Last year, when I opened up and wrote about stuff no one told me when I was expecting my first child, the very first thing I mentioned was car seat safety. The best thing you can do for your baby/child is to read the car seat manual that the manufacturer provided with your particular car seat instead of depending on someone else to lend their advice. 



All car seat brands and types are different and have varying restrictions and installation processes so pay particular attention to these details of your car seat of choice:

All car seats have a weight minimum and maximum as well as height restrictions. Typically this can be found on the packaging itself or under the description when purchasing online for quick access but it is also stated in the car seat manual so be sure your child fits the weight and height restrictions of the car seat of your choice for the best protection.

I get it, we all get in a rush and for some reason the straps always seem to get twisted when we are running late but restraining our children with twisted straps can affect the straps from properly protecting your child in case of an accident. Also, make sure the chest clip is on the child's chest and not on his belly - the chest clip should be in line with the armpits. The reason this is so important is the chest clip acts as a restraint, obviously, so when you are impacted, the sternum bone is under the chest clip and that bone protects those organs underneath. However, if you have the clip below the chest on the belly then upon impact the chest clip pushes into the abdominal area and could damage or hurt vital organs. Again, be sure to reference your car seat's manual on how to properly install the straps and how to place the chest clip.

If you purchase your car seat new, which I highly recommend, make sure to register it with the manufacturer so you can be notified if there is ever a recall on your particular model. If you are purchasing your car seat second hand, check the expiration date of the car seat as well as if there has been any recalls and only purchase from someone you can trust without a doubt. Ask them if the car seat was ever in a vehicle that was in an accident, with or without a child in it, as it is recommended for most car seats that were in accidents to be replaced as to ensure that you are getting the highest level of safety and performance from your car seat via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). And if you are planning to use your car seat for multiple children, as we are using Sophia's old infant carrier for the new baby, check the expiration date of the car seat to be sure it is still within the car seat safety standards as well as checking on any recalls.

Now this is where things may get controversial however it is now recommended for you to keep your child rear facing until after they turn two. I know some of the parents concern on waiting that long is your child being cramped or no longer fitting into their rear facing seat however if you are following the weight and height restrictions for your rear facing car seat then your child is perfectly safe. If your child is no longer within the limits of your rear facing car seat, you can purchase a convertible car seat which is a car seat that can be used for rear facing or forward facing. Again, make sure to read the manual as there could be different weight and height restrictions depending on how you are facing the convertible car seat. For more information on forward-facing and rear-facing, check out this post by the Car Seat Lady.

I know I sound like a broken record but the best way to know if you are using your car seat properly is by reading the car seat manual from cover to cover.

It may be August already but with plenty more summer to go especially when you live in Texas it's pretty much summer once winter ends and technically we don't even really have a winter, it's more of a limbo season. Between summer and summer, haha. Anyways, I figured I have had enough experience in our Texas humidity and summer to know how to survive the rest of summer during my pregnancy and wanted to share it with you guys. If you have any additional tips, be sure to leave a comment below.

Hey guys! I am back for a second time this week, can you believe I was able to do two posts in one week? Let's see if I am able to keep up with it. Anyways, I decided to share the method it took for me to finalize a gallery wall for Sophia's nursery.

For the longest I didn't know what I wanted to do above the dresser in Sophia's nursery but when Shutterfly offered a free 16x20 print, I knew I should do a gallery wall. I didn't know exactly how I wanted it or if I would include only pictures or a mixture of prints, pictures and printables. I did know I wanted to include her birth stats in some form though. Well then I got another offer from Shutterfly for another free 16x20 which I initially thought I would gift to my in-laws but when I received the picture I was too in love to give it up, haha.

