The Whatever Mom

01
Apr
2016

Friday Favorites- Relax Body Oil by HelloMellow

categories: Friday Favorites, Healthy Moms, Uncategorized

Friday Favorites

This has to be one of my most favorite products right now! During the winter months the air in my house gets so dry and ultimately so does my skin. Even though it is officially spring I am not giving this product up! I was given a travel sized bottle of Relax body oil by HelloMellow as a gift from a friend. I could not wait to try it and once I saw the results I couldn’t wait to share it!

Clearly my gifting friend picked just the right product for me because relaxing isn’t something that comes easy to me. Even before I had the ‘twinadoes’ take over my life, I was never one to sit still. Now as a mom I rely on stolen moments of deep breaths with essential oils to keep my sanity. Hiding in a closet with a chocolate bar is delicious, but it’s not as relaxing as it sounds.

The directions say you can use this on wet skin right after the shower. Do not dry off! Using immediately after a shower leaves my skin super soft and amazingly hydrated. You can use on dry skin as well, which I often do before bedtime to ya know…relax! The scent is very subtle which is great for anyone with asthma, allergies or breathing issues. And, it won’t over power your partner sleeping next to you who always complains about too many flowers at bedtime makes him sneeze. *wink*

HellowMellow products were created by Tracy Feldstein, a massage therapist with extensive experience and education on bodywork therapies. Tracy wanted the most nourishing products for her clients. That’s why all of HellowMellow’s products are vegan, paraben free and without chemical preservatives which makes them perfect for nearly everyone! What’s in it you wonder? SPOILER ALERT: It’s NOT coconut oil! I know it’s hard to imagine a luxurious body oil company not using the most popular oil on the planet to make their products. Ingredients for each individual item is listed right online.

My new favorite Relax blend is made of cold pressed extra virgin sesame and olive oils, avocado butter, mango butter and essential oils of clary sage and grapefruit. (Smells great by the way!).

By now you may all know I am always excited to share a product that does some good too! For every purchase of any item in the Balance line, 5% is donated to Boarding for Cancer Survivorship Fund. Established in 2009, the B4BC Survivorship Fund connects breast cancer survivors with nature-based health & wellness retreats in order to enhance their path of healing and long-term survivorship. Since its inception, B4BC has connected 14 survivors to a retreat.

You can find additional products safe for expectant moms, nursing moms, the man in your life and even someone undergoing chemotherapy. The shop has convenient subcategories for weddings, baby showers, for the baby, for the home and in treatment and has pre-bundled gift packs for each occasion.

There are no affiliate links contained in this post. No financial compensation exchanged for review. Opinions expressed belong solely to The Whatever Mom.

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

29
Mar
2016

Spring Cleaning (Not A Guide)

categories: Healthy Moms, Home Organizing, Organizing, Parent, Parenting, Uncategorized

Phwew! Spring break is over and the kids are back at school FOR SIX HOURS TODAY!! We survived! I survived!!! Now, to update you on our week!

Last year for spring break we took an amazing road trip to Mystic CT (<—click it) to see the aquarium and a few fun little museums. This year (are ya ready for this?) we stayed home to spring clean our house! I know…that crazy Whatever family! It’s all about balance right? Amazing fun doesn’t come without the price of cleaning up a mess. Don’t worry; this isn’t another blog about how to clean your house, or what schedule you should follow to spring clean in 30 minutes or less. This is a blog about survival.

Although I do love me a good clean house to live in, having me tell you how I clean my house really doesn’t matter. You know how to clean a house right? Even if you clean your house in a different order than I do mine you’re not doing it wrong. It may set you at ease to read this next confession of mine; I haven’t cleaned my home in five years. OK that’s a little misleading. I have cleaned my house, but I haven’t been able to clean my house for FIVE. YEARS. All the sticky parts were cleaned up and the most trafficked areas maintained, but cleaning any deeper just did not happen.

When you have two little kids always stuck to you like Velcro, and zero extra help you do what you can to survive. Even if that means stacking things high on top of the fridge, or into as many distant corners as possible to keep them from destroying things. That’s what you do. Survival. Survival can get dirty. I didn’t even take pictures to share with you because, well things were dirty. We cleaned behind furniture and found things we thought we lost years ago. Did you know spiders can create webs that connect your furniture TO the wall? Yep. Found a lot of those too.

