10 Awesome Household Cleaning Hacks Using Bleach

This post is sponsored by The Clorox Company but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

As my due date for baby #5 approaches, I am nesting constantly, and in full cleaning mode! I wish I could bottle up this unstoppable motivation, and keep it for the rest of my life. I just want to organize all the things and make sure everything in our home is sparkly clean!

I grew up with a mom who loved to clean, and she swore by the power of Clorox bleach. It’s no big surprise that it became one of my household staples once I owned my own home! And with four children constantly making messes, Clorox gets used every single day! I absolutely love being a mom, but I’m not going to sugar coat it - Kids are GROSS!

A lot of people assume bleach is just for the laundry room, but that’s far from the truth! It actually has so many convenient and creative uses within the home. Now Clorox has two innovative bleach products that make my life as a mom SO much easier!

Here are the ten awesome ways I use bleach within my home...

How To Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits in Children with Suzy Snooze - A Review + Giveaway

*I received this product complimentary in exchange of my honest review. 

My kids have always been great sleepers! I consider it a fair trade after all the months of horrible morning sickness that I went through. I know we've been very lucky that our kids have healthy sleep habits, and I'm so grateful for that!

Recently, however, Liam started experiencing some sleep issues. He has shared a room with Dylan since he was born, and got used to having a roommate. With the upcoming arrival of our newest baby, we ended up giving Dylan his own bedroom since he is the oldest, and decided to have Liam share a room with his baby brother. We made the switch a few months ago, and it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing in the sleep department!

Liam has been falling asleep late now that he's alone in his room, and having trouble waking up on time for school. Once he falls asleep, he stays asleep, but getting to that point is the problem! I was so excited to try out BleepBleeps Suzy Snooze, which is a smart nightlight, sleep soother, sleep trainer, and baby monitor all in one. We've been using it for a few weeks now, and it's definitely helping! And guess what? You can enter to win one of your own!

Happy 12th Birthday, Lexie!

On Friday, February 22nd, Lexie celebrated her 12th Birthday! I started this blog when Lexie was just 18 months old. Back then it was just Lexie Loo & Dylan Too! The blog has grown quite a bit since then, and a few of my regular readers have been around since the very beginning. The years went by so quickly, and now we're just one short year away from having another teenager! 

Lexie had a great birthday this year, and was very relieved that I didn't go into labor on her big day! We allow our kids to have one "cheat day" to miss school each year, and Lexie chose to skip on her birthday. Grant worked from home for a half a day, so the day was all about her, and it was extra special!

Here is Lexie's yearly photoshoot, yearly interview (which she filled out on her own), and how we celebrated her big day!

Life Lately - Countdown to Baby!

Hello, my friends! This space has been very neglected over the past two and a half weeks. I'm currently almost 37 weeks pregnant, and we have been in full Prepare For Baby mode lately! My focus is on organizing all the things, getting the house ready for a newborn, and dealing with the usual busyness of life right now!

I feel so much guilt over neglecting all the posts I had planned, but I'm working hard on giving myself grace. This pregnancy was a big surprise, and it has been very difficult for me. I am so ready for it to be over, and for this baby boy to finally be in our arms! I'm ready for my body AND my life to get back to normal, even if that new normal is going to be even busier!

Here's what we have been up to over the past few weeks while counting down to our baby's arrival...

The Best Winter Books for Kids

Like much of the country, we were hit with REALLY cold temps from the polar vortex! While we didn't get hit as hard as many others, those negative temps don't happen often in Pittsburgh. The -20 windchill shut down our schools, and my kids were so excited to get three days off in a row! We were snuggled up in the warmth of our home for the past few days, so it seemed like the perfect time to share our Winter Book Crate and our picks for the best winter books for kids! 

I'm an avid reader, so I fill our home with books! I think developing a love for reading is incredibly important, and I'm working hard to raise readers. I introduce books to my children when they are infants, read to them every day, encourage their love of reading, and rarely say no when they ask for a book. We support school book fairs, purchase from the Scholastic flyers, visit our library regularly, and have books in every room in our home.

