This is what happens...

...when you live in a house that was built the year that World War 2 ended:

You buy a few cans of paint.

This old house has received fresh paint in every room but the laundry room to date. We've painted ceilings, walls, baseboards, trim and crown molding. This is just some, not all, of what had been hanging out in the laundry room related to repainting the entire house. Crazy. Time consuming. But, oh, so worth the effort. The end results are so much better than the before pictures. I started laughing when I saw how many cans Andy and I started hauling out of the storage area behind the door in the laundry room.

Laundry room your time is coming. I've got big plans for you in the future...for now you'll just have to make do with being reorganized.

Give me 5...

So it's a new year and most of us spend sometime thinking about resolutions and reflecting on the last year...

Today while scrubbing the carpet where AG had just spit up I thought about how much I love the product I use to scrub said carpet...especially since AG arrived a year ago. From there my mind wondered to the thought of what five products have been crucial in my survival as a mom this first year. So here are my top five products in no particular order:

1. Fantastik! Oh, how I love Fantastik...particularly the OxyPower variety. OxyPower is what I use on the carpet for just about everything. And I have even used it on clothing items for really stubborn stains. It can pretty much be used ANYWHERE on ANYTHING. I could go on and on but I won't.

2. Microfiber cleaning cloths! I wish I had known about these from the get go...I stumbled upon them for the use of my child indirectly. A family I use to nanny for used them for cleaning purposes and I liked them so much I bought a bunch for my house. One day while feeding AG I needed to clean him up and grabbed one out of the clean pile of laundry (that needed to be folded but was waiting patiently for me in the den. Ha.) and what would you know it happened to do a great job. They are softer than anything else but the major plus is that they are virtually stain proof! Wipe him down, throw in the wash, and they come out looking brand new. Always a plus and for $5 for a huge bag at WalMart in the car care section you can stock up. (Which I did once I discovered their new found purpose.)

3. ALL Free and Clear. I opted out of the Dreft bandwagon and instead went with ALL. Cleans great AND I can combine laundry. I love that I can wash all of our clothes together. Cuts down on me having to do double the amount of laundry...which let's face it I don't have time for when I'm chasing the little man all over the house. Couple it with Clorox 2 Free and Clear and stains have no chance.

4. Dr. Starr's Teething Lotion. Simply put we can't live without this stuff. Seriously. AG is one of those kids that when he teethes he teethes in multiples and it is fast and furious. Thankfully Andy and I still have all of our hair because of Dr. Starr and his miracle teething solution. I guess it qualifies our child as a true Roman since it can only be purchased here in town at Winslette Pharmacy. Bring on the molars!

5. BabyGizmo is a phenomenal tool that I stumbled upon while pregnant. ALL of the big ticket items and even smaller purchases have come about from research off of this site. I purchased their book and then began using the website. I love it because they give editor reviews that they do plus mom reviews. They shoot straight and are no nonsense about stuff. EVERY big item that we have purchased I have been thoroughly pleased with because they think of every detail in their reviews. They leave nothing out.

Guess we'll see what is crucial this time next year with raising a toddler! Happy New Year.