We washed curtains, shampooed carpets, washed windows and here’s my favorite part: we threw things away!! If you’ve read my posts before you know I am an avid “chucker.” I love to throw out duplicate items, small random toys that have no meaning and riding my closet of tiny clothes I’ll no longer squeeze my mom bod into. I admit I felt a sharp pang in my heart when my five year olds fit into my old concert t-shirts. I’d be lucky if I could get even one of those shirts over my thigh now. *sigh*

We moved furniture to new locations and organized kitchen cabinets. So much work. But, so happy it’s all done. I am having a lot of emotions about the girls starting Kindergarten and I feel like settling things in our closets and cupboards will help me feel like I have some amount of control over this new season of parenthood (and maybe breathe a little better without the inch of dust on my walls). In some weird way it makes me feel more prepared. I feel like we are closing a chapter on their early childhood. All the baby stuff. All the toddler games. It’s all gone. We are no longer spending hours piled under tents and learning our ABC’s. My kids know their ABC’s.

This spring cleaning was about tucking away the memories of our lives at home the last five years. It was about me carefully and lovingly packaging those moments up neat. I packed away all evidence of our preschool years now preserved in a box on a shelf. We can visit those days again, but we won’t have those moments to live again. I’ll miss being at the park at 10:15 a.m. on a Tuesday soaking up the sun while listening to my kids gleeful screeches. I’ll miss watching them in the backyard lost in a daydream while swinging higher and higher.

As I blew off the dust that collected during the last five years of survival, I began to look forward to surviving the next five years. Bullies. Heartache. Bus rides. Science. Learning. Navigating friendships. Understanding more about the world. This spring cleaning was a way of holding on and letting go at the same time. It is so hard to let go of those “little” years, but I have to let them go to make room for what’s to come in the next five years.

I know I’ll never have everything perfectly crossed off of my list. I’ll never accomplish all the things I want to with my kids as time passes by too quickly. But, I’m doing my best to hold onto who they are today, before leaving those little people in our past. Now that our house is clean I feel like we each have a fresh place to start this next leg of our journey. Join me five years from now when I “deep clean” our house once again. *wink*

Got a great been there done that survival tip for the Kindergarten year? Please share it below! You can also share it on my Facebook Page or Twitter!

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

21
Mar
2016

Commending Our Heroes and Empowering Girls

categories: Uncategorized

Happy Monday Morning All!!

Last week was a busy week for us! We did a lot of crafting and celebrating. We celebrated St. Patrick’s day and the arrival of Spring! We went out to dinner for St. Patrick’s day, we took some long walks and just played outside for hours. I am beat just remembering of all of it!

Saturday the girls and I took a wonderful trip to the NY state Museum of Firefighting in Hudson, NY. We attended the Princess and Protectors tea party where boys and girls met with female fire fighters. It was such an amazing way to celebrate fire fighters (many of whom voluntarily run into a burning building) and to empower young girls to be anything they want to be!

I have to confess here that I easily turn into a blubbering mess any time there is a hero to honor. Anyone in messy turn out gear, wearing a badge or camouflage all get my deepest respect. I can’t imagine what it takes to put on those uniforms every day with the sole purpose of saving and defending strangers. My dad was a volunteer firefighter when I was really young. I have no recollection of worrying about his safety, but now as a wife and mother I can only imagine the anxiety I would feel at every fire call, or every morning my loved one left the house with a gun holstered to their hip.

Queen Phoenix attended as the hostess of the party and invited each of the fire fighters up to get recognition and a round of applause. I got teary eyed. I was so happy to see the recognition and imagined how proud these women must feel and how proud their families must be. It takes a lot of hard work to become a firefighter!! Not everyone makes the cut! I imagined how proud I’d be if my daughters were standing up there.

We sat next to Princess Kendall, a 16 year old firefighter who joined her firehouse when she was just 14 years old. Kendall is not old enough to rush into the buildings (she has to be 18), but she has already been on the scene helping. She runs the tools from the truck to the fighters, she is learning to be at the ready and all the skills she will need to know to save lives! It is amazing to see such a young woman realize THIS is what she wants to do. THIS is where she wants to be! Kendall was shy and quiet, but you could not contain her enthusiasm when it was time for her to gear up to show the kids what a fire fighter looks like. She was more than happy to pose for pictures with the kids and tell them how her gear works.

