craftymomof2's Profile

I LOVE this idea! Thanks for the tip. We'll be picking out new books from the thrift store this morning.

Thanks! We found the mobile at Pottery Barn a few years back.

I pulled out the fridge and stove so I could clean the sides of the appliances and the floors underneath. Then I scoured the under-side of the microwave vent and the filters to get rid of cooking grease and splatters. After that, I gave the stainless steel appliance fronts a good scrub with a stainless steel cleaner (can't believe how much better it works than soap and water - duh). Finally, I got out an old toothbrush and scrubbed all the little crevices on and around the sink, spigot, water aerator, soap dispenser, tile grout, etc. Finally, I gave the window above the sink a good cleaning and added a vase of flowers.

I just have one question: somehow I managed to get cooked-on drips in BETWEEN the two panes of glass on my oven window. How on earth do I clean that out? Do we have to take apart the whole door? argh.

Besides that minor annoyance, the kitchen absolutely sparkles now. Ahhhh. Time for a cup of tea!

We have two kids sharing a room, so we had to be efficient with space. I found that the work flow was easier with baby #2 because it forced me to keep small amounts of everything in baskets on the shelves of the changing table: diapers, wipes, wash cloths, lotion, Vaseline, extra Onesies and socks, a hairdrier, bulb syringe and nasal saline. (The lotions and potions are high up so my toddler can't get into trouble.) Within arm's reach of the changing table are the clothes hamper and the diaper pail. We spend a lot of time there, so I have a mobile hanging from the ceiling and at least one toy to occupy baby. Don't forget a nightlight near the changing table so you don't blind both of you during midnight changes.

Keep the rest of the diapers, sheets, and extras in the closet so you can re-stock safely between diaper changes (ie: not leaving baby unattended on a high surface).

And I totally agree with the previous post: no toys allowed near the pathway between the nursery and parents' bedroom to avoid stumbling in the bleary hours of the night. For that very reason, we moved all the toys out of the nursery and into the living room. This also allows me to keep an eye on the kids' activities while cooking dinner and going about daily tasks.

Two weeks before my due date with our second child, we made an offer on a house, had it accepted, and I to cleaned out all the closets in the house and completely staged the house to sell all in one weekend. Phew!