Hi guys! Here we go 🙂

*please know that absolutely nothing on this post was sponsored. I owned most of the stuff, and purchased everything myself 💁🏻‍♀️

As you know, the theme of my kids bedroom is “Women Empowerment, Kindness & Inclusion”

This theme was born in my heart and developed in my mind after reading the book “Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History”. I wanted my kids to be surrounded by strong, smart, courageous, kind and awesome women. I want them to understand their potential to make a difference in the world, to include and hold hands with women and people who are/look different than them, and to be kind. This is the kind of human that I expect to populate this messed up Earth with. I did not carry them for almost 10 months each, destroyed my back and lost sleep for years, for them to be nasty, exclusive, judgmental jerks. THEY. WILL. BE. KIND.

So I dug into my brain and started putting things together. I made lists, vision boards, did a lot of research and selected the colors.

They are happy girls, so I chose happy colors! I found the perfect color combination in this picture:

I was so blown away by the out of the box combination of green, yellow, coral and pink! IT’S PERFECT! So off I went to Home Depot to get lumber for the shelves, brackets, paint and supplies.

The Vanities

I bought a craft board at Home Depot, cut it in half, sanded it down, stained it dark walnut, and installed them into the studs. I painted an arch on the wall using a pencil and thread- there are several tutorials on Pinterest- and bought mirrors and the stools.

Here are the links:

Mirrors, at Target: https://www.target.com/p/16-34-x28-34-stamped-metal-mirror-brass-project-62-8482/-/A-54556727

Stools, on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZXJJFKV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_muS2Fb59JDRA3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Rug, at Target: https://www.target.com/p/3-39-faux-fur-round-rug-white-pillowfort-8482/-/A-51583954

I’ve had these animal heads from Target forever, but they still have them!

Unicorn: https://www.target.com/p/unicorn-head-wall-decor-pillowfort-8482/-/A-50075402

Llama or Alpaca, IDK guys 😂: https://www.target.com/p/llama-head-wall-decor-pillowfort-8482/-/A-51415306

Garland: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083ZF4JFC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The Dress Up Rack

Same $12 craft board from Home Depot, sanded it down & stained it. I also I got the rod & brackets at Home Depot.

The illustration was made by Brooke Costello, and you can find her on Instagram: @artdesignbybrooke she is so sweet and talented!

Barbie dolls:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZPQPGV4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_3BS2FbJTA5W94?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FDKQYBQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_LCS2Fb7Q4B5NB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.target.com/p/barbie-fashionistas-doll-pink-floral-dress/-/A-79398739

https://www.target.com/p/barbie-you-can-be-anything-baby-doctor-blonde-doll-and-playset/-/A-76623758

The Beds

We’ve had these IKEA beds for 3 or 4 years. They are originally white, but I spray painted them Spring Green. It. Was. A. Pain. In. The. Neck. I do not recommend doing it. My hands and arms were sore for a whole week and the smell was awful!! But here’s the link to the bed, it grows with your child, which is so nice 🙂 https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/minnen-ext-bed-frame-with-slatted-bed-base-white-s59124621/

I’ve been obsessed with arches and shapes painted on walls, so I had a wonderful time making this sun as well. It was so easy and looks so happy!

I bought the cloud shelf when I was putting together Archie’s nursery, but it didn’t go with his room after all, so I thought it was perfect to put it on the girls wall, and it really does look like clouds! Here’s the link: https://www.target.com/p/cloud-decorative-wall-shelf-white-pillowfort-8482/-/A-51698164

Yes You Can print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XDMCCY2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_yLS2FbG3MZMHK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

****All of the picture frames I bought at Hobby Lobby when they were having a 50% off sale!

Throw blankets with tassels: https://www.target.com/p/solid-plush-throw-blanket-with-yarn-tassels-yellow-opalhouse-8482/-/A-79617349

All pillows are from the Pillowfort collection at Target

Rug is super old from Rugs USA, size 5×7: https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-moroccan-diamond/Ivory/200MJSM18A-P.html

The Strong Women Wall

Ahhhh this wall.. 😍😍

This wall was a JOY to make. Every single detail.

I installed the lattice (those wood trims). There’s something about using a nail gun that just makes your feel so powerful 💃🏻!

I didn’t want to spend my entire bank account on wallpaper, so I decided to add lattice, and only wallpaper the top.