It still completely baffles my mind that not all firefighters are paid for their service! Did you know that 70% of the nations firefighters are volunteers? This means they do not get paid to run into a burning building, or to answer an emergency call! They do not get paid to save lives they do it because it is something they feel they must do! The average salary range for paid firefighters is $22,000 to over $110,000. Salary is based on experience and rank. If you are living in a small town chances are the first responders in your local firehouse are volunteering their time away from family and second to a full time career.

My girls really enjoyed the tea and crumpets, the crafts and getting their picture taken with a queen. The really enjoyed going through the obstacle course and looking at the antique fire trucks.

But, I really hope they take with them the message that they can be anything they want to be. I hope by meeting these women in person helps my girls form their own strong identities as capable humans. More than anything I hope this empowers them to find their own passions and not let gender stereotypes dictate what they can and cannot do.

How do empower your young kids?

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

19
Mar
2016

How Far Do I Have To Run To Leave The Madness Behjnd?

categories: Healthy Moms, Mommy Wars, Parent, Parenting, Uncategorized

Have you ever had a day just so insane you wanted to run away? That was my day today! After months of my husband working 6 day weeks and traveling I was feeling pretty streched thin!

This week my kids have been especially crazy. They are constantly arguing and not listening and just not nice to each other. I knew my nerves were shot when I sent hubby this text:

Me:”I had to take away all the chairs from our kids today. I banned them from using CHAIRS!!!!”

Hubby:”I don’t know what to say except what kind of wine do you want me to bring home?”

Me:”THE BIG ONE!”

I felt like the harder I tried to settle the kids so I could have space to do a little work and maybe wash some dishes, the harder it was to wrangle them. So , I turned on the TV, went to my own room and called my mom.

Me:” This morning I told my child to get in the car and for some reason she starts running around the car and dancing across the front yard. I have yelled so much this week I swear the neighbors set their clock, brew a nice cup of coffee and watch out the window just waiting to see what $#@+ show my kids are creating each day”

Mom: Laughter. Of course she laughed. Not because I am funny but because she remembers what it felt like (and now she’s free from the tyranny that was the “know it all” me).

As soon as my husband arrived home I ran out the door to grocery shop. I had no list. No idea what I needed to buy. But I was gonna walk every aisle in each of the stores I regularly shop! First, I’ll treat myself to a chai latte from Dunkin Donuts. Uggh…except my driver side window is stuck and won’t open!! What is this day trying to do to me?!?

Never mind. I will drive to the Quick Check gas station and get something. I settled on a decaf coffee with chemical creamer. I didn’t even care. I wanted a stinking vanilla caramel latte darn it! As I looked around for a brownie (because I like my emotions to taste sweet) a beacon of light shown forth and there it was! A gluten free chocolate chip brownie. For ME. Waiting so patiently.

I didn’t even wait to pull out of my parking spot before snarfing that little slice of perfection into my mouth!

#noregrets

I continued to my stores in absolutely no hurry. I read every single label on my food selections. I even offered to read the lables for other shoppers on their products. I am so not in a hurry to get back that I am actually sitting in the Aldi’s parking lot typing this post!

I knew I had to share this with all of you. Someone out there is having a day just like mine. Maybe they need to hear they are not alone, or permission to just laugh at the craptastic events of today. And, maybe I feel better knowing I’m not the only one who fantasizes about running away.

Whatever the reason you have read this far, thank you! Tomorrow is another day. I am hoping it is a better one. If not, I at least have the big wine! 😉

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

18
Mar
2016

Friday Favorites: Money Saving Apps That Earn You Extra Cash

categories: Friday Favorites, Home Organizing, Meal times, Organizing, Parent, Time savers, Uncategorized

This week we upgraded my dumb “smart” phone to a much better option! My last phone really was the dumbest smart phone ever! If I tried to download an app (or use any app) the phone would freeze. I would have to turn it off and restart it every time. I couldn’t upload any of my pics any where and it would just shut off randomly. I know… first world problems. But, it can be frustrating when you are trying to use your phone for business and an all inclusive scheduling tool.

