whats-in-the-news wednesday on THURSDAY

At this point, I don't know why I even bother specifying that I'm aware that I'm doing whats-in-the-news WEDNESDAY on a THURSDAY because I'm pretty sure no one would be surprised that I didn't truly know what day of the week it was. Basically, I go to work everyday until the girls at daycare tell me to "have a nice weekend" when I pick up Jane. :p

Here she goes...

Who co-sleeps? Who eats placenta? Test your knowledge of celebrity parents - Um. Yeah. A little bit of a jump, non? Who co-sleeps, who eats PLACENTA? No judgement but WTF? Are you kidding me. I don't want to know. Refusing to open this article and TEST my knowledge of celebrity parents. First of all, what parent has the time to test their knowledge of celebrity parents? Probably the same parents who have time to blog about parenting... insanity. :p

Teen burnout can be hard to spot - Because it doesn't exist? How the heck are TEENS burnt out? They don't live in the real world. This is all the fault of whatever the generation before ours is called that babied and protected (i.e. this there are no winners crap) their children so much that they have no idea how to deal with "bad" things when they happen. OR, the same generation that are into this competitive kids crap where they have their kids enrolled in so many sports and activities that the kids don't have any kid-time. When I was a teenager my activities consisted of: waking up, going to school, making out with my boyfriend, going home, doing homework, sleeping. The worst consequence was raw lips or that painful indent you got on your middle finger because you had to WRITE out your homework.

Infant wigs - I don't know if this article is a joke, but as always, I do not actually read the articles I'm talking about because (1) I don't have the time and (2) I just don't care. :p Infant wigs... ha ha ha. That is awesome. I'm getting Jane  an 80's perm wig for sure. Um. No. It already a battle enough getting Jane to pick out her CLOTHES in the morning, I'm not throwing picking out her hair into the mix. If this product exists, the only point I can see is for baby girls who don't get long flowy locks right away and, thus, are confused for boys. Here's a suggestion that isn't ridiculous - DRESS THEM IN PINK. I'm a genius, I know, no need to point it out.

Babies born before 39 weeks have lower IQs, study finds - how do they determine the IQ of a 39 week old? :p

Is it safe for breast-feeding mothers to drink alcohol? - Here's a study I want to see the results of - Post partum depression rates in new breastfeeding mothers who allowed themselves a glass of wine when necessary. Sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks. Here's a tip for the first-time-moms-to-be: Wine is often necessary for survival of sanity and marriage. This is also why God created breast pumps.

Daddy's baby blues: guilt, fatigue, angst - If Dan ever complained about have "baby blues", I'd give him baby black-and-blues. Cry me a river dude... I'll play the violins for ya.

Surrogate Mother Of 11: 'I'm Retiring My Uterus - You've birthed 11 children. Screw your uterus, send what's left of your vagina on a 30 year spa retreat.

Later gators.

the ugly side of pregnancy

Warning. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm hot. And, as always, eating chocolate. So, nothing unusual.

Those not pregnant or of the species with a penis should run for their lives now.

I no longer wear a bra when I'm inside the house... what's the point. I used to think wearing a bra would prevent my boobs from sagging. I actually think I wore a bra to bed when I was pregnant the first time in hopes of preventing the inevitable. This is, unfortunately, a wive's tale your parents tell you when you're 14 and they think a bra is like a chastity belt. Boobs sag. Period. Whether you breast feed or not, they will end up tickling your belly button at some point in your life. Currently, I am wearing a sweatshirt and because I'm pregnant and have ridiculous hormones that make me hot as hades, I have the sweatshirt tucked into the underside of my saggy-ass boobs because it's getting hot under there and it's making me itchy.

I haven't shaved my legs in... I have no idea how long. Literally. When you're disgusted by your own leg hair, it's bad... most women think "it's not that bad" so when you look down and go "holy crap, that's nasty" it's BAD. I actually got a bath last night JUST to shave my legs and forgot to grab my razor, which was not within arms reach, so I gave up because standing up from the lying down position when pregnant is like running a 5K and is not worth it to shave your legs. PS - currently wearing short-shorts regardless of said leg hair. I only manage to shave my armpits because it's springtime and short-sleeved shirts don't hide armpit hair like you might think... just a warning. Don't reach for what's on the top shelf... or stretch. It ain't pretty for anyone nearby. Oh, and we might as well discuss the voo again. I had to show my voo to my mom the other day (she was a nurse so it's not weird) but on a brighter note, my hip/bikini line rash is still going strong, so I wanted my mom's assessment. I was actually embarrassed to show my mother my voo due to it's current condition. She told me I should start going to the spa for waxing since I can't take care of it myself. It's like on my last birthday when I asked her what wrinkle creams were THE BEST and, instead of telling me I didn't need them, she told me what I should buy. When your Mom isn't holding back the truth, it's (all together now) BAD.