Once I knew I would use two 16x20 pictures for the wall, I instantly had an idea of what the gallery wall would look like and initially came up with this layout:

It would include the two 16x20 prints, a wood slice with Sophia's birth stats engraved and a printable or a custom wooden sign of Psalm 139:14a. Once I started staging the frames with the two prints to get sizing for the other two items, I realized this layout wouldn't work as my proportions in my head were clearly off scale. So back to the drawing board and scouring Pinterest for inspiration. I fell in love with the contained layout of a gallery:

If you are familiar with our birth story than you know it didn't go as I envisioned or planned but than again I think it rarely does. However I feel like my birth experience was a little extra traumatic (okay that word is a little over the top and dramatic but whatever). I felt like Sophia was literally forced out (dramatic again, I know) of me due to my doctor's decision of inducing me. And the way my body reacted to the inducing medicine made it harder on me than your typical birthing contractions. Typically you contract about every 3-5 minutes and they get closer together as you progress. This was NOT the case for me. I contracted about every 45 seconds for about 18 hours straight and I owe it to the Bradley Method for getting me that far without an epidural. In helping me learn to not fight my contractions and work with them however after 18 hours of labor and contracting without any down time I think it's safe to say that's asking a lot from anyone to just breath. 

One of the greatest pieces of advice I was given during my pregnancy was to hold on to all my gift cards until after the baby comes. I gotta say this one piece of advice benefited us greatly. Mostly as new parents you really don't know how to separate what babies actually need to what's nice to have. I remember asking my friend for advice on my registry and she pointed me to Babies R Us Registry Checklist and said it was pretty accurate for the most part and in some aspects it is and in another aspects is not.

A few weeks ago, I shared what I took from the hospital after giving birth to Little Love and before that I suggested some questions to consider asking while on a Maternity Tour so I figured it was time I talked about what I packed (and what we didn't think to pack so family members had to go scrambling through our house to find the items).

If you have read Little's Loves birth story than you know nothing went as planned (when does it ever really though?) and we were not prepared. Our hospital bag was half way packed sitting in the nursery while we were considering what we really needed to take with us.

I have been following Chelsea from Two Twenty One for a few years now. After she had her son Owen, she posted a lot more about baby products, tips and tricks and what to take from the hospital after popping out a kid. I'll be honest, I loved her blog for the home improvement and DIY tutorials and her famous peonies. So when she started sharing more baby talk, I was like "great this is turning into a mom blog. I just want to see pretty pictures of her house and crafts I can create for my house." Well lo and behold, I got pregnant I needed to know what the heck to pack in my hospital bag so I asked my friend and she sent me Chelsea's link. Well well well, here we are again and I needed her help so I'm glad she shared her advice. And here I am sharing what I took from the hospital. 

However, whether you run a summer camp program or your just a staff member of a summer camp program, these tips and tricks will help you make sure you keep all the children in your staffs care accounted for and it decreases your chances of losing a child (unfortunately it does happen).

1. Always have each staff member keep a roster of the children in their group. I created a roster template that had spots for the staff members name, the date and slots to write the childrens' names. Each staff member would write the children's first and last names on their roster that was in their care for that date. Also, if a kid leaves early have the staff member mark it next to the kid's name.

With school coming to a close, many parents are trying to figure out what to do with their kids for summer so I thought I would put together some things to question and consider when choosing a summer camp for your child to attend.

When considering a summer camp to send your child to the first thing you need to consider is what type of camp will they go to. Will they attend a specialty camp that will help further develop their hobbies such as dance camp, football camp, etc? If so, are those camps in session all summer or for only a few weeks? Or will they go to a childcare camp that lasts all summer long?

A few months ago, I shared some ways to bring in a little extra money. One of those ways was selling items on eBay and since that is where I bring in most of our extra income I decided to expand on what type of items I sell and what my monthly profit has been looking like to give y'all a general idea.

1. Clothes - this is the biggest category of items I try to sell. They range from brand new never worn items with or without tags and used clothing that is name brand and in good condition. The reason why I only sell name brand on eBay is because buyers are looking for a good deal on brands they love and typically you can't get much for clothing items that are not of a popular brand. For example, I have sold an H&M shirt, Under Armour clothing items, Nike, Kenneth Cole, etc.

2. Shoes - the shipping cost on shoes is high because they weigh so much and most times require you to do Priority shipping. I charge the buyers for shipping but you must know the exact weight of the item to determine what you should charge for shipping. I don't have a postage scale so it's kind of a hassle but I do plan on getting one so I can get better at charging the correct amount. I have cut into my profit numerous times by undercharging for shipping. This is one of the highest profit items though so it's worth trying to sell shoes as long as they are in good or better condition.