Wallpaper was so easy to install, took me literally less than 20 minutes, because I’ve done this twice before. Make sure you use a credit card to smooth it out and get rid of bubbles. The Etsy link doesn’t work here, but the name of the shop is KidsWallpaperDesign.

RBG print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081G7MHB2?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Frida, RBG, Rosa & Malala prints: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086RCXZ3F?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Faux fiddle leaf tree: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/fejka-artificial-potted-plant-indoor-outdoor-fiddle-leaf-fig-20359427/?gclid=CjwKCAiA_eb-BRB2EiwAGBnXXtPrGaHw3cop_gxFMa4pIIzOkJceCR8i0CcM66LOl0a0SR5hLpb2UxoCNkAQAvD_BwE

Bean bag: https://www.target.com/p/fuzzy-bean-bag-chair-turquoise-pillowfort-8482/-/A-80283593

Heart pillow: https://www.target.com/p/heart-faux-fur-velvet-throw-pillow-pink-pillowfort-8482/-/A-75574014

Bookshelf: I bought these cubbies, and installed legs on them. It looks like an actual piece of furniture!

Cubbies: https://www.target.com/p/11-34-6-cube-organizer-shelf-white-room-essentials-8482/-/A-15116839

Legs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087NK92HC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Frida Doll: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009K7QK8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Barbies:

https://www.target.com/p/barbie-career-of-the-year-campaign-team-giftset/-/A-79398742

https://www.target.com/p/barbie-national-geographic-doll-with-monkey/-/A-76152573

https://www.target.com/p/barbie-careers-60th-anniversary-astronaut-doll/-/A-53781745

https://www.target.com/p/barbie-fashionistas-doll-132-blonde-with-rolling-wheelchair-and-ramp/-/A-76152583

Books:

https://www.target.com/p/dream-big-little-one-by-vashti-harrison-hardcover/-/A-53573549

https://www.target.com/p/little-leaders-bold-women-in-black-history-by-vashti-harrison-hardcover/-/A-52826557

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316475173/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_D9S2Fb0KGFBKZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250215994?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

https://www.target.com/p/i-am-enough-by-grace-byers-hardcover/-/A-53108451

Wow my fingers are cramping! 🤣 Hope this helps guys!! 💛💛💛 thank you for so much love on my work, and I am so excited to see what you guys do!! 💛💛

Hi Guys!

Although I am still breast-feeding, Tim and I made sure to get Archie to take a bottle because Hazel never took a bottle or pacifier and MY LIFE WAS HARD, OK?!

I don’t go out often, but I had a kidney stone surgery that took all day, and I go grocery shopping by myself which (YAY) takes a lot of time given the current circumstances of social distancing.

We got Archie the Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottle and LET ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT.

This GEM of a bottle is the most breast like bottle EVER. Starting with the breast shape nipple, which gives the baby a natural latch, to the smooth silicone that stretches and feels like mom’s skin. No matter who is giving baby the bottle, baby will accept it and enjoy every second of it!

Now… what I always worried about was to give my baby a bottle and make him gassy. The Closer to Nature bottle has a magic anti-colic valve that reduces extra air flow so baby can get more milk, less air.

They come in different flows and THE BEST PART? It’s easy clean, CAN I GET AN AMEN? With my first daughter Zoey 4 years ago, I used a set of bottles that had FIVE PARTS. FIVE. Cleaning up took so long, and my kitchen was a mess all the time. The Closer to Nature bottle has 3 parts, making it easy to clean and sterilize it.

They are obviously BPA-free and phthalate-free and you can start the baby on the bottles from the newborn stage!

EXTRA:

Tommee Tippee also made the Closer to Nature PACIFIER, (and they also have ones that glow in the dark, WHAAAT)? This pacifier follows the Closer to Nature model of looking and feeling like mom’s breasts and curves away from baby’s face, which prevents rashes and increase airflow.

*This post is sponsored by my favorite linen/pajamas store The Company Store.

I am going to start this post by letting you know the steps I take when I have to take a photo with both of my kids sleeping, because that is the NUMBER 1 question I get!

