gimme a break?

Oh crap. Now I want a Kit Kat Bar... argh!

Sorry everybody, I was all set and ready to write a post today and then we had friends in for dinner - which was fantastic to have adult company during dinner - and now my Mom just arrived in town for Easter weekend!

So, check out the giveaway from yesterday if you haven't - it's the BEST GIVEAWAY EVER if you ask me, and I'm not biased at all!

It's Easter weekend and I have four days off - thanks to daycare being closed on Friday and Monday, woot woot! What am I going to do with Jane for four days straight?!?!? :p

NOW CLOSED: BEST GIVEAWAY: Surface Inspired - Adorable Decals for Adorable Kids

PLEASE NOTE: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

I don't do a lot of giveaways - I tried it before, it wasn't for me. I prefer to blabber and not have to worry about what marketing is going to think about my post. I'm in marketing, I know what they thing - it's never good enough! :p ha ha ha.

BUT, I LOVE to share great products. I LOVE to support great companies, with GREAT customer service. And, in the world where options are a plenty, I LOVE to make your decision easier for you.

Enter: SURFACE INSPIRED WALL DECALS - here's a link to their online store.

I have been a fan on this company's products for a year now - ever since we first decided to redecorate our last house (right before we put it up for sale - FAIL).

I found a photo of one of their cherry blossom trees on their shop and based my entire re-do of Jane's bedroom around it. Here's the finished product:

Of course, then we up and moved a month later which only broke my heart because I had to leave this room behind. Love how elegant and sophisticated it was but still childish.

And, can I say the most important part... EASY. The decals come ready-to-go - you simply tape it where you want it on the wall, peel off the backing, and start scraping. This decal literally took me, say two-three hours in total to do - can you imagine how long it would take to paint! Surface Inspired provides great, simple to understand (mommy brain proof, trust me) instructions on how to apply, including a video on their site.

I have to point this out because I made the mistake of ordering from a different wall decal shop when we moved into the new house... big mistake. When you're a Mom, and you have barely any free time to yourself, when you spend two hours trying to figure out how the heck to get the wall decal from the paper, to the sticky paper, and then from the sticky paper to the wall - without destroying the wall decal, your wall or your sanity, you're not a happy customer. I immediately threw that decal in the garbage out of frustration, demanded a refund and emailed Thomas at Surface Inspired. I love him. Great customer services wins me every time, no fail.

I placed two orders... One for the nursery, which you saw on Monday and one for Jane's room, which you saw yesterday - I fell in love with the Birch Tree decal at first sight. The best thing is that you can completely customize the orientation so that it fits the layout of your room AND the colors so that it coordinates with your room's other decor. WOOT WOOT! Extra benefit - Surface Inspired are experts - I remember with Jane's first decal, I asked them their opinion on a few things and let them decide in the end - they were spot on!

In case you missed the last two day's posts, here are the two decals I went with for the new house:

The Birch Tree Decal in the nursery (using the colors brown, yellow, lime tree green & light brown) :

And the Contemporary Cherry Blossom Branch in Jane's room (colors - dark grey, white and lilac):

Time wise, obviously, the birch tree took the longest - with that said, as big as it is and as many leaves as there are, it probably only took me 4-5 hours in total (done over a few days) to complete it. Maybe. Each decal comes with a guide, down the to leaf, that shows you where you can place every element for optimal appearance. I follow this guide to the leaf. :p BUT, the decals are easily removed as well. They peel right off. When I moved out of the old house, I asked Thomas to provide me with instructions for removal for the new home owners, just in case. I assumed, because it's so sturdy and durable and basically part of the wall, that it would require some intense elbow grease to remove. Turns out, you just peel it off! HA! If it's a cooler time of year, you can run a hair dryer over it for a second or two and then peel it off. See, told ya, easy peasy!

Ok, if I haven't sold you enough. Here's the deal.... You want one? I told you it was BIG AND FABULOUS!

Surface Inspired is offering one MOmMy bRaIn reader ANY WALL DECAL OF HER CHOICE! That's right. ANY WALL DECAL! That's up to $100 in value baby!

Here's what you have to do to enter:

(1) Check out the Surface Inspired website and comment on this post letting me know which decal you would LOVE to win if you are the lucky gal (or guy, for that matter).
(2) Like MOmMy bRaIn on Facebook by clicking here and hitting the "like" button on my page.
(3) Like Surface Inspired on Facebook by clicking here and hitting the "like" button on their page.