3. Hats - I really thought this item would be the fastest selling item yet I only sold 2 hat out of the 7 I had listed for the past two months. Hoping they sell soon though as I made some adjustments to their listing!

4. Watches/Activity Trackers - these items are the quickest and highest bidding items I have sold. People go into bidding wars for these items, I guess because of the fitness trend right now. 

Before listing an item, if I do not know their worth I try to find the exact item on the stores website. If the item is new with a tag, I try to get the actual value amount. If the item is new without a tag, I try to get at least half the value or more (this is where setting the item as an auction item comes in handy). If the item is used than I typically go with eBay's suggested starting bid price and hope I get numerous bids. Sometimes I do research the eBay site for similar items that others have sold to get an idea of what buyers are willing to pay.

If an item doesn't sell I relist it, sometimes at a reduced price depending on how desperate I am to get rid of the item. For example, I have a pair a KSwiss shoes I'm trying to sell and I have the bid starting at $30; I noticed I get watchers and a lot of views but no one has placed a bid so after relisting it numerous times I now dropped the starting bid to $20. We will see what happens. Sometimes you just have to be patient for the right buyer to come along.

So how much profit have I made these last few months? Well I have had good months and I have had really slow months. I can't make a living off eBay but it helps having extra cash here and there. 

November - $43.54

December - $80.25

January - $284.69

February - $159.45

March - $8.01
April - $56.40 and counting

I determine my profit by subtracting shipping cost, shipping materials (I buy these in a bundle as needed), eBay fees and PayPal fees from my sell price. I have created a spreadsheet in Excel to help keep me organized and calculate my profit for me.

I hope these tips and tricks helped you out and you were able to get a realistic view into how much profit a regular person makes selling stuff around the house.

What do you do to make extra cash? Do you keep account of your profit? If so, do you have an excel spreadsheet or do you do it by hand?

After finding out we were pregnant and we chose our doctor and decided on a hospital, we knew we wanted to go on a tour of the hospital so I began making a list of questions I wanted to ask while on our tour of the maternity ward and I also created a list of requests (crazy new mom much?). All jokes aside I do believe it is important to be prepared and to ask questions to know what to expect during your stay especially if your a new momma or your going to a new hospital than your previous births and to make a list of requests so your birthing experience is catered to you and your family, as it should be.

Side Note: These requests will be apart of your birth plan but I wanted to bring some up during the tour to make sure the hospital I chose would be accommodating.


So what were the questions I asked?

Side Note: I also make a list of questions in my phone for our doctors before appointments and it sometimes helps to remember what to bring up to your doctor. As a new parent, we freak out about every little thing but we are also sleep deprived and may be too busy calming our little baby during an appointment, these questions or concerns may slip our mind but if they are written down, you are more likely to remember to ask.

What is the estimated cost of  a natural vaginal birth?

It's good to know in advance how much you are going to have to fork out especially if you need more time to save up to make the payment. Also, ask about a payment plan!

1. Maternity leggings, where have you been all my life? How did I go through most of my pregnancy without thee?? Its crazy, I barley bought these now at 35 weeks pregnant. Don't be me, buy them as soon as you can. THEY. ARE. WORTH. IT. I thought I could get by wearing my regular leggings during pregnancy which I did but they weren't comfortable. And this is an item a lot of women suggest to buy but I didn't want to spend the money when I already had leggings. This is an item I wish someone would have slapped me in the face with and forced me to buy. Now you don't have to go all out and buy the name brand maternity leggings or whatever, since the Wal Mart ones seem to do what they are intended to do and for under $13, well why not. Maternity Motherhood charges between $25 - $30 for leggings, unless you find some on clearance they can be about the same price as Wal Mart's leggings. I purchased my leggings from Wal Mart and I am very happy with them, I was able to buy my pre-pregnancy size and they fit perfectly on me. Again, you do you, if you don't mind spending the extra money for another brand than whatever just make sure you have maternity leggings in your pregnancy wardrobe.

