Sponsored, Author at My Life: A Work in Progress

Playdates & Couch Crumbs: Quick Cleaning with BISSELL

10 October, 2013 21 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BISSELL Homecare, Inc. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

In a perfect world, there would never be crumbs in the living room carpet…but I’m the parent of a toddler. Regulating all food consumption to our tiny urban apartment kitchen just isn’t practical. Our dining area? That’s connected to the living room and carpeted as well. So crumbs in the carpet are inevitable.

Ever hold a playdate in your home? For us they usually end up being impromptu get-togethers when we move from the nearby playground into our home for lunch or shelter from the rain. Everyone always seems to have a good time; we moms chat together, while our little ones get excited over the toys. [Baby J gets bored with his toys if he’s alone, but when his little friends come over, suddenly his toys are fascinating. :)] At some point, the kiddos want snacks, and food always gets dumped on the carpet. Fortunately, we have a vacuum!

BISSELL helps busy parents clean messes as they happen. BISSELL’s PowerGlide vacuum with Lift-off Technology can be used on multiple surfaces, even bare floors, with no loss of suction. This upright, lightweight design allows you to easily and quickly vacuum everything from entire rooms to curtains to stairs. Use the long-stretch hose to clean up those spilled dry cereal pieces in the couch cushions. The multi-level filtration even helps reduce allergens that could bother your little one’s sensitive nose and eyes.

Yes, children are messy, but they’re worth it, of course. I spend most of my day cleaning up after my son, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The biggest cleaning tip I would share with new or expecting first-time parents is to clean a little as you go. You probably won’t get to everything in one day, but clean as messes happen, then prioritize and schedule the bigger jobs. Kids make messes, but they’re just experimenting and learning. It goes with the territory! Check out these cleaning tips by BISSELL.

Use promocode: POWERGLIDE and save $20 on the following BISSELL vacuums (valid 9/12/13-11/30/13):

PowerGlide Pet Vacuum with Lift-Off Technology- 2763
PowerGlide Pet Bagged Rewind Vacuum- 38631
PowerGlide Pet Vacuum- 1044

Check out BISSELL on Facebook and enter to win free products!

DIY, Sponsored Post

DIY: Toyarium gardening project

25 June, 2013 11 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As Baby J grows older, I try to include him in more projects around our home. I even bought a small watering can just for him to help me water our little balcony garden. In reality, it’s more like he’s bashing the tops of the plants with the watering can! It’s cute though, and I want him to grow up being helpful, so it’s all okay!

Miracle-Gro has several fun garden projects (<<check this out!) on their Pinterest and Facebook pages, and as soon as I saw the “Toyarium” project, I knew I had to try it with Baby J! As you can see, the “Toyarium” is a terrarium with toys in it.

To make your own Toyarium, you need:

fishbowl or other glass container
succulents
Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix
plastic toys
rocks
spoon

Step 1: Add rocks to bottom of container (they help with drainage).

Step 2: Use your spoon to scoop moisture-control potting mix into the container.

Step 3: Place your succulents into the container (if they have barbs, be careful!).

Step 4: Add your toys. Then scoop potting mix around the plants and toys as necessary.

And that’s it! This project is easy and fast to do.

Tips:

To save money, use a glass jar, vase, or other container you have around the home. Just make sure it’s cleaned thoroughly first, and that the mouth is wide enough that you can easily place the plants and toys inside.

For the drainage layer, you can buy rocks polished specifically for this purpose. Or try small pieces of gravel or broken pottery.

To help your plants grow, try the LiquaFeed All Purpose Plant Food Advance Starter Kit by Miracle-Gro.

Regarding the toys, I started off with a rubber snake we had in the toy bin. I thought it looked cool! But most people would find it creepy (see below), so I took it off and went with Buzz. When I get the chance, I’ll check the dollar store for toy dinosaurs. I think they’d look perfect peeking through the foliage!

Too creepy, eh?

If you want to get your green thumb on, check out The Gro Project and join the movement!

Unique and Multipurpose- The Mombo Nursing Pillow and Infant Positioner

20 May, 2013 3 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Comfort & Harmony Mombo is both a nursing pillow and infant positioner in one. The pillow has a 2-sided construction called the “Firm2Soft” that serves the two purposes.

The firm side of the pillow supports mommy’s back during nursing and elevates baby in a comfortable position. The pillow’s soft side functions as a lounger and cradles baby. There’s even an optional soothing vibration feature.

For the Mombo, choose nude (no cover), standard, or deluxe. There’s one with taggies on it to give your baby a little extra fun to play with! There are plenty of pillow cover colors and patterns available for purchase, so you can choose one to fit your style or have extras on hand for wash day.

The pillow measures 21.2 x 16.7 x 5.5 inches and weighs a sturdy 2.7 lbs. For the vibration feature, 1C batteries are needed and must be purchased separately.

You can find the Mombo and other products designed by Comfort & Harmony at your local Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us stores or online. They also sell cart covers, one of which we own. I use the shopping cart cover all the time at Target and the grocery store! It’s padded and has loops to hang toys and pockets at the back (out of Baby J’s reach) for me to put my sunglasses, wallet, etc. Comfort & Harmony also has portable swings and bouncers/rockers, so take a look and see if there’s something you like!

Visit Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and Comfort & Harmony on Twitter for updates, tips, photos, and fun stuff.

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