That's it. Pretty easy for the BEST GIVEAWAY EVER!

Want more entries??? Here's how to qualify for a few extra entries - for each item you check off your list below, enter a separate comment on the post:

• Follow MOmMy bRaIn on Twitter
• Follow Surface Inspired on Twitter
• Share the giveaway on your Facebook page
• Tweet daily about the giveaway using the TWEET below (copy and paste)- one comment per tweet per day please:
• Fantastic Giveaway! Enter to win an adorable wall decal for your kid's room from @surfaceinspired and @MommyBrain2! www.mommybrain.ca

I will draw for the winner in two weeks - on April 18th so get the word out and share, share, share!

jane's room

Does the fact that I'm posting two days in a row all about my children's rooms make me a total narcissist? Like, you're sitting at home dying to know "how has Jen decorated her kid's rooms". I guess, the fact that I write daily about nonsense in my life and actually think people will tune in to read it makes me seem narcissistic... but those who have been with me a while, or who "know" me, know that that's not why I do it. I blog because otherwise I'd probably be divorced because Dan doesn't want to listen to me as much as I want to talk. :p ha ha ha.

In case you don't follow me on Facebook, which is insanity because everyone should (ha ha ha), the other day, we're on our way home from work so, of course, I'm blabbering non-stop about my day and this and that. Jane pipes up from the back seat: "Mommy, be quiet. No more talking all the time!". Priceless. Says it all right there.

Anyways, since I've never shared the little trouble-maker's new room with you, I thought it was about time. A little because I shared the nursery yesterday and am thinking, in the interest of fair treatment to my children, Jane should get equal voice. :p More because it has to do with our BEST GIVEAWAY EVER - coming tomorrow!

Here's my "baby's" room...

Like the nursery, yesterday, this whole room was started with a fabric - the polkadot fabric on the headboard. Found it. Loved it. Had to use it. I love polkadots on everything - clothes, decor, you can't go wrong. Unless you put it on your a**. Polkadots on your a** (via pants obviously) ain't good. So, like anyone who is moving into a new house, I was on an HGTV craze when I picked out this fabric. And, specifically, Sarah Richardson loves upholstered headboards and so. do. i. But, they are expensive. And I. have. no. money. :) So. I did it myself. I found a wooden headboard at the local thrift shop for $15.99. I bought the fabric for $40 ($20/yard), some 2" thick foam for $19.99 and some batting from walmart for $9.99. I glued the foam and batting onto the wooden headboard with spray glue (found at Home Depot for like $5) and used a staple gun to staple the fabric on the back of the headboard. VOILA! It's soft (which is great for head-bump prevention) and it's fantastically cute! And, unlike similar $300-$400 versions, this cost me under $100. WOOT WOOT!

Obviously, I went with another wall decal to draw attention to the "signature wall" in Jane's room as well. I had bought a similar tree version of this decal for Jane's last room (which we re-decorated last April just before deciding to put the house up for sale a month later... grrr). Love how simple and pretty it is and that it fits perfectly across the top of her headboard. PLUS, it's a very inexpensive way to fill a wall! AND, it's not permanent which is fantastic for someone like me who could easily find a new fabric to love next month and decide to re-do the entire house. :p

So, once the headboard was done, it was just a matter of finding a simple, pattern-free duvet set in one of the colors from the polkadot fabric- which I did, at Homesense (the best place in the world) for $79.99. I went with a pale lilac and choose a similar color for the walls of the room. 

The little footstool at the foot of her bed is a necessity. Right now, we don't have the bed on a frame to keep it as low as possible. But, it's still a bit high for Jane to easily get up. I picked up the footstool for $3.99 at a thrift store and bought the fabric, a Joel Dewberry design (he's amazing, if you search Etsy for his fabrics you'll find instant inspiration) for $5 for a 1/2 yard. I sprayed the bottom, wooden part, with Heirloom White spray paint as it was originally dark wood color and didn't match Jane's white furniture. 

On the other side of the room, I've hung a mirror low so that she can check out how fabulous she looks before she goes to school - very important for a young lady. :p Above, I've hung three of the Etsy-knock-offs that I did earlier for "You are my sunshine". I am thinking, now that I've taken to designing my own items, that I will update these with MOmMy bRaIn DEsiGN originals when I get a bit more time. 

I found this hanging chair from IKEA while perusing PINTEREST one night and had to have it. We've obviously got it hung as low as possible right now so that it still "swings" but Jane can get in and out on her own easily - she currently calls it her "see-saw" and loves to read in it. Hung next to it was a crazy mommy project from years ago - click here to see. 