1. Make sure both are tired and ready to nap
2. Change them into the clothes they need to be wearing for the photoshoot
3. Shut blinds
4. Turn on MY HOLY GRAAL: The white noise machine
5. When both are deep asleep (to the point where you lift up their arm and let go and it’s heavy and lose), go ahead and lay them down in the position you want them to be in THAT’S IT! It’s so hard to take pictures with them awake, they hate it! So most of mine for now are asleep, and I am ok with it. NOW ONTO THE POINT OF THIS POST!!
6. I tape a small cardboard box to the ceiling, put my phone in it and use a bluetooth remote control to control the iPhone’s shutter, and VOILA!

I have worked with The Company Store before, and they are such a pleasure to work with. Not only they are so kind and professional, but their products are SO incredibly durable and beautiful. I am not saying this because they are my sponsors, I only own 2 sets of sheets and blankets and they are both from The Company Store. I wash that stuff every single week and IT DOESN’T GET OLD!

Tim doesn’t like to match, but I force him to because I’m the boss :), and the girls don’t mind because they don’t get it yet so I will take advantage of this stage in my life and MATCH WITH THEM EVERY CHANCE I GET! The Company Store has matching family flannel pajamas (CLICK HERE), and we are living for them!

There is nothing sweeter than seeing my family wearing the same colors and patters and I always make sure that everyone gets pieces that go well with their personality.  For example, Zoey is GIRLYYYYYYYYY and loves dresses, so I naturally chose this nightgown for her. She twirls in this thing like a Disney princess ***hold up lemme wipe dem tears running down my face! Now… Ms. Hazel… my cutie pie tomboy delicious little baby (ok not a baby, but let me live) for her, I picked out this 2 PIECE because it matches her personality better and oh my god just lookout how cute she looks!

For myself, I chose this thermal top with shorts, because I love wearing long socks in the house and I get very hot sleeping between two sweaty babies all night, and for Tim I chose the thermal top with pants.

I LOVE the green plaid because although it is christmassy, I feel like our family can wear it all winter long. The material is so soft and to me, the most important thing is that it feels like quality pieces, fits so well on our bodies and are SO DANG WARM!!

(Tim and Zoey pretending to drink tea. She was upset that the mug was empty. I had to make real tea after that.)

Even Dwight joined in, and is matching the fam!

Now, the most wonderful thing about purchasing these pajamas, is that The Company Store is donating $1 of every pair of pajama to the Ronald McDonald House New York, until December 16th. The Ronald McDonald House helps children and their families creating programs that support and fund their well being. So special!

You can click HERE to get yours!!!!!!!

Bonus unedited candid photo of when the girls woke up and started screaming.

The End 🙂

Full disclosure: I am not sponsored by any of these brands, and the links are NOT affiliate links. They are genuinely items that I LOVE and own. I was gifted a few items but most of them I purchased myself

Ok… So! I am not a lifestyle guru or one of the wonderful bloggers that are able to put together amazing outfits and look cute and current and awesome! I have been asked to share some outfits that I wear and consider my mom uniforms, so here I am!

First of all…. I got rid of 2/3 of my wardrobe. I had an obscene amount of junk clothes that were cheap, not thought out so nothing matched, I bought them because they were cheap or on sale and ended up with a ton of crappy clothes that made me miserable because I was always unhappy with what I owned, creating a sick cycle of UNHAPPINESS-RECKLESS SHOPPING-CLUTTER-UNHAPPINESS, and ain’t nobody got time  (or money) for that!

So after the whole minimalism thing you are probably tired of hearing me talk about, I slowly started replacing my closet with what I absolutely needed, loved AND had quality. Some items I invested a bit more money on, because honestly I bought 4 pairs of Old Navy joggers this year alone because they kept getting lint, peel, developed knee marks and I got so sick of that, might as well pay an extra $20 or $30 and not deal with replacing items so ridiculously often. I understand that no one wants to spend $60 on a sweater, but I am at a stage in my life that I’d rather have 2 $60 sweaters, than 15 that are scratchy and uncomfortable and that is exactly where I’m at!

Ok… Now that I got all that off my chest, I will explain why these are my uniforms. After finding out I had postpartum depression and taking steps to recover, I started to pinpoint what were possible triggers or situations that contributed to me feeling sad or invisible and one of the biggest factors was me feeling like crap because I LOOKED like crap all the freaking time. I am a stay at home mom, so I used that as an excuse to literally be in my pajamas or in the same pair of old crusty leggings everyday, with melted make up all over my face. No wonder I felt like crap all the time, I spent ZERO time making sure I felt good for myself. That I didn’t have old mascara increasing the dark circles under my eyes every time I looked in the mirror. That led me to find items of clothing that are my absolute favorite, and make me feel good in them. You can feel the difference of a nice quality fabric on your body, and you feel prettier and more confident when the cut and fit are perfect.

