I was lucky to have a coworker give me two humidifiers she wasn't using. I had one in the nursery and one in mine. But a few weeks ago, she had a terrible nose bleed that woke her up and scared me half to death. She had a few more after that and it seems that we now have it under control. But I realized that her play area in the house, and likely her daycare, does not have enough humidity.

I plan to have one put on our furnace but I haven't gotten to it yet. The money always seems to go to something else.  Luckily I went down to my grandmothers house, my personal antique and thrift stop, and did some more cleaning up and out. I found a humidifier in the box. I could see it had been used but it wasn't old. So I took it home. after washing it and cleaning it with vinegar,  I used a magic eraser to clean out the hard water deposits. My grandmothers water is very high in iron so you can see the orange residue clearly. I got as much as I could out but when I ran it I could still smell the deposits. So I decided to add some lavender essential oil.

Within minutes the whole house smelled of lavender. When my husband came home from work he commented on how nice the house smelled (normally he calls the humidifier the stinky water machine).

When I refilled the other humidifiers I added a few drops of the essential oil to them as well. No more stinky water machines. The house smells fantastic and we have much needed humidity.

I'm sure with would work with whatever essential oil you prefer but, remember to get high quality pure oils and remember that they are very concentrated. Its better to go lighter and add more later than to overpower with scent.

What does Zika mean for the Olympics?

With all the talk of Zika, what I haven't heard said is Rio 2016. The summer Olympic games are to be held in Rio de Janerio this summer. Few realize that people have already started going down to Brazil for qualifying trials. I know this because one of my best friend's boyfriend is competing. What about these people?  They go down for a few weeks to qualify and then come back. What are their chances of contracting and spreading the virus? Are appropriate measures being taken? We have learned that Zika can be transmitted sexually. So even if these people aren't pregnant, and I assume they are not, they can still bring the disease back with them.  We can't  assume that Olympic athletes wont be pregnant because I believe that the Olympics averages a certain number of pregnant women competing in each games. Not to mention, even if you aren't pregnant it makes you very ill.

As a new mom, I feel very strongly that we need to take an aggressive look at Zika. Transmission, cures, and how to protect unborn babies. I can't imagine the heartache of learning that a mosquito bite caused my baby to have incredible deformities. There are warnings that pregnant women shouldn't travel to infected areas. And, that women in affected areas should consider holding off on pregnancy until 2018. (This is something that is very interesting, telling a woman that may be at the end of childbearing years, that she has to wait. This may be a first world issue and not so much an issue for Brazil, but still, we should think about how this virus is effecting women's reproductive choices.) I am aware that the evidence is not conclusive yet that Zika causes microcephaly, the most linked birth defect to the virus.
Do we have time to wait for the research to conclusively decide when in a matter of months the largest international event will be at the center of the outbreak?

There is an underwhelming article in the NY Times from January of this year that states that 500,000 people are expected at the games this summer. Approximately 200,000 of them will be Americans. You can read this extremely brief article here. It doesn't mention the trials that are going on now. It is silent on the lack of public concern by the International Olympic Committee. CNN also wrote an article, a bit better than the NY Times in my opinion (and I never thought I would say that). It states that there were concerns with Rio hosting the Olympics before the Zika epidemic. They estimate that 600,000 are expected to attend and 16,000 athletes. They ask, should the Olympics be postponed? Can Rio handle hosting the Olympics and battling an epidemic at the same time?  To read that article visit it here.

This a my photo taken during my trip in 2009.

I have my own concerns about Brazil hosting the event. I went to Rio and the Pantanal during law school. I traveled around meeting with different people from different regions, the government, the indigenous communities and just sightseeing. But I was warned, stay away from the edges of the cities and don't go in the water after it rains. That's because the favelas are so dangerous that a blonde haired blue eyed American like myself would be a target in the favelas. As for rain, there is an inadequate sewage system in Rio, so when it rains raw sewage goes into the ocean. did I mention hat when the waves get so high that some of the streets flood? Don't wear open shoes after it rains either. So a city that cant handle it existing sewage, in my opinion, shouldn't be hosting a huge international event because of basic health concerns. Add Zika virus to the mix and by a month after the games we will have an international crisis.

This is my photo taken during my trip in 2009.