Now that I have a fully functional phone I am finding more apps that save me time and money! Who doesn’t love that? During those early years of paying for formula and diapers for two babies I spent a lot of my time clipping and organizing coupons. Now, I just don’t have the time. So apps like Target’s Cartwheel and Ibotta are super easy to use and much quicker than clipping and sorting coupons!

I feel like I’ve come late to the party because just about everyone already knows about these apps. But, if you are as late to the party as me, let me share my favorites!

The Ibotta app allows me to unlock savings deals on grocery items, apparel, electronics, specialty gifts, pet supplies, arts and crafts and more. I simply unlock a coupon to get cash back on that item instead of the amount deducted up front like a coupon. Once the cash amount reaches $20 you can cash it out and transfer to a Paypal account to spend any way you want. Who doesn’t want EXTRA cash?!

I am not a fan of shopping at my local Walmart. Mostly because it is swamped no matter what time of day I go. There’s never an easy place to park and the lines are always so long it’s never just a quick stop for me. But, a lot of my friends are using the Walmart Savings Catcher app when they shop. It automatically searches your purchased items and compares the prices at other local stores. If an item is cheaper at another store Walmart refunds the difference! Another way to make EXTRA cash! (I have not used this one yet).

The Target Cartwheel app is super easy to use and you can stack your savings! If you have a coupon for an item already AND there is a cartwheel coupon you can use BOTH! I purchased bathing suits for my kids Easter baskets this week. As I was standing in line I remembered I could use the app! I’m glad I did because there was a coupon in there for 15% off kids bathing suits AND additional coupons for the candy items I purchased too. I didn’t pay full price for anything! You don’t get cash back with this app, but saving up front is a great way to keep cash IN your pocket! The best part is no coupon clipping and it stores your digital coupons in your dashboard to access at the cash register!

Often these kinds of apps offer a chance to earn extra cash by sharing with your friends. So, the first time they use the app you are rewarded with $5-$10 in your account to spend any way you want. Between earning cash and saving cash you are getting paid to shop!

I am hooked on using these apps to save and make money. Now, I am curious what other must have apps are out there! Which ones are your favorites?

PLEASE share in the comments below!

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

11
Mar
2016

Friday Favorites – Jolly Dragons GIVEAWAY!

categories: Friday Favorites, Giveaway, Uncategorized

Promotional products generously provided by Jolly Dragons. No financial compensation was received for this review. All opinions are honest and belong solely to The Whatever Mom. Does not contain affiliate links.

Here it is … my new favorite: Jolly Dragons organic kids clothing! I’ll be honest I had no idea the difference between organic cotton vs. typical cotton fabric until I held these shirts in my hand. They are so much softer than any t-shirt my kids own.

When our package arrived, our shirts were hand wrapped in tissue paper and sealed with an adorable Jolly Dragons logo. There was a hand written note included! How often do you get a hand written note with your products? Right away my girls loved the designs and the colors. Mermaids and butterflies are kind of their thing. I am so impressed by the fabric quality, the colorful print on each shirt and the attention to detail in the design and packaging.

Jolly Dragons is a family owned business located in Cape Cod, MA. and what a delight it has been getting to know the owner in our email conversations! Each shirt and body suit is designed by this mom and dad team. What I love most about family owned businesses is that they GET ‘family’ in every sense of the word. They get the struggle for balance and the struggle to find safe products to use on our kids. And, that’s how Jolly Dragons was born!

This family puts great emphasis on using organic cotton fabric to keep pesticides away from your baby’s new skin, and sustainable printing methods. Your toddler won’t care they are wearing an organic shirt printed with eco-friendly digital printing. But they will LOVE the vivid and colorful prints! How cute is this spider shirt!!?

Sizes range from newborn to size 6T. You have your kid’s skin covered (see what I did there) through every tender stage of their young lives. You will have peace of mind knowing these shirts are labeled with the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) seal of approval.

My kids loved the shirts Jolly Dragons sent for review so much that they argued over who gets to keep which design. (There were actual tears and fist-a-cuffs). This means there will be TWO lucky winners receiving an organic t-shirt for free!

EVERYONE is getting a 25% discount just for being a reader of The Whatever Mom! Perfect timing to help fill those Easter baskets! Shop the Jolly Dragons catalog and when you are ready to check out use the discount code: thewhatevermom. Enjoy the savings! The folks at Jolly Dragons have a lot of exciting new things happening! So be sure to find them and like them on Facebook so you can be the first to see!