One word. Saddlebags. Personally, I call them my "second a**". Not every pregnant women will get these - only the ones who eat when they're hungry or tired... so like 99.99999% of the time. The other 0.00001% of the time I'm peeing or sleeping.

Your welcome.

i'm a sucker

Ambitiously, I woke up yesterday thinking - I'm going to start eating healthier this week. Post-easter guilt. FAIL. Too much chocolate in the house, combined with exhaustion = PREGNANT WOMAN HELL.

Here's why I'm exhausted and why I'm a sucker... any advice, as always, is appreciated. Keeping in mind that I'm exhausted and a SUCKER!

Jane's been waking up again throughout the night. I remember during my first pregnancy sleeping horribly and thinking "well, this is my body's way of preparing me for a new baby". Well, maybe, this is Jane's way of preparing me for a new baby??? ARGH! OR, for making me age 10 years in four nights.

I have NO IDEA how it started, usually I can trace it back to something I did (seriously, it's pretty near always my fault because, being the mom, I'm pretty sure I have the most influence) but I have no idea how this started... she's waking up several times throughout the night to get me to "tuck her in". She must toss and turn throughout the night and then, of course, the blanket gets kicked off, she gets uncovered and needs to be tucked in. I'm 99% sure she's not getting cold, being that she sleeps in fleece jammies and her room temp is set at 20+ degrees (Celsius for my US gals).

So, here's the first thing I did - get her new jammies. Because along with the tuck-in issues, she's been complaining that her old jammies are "bothering me". So, new jammies. Check one. Except, I didn't put them on her last night because they are cotton and I was thinking that the fleece ones might keep her asleep because, if she did lose the blanket, she'd still be warm. FAIL. She was up like 100 times last night. Between 1:11am and 2:47am, she was up pretty much every 10 minutes I swear... and not doing what she usually does when she wakes up - talking, singing, laughing - she was SCREECHING. At first, I was nice, calm, soothing mommy. But, by 2:21am, I was GRUMPY, DON'T F WITH ME MOMMY. And I left her to cry. Calling out to me. Begging me to tuck her in. Heartbreaking. I left her for like 15 minutes. If it had calmed down, I would have been satisfied with my efforts. But it escalated. Jane rarely escalates. I HATE that she was calling out for me. SERIOUS GUILT. Anyways, I failed miserably at that tactic and ended up, 15 mins in, going in - very, seriously grumpily - to tell her no more crying and that this was the last time mommy was coming in and I wasn't tucking her in anymore because she was a big girl and big girls didn't cry unless they were sick or scared!!!! ARGH!! GRRRR!!! I was grumpy... So, it might have been a very stern conversation. To which she responds in her quietest, sweetest, voice....

"I just need some help sometimes... My hands are too little."

If my heart could have been stabbed repeatedly with a blunt object it would have hurt less than the guilt I felt at that moment. Am I a sucker? I have no idea. But she got me. BIG TIME. My hands are too little. I just need help "sometimes". She says "sometimes" at the end of a lot of her sentences... and it just made it that much sweeter. ARGH. I felt like the WORST MOTHER EVER. My hands are too little. OUCH. Sorry. I wish I could have taped it for you - you would be dying like me right now.

So, we changed her into her new jammies and, guess what, no more wake ups. EFFER. I suck and I'm a sucker.

Seriously, if this kid is taking me for a sucker, then she's the smartest two year old on the planet because she knew exactly what to say to turn grumpy, pretty-well-yelling, 2am mommy into a lamb.

I'm going to start her off tonight in the new jammies and combine that with prayer for a good night's sleep. I can't handle the guilt or the exhaustion.

Someone remind me again how I'm supposed to do this with TWO in four months?? At least the newbie can't tell me that she "just wants to be snuggled and held because I'm just a baby and I need my mommy" when I'm trying to put her in her crib for a nap... that would suck. Maybe that's why it takes babies a year or so to talk - gives the Moms a break period where we don't have to suffer through the guilt of what they are really thinking!

Have you entered the BEST GIVEAWAY EVER YET - if not, ur nuts. Don't have a need for the cutest wall decals ever?? Turn it into the best baby shower gift in history and enter anyways!

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