So, without further ado, these are my mom uniforms, that I can wear everyday that are my favorite, that I can use and abuse and won’t get old and gross, but that are simple and make me feel put together!

These are the joggers I was talking about. They are from Madewell, which is my favorite store and brand in the entire universe. I have been wearing Madewell since Tim and I met, because he used to be their stock guy and got me clothes at a discount. The quality is outstanding, I swear. The prices are decent for investment pieces, and I purchased most of their items on their 30% off sale. You can get the joggers HERE

The sweater I got at TJMAXX for $14.99 and the only reason I bought it besides me absolutely loving the colors, is that it is GAP. The knits from GAP are long lasting as well. No link for this one, so you’ll just have to try finding one at TJMAXX if you really like it!

Converse shoes need no introduction!

I wear this outfit so much, and even if I’m at home, I feel so pretty and comfortable.

Omg, this outfit. How can something so basic make me feel so cool?!

Both are from Madewell. The color block sweater is incredibly warm and cozy. Feels so good to not feel scratched by junky $8 sweaters! You can find it HERE

The mom jeans are from last summer, but they have THIS one for fall.

I have 5 of THESE bandanas. They are so light and pretty, with different patterns and make every look cuter!

My OVERALLS are a freaking dream. They are so flattering and the jeans are weirdly soft.

The Anorak JACKET I got at Target. It’s a unicorn and matches EVERYTHING.

I have only 5 shoes that I am wearing on repeat. These MULES I got on sale at Madewell, and they are another unicorn. I love how my closet although it is super small now, EVERYTHING I own matches, and I don’t waste time trying to figure out clothes while my kids are screaming because they don’t want to get their shoes on.

Now looks to go out with my family:

I have worn this so many times, that Tim calls it my official uniform.

SWEATER is on sale, JEANS AND BOOTS. I put the brown ones on my christmas list!

I am obsessed with this one. This BODYSUIT is the SOFTEST THING IN THE WORLD and makes me feel like a woman, not a girl! Read the reviews, they’re awesome!

The MULES are from Target, they are very cute, and for the price I think they are very good quality. They just slip out of my feet more than I’d like, but I can live with it.

This SKIRT is on sale and it is my dream come true. I paired it with 8 different tops, and thats so important to me. One piece that I can dress up or down, makes me feel so feminine and goes with everything!

THIS is the ONLY purse I own besides my DIAPER BAG. I used to have dozens of bags, so this is definitely big for me! It’s perfectly sized for when I go out by myself (which is so rare, but happens). It fits my wallet, my phone, keys and a hand sanitizer!

Another tip I’d like to share is an app called Cladwell. Since my wardrobe is small now, I logged everything into this app, and it put together outfits for you everyday. It makes so many freaking combinations, and tells you the pieces you wear the most, and the ones you don’t. Not only I feel like Cher from Clueless everyday, but it make you use everything you have in your closet.

So the point here is not getting what I have. It is thinking about your closet. Thinking about the colors and materials make you feel good, and comfortable and even happy. Do your research, find coupons and discount codes. Buy 1 piece a month, don’t rush because things can get expensive real quick but focus on quality versus quantity. Took me forever to get to this point, but I feel like I finally need few but good pieces to put a cute outfit together!

This post is sponsored by the wonderful removable

wallpaper company Rocky Mountain Decals!

Ok, so! I don’t know if you have noticed on my Instagram feed, but we never really had a nursery. We had a bedroom with a dresser and a crib where Zoey slept, and Hazel is still sleeping with Tim and I (we are currently working on transitioning her into Zoey’s room but you know how this works…). We did not really know what we wanted to do in that bedroom, but we knew 2 things: we wanted an accent wall and we wanted minimal furniture and decoration. Since we have started our minimalist journey not too long ago, we wanted to make sure that their bedroom was uncluttered, easy to clean and cute… but not too babyish.

We browsed through the Rocky Mountain Decals website (click HERE) and absolutely fell in love with the Cactus pattern. It would mix well with Pink (which Zoey LOOOOVES) it was overall the best fit for what we had in mind.

We received our package, yay! We were so excited!