Follow the instructions below to enter! Good luck! Winners can select from the two designs pictured above (mermaid or monarch).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

09
Mar
2016

Giving Up My To-do List

categories: Uncategorized

Most Tuesdays I drop the kids off at school and rush home to finish my work. I catch up on blog writing and photo edits.

But today I am giving up my usual agenda to take one of my girls on a date day.

Kindergarten prep requires a physical exam. It is much easier to take one kid at a time to the doc. After that we are spending the rest of the school day together.

It turns out I have a five year old super fan who knows exactly how she would spend the day with me, her favorite celebrity.

“First we’re gonna swing together, then blow bubbles together, then take a nature walk and have a picnic lunch.”

That’s a pretty specific list of things to do. Listening to my girl describe our dream date made me realize how insignificant all my chores and to-do lists are. Those things will always be there. But a day will come when my daughter doesn’t want to spend an entire day with me. She will have her own list of things to complete.

I am enjoying my cup of coffee while she still sleeps. In a moment I will wake her up to start our day. Here is hoping your day is filled with love and don’t forget to cherish the little people in your life.

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

04
Mar
2016

Friday Favorites – Leslie Sansone Walking Work Outs

categories: Fitness, Friday Favorites, health, Healthy Moms, Uncategorized

This post does not contain any affiliate links and no financial compensation given. All opinions belong solely to The Whatever Mom.

After taking that really fun Aerial Yoga class a couple of weeks ago, I feel like I need to get back in the game with taking better care of myself through exercise. As a busy mom working from home and managing the household I tend to prioritize myself last. I keep trying to fit exercise in but then I find a reason to let life get ahead of me. Life has been a little crazy with twins and working from home by myself. Now, it is just time to say I’m worth all the time it takes to keep me healthy.

My mom sent me this walking DVD years ago when I complained about how hard it was to get my daily walks in, in between feeding two babies and their nap time schedules. Even though there is day care available at my gym, I wasn’t feeling very confident about leaving two little babies in someone else’s care just so I could spend 30 minutes on myself. But, this walk at home program did the trick during nap times and rainy days!

I can’t find this awesome DVD anywhere in my house. Who knows where it is. Just when I gave up searching for it, I remembered there is YouTube! (Duh) I did a quick search and there she is! My faithful friend Leslie! Her walks are mixed in with some added aerobic movements so it feels like an actual work out and not just walking in place.

The last few weeks I have pulled up Leslie’s walking videos first thing in the morning. It isn’t the same as the walks I enjoyed outside in the morning before kids. I do have a treadmill, but that gets super boring for me. I miss taking classes at the gym, so for me these videos motivate me with the music and energy early in the morning! Plus, I get my 30 minutes of me time checked off before my kids wake up!

My goal is to get back to feeling healthy again and finding more energy to keep up with my super active kids. If the happy side effect is weight loss that’s great! I just really miss that feeling of an aerobic rush. Before I was addicted to coffee, I was addicted to aerobics! I like being active and I am not a big fan of feeling like a slug.

Now that my girls are old enough for the kid’s room at the gym I can finally get there each week! They really love it because they have friends there. My plan now is to keep up with my morning “walks” and get to the gym as often as I can. If I miss a day at the gym I won’t feel so guilty because I already have a work out in!

Leslie’s videos are less than $15 per DVD, or free on YouTube. Her work outs are supported by the American Heart Association which recommends at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity per day for heart health.

What are you favorite ways to get exercise outside of the gym?

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent and Masshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

02
Mar
2016

It’s OK To Let Some Things Go

categories: Organizing, Parenting, Uncategorized

Oh boy does life get overwhelming sometimes! I have a lot on my plate as a mom working from home. I have writing deadlines, I have advertiser deadlines and conference calls to make all while making sure my little sweeties are all comfy at home. This can be really hard to manage on top of everything else the household demands of me. You know- the laundry, the dishes and the broken handle on the fridge, and pretty much everything else.

A few weeks ago I decided there is no reason to take all of this on myself. I know I am the one home most of the day, but there are four able bodied humans living here! We should all be pitching in to maintain our home. I’m also very lucky that my kids like to help out. It isn’t without grumbling some days because no one here is perfect. But, they do help out.

