Day 21 - Stop and Clean the Noses.

That's right. I'm not afraid to admit BooOoOgieS have almost won the battle a few times. Have I mentioned that I can't.stand.a.dirty.nose!!!!!  UGH. I can't and it seems like the first 5 (and counting) years little ones are coming out of a cold, catching a cold or in the middle of a cold...



Our personal nurse trying to make me take medicine on one of my MOMMY DOWN moments.



I don't know what it is but somehow runny noses mean boogies are EVERYWHERE... Smeared from cheeks to chins, in their eyes, on their clothes...it's just a NASTY little SLIMY fact we all have to deal with.  IDK if these tips are scientifically proven but I can attest that my munch has seldom gotten a cold (that lasted longer than a day or 2) in over 2 years... Who knows, they might work for you:

- Gummy Vitamins.  Yep. Everything comes in GUMMY form now. I let Z pick out her vitamins (there are so many shapes) and she takes the highest recommended dose (usually 2/day) everyday.  When I see the effects of a cold on its way, I give her 1 gummy Vitamin C in the morning and at night. Shhh, don't tell anyone but I take gummy Adult 1-A-Day vitamins too, lol. WHAT?! They taste good!

- Vitamin C.  In addition to the gummy supplement, at the first signs of a cold, I boost her immune system by packing the following fruit into her diet... Did you know THESE yummy sweets are jam-packed with VITAMIN C?

Guava.Kiwi.Grapefruit.Cranberry.Mango.

Yep... And get this, I listed them in the order of the EXCEPTIONAL amount of vitamin C (all of them have MORE than oranges).  I sneak these fruits into her diet by offering them in a snack but ALSO my neighborhood grocery store sells natural fruit juice with these flavors.  Sneaky sweets how I heart thee!

- Airborne.  It now comes in child-safe doses!  I add the pink grapefruit flavor to a small cup of Sprite before school... She thinks the Sprite is a treat and gulps it right down, lol.

- Tea. She has a calming tea every night before bed while I do her hair... I think there's something about the mug (and slurping from the spoon) that makes her feel COOL... Little does she know, when I hear a sniffle, I change up the flavor to Traditional Medicinal's Cold Care P.M.  It's not the BEST tasting to the Munch but it's nothing a little extra honey can't help!

A combination of the above with a humidifier, steam shower and Boogie Wipes (pictured below) keep Munch LESS boogie LESS often.

Kids are exposed to so many germs everyday that mommies have GOT to be equipped with the supplies; like soldiers, we must be ready to win every battle of the boogies... Note:  if a cold lasts longer than 4 days and is partnered with a fever or sits in the chest, visit your doctor.  I also recommend checking out your neighborhood CVS Minute Clinic.  They have awesome convenience hours and take walk-ins!  So, go stock up on boogie battle supplies and get ahead of the cold before they get too serious!

Day 20 - Beat the Boogie

...Boogie Man that is. Although I DO have a few tips for boogies (hm, maybe tomorrow's post?)... I don't know about your little one but MINE always has to get out of bed (like 3 times) before she's down for the night.  One of the reasons is the Boogie Man (aka the MonsterMan, the Ghost, the THING that's touching my foot, etc.).  We have a few tricks to RID her bedroom of WHATEVER is scaring her so everyone gets a good night's rest...



Photo Source



 MONSTER SPRAY!!!

Now my spray bottle isn't cute BUT that picture does inspire me to let MUNCH label her own bottle...  I like to use a Febreze spray bottle.  When it gets low, I add water and when it's gone... I add 3 tablespoons of liquid laundry detergent, refill with water and shake it all together... It still smells yummy and serves the same purpose as Febreze.

We've also created monster spray out of air freshener and it's the same concept.  Munch points to where the monster is and I spray that area... Please note, this does bring out the giggles so if you notice it's becoming a game, do a "super spray move" and assure your little one you got him with that move... Be careful though, I've been known to spray too much and 'bout choke us out - haha.

Another FAVE night-night product is the Bath and Body Works pillow spray.  It smells awesome and works wonders!  It's a little pricey but they have an annual (and semi-annual and almost annual and every other week) sale. 

While Munch is washing up, I spray her pillow so that by the time she's in the bed for her story, she breathes the soothing scent and goes to sleep (of course after she makes a few water, snack and potty requests).

 Another way we rid her little room of Monsters is with a good ol' night light. I love the warm glow of night lights but I hate the eye sore of tacky little light bulbs plugged in the wall... That is UNTIL I SAW THIS ONE on sale at Home Goods for like $8.  Isn't she fabulous?

Also sold here.

You know sparkles are a MUST 'round these parts... It was pretty-much-basically meant to be!  If you have a little one and want a night light that makes a statement, check these cool night lights out:

Want 1? Click here.

Cool, right?

Click here to check these out!

Sometimes I wish all it took was a "magic" squirt bottle to make the monsters in MY life disappear...*sigh* For now, I'll equip my munchkin with the tools to face her fears... I'm sure one day, it'll take more than a little water to make her rest easy. 

Day 19 - BIG NEWS.

I have to interrupt the regularly scheduled 31 Days program to bring you a VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

MUNCHFACE HAS A LOOSE TOOTH.

