A few of my favorite things...

Being a wife and a mother of a VERY active 1 year old, I've found a few things that I absolutely love... and that make my life easier! I thought that I'd share them here, especially since many of these are great for just about anyone!

1. Oxiclean

Holy crap! This stuff is seriously magical. I had never used it before until we received it as a baby shower gift. The very first blow-out Campbell had, we soaked the clothes in a bucket of water and Oxiclean... and the stains were immediately REMOVED! Every single one of Campbell's onesies look brand new because of this stuff! We regularly buy the tub of this, and it takes out just about any stain you can throw at it!

2. L'oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara

Before getting pregnant, I never had a problem with make-up smearing, flaking, or rubbing off. As soon as Campbell was born, horomones went bonkers and I was having make-up meltdown, regardless of the weather. The final straw was when I was looking like a raccoon in the middle of the day, even though I was wearing "smudge proof, waterproof" mascara (a VERY expensive brand). My sis, Celia, suggested going with a tubing mascara. Basically, the mascara creates a "tube" around your lashes which will only come off with a combo of warm water and pressure as you gently pull on your lashes. I tried some expensive brands, and they were great, but at $30 a tube they weren't very realistic for every day use. Enter stage left, L'oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes. This stuff is amazing... even better than the expensive designer brands! My lashes are thicker and longer because of this mascara.... and it's only $8.99 at most big box stores (plus, there is almost always a $1-$2 off coupon in the newspaper!). No more raccoon eyes for me! I've even worn this at the pool (inadvertently), and it DOES NOT flake or run. You seriously have to use warm water and pressure to get this off! I highly recommend you go out and try it!

3. L'oreal Infalliable Never Fail Eyeliner

I actually was able to try this eyeliner because it came free with the L'oreal Beauty Tubes mascara (above). For the same reasons I explained above, I was struggling with make-up. Now, let me pause and say.... I ADORE Sephora. I love make-up, and I'm a Sephora addict. However, L'oreal might make me a convert if they keep it up with these products. I know that many people are anti-eyeliner, but maybe I'm old school.... I like eyeliner and it looks good on me. This eyeliner will not budge... it lasts all day, and does not smudge (unless you, of course, smudge it... but even then, it doesn't smudge well so it isn't a good "smokey eye" eyeliner). I haven't paid for this yet, since they keep packaging it as a freebie with the mascara (it's been sold this way at Target for well over 6 months), so it is definitely a steal!

4. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

If you've already tried these, you don't need me to explain how magical these are. They are right up there with Oxiclean. They will clean ANYTHING.... I have used them on the walls, the stove, the counters, the floors, Campbell's high chair..... they are awesome. We keep these in the house at all times because they are so essential to keeping things clean in a house with 3 pets and a baby!

5. Venus Spa Breeze 2-in-1 Disposable Razor

Now, I know it's not very green, but I'm a disposable razor girl. With the introduction of the Venus razor by Gillette some 10 years ago (?), I have ONLY used Venus razors. These 2-in-1 disposables by Venus are A-MAZ-ING. I adore that I do not have to lather up to shave my legs! These are such a great time saver, and at $6.99 at big box stores for a pack of 2, they help my legs stay smooth for a month! Plus, keep an eye out in your Sunday paper.... you can usually find a $1 off coupon at least 1x a month!

6. T-Mobile's Samsung Behold

I have to thank our wonderful friend, Brandon, for hooking us up with these awesome touch screen phones at T-Mobile. Ryan and I don't use our cell phones too terribly much, so we don't need phones that use 5 million apps or connect to the internet or whatever, and these phones are PERFECT for us! I love that the screen is nice and big, and the touch screen feature keeps us in the cool zone as parents. The QWERTY keyboard feature is awesome, too. I hate multiple clicking numbers to peck out a text message, and this phone makes me happy that I can avoid that frustration! I use the calendar app all the time.... it keeps me from missing appointments (which I am known to do!), and the fonts and calendar are big enough that I actually can see what I am typing and what the event is that I have scheduled! I have the pretty rose pink color that I picked out, and Ryan has the manly expresso brown. It packs a 5 mega-pixel camera, which also makes it easier for me to capture those spontaneous Kodak moments when I don't have my digi-cam handy!

7. Ikea Markor Bookcase

Take a quick look at my living room. Besides the larger baby toys in the far right corner of the picture, do you see random toys scattered about (and, no, I did not go around hiding toys before taking this picture... this is really how my living room looks as soon as Campbell goes down for a nap)?

No? Didn't think so! As any mother knows, every room is full of toys, and if you are like me, the living room is where many of Campbell's toys live (despite the playroom we have upstairs). I was going nuts with the baskets of toys that never seemed to make my living room look remotely close to adult-ish. Thank you IKEA for making the Markor horizontal bookcase!

The bookcase is a beautiful espresso wood with 10 open slots for your decorating and storage needs. I bought 10 seagrass baskets at IKEA that seem to be made for this bookcase, and viola! Toy storage bliss! The bottom 5 baskets are devoted to the toys and books Campbell likes to play with on a regular basis, and the top 5 hold DVDs and books. She is able to pull out the baskets (mostly) on her own, and when it is time to clean the house or just regain my sanity, I can chuck all the toys in the basket and make the house look less like a daycare and more like a nice home! Here's a shot of a few of the baskets in all their toy storing glory...

So there you have it, a few things that make my life easier. I'm sure there is more.... and when I think of them, I'll definitely share them!

Oh, wait... I DO have 1 more thing that makes my life easier....

Yep- the hubbs! He is the chef, the grocery shopper, the dog walker, the landscaper, and just all around awesome! :) I heart him!