It was very well packaged and it included a Pink “Card” Tool, which you will use to remove the bubbles, and a sheet with instructions on how to apply the wallpaper.

I immediately unrolled it and put weighs on the top and the bottom.

Next step was lining up the wallpaper sheet with the corner of our ceiling, peel off the back and roll it down the wall, making sure to get rid of all bubbles as you slowly apply the wallpaper. Take your time, and if you do have to remove it to re-center it it’s ok because it will not damage your wall (yay)! I found it easier to have my husband help me, so if you have a buddy that can make the process a bit faster, great! If not, you can still do it yourself 🙂

Tim made sure to remove the outlet, cut around it and reinstall it. It was painless, quick and looks so good!

Mid-process, my children decided to wake up, but luckily they were eager to help! (just kidding, like that would EVER happen, but hey… we got it done anyways!)

Time for the last sheet! I measured the length of the remaining wall, and then cut the last sheet accordingly, BEFORE I applied it on the wall. I used a sharp cutting knife, with cardboard underneath the wallpaper sheet to protect the floors.

When I finished applying the last piece to the wall, all I had to do was trim the bottom edges, which I did with the same knife. I preferred to do it afterwards, and I made sure that I used the card tool to really mark where I would need to trim it.

It took me literally 2 minutes to finish it up!

After that, Tim built Zoey a montessori house framed bed, I bought a few decorations, we put Hazel’s crib in there and OH MY GOD WE HAVE A STINKING CUTE NURSERYYYY!!

You can watch the process below! It took us about an hour start to finish, and we are thrilled with how it turned out!!!

Click HERE for wallpaper, and THANK YOU Rocky Mountain Decals for giving us EXACTLY what we wanted!!

YAAAAAAAYYYYY!

I am going to preface this post by saying two things:

1. Minimalism works different for every person/family. Being a minimalist does not mean that I will only own 1 pair of shoes or never shop again, it means that I will make conscious purchases based on what my family and I actually need, as opposed to receiving an email from a store about a special sale and making an impulsive purchase of things I do not need because I would be “saving money” or “missing out on a great deal”. 
2. Throw out the preconceived perception that minimalism is that specific Instagram Scandinavian/everything white/expensive curated aesthetics thing we see everywhere. Although those things are absolutely gorgeous and inspiring, they do not reflect the majority of our lives/budgets/lifestyles. Create your very own minimalistic lifestyle, just like I am doing.

Ok. Let’s get this started!

A regular day in my life would look something like this: wake up sleep drunk with a very much awake baby at 5:45-6:00 am, tripping on absolutely every kind of random crap on my way to the kitchen, making coffee right away, and feeling immediately discouraged by taking a glimpse at how destroyed every single room in my house looks like. Toys, unfolded laundry, more toys, a thousand sippy cups, wrappers, more toys, stuff from the kitchen the girls insist on playing with, nothing had a set place to live…. literally a nightmare. Does this sound familiar or am I the only one who should have appeared on the tv show Hoarders? I did not know much about what I could do about it, but I did know one thing: I could not spend another full weekend moving items from one room to another, buying more organizers and wasting time I would rather be enjoying with my family because I had to CLEAN. THE. FREAKING. HOUSE.

So… one Friday evening, I had a fight with my husband and, although I do not remember what it was about, I do remember both of us being very overwhelmed that day. We were always stressed, angry, frustrated, and uneasy and we did not know why. To cope with our fights I clean… that is what I do. I started cleaning my kitchen, and there was SO MUCH STUFF. STUFF. STUFF. STUFF EVERYWHERE. Dozens of extra and unmatched storage containers, unused and broken appliances, dozens of mugs and drawers stuffed with ridiculous things like those brushes to use on turkeys, like I don’t even know the name and I HAD 2 UNUSED ONES! I was so on edge, that I said loudly: THIS IS IT! I went on a purging spree that cleansed my soul. That was exactly what I needed, and in that moment I knew that things were about to change for good. I asked my husband if he minded if I got rid of some things and since we were not talking at that moment, all he said was: get rid of everything, and got back to playing with Hazel. I purged about 50% of our kitchen, most went straight to the trash bag(S), and some items I offered to my family and friends. About 2 hours later, I stared at my counter in disbelief: it was CLUTTER FREE.