2. A comfortable bra. It doesn't have to be a maternity bra or a nursing bra, just a comfortable stretchy bra. I have had the BCG sports bra from Academy before pregnancy and loved it than but I love it even more during pregnancy. It leaves me with room without constricting my rib cage and making it hard to breath and its affordable (under $17). I have read many articles, blogs, and books that suggest buying maternity bras or nursing bras at the beginning of pregnancy and others suggesting at the end of pregnancy and even others saying wait a few weeks after having the baby before buying a nursing bra. Again, I didn't want to spend the money on bras so I just rotated my sports bras and my regular bras. Sports bras were my favorite to wear as there is no under-wire and the BCG bra has the cami-type straps so you don't have to worry about the straps being visible like with typical sports bras. So whatever you decide to do, just make sure it is comfortable.

3. The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. Most people tell you to buy the What to Expect When Your Expecting book which is also a good book to have but you can easily find the same information on google or a pregnancy app. Most of the time, it was easier pulling up my BabyBump app and reading their short Daily Tip and Weekly Information than it was to read a few pages in the Expecting book. It is basically the same information just condensed in the app but still a good read just not a Must-Have in my opinion whereas the Thinking Woman book is a MUST must-have. I suggest buying this book as soon as you find out your pregnant (under $15). This book goes through all your options during labor and delivery including epidurals, inducing labor, IVs, cesareans, etc. The author Henci Goer, brings the facts, side effects, statistics, etc. about each procedure and lists the pros and cons on everything she covers. It really helps you decided on the best decision and to create a birth plan early on that fits you and your family best. And by getting this book early on and reading it, helps you make an informed decision about the type of doctor or midwife you want to deliver your baby and where you want to deliver your baby. Yes, you can easily ask your doctor about these procedures but most doctors have a set way they like to do things so they will make a procedure seem perfectly normal or harmless to you and the baby whereas Goer shows every side of each procedure. So I say this book is non-negotiable, you have to buy this and actually read it. That's an order. Just kidding but really, the book is very informational and is sure to prepare you to make informed decisions for you and your growing family.

And that my friends, is my version of pregnancy must-haves and each item is actually affordable (under $20). To be fair, I did not list any of the sales prices for these items so you may actually be able to find these items cheaper.

Do you agree with my must-haves? What is on your list of pregnancy must-haves?

Shortly after dinner, I begin to run my bath water while I use the restroom.  Once I am in the tub soaking, I watch my subscriptions on YouTube and this will last for about 20 to 30 minutes before I get restless.

At this point, I enter the shower (I only soak in the tub and do not cleanse while in the tub because its hard to wash my hair so just imagine the whale found on the Galveston shore) and do my shower thing, self explanatory I think. I exit the shower and dry my body off and wrap my hair in the towel, apply deodorant, moisturize my face and clean my ears. I personally don't feel dry even after drying off with a towel so I will sit in front of the fan for about 20 or 30 minutes, sometimes less. After I feel dry enough, I remove the towel from my hair and begin my nightly hair routine.

I than go to the restroom again and will begin the winding down process of getting comfortable. During this time, most nights, Anthony and I will do our relaxing techniques we have been learning in our birthing class which is basically me in a comfortable position and he rubs me down making sure all my muscles are relaxed (before we started this, I use to do yoga poses and stretches which also helped with my restless leg pains, I just have been to lazy to keep up with doing both things but I think I should start my yoga back up). Once I start getting restless again, Anthony gets ready for bed while I go to the restroom again and I will attempt to fall asleep. 

Side Note: I try to go to the restroom multiple times before actually attempting to fall asleep to prevent waking up so much during the middle of the night however if I don't drink enough water (I typically drink 3 bottles and that seems to be the right amount for me) during the day, I try to drink at least 1 bottle an hour before bedtime and that will keep me going to the restroom all night but I don't feel dehydrated waking up. So it's best for me to drink my water throughout the day, way before bedtime, so I only end up getting up once for the restroom in the middle of the night.

And that my friends is my nighttime routine, it typically takes about 4 hours to do but I do everything at a snail pace and sometimes things come up in between each stage like taking dogs out, playing on my phone, working on blog stuff or ebay stuff, etc.

What did your nighttime routine look like when you were pregnant? And what is it like now as a parent? Any tips for this mama to be?