Yep. That's it. *Passes microphone back to CNN commentator.*

When Munch came with the announcement that her "tooth is VERY WIGGLY,"I sat there staring in space at a TOTAL loss... I mean, first kindergarten now THIS?! Really, kid, stop with the growing up... "MOMMY, DID YOU HEAR ME? MY TOOTH IS GOING TO FALL OUT OF MY FACE!"

Then I thought OMG. It's time for the tooth fairy and I'm not ready! Why is Hubs playing in a football game tonight and not here to DEAL with this... I don't do well with signs of growing up and HE knows this! UGH.

I comforted the kid, got her in bed and quickly went google-ing for some tooth fairy pillow inspiration... Aren't they cute?

Well, I've decided to go to my local craft store in search of some supplies to TRY and make my own... I found this tooth fairy pillow tutorial complete with a printable pattern (FREE) and I think it's pretty adorable.  If I go with this version, her pillow will look like this(in purple/green) with a ribbon to hang on her bedroom door:

Maybe, I'll make like 2 or 3 just in case some of my mommy friends are faced with this in the near future.  Want one? Well, let me not get ahead of myself... I'll let you know how they turn out, mmK?

:::

Zion is really worried that a part of her body is going to fall out of her face (her words, not mine) so I think it's important to give her something cute to soften the shock of it all... Plus, by now, you guys know me, things like this totally freak me out... and, while I KNOW the tooth pillow is creepy, it makes me smile so I.DON'T.CARE!

What do you do when little things are a big deal? I try to make something cute while facing my fears!

Day 18 - The Maid, Another Mommy Gig.

My mommy giving baby Munchface a bath... in the sink, no less :)

We all have our cleaning product preferences, I'm a BLEACH girl... Something about the smell of a load of whites just FEELS clean to my soul.  So, I prefer products that smell CLEAN and I save the perfumes and flowers for lotions and soaps... Heck, I used to believe that if my nose and eyes weren't burning when I cleaned then something wasn't right... LOL.

Now, I can be confident my home is clean with ORGANIC FRESH-scented cleaning products! OMG.

My newest cleaning staple? Mrs. Meyers... a little pricier than Lysol or Bleach but it's better for the environment, organic (i.e. SAFE for Munchface to use) and smells amazing! I also bought the all purpose cleaner and on the bottle, it explains that you can re-use one of their squirt bottles with 3 tablespoons of cleaner and warm water... Any product that helps me use what I have and goes a long way is worth its weight in gold.  I HEART MRS. MEYERS (just in case they want to become a sponsor or send me some free products or coupons).

I admit... I hate cleaning tubs. I hate cleaning showers. I HATE. I HATE. I HATE (and I really don't hate anything...except cleaning tubs and laundry)... So I tried everything and when I used the Scrubbing Bubbles it worked wonders! Spray, walk away, come back in a few and wipe/rinse. AMAZE-BALLS!

Your home has a scent... Whether you think so or not... I LOVE the scent of vanilla, it's calming and clean and light and COOKIES, anyone???!!! I love other scents but I've found that Company X's version of tropical mango smoothie might not blend well with Company Y's version of the same scent... Vanilla ALWAYS blends no matter what. Visitors often walk in my home and ask what I'm baking and it's the smell of comfort and "home" for me and makes me happy everytime I unlock the door (unless pee puppy has an "accident" while I'm away)... Consider finding the scent that makes you happy and go from there!



Source

I'm not a neat freak and I certainly do not have a chart like the one above... I typically just start in one corner of my home and work my way out/down... Concentrate on one room/area at a time and enjoy the accomplishments as you finish each area.  Try it, those big messes don't seem so daunting!





Mopping up her own mess at like 2... WHAT?! I started early. HAHA



LITTLE HELPERS

If your little one is like mine, you need to give them something to do or the MESSES WILL NEVER END!  Here are some tasks where little hands can be a big help:


Sanitizing her plastic toys in organic soap water (it helps keeps germies away)



- Laundry: Practice your colors while sorting loads.  Once sorted, I let Munch load them into the washing machine.  She loves throwing clothes in water... IDK, it helps me though ;)

- Dusting: I let Munch do the dusting(where she can reach) and she takes it VERY seriously... Although, this onesie may improve my life for the next baby:


Source


- Baseboards: Soap and Water, an old rag and Munch loves to crawl along the floor wiping the baseboards. We don't do this every day but once or twice a month, we wipe them down and it's great to make a game of it for each room.

- Helping make beds: Munch LOVES to lay flat on the bed while I pull the covers over her. Giggles surround me while I gather my pillows and other bed-making supplies... I ALMOST feel happy while cleaning (actually cleaning calms me...but happy?! That's in shoe shopping).  Then, when it's time to make the bed, I have Munch pass me the pillows by their color description. 

:::
There are so many ways to help make cleaning fun and involve EVERYONE in the home... These are a few of my tips but I'm always accepting comments for how YOU tackle the inevitable task of keeping your home well-maintained.  It's a chore but we've all got to do it!

Buckets are for cleaning NOT hanging out! Goodness she is cute tho, right?!