Unlocking Neutral in a Mini Van

I Love having an attached garage. Especially during the cold snowy months & in the summer when it's 95 degrees outside. I don't love having a garage when I go to start my car & my van {that barely fits} battery is dead. I'll be honest this wasn't the first time I've left the keys turned a little in the ignition- but it is the first time I didn't have time to put our extra battery we have on hand {for this very reason} on it for an hour. You see we needed to get to my friends parents house to go swimming. These are the last days of summer & we are doing everything we can to pretend fall is not creeping up on us. So thinking I can just put the car in neutral & back out- I call my trusty sister in law that lives down the street to come help me jump start the van.

dashboard of a toyota sienna- pretty typical- do you see the square with the line in it at the bottom- right above the P? 

Turns out you can't just put a dead car in neutral these days. So while my SIL is looking through the manuel trying- without success- to find out how to do this I call a Toyota dealership here in town. They send me straight to the service guys & after hearing a couple of the guys talking & not having an answer I hear a 3rd guy chime in with " look for the little square above the P- pop it out with a screw driver or something & then push the button inside & that will unlock the neutral lock"  "ok great!" we never would of figured this out on our own. So I'm passing my new- probably none useful knowledge to all of you. Just in case the 3rd guy in the service department isn't there the day you need him-
Your welcome.

here's a close up

* p.s. Reyn got into the pool for the first time & loved it- maybe not as much as his hand though
I'm so glad we didn't just go back inside & call the whole day off.

New In the Shop/ Tote Bags

Come by the shop. I have some new totes that are pretty fun! Plus there's FREE SHIPPING on all bags!

World Maps/ These Are Things

I love world maps & the maps from These are Things modern take on world maps are fantastic.
Guess what? They are on Fab.com for 2 more days $10- $70 off!  hmmm what color to choose- I love them all.

p.s Reyn's birth story coming next week. What's that you say? Another birth story! Careful- I've got 3 more where that came from...

Hong Kong Love

I've seen this video before but I kind of forgot about it- but thanks to Home DSGN I get to show you this amazing apartment in Hong Kong- 344 square feet that transfers into 24 rooms- seriously cool.

Paper Love/ Paper RIfle Co.

If you're a super fan of Paper Rifle Co. check out Fab.com today to hit a smoking sale. If you haven't signed up for Fab.com yet then you're probably saving a lot of money- but missing out on tons of cool & amazing goods for sale- up to 70% off! Things like furniture & wall art &  jewelry & so much more. If you want to join- use this link here & i'll help you join & you'll help me earn money so I can buy me some cool paper. See how I'm using you all in this post? It's ok- once you join you can use all of your friends/ readers too!

The Kinderwagon Hop

I've never bought a double stroller before. Mainly because the thought of trying to maneuver one seems quite daunting. Seriously how do you fit the sucker through the door? Came across The Kinderwagon Hop on Facebook.com via The Baby Guy- he's giving one away. He helped test ride this awesome stroller & says it's just what everyone needs. It has stadium like seating which is genius & I'm hoping to win one. HaHa. Even if I don't- I hope one of you do!

How To Tie A Bow Tie

Have you seen this rad video on How To Tie A Bow Tie from Launderette? Click play below so you can say you have!


How to Tie a Bow Tie from Keith Paugh on Vimeo.

Post Partum Check Off

When I had my first baby 13 1/2 years ago I had no idea how painful It would be after giving birth. No one bothered to mention it. I didn't know I would bleed for so long. I didn't know how painful stitches were & how painful it would be to just sit down & hold my baby. I admit that I was pretty clueless when it came to babies. I was never one of those girls who babysat when I was younger or who asked to hold family members babies when I was older. I was in my early 20's when I had my first baby& wasn't even close to being ready to start a family. My marriage was rocky & you couldn't really have a big (or little) bump in my profession. Needless to say when my little Kaleb came out to meet us- I was in LOVE & life as I knew it would never be the same.  

Since I just had my 4th baby I thought I would put together a list of necessities for making your life after labor a little easier for all you new mommies out there. So here it is- my post partum check off list.

Maxi pads- You'll probably bleed for 1- 2 weeks {maybe more} If you think you could manage reusable pads these Lunapads are great to try. .

Nursing pads- if you're breastfeeding- nursing pads are essential. Leaking milk will definitely play into your day. I've tried a lot of brands & my favorite nursing pads are from Johnson & Johnson They are super absorbent  & they are shaped like your breast. My second favorite is Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads. Unfortunately my left breast {I call it my porn boob} has way more milk than my right & leaks like crazy so the Johnson & Johnson just work better for me. {FYI- the J & J nursing pads are kind of thick- so you may feel like you're back in middle school padding your first training bra}

Nursing Bra- This is the first time I've had a nursing bra {& I'm on my 4th kid!} & I love it- but I'm not entirely convinced you need one. I only have one- so I still just lift my other ones up to nurse. This is the one I bought because it was on super sale. I would suggest going into the store & trying one on though.

Topical Cream for your Nipples- one of my favorite words... Trust me you'll want to have some on hand or you'll probably give up breastfeeding all together cause it really does hurt for those first few weeks. {don't give up- you'll barely feel your baby on there after a while} I use Lansinoh. I only seem to need it for a few weeks so I just grab the sample they give you at the hospital. 

Tucks Medicated Pads- oooh gross! Well whether you have hemorrhoids are not- tucks medicated pads have witch hazel in them which helps soothes your sutured area as well as those pesky hemorrhoids. {it's really nothing to be embarrassed about- but I usually tuck mine away in a drawer- no pun intended} 

Compression Band- if you're anything like me & basically walk into the hospital looking 11 months pregnant & walk out looking 9 than you may want to have a compression band on hand. Wearing a compression band around your waist will help your tummy go down faster. Even after a week I felt like there was hope in getting my waist back again. Try the Belly bandit it works really well- & if you want a sexy version haha try this one. I also have heard good things about the Bellfit.

Towels-  It's very common to have night sweats after giving birth. Having a large towel to lay on & a smaller towel to put on your pillow really helps keep your sheets dry & cleaner longer. Cause really who has time to wash!

** All of the items above can be bought pretty much anywhere-  I like buying my diapers in bulk from Diapers.com so I just end up adding all the other goods to my order- then I don't have to attempt an outing with 3 under 3...

Copper Love/ Anthropologie

Loving pretty much everything about this dining room- especially the Redsmith copper chairs.

Bag- Bags - Bags!

1 down 17 to go....

Come see me & the famous Susan at Craft Lake City in the Salt Lake City this Saturday August 13th at the Gallivan Center 2- 10pm.

Etsy Love/ Toro Legno

How awesome is this bookshelf/ cutting board from Toro Legno on Etsy. Hidden in the butt is the cutting board!