I shared our seasonal/holiday book crate on the blog before, and it's a beloved staple in our living room! I rotate the books every season and every holiday, and my kids love reading the books that fill it. Once the Christmas books were packed away, the book crate got filled with their Winter favorites! (In our opinion), here are the BEST Winter books for kids...

Life With Four Littles: Weekly Recap

Life with four littles - or rather, a teen, a tween, and two littles - is always interesting. There is never a dull moment, and in just a few weeks, we'll be adding a newborn to the mix! It seems like baby boy is taking after his brothers, and wants to join the family early. Although our 5th and final baby isn't due until March 14th, I think he's going to be joining us in February...especially after the events of the past few days!

Although it's true that there's never a dull moment, this was a calmer than usual week for us. A pulled abdominal muscle and pregnancy progression forced us - or at least ME - to slow down for a few days. Because of that, this just might be our most boring week yet, which is evidenced by the lack of pictures that I took!

Here's a glimpse at life with four littles last week...

Delicious Burritos with a Healthy Twist + GIVEAWAY

DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free from MomsMeet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may  contain affiliate links.

Like many people, I like the new year to get off to a healthy start! I choose healthier foods, make exercise a priority, take my vitamins, and try to get enough sleep each night. But like many moms, I often struggle with eating balanced meals, because my big family is very busy and often on the go!

Lunch is my biggest struggle. It's just easier to grab a healthy snack like a piece of fruit, cut vegetables, or string cheese, but I know that meal isn't very balanced. I try to avoid frozen convenience meals, because they aren't very healthy. Now there's a delicious, fast, and HEALTHY option: Alpha Foods Burritos!


These delicious 100% plant-based burritos are great for on the go, the perfect addition to any meal, and full of healthy ingredients! Plus, I'm giving away FOUR free product vouchers, so you can try them yourself...

12 Items Every Hot Tea Lover Needs

This post is sponsored by Celestial Seasonings but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Tea or Coffee? It's often a hot topic to debate! As for me, I'm firmly on Team Tea. Considering most Americans are absolutely obsessed with coffee (just look at all the memes, slogans, and coffee shops), I feel like I'm in the minority. I've tried coffee often, but I just can't see what the fuss is all about! I'm all about tea!

I've been a tea drinker since I was a teenager, but it's more of a lifestyle now that I'm older, and part of my daily self-care and wellness routine. Research shows that there are many health benefits of tea, so drinking it is also good for me! I always start my day with a cup of hot tea, sometimes have a second cup after lunch, and wind down with a cup of decaffeinated tea before bed. For me, sipping a hot cup of tea is very comforting!

We are a tea AND coffee household, but I'm the tea lover, and I'm passing my love for hot tea on to my daughters! It's definitely the healthiest choice of many drink options, and will help lead to lifelong wellness habits. Sipping hot tea is also a great, soothing option for self-care and relaxation!

Here are the 12 items every hot tea lover needs...

Sleep Studies 101: The Complete Guide To Your Child's Sleep Study

Sleep disorders are very common these days! It's estimated that 22 million Americans have sleep apnea, and a large number of cases go undiagnosed. More people are having sleep studies done, and if you have a child who has Down syndrome, it is highly likely that your child will have a sleep study by the age of 4. 

We went through this process last January, and I remember feeling so nervous about it the day of the procedure. I had NO idea what to expect, other than from the guidelines I was given to prepare for the sleep study, and even a quick search on Google didn't yield much information. I'm not the only person who looks for advice. One of the most frequently asked questions in my Down syndrome groups is about how to prepare for sleep studies!

Because there isn't much information out there for parents like me, I compiled a complete guide so you and your child can rock their sleep study...

Big Family Life Lately

Happy Monday! Another January week flew by in our usual whirlwind of chaos and busyness. It's hard to believe we're rapidly approaching the end of the first month of 2019!

We're currently enjoying our second three day weekend in a row. I could REALLY get used to these! I had high hopes to post more to the blog this week, but four kids, pregnancy, and a cold took up most of my time and energy. I have a drafts folder full of almost finished posts, so I hope to get those posted this week. I also hope to pull out my real camera more often this week, because I only took a few pictures over the past week. I'm beginning to think that the constant busyness of my family just isn't going to change!

Here's a glimpse of life over the past week...