I kept a frame with newborn photos of Jane in her room because - fact is, once they grow up, the newborn photos start to disappear in favour of new ones. Since I've been preggers and talking about "babies" more often, Jane likes to look at those pictures and talks about how she was a baby and had "bobbies and nunnies sometimes". Too cute. 

Other than that, her room is one big window which I love. But, thank God for blackout curtains. :) Here's the monogram I was chatting about yesterday that I put on her bedroom door. Love it. Whoever comes out this July will have a coordinating one in the matching colors for his/her room on the door. I should get one for the master bedroom that says "where the magic happens" ha ha ha. Or, better, "Jen's room" - that's more accurate. :p You can order a similar one from A Lasting Expression on Etsy - great seller, easy to apply, easy to customize! 

Okee dokes.

That's all folks. Not sure if you have any idea what tomorrow's giveaway will be but, you have to check back! It's seriously fantastic - or, at least, I think so because I am such a big fan.

the nursery

I finally finished the nursery. PHEW and THANK GOD. Not because I was in a rush - I have plenty of time, I realize - but I hate having "things to do", I'm a do it now type of girl for most things (except diets and exercise, that I will put off "until Monday" for the rest of my life).

So why did I need to finish the nursery so soon? ONE REASON... BIG, FANTASTIC, FABULOUS GIVEAWAY that I'm so excited for it's ridiculous because I am such a BIG FAN of these products, to the point that I've never received anything free or any of that nonsense but I just wanted to share the product with you because I love it so much! That's big! Most bloggers that do giveaways do so because they love the free-crap. I love free crap too. But, what I like more??? Supporting fantastic companies and sharing awesome products with other Moms!

You know I love to do everything Ryan Seacrest style... so, you'll have to wait. Until Wednesday. You can guess what my big fantastic giveaway is but you'll have to check back in TWO DAYS to enter it. So there! :p tee hee hee. Mainly because I want to show you the nursery and Jane's room and tell you all that I saved money on by doing myself and, because I like to blabber, this would be the LONGEST post ever if I did that PLUS told you about this fabulous product.

So, here she is... The nursery. :)

This is my "signature wall"... every room needs a good wow-factor. Originally, we had the builders paint the room a pale grey colour that was neutral. So, when we got preggers and decided we wouldn't find out the sex, I thought this colour would still be a great neutral - thankfully, because I really don't love painting. The starting point for the entire room, however, was the curtain fabric (shown to the right). I bought it on Etsy over the summer because I was in love with it and wanted to use it in my guest room to cover pillows. Well, that didn't work out. So I had to find a place to use it because I loved it so much. Enter: Neutral nursery. Yes, I'm aware that the main accent colour of the nursery is blue - but blue is the new yellow if you ask pottery barn. Which I didn't as I didn't care because, like I said, the fabric NEEDED a home. When I decided to use the fabric as the curtains, then came decision number two - what to do with the signature wall. Since I wanted a bit more colour in the room, without having to paint it entirely, I went with a grey-blue accent wall and, then, because it's my favourite way to decorate a large blank space - I found a decal that was fantastic. Ummm. Hmmm.

So, here's where I saved money first - custom, one-of-a-kind curtains. Ready-made, decent quality, decorative curtains are typically $50/panel. Custom curtains in the fabric of your choice - like $100/panel. I've never made curtains before. Who cares, you can do anything, you're a Mom. And, you have google. So, I bought the fabric for $9 US on Etsy. THEN, because I rock, I bought a package of two blackout panels from Walmart for $19.99 because, not only did I want beautiful one-of-a-kind curtains, but I wanted them to block the light from the room too. Woot woot! So, for $39.98 + say $5 for thread for my sewing machine, I made two rectangular panels that I hung with drapery clips on a standard rod. Bellissima! I have to admit, when I set out to make the curtains, I envisioned - as with all my crazy mommy projects - disaster and wasted hours. This was SO MUCH easier than I ever imagined. As long as you measure right and cut straight, you're good to go baby! As my favourite HGTV gal Sarah Richardson says "fabric is a great jumping off point". Here, here sister. I also had enough fabric leftover to make a pillow cover for the rocking chair!