HOW I TACKLED THE HOUSE

I decided that I needed some guidance, so I plunged into Youtube and found a couple of videos where people decluttered their homes. After watching a few channels like “Pick Up Limes” and Allison Anderson, I embraced the “IF YOU DO NOT ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT KEEP IT” method. Simple and straight to the point. Can you live without it? Yes? Then TOSS IT or DONATE IT. Do you absolutely love it? THEN KEEP IT. Make sure to be ruthless at times, but also very realistic. I kept 1 box of special memory items for the girls and 1 for Tim and me, and that was surprisingly enough to keep all of our sweet memories. I also kept my collection of bobble heads from The Office and my collection of snow globes from the countries I have visited, and nothing else besides that.

We also got rid of one of the biggest instigators and probably the biggest cause of our clutter and shopping problem: our e-mail subscriptions. Tim found a free website online (there are tons out there) that gets rid of ALL of your newsletter/sales subscriptions. I was subscribed to 44 websites that sent me sales on a regular basis and Tim was surprisingly subscribed to over 400, like WHAT!?

After doing some more research, I came across the documentary “Minimalism”, that is on Netflix. OH.MY.GOD. It changed my entire life to the point I was in tears.

The main point of the documentary is to make us understand that we don’t need things. We hunger and thirst for meaningful relationships and experiences, peace of mind and a quality of life that will lead us to one day looking back with pride at our legacy and story! I do not want to look back and remember how many hours I spent trying to organize a house that was overflowing with things that I did not need which lead to debt and kept me from making memories with my family! Dear God I am getting HEATED over here!!

Some people recommend to start small, conquor room by room to not overwhelm you, but I was so incredibly fed up that I reclaimed the entire house in about 5 days. Don’t ask me how, because before that I kept whining about how little house work I was able to do during the day because of the girls, but I pushed through anything and everything with some help from the TV and the iPad and the husband to keep the girls entertained during my family’s life-changing process.

The more I purged, the more I wanted to purge. 60% of our closets was donated, that was about 8 contractor bags. 2 bags of toys, 1 bag of kitchen items, 2 bags of house decor, 8 items of furniture, 5 linen sets, and an unbelievable number of 17 contractor bags of GARBAGE. YES. GAR-BA-GE. Garbage was cluttering my home, my mind, my time, my life! Everyday when Tim came back home from work, he would say, oh my god, the house is feeling less and less cramped, this looks amazing, AND IT SURE DID!

On Sunday night when I finished purging the last bit, we made dinner. We ate and finished our meal, and it took me 4 minutes to clean the kitchen. Tim and I sat in the living room and I could hear my voice echoing around the room when I said: This does’t feel real.

We were overcome with joy. All that stress and excess and distraction and NOISE…. it was all… gone. We felt light. Free. Decluttered inside and out. We spent the rest of the night playing with the girls, singing and just being together. I put together some before and after photos below:

Does my house look like the perfectly clean pictures above everyday? Absolutely not, BUT now it is much faster for me to organize the house since everything I own I love or use, and they all have a place to live. I usually deep clean the entire house in about 1 hour twice a week, which I think is pretty good and allows me to spend time doing what I actually want to be doing: playing with the girls, going out and cooking! I stare at my own home so proud of finally understanding that what really matters is not the things I have, but the quality of life that I want to live and the lesson I want to teach my daughters about consumerism and consciousness.

By being intentional with my purchases, I have been re-thinking my old habits and choices. I am thinking about what I eat, what I wear, what kind of people I want to have in my life, how much waste and trash I create and because I have stirred the pot, many emotional changes have happened… good and bad, but so many positive things have come from this lifestyle change and I cannot wait to share them all with you.

I still believe I have plenty more of purging and decluttering to do. Just like everything in our lives, downsizing is a process and for now I am enjoying looking empty drawers and clear countertops!

Coming up, I will write about how I am slowly upgrading my wardrobe, and avoiding to purchase crappy and cheap items, but investing a tad more on staple pieces for a capsule wardrobe that will last me years. I will also write about minimalism & kids, since we need so much to entertain them, will update you on more decluttering I am doing not only in my house but in my life, and decluttering techniques that have worked for me.

Thank you for your support always, and I truly hope that if you have just been waiting for the motivation to start, that you do start. That’s all it takes!

All my love,

Maya.