2. Textbroker - This company is a freelance writing company and the one I was most excited about however I was very disappointed. When you apply, you submit a writing sample that will be rated from 2 stars to 5 stars, depending on your rating depends on the pay you receive. The higher your rating the more pay and the more assignments available to you whereas the lower the rating, less pay and less assignments available. Once you have written multiple articles with this company, your rating is based on the average of your last 5 assignments. This is the disappointing part, I joined textbroker in the beginning of November, I was rated 3 stars with my sample writing. I honestly have no idea how I scored low but I pushed through because I can make up my rating by submitting really good articles. There are barley any articles available for 2 stars or 3 stars writers and the ones that are available just don't interest me but I still pushed through so I can boost my rating and write about good content however the editors of textbroker have yet to rate my articles and it has been 2 months. If you get a high rating with your sample writing, maybe you will enjoy this freelance writing gig but I have given up on it. The other thing is, in order to get paid, you do have to submit an IRS form which you do with any job but I wanted to wait until I reached a decent amount of money before submitting personal information and as I only have $3.33, I have not done so, so I cannot say if this company is fully legit. I did read reviews that others have received money from them but they were just as unsatisfied about the rating thing as I was.

3. Receipt Hog - This app is really neat and basically free money. You take pictures of your receipts and earn coins from any store that sells groceries, health items, beauty products, etc. such as Target, Kroger, Wal Mart, Petsmart, Raceway, etc. Depending on the amount you spent at the store determines how many coins you earn. You can redeem your coins for either a PayPal payout or you can redeem an Amazon Gift Card (1000 coins=$5, 1800 coins=$10, 3200 coins=$20 and 4500 coins=$30). Again, this is not a get rich scheme, just a little extra money in your pocket. If you do sign up and use my referral code fot39693 I earn extra spins at the Hog Slots.

4. Ibotta - I really don't have much to say about this app as I only used it for 10 minutes before giving up. I just didn't like the fact of how much effort it took. With Receipt Hog, I just snap a picture of my receipt and I am good to go, Ibotta offers coupons on items but you have to search for the ones you want and you have to submit your receipt and take a picture of the item you are trying to get qualified or something like that. It sounds simpler written down but actually searching their app was difficult. Also, if you do sign up and decide you don't like it be sure to contact Ibotta telling them you want to cancel your account or else you will be charged for inactivity (something else I didn't like). There is not a cancel option, you have to actually contact them via email.

5. eBay - This is where I have had most of my success thus far. I sell items we no longer need or want or have yet to use. Make sure to take good quality pictures as that is what attracts buyers. Also, do your research on shipping cost, its not that hard to figure out but you don't educate yourself on it you can lose money, something I had to learn my first month selling on eBay. The items I have sold range from used clothes (that are still in great condition and are name brand such as Under Armor, Nike, Adidas, etc.) watches, shoes, activity trackers, Pokemon cards, Nintendo 64 games and accessories. Basically stuff we don't use or need that is laying around taking up space.

6. Craigslist - I sell items here, that I am not able to sell on eBay such as old TVs, laptops, furniture etc. I just don't want to deal with trying to ship a 42 in TV or a dresser so I choose to sell items locally through Craigslist.

7. Local classifieds - Same as above and I also list our puppies in the local classifies when we have litters.

8. Blogging - I have been blogging off and on for about 5, maybe 6 years but I have never tried or really knew how to make money with blogging. Its something I am still learning and we will see how much extra income I can bring in by doing something I already do and enjoy.

9. YouTube - Same as above, I have posted videos sporadically through the years mostly of our dogs and just learned you can make money off your videos if its original content. This last litter of puppies we had, I posted daily videos of them before learning about monetization. I have now monetized all my videos so we shall see what kind of income this will bring in for me.

And that folks, is what I have tried so far. Am I ready to quit my day job today? Um, no unless Little Love decides to come early than I have no choice but no I do not. All these extra income jobs, gigs, hobbies or whatever, take time and some only give you extra change but it's extra change you didn't have. So for the third time, these are not get-rich schemes just little things you can do for extra money.

Sharing at: Made In a Day, Remodelacholic  and A Life in Balance