Oh, and on that topic... the rocking chair. Another save. It's a 1970's classic lay-z-boy rocker. THE most comfortable chair ever created. I found it at a used furniture shop for $12.99. I bought the pale torquoise fabric at the local fabric shop for $40 (2 yards) and took the chair apart and recovered it myself. THIS was a project all right - I had bloody fingers, knuckles, everything. But I love it. It's not perfect - you might see a rare staple here and there if you looked really closely. But I love it and it does look great. Double plus, it's comfortable. It's like the lululemon of rocking chairs... for $52.99. Win.

Save #3 - the artwork over the changetable. This was from a previous crazy mommy project seen here. The artwork itself cost me nothing but time. The frames, I got on sale from Homesense's clearance dept and Michaels - probably cost me $40 total.

A non-save that I'm happy with was the wooden gardening bins/crates I picked up from Homesense to use as baskets for the shelving on the changetable. They match the light torquoise accents of the room perfectly and I love the shabby chic finish on them. They weren't too $$, about $5-$7 a piece, which is probably cheaper than they charge for baskets at this point... but I like them way better.

My last two items to point out - completely due to pride - are the mirror, which I picked up for $5 at a garage sale last summer and was totally worth it. I love how it shows the reflection of the trees. Also, it's placed at a height so that when there's a bouncing infant in that crib, he/she can enjoy watching giggly reflections. :)

And, the dust ruffle. What is a dust ruffle, you may ask - likely not, since you're Moms - but I had to explain it to my hubby like a hundred times... the crib skirt. So, because of how busy the rest of the room was - the curtains, the pillow on the chair, the decal, I wanted to keep the crib bedding really simple - no big patterns, colors, etc. This is hard to come by in a dust ruffle. So, I made one. Yes, you can bow down to me anytime now (obviously joking). It was easy peasy again. I just measured the base of my crib and started cutting and sewing. I found a greyish brown polkadot patterned fabric at the local fabric shop that I loved (the local fabric shop can be a blessing and a curse - I find myself finding fabrics first and then having to come up with a place to use them). Anyways, the big savings was that, to order in a plain beige or white crib skirt, would have cost me $80 + taxes. I made this dust ruffle - in the fabric of my choice - for $25 + time. WIN.

So, there she is. What are your thoughts? I think it's pretty neutral, despite being a lot of blue - I think it's more serene than boy-ish. Plus, I really like that, if it is two girls for us, we don't have two pinky-purple rooms. There's a difference. I still have to put up some photo frames on the wall behind the chair of newborn shots once the little 'un arrives and I also have to pick up one of these monograms for his/her door as I have one already for Jane that coordinates with the colors of her room from A Lasting Expression shop on Etsy. Love them. So classic.

Check back tomorrow to see Jane's room and, oh, um, maybe on Wednesday for the BEST GIVEAWAY EVER! :p

top ten crappy pregnancy symptoms

Been wanting to share some of my less than ideal pregnancy symptoms with you... just in case (1) you haven't reached that point yet (2) you aren't pregnant yet or (3) your male and you have some morbid interest in how crappy it is to be pregnant sometimes.

Top Ten CRAPPY pregnancy symptoms:

(1) Alert the media... crappiest thing about being pregnant. Getting FAT. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's worth it. Still sucks.

(2) The little silver colored zebra stripes that reach from back to front of your belly, ass, boobs - you know, all the things that you focus on when you watch a victoria's secret fashion show... a.k.a. stretch marks and the fear of them. Avoided them with number one, praying for a second lucky streak. Unlikely.

(3) Giant, itchy, dark-nippled, veiny boobs that turn into deflated sacks post-nursing.

(4) Noises squeaking out of places they shouldn't without control. I dare not say the F word. It's one of the worst symptoms for me, personally, as this is something I ridiculed my mother for my entire life. Now, God is punishing me.

(5) Peeing my pants all day, every day, without control and for various and numerous reasons - I hold my crotch when I sneeze, I dribble if I even think about having to pee, when I cough, when I laugh too hard, when I jog, pretty much everything. I am pretty much guaranteed a trip to the urologist after this pregnancy. The other day, in the cosco parking lot, I was eating an ice cream (I went to cosco and all I got was this ice cream!) and walking back to my car. This sweet old man (like 75 plus sweet, not creepy) rolls down his car window as he's driving by and says "awwww. Can I have some?" To which I laughed and said "It's sooo good!" He smiles and says "I bet your married, aren't you? The most beautiful things are always taken..." I laughed and smiled and told him he made my day and peed my pants. No reason. Just peed my pants.