There are so many reasons I love Target and always have, especially when they offered to sponsor this very post and start a discussion on how parenthood changes us in ways that make us feel like we are normal and belong. You can click HERE to shop Target baby, but let’s be real… as you’re reading this, you’re already standing in your doorway and throwing kids in the back seat for your very own Target adventure. No reason to be embarrassed, so am I. If I see you there, let’s do that “stay strong momma” or “I feel you sister” head nod as we cross paths with our chorus of screaming babies!

When I analyze my life after having children, it makes me realize that, ironically, I have never been more myself. I say ironically, because I have had literally zero time for myself, zero nights of good sleep, zero trips to the bathroom alone, zero time to commit to music which is what I love the most in the world, and still I feel like I have never been more me than I am right now, and I will tell you why.

 Motherhood has shaken and turned my world upside down, reshaping me deeply and re-centering my priorities. In a situation where I would have been judgmental and lay blame, I now literally imagine myself in the other person’s shoes, I try to picture their story, what may have brought them to this point. I now understand my parents better now better than I could have understood them when I was younger, I am more patient and loving with them because I can now finally understand all sacrifices they have made for me all my life. I now prefer to be kind to people, it feels so much better than ignoring them or being indifferent. To myself, I now give grace and a greater sense of self-worth because I want to be a healthy example of self-love and confidence to my two little girls. I want them to grow up with no doubts that they are strong, that they are powerful and that they can be whatever they dream or imagine they can become.

 I attribute all the good changes and this Maya 2.0 version 100% to my children. This is not a result of my own work. I did not develop these traits alone, I believe that Maya 2.0 is a direct product of my children and their presence in my life.

Things are not always cupcakes and rainbows by any stretch of the imagination. Some days I just to step out of the room where both my children are screaming, crying and misbehaving in, because I feel like I am about to lose control over my “keeping it together” emotions and break in front of them. I take a couple of minutes to come back to reality, and try understanding that they don’t know better 90% of the time, and that rough days will happen. Some mornings I cry because I only got 3 hours of sleep, and one of them spilt my coffee and I feel completely alone and defeated, but these moments are the reason we all are reshaped after becoming parents. It is within the depth of each and every hardship that we develop a resilience that cannot be taken away and only made stronger. You develop extra Superwoman skills; you become more aware, creative, even stronger, and you exercise your compassion and your ability to adapt todifficult circumstances.

You understand that they need YOU not only to survive, but to shape them into being respectful, successful, kind and compassionate people. There are no “participation trophies” for motherhood, your children are your trophies to mold and devote yourself to. It sounds like a lot of pressure, doesn’t it?

For me, that pressure is overwhelming to say the least. The weight of responsibility for other lives aside from your own can be crippling, but we do not have the choice to let it become a burden. Ever. That is why we have to be strong enough to give ourselves grace. The moment we understand that we cannot be the perfect parents and that such a thing does not exist, we are free to live and flourish in the fun and light sides of being a parent and who knows, even find enjoyment in the small moments even if they are a bit chaotic. I remember how hard it was when my second daughter was born and was immediately hit with colic. It was only the second week and I was just trying to survive being a mom of 2 under 1 and both started girls crying at. the. same. time. and. would’t. stop. Here is a clip for your enjoyment:

I started panicking, I was so scared. I was on my own with them for the first time and felt so helpless and alone, but in what felt like a supernatural moment, I burst out laughing because I felt in my heart that I would miss this one day and that I could handle things just fine. Every experience I had until that point in my life prepared me to handle that very situation. So here I am… exactly 1 year after that clip. I am happy, I am alive, I am SO TIRED, but I am doing the best I can every single day and enjoying every single moment of this amazing ride.

*Target runs look a little bit different now, but they burn more calories: toddler won’t go in cart, 2 nursing trips to the fitting room, a few extra dollars spent here, a couple tantrums there, but every trip is definitely worth it for my own sanity!!!!

So yes, parenthood is probably the biggest change a person or a couple will EVER go through. It transforms and modifies everything about you, but I will tell you something that I know with absolute and unwavering certainty: these challenges refine you and make you become the best version of yourself because motherhood requires and pulls out the absolute best in you. Ok, now I am getting baby fever (and Target fever!), so let me go make some food and distract myself from the fact that I think 10 more children. K… bye!

Hiiiii Guys!!

I am SO EXCITED to share my spring bed makeover with The Company Store with you all, because for the first time in my life I have Y E L L O W bedding, YES, my favorite color of all time is now all over my bed and I love it!