The last few weeks I have delegated much of my evening/after dinner routine to the hubby and kids. I hand off a chore to each of them while I do the dishes and clean up the kitchen. The girls are five now and can easily wipe down the table and chairs, or sweep up under the table while hubby takes out the trash. Once all of that is complete we move on to toy pick up.

I do not own the Strawberry Shortcake doll house, nor do I own an entire collection of Care Bears. So, why am I the only one putting them away? Now, after dinner we all work as a team to put away the toys and mess we’ve made during the day. My kids even help me get their school bags ready for the morning and lay out their own outfits for school. This is great prep for Kindergarten in the fall! (They don’t know it yet, but that’s when they’ll start packing their own lunches too).

The kids have started taking care of their own laundry. They carry their own hampers to the washer, put their clothes in and start it up. (Obviously, I add in the detergent). I put it in the dryer and fold it then they put it away. I know they won’t enjoy this chore for very long, but I am taking full advantage of their enthusiasm now.

When either kid complains (because every kid complains) we remind them we are a family and a team. We pitch in to help. We do not pay them for chores. But, their eagerness to pitch in does count! We take into consideration how helpful they are and how much they are growing into their responsibilities and we reward them with a trip to Build-a-Bear, or a surprise trip to their favorite ice cream store.

We aren’t using any chore charts. I simply hand off a task when I need help. Also, I’m not looking for perfection in their efforts. I just want things to feel livable. If all the clutter and crumbs are put away I really do feel better, and it truly makes for fewer items on my to-do list.

I’m not sharing this for any accolades or to impress anyone. Because really there are times I let the crumbs and clutter pile up because I can’t make it all work. I am sharing to let you know it’s OK to hand off items on that to-do list to your family members. We often feel like we have to do it ourselves because no one else can match our standards. Well, to that I say change your standards. Maybe you feel like your kids are too young to help, and to that I say they have to learn some time! If you are like me and find there aren’t enough hours in the day and you feel like you are always behind, give out tasks to your kids, or spouse. Start small and then add on. Even toddlers can help by wiping a table with a cloth or sponge or clear their own place at the table.

As much as I miss my little babies being babies, I am actually excited about this new phase. We can now work together as a family to get things done quicker. This makes less work for each of us. On the days this all works right (again we’re not perfect) we get extra time to snuggle and sit on the couch together and talk about our day. That to me is worth it!

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley ParentandMasshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!

26
Feb
2016

Friday Favorites- Glade Wax Melt Warmer

categories: Friday Favorites, Home Organizing, Uncategorized

In the last few years I have slowly replaced products in my home with more eco-friendly or kid friendly versions. Instead of heavy cleaners I now make my own cleaners with peroxide and essential oils, and I use Norwex products. But, the one thing I miss the most is burning candles.

I am a recovering candle junkie. I could easily live at a very well known candle store. I had stock piles of candles for every season and in every “flavor.” The problem for me is allergies and worries about air quality. Most candles contain lead in the wicks and the fragrances can over power me to the point of breathlessness and headaches. With kids in the home I worry about their safety with an open flame.

I am so happy I found the Glade Wax Melts Warmer! Now, I can melt my favorite wax scents without the worries of flames, toxins in the air and heavy scented fragrances. I can control the amount of scent in my home and feel safe leaving the room.

I found this electric warmer at my local Dollar General for around $10. I picked this cream colored ceramic with floral design to best blend with my home decor. I can put it any where in my house and it will match the room. I like it in the kitchen best where I can keep a close eye on it with kids around.

Here are pics of my Glade Wax Melts Warmer working in my home!

I like that there is a light indicating the burner is on. This way if any little hands accidentally flip the switch during the day I can catch it. So far the girls have only been a little curious about it, but they don’t seem to notice it much. I however, enjoy having a safer product for us to use and I can keep my home smelling fresh.

What are some of your favorite scents for the home?

No financial compensation was given for this post. There are no affiliate links in this post. All opinions and reviews belong solely to The Whatever Mom.

The Whatever Mom is a twin mom learning to let go of perfection. She shares her real life struggles with parenting through her blog and contributes her time and talents as a writer to Hudson Valley Parent andMasshole Mommy. When she isn’t writing you can find her chugging coffee, folding laundry and not judging other parents. Don’t forget to subscribe via email so you never miss a blog post again!