(6) The pimples, skin reactions, rashes, etc. I have them on my face, they itch, they're red, they flake. It's sexy. I also have this rash on the seams of my hip joints, that's itchy and annoying... and it looks like I'm scratching my crotch. So, I'm either scratching my crotch or holding it.

(7) Acid reflux. The other day I threw up in my mouth and had to swallow it.

(8) Crying about nothing. I am not a cryer. I don't judge cryers, but you annoy me. :p ha ha ha. I cry over commercials, stories, memories, everything.

(9) Never using the bathroom, like never. Where does all that food go? Sorry. I know it's gross. But seriously? No wonder I'm putting on a "little more" weight than my doc likes to see... half of it is crap. Literally!

(10) Being tired. All the time. After 10 hours of sleep and two naps. Exhausted.

(11) I know I said 10 but I just thought of one more. My bulging right bicep. Just the right one. From carrying Jane's entire weight in my arm because I have no hips anymore. Just bulging belly.

For those of you trying to get pregnant or early in pregnancy. Enjoy! Your welcome!

i'm pregnant and i know it

I'm out of town tonight - which you know means i, i, i, i pig out... hopefully this video (which is hilarious and TRUE) will be a good substitute for my typical ramblings. The fact that I didn't think of it myself is both disappointing and relieving. :p Last thing people need to see is my chubby-bummy on youtube. :p

guest post: daycare for dummies, from a PRO!

I thought, to back up my claims and suggestions yesterday, it might be good to get the advice from a real pro... i.e. not me. :p Obviously, I don't really think you're dummies (just mostly myself, really) but sometimes, on very rare occasions of course, we're so busy/stressed/overwhelmed/exhausted/etc. that common sense fails us. Enjoy!

10 tips to getting the most out of your child’s day care experience


1. Bring your child into the classroom. Don’t leave them in the hall; don’t push them in the door and run off. Come in and say good morning to the teacher(s), tell them how your child’s day has been so far, if they ate well, slept well etc.


2. If we ask for diapers, wipes or cream, please bring them in as soon as you can. We ask, because we are out, or near out, and it’s not fair to use other children’s supplies on your child.

3. Please keep a supply of extra shirts, pants, and socks in your child’s cubby (or wherever their stuff is kept). Not only can there be bathroom accidents, but spills happen. Also, we play messy some days; mud, water and shaving cream make lots of mess.


4. If your child doesn’t have extra clothing, and they get sent home in day care clothes (extra clothes we have had donated), please don’t get upset with us if the outfit is ugly.


5. Keep an eye on the monthly calendar or weekly planning. Make sure your child participates in dress up days, show and tell, and other things we have planned. We do these things for your child. It shows us you care when you support our programming.


6. Try to keep in mind that there are usually 6-8 children looked after by each teacher. Sometimes, on a hectic day, your child may put their shoes on the wrong feet, or still have a bit of snack on their face. It doesn’t mean we don’t care, it just means we are quite busy. We have to prioritize; a crying child or a dirty diaper might come before fixing your child’s shoes. Also, we are human, and make mistakes.


7. Take a little time to get to know your child’s teachers, and help them get to know you. An open line of communication is essential, and it’s so much easier to discuss issues with someone you feel comfortable with. I really enjoy it when a parent asks about my weekend, or how my son is doing, as it makes me feel like I’m regarded as a person, a peer, not just the one who takes care of your children.

8. Be on time! We plan a full day of activities, and when a child is brought in the classroom in the middle of an activity, it makes it hard to greet them while keeping the other children focused on the task they are doing. For example, we have 11 two year olds sitting in a circle, listening to songs and stories. One teacher is directing the circle; the other is sitting with a child who needs extra help to settle. You bring your child in, and they start crying. The children’s attention that was focused on the story is now on your child, and our circle time is over. If you are going to be late, please call and let us know.


9. If your child is sick, not just a cold, but actually sick, keep them home. It’s not fair to a child who feels like crap to be surrounded by 11-17 loud energetic children, when all they want to do is sleep and relax.


10. If you ever have the chance, volunteer in your child’s class for the morning. You will soon get a very good idea of the amount of work we do. We are not baby sitters; we spend a lot of time planning a program with your children’s needs and interests in mind. We spend a lot of time wiping noses, cleaning up spills, changing diapers, and keeping children from hurting each other, and the rest of the time teaching, guiding and helping your child learn new skills and concepts.

I couldn't agree with these 10 suggestions more... and I'm guilty of numbers 2, 3 and 5 at least a few times a year. At least. Thanks to all the fabulous teachers out there! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our children's lives! xoxoxoxo