Tim and I have really been trying to be declutter our house (it’s a HUGE project, BUT… we have made a lot of progress!) so we only have 2 sets of sheets, both by The Company Store: a white cotton set and this beautiful yellow linen set. We do not need any more at the moment, as we alternate between the two of them.

The Comfort Wash Solid Linen Sheet Set we chose is breathable, comfortable and perfectly light for spring/summer. I love the feel of it, and how simply gorgeous it looks when displayed on our bed! The set is completed with the duvet cover and the shams, simply click on the items’ names to check them out 🙂

These are the decorative pillows we chose, because we have a desert/rustic/neutral theme in our bedroom. These pillows cases are SO incredibly well made and are so beautiful. You can find them by clicking here & here

Our Cloud Blanket feels so soft and is very cozy for when I lay in bed with my ukulele while Tim takes the girls on a walk!

This little clingy/sweet/perfect little baby approves this message, since she starts the night off in her crib next to my bed, and next thing you know she’s all up in my business trying to snatch my linen covers! Can’t blame her, they sure are my favorite!!

You can visit The Company Store’s website by clicking here. There is so much on sale, including my sheets and duvet cover. They are such a joy to partner with, are so kind and truly have the best bedding I have ever owned!

This year we finally took the plunge and upgraded our bed to a king size, because #KIDS! We love co-sleeping because it gives us a little bit of extra sleep, and at this point we will take ANY extra 5 minutes we possibly can!

We had no idea what bedding to purchase, because truthfully all I’ve ever purchased was off Amazon, or at a department store and I always had to repurchase after a few months, because everything got old very quickly.

Thankfully this time we got all of our bedding from The Company Store, and I will explain in detail why we are smitten and enjoying it so much!

PS: Everything I purchased is now on sale, so this is a great time to scoop up the items you need 🙂

I am going to start with our bed itself. We were looking for a bed frame that we loved enough to commit to for a while, and the one I fell in love with was WAY out of our budget. My sweet husband is so handy and loves wood work, so guess what? He designed our bed, and built it in our basement, how cool is that? And for 1/6 of the price! So our bed is very special to us, and is the biggest thing he has ever built… he is pretty proud!

We started off by purchasing a mattress pad, because the girls sleep with us (see that crib there in the picture? It’s only used for naps during the day #facepalm) and we do not want any surprises to stain our new mattress. We purchased the 400 Thread Count Waterproof Cotton Top Mattress Pad. I have tested it and it works, and I am kind of embarrassed to tell you how, but oh well hahaha! Last Thursday I hid in my bedroom when my husband got home, and he brought me a tray of sushi. I needed a few minutes of alone time, so that was the perfect opportunity. Zoey bursted into my room, and when I tried to hide the sushi (because she can’t have it yet, she is too young, not that I didn’t want to share… 😉 ) I spilled the bowl of soy sauce all over my white sheets, and it leaked through. I soaked the sheets in laundry detergent and they were brand new in about 10 minutes, and all I had to do with the mattress pad was wipe up the sauce. I was speechless with how wonderful this pad is!

Onto the sheets we go!

I like the feel of cotton sheets, so we chose the Organic Cotton Jersey Fitted Sheet, and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is so so soft and washes SO WELL!

Tim is so picky about pillows, so we opted to purchase 2 different sets.

For me, I chose the Lacrosse LoftAire Hypoallergenic Pillows and they are the perfect amount of comfort and structure for me. I’d say they help me fall asleep, but for the past 2 years if I blink for longer than 2 seconds I just fall asleep right there! Standing up and all!! hahaha!

And for Tim, he chose the Gusseted Side Sleeper Down Pillows. He likes taller pillows to support his neck, and he says that these pillows hold their form through the night, exactly what he needed!

Last item: our comforter!!

Okay, I know I have been gushing over how great The Company Store is, but honestly I had never owned such great quality bedding. Now I feel like a real adult and I am so happy!

Our comforter is the Bamboo Cotton Comforter, which is THE SOFTEST, coziest and most breathable comforter I have ever had. My husband is in love with it, and lays on the bed just to cover himself with it in the middle on the day on the weekend, I am not kidding it would be funny if it he wasn’t neglecting something else, like taking the trash out or ironing his work clothes!!! hahaha!

Make sure to visit The Company Store, guys! You know how honest I am, so when I recommend something to you, I take it very seriously because I know you trust me.

They are a joy to work with and the quality of their products is truly outstanding!