Is the International Olympic Committee even talking about this? Have they offered to contribute funds to research? Can they really handle another embarrassment after Sochi? Do they care about the athletes and their families, friends, co-workers, people of the world in general?! One has to wonder.


by Amy Z

How to get Blood out

BACKGROUND: Tomorrow my Daughters first birthday. Sigh, the first year has been wonderful, as I had an angel baby newborn. She has slept through the night since she was 10 weeks old, only getting up when she's sick with a stuff nose or teething. Last week however, one night she woke up screaming like something was wrong but at first I couldn't figure it out. I brought her in my room, it was dark, but I noticed something on her cheek. When I clicked the light on, I saw blood and there was some on the other cheek. At first I thought it was coming from her mouth as it was on her binky but, then I realized that it was a nose bleed. Within seconds both her and I were covered in blood. Scary yes, but a nose bleed I knew how to handle. Once we pinched it off, I got ready to wash our clothes. (I also recently suffered from menorrhagia, a post partum complication that was delayed due to breast feeding. This also required some blood stain removal).

The point is, that these incidents made me realize that I hadn't shared my generations old solution to set in blood stains. Sure getting a new blood stain out isn't so bad, rinse and scrub with gentle soap (I use just hand soap) when fresh and then wash with oxiclean.

But what about a blood stain that's set in? that can be hard to get out. Well, my grandmother told me that her local butcher told her the secret to keeping his white apron clean of blood stains: MEAT TENDERIZER.

 picture from mccormick.com
I don't know why, I just know that this is what they did and this is what I've done. If you have a set in blood stain proceed with trying to loosen the stain with cold water and gentle soap (DO NOT USE HOT WATER). Then once you have done the best you can liberally apply meat tenderizer to the stained area (the powder/seasoning not the tool). I then gently (using the fabric itself if possible) rub it together to get it really in the fabric (I recommend doing this after you have rung out the cold water but while its still wet). Then I let it set, usually overnight.

Next day wash, with detergent and if you want with oxiclean (or other oxidizing cleaner). Something about the tenderizer loosens the stain and will help you get those set in blood stains without ruining the color of your fabric. Good for women issues, sports uniforms, sheets with nose bleeds, you get the picture. Hope this helps save your fabrics!

First Christmas

Hosting a holiday is always stressful. Even if you are someone like my mom who thrives on it.

This was the first Christmas hosted at my house because it was my little girls first Christmas. 

Now it should be known that I love the holiday season: the good will, the music, lights, and  the movies. I mean what's not to like? But the day I could live without, the fighting (which we avoided this year- a true Christmas miracle), the food prep, the need to buy buy buy, the mixing of family traditions (a delicate balance) and the mess! When it's all over I miss the season but, am relieved the day is done. I don't mean to say I don't love our families or appreciate all they do for us. I just feel stressed. 

The best  part this year though was the alone time my husband and I had with our little one and canine babies. 

The night before I felt sad. I wasn't going to wake up at my parents house and go get my siblings to open presents. A tradition we had continued into adulthood. I went to my husbands families church and I missed seeing my relatives and the older woman who always wears her Christmas hat. All of that melted away though when we opened our first presents from Santa. And while it was very stressful I'm glad we had everyone to our house to share in her first Christmas.

Christmas Decorating

This year when I went to take out my decorations, I noticed an additional bucket of decorations. What could be in there? well apparently when I was in a nesting phase of my pregnancy last year I bought/made more decorations. VERY unlike me. But, with a little one now, I guess she will enjoy all the extra sparkle...

I am hosting Christmas at my house this year and I am finding the thought of it stressful (especially since I am not a cook by any means. I mean, I like permanently damaged my finger from a hand blender on thanksgiving- guess I took the name too literally but I digress). I am trying to remind myself that it doesn't have to be a banquet... MOM and it doesn't have to be a formal dining experience with white gloves... MOTHER IN LAW. It just has to be good food and us all together to celebrate a holiday about family and of course my little girls first Christmas.

We will see how it goes.
Also note, that usually when I have a bunch of people coming I set to clean every corner and speck of dirt. That is not happening this holiday there is no time. The paint chips taped to the wall will not be replaced with new paint until after the holiday and my base boards may have some dog hair. It happens I guess that's motherhood talking....