Luke’s construction themed nursery-complete with his new crib sheet!

Mr. Luke is now almost 10 weeks old and FINALLY I finished his nursery (I know, I’m a slacker mom). But, really, who has time to complete an entire nursery when you have a 1 year old and 3 year old running around and wearing you out?

My husband works with his hands all day- fixing up houses and does a fantastic job with it. So, for our son’s nursery theme we thought a tool/construction themed nursery would be perfect! Little by little, it tuned more into a construction theme than tools (lots of construction trucks, cones, etc) but, it is so cute!

Recently, I ordered this wood grain crib sheet on Amazon and it matches the theme so well! The material didn’t feel all that great at first but, after washing it in some Dreft and drying it, it softened right up and it fits the crib matress nice and snug. 

Here are some more pictures of his finally finished nursery. Well, just about. I always love picking up more decorations when I see them. And I think a nice construction play tug will look adorable on the ground!

Isn’t that wood grain pattern stunning?!

I made these two pictures (along with a couple other ones that are not pictured) simply using Microsoft Office and stuck them in a frame!

Miloo Breast Milk Alcohol Test Strips Review

Although I am not much of a drinker, I do enjoy an occasional glass of wine or two. I also really enjoy going on a wine tour with my (favorite) aunt once per year, which is coming up next month!

The hardest part about being a nursing mom is leaving your baby for the day and making sure he stays fed so, of course I do not want to waste any milk at all. I know that the new research suggests that if you aren’t too drunk to drive you aren’t too drunk to nurse but, I still don’t feel comfortable with it so I bought these test strips! I can test my milk to find out just how much alcohol is in it and I can mix it with sober milk until the milk doesn’t have as much alcohol in it. 

The test strips are individually wrapped and the wrapper has a color code chart to let you know how much alcohol is in your expressed milk.

I tested one out 2 hours after a glass of wine (simply by dipping the test strip in the milk) and it came back negative, just like I had hoped! Here are my results:

I will for sure bring these along on the wine tour next month so I can pump and test it right away. The peace of mind alone is totally worth it and I’m happy I went ahead and ordered them. 

If you are like me and want that peace of mind, click here to order your own!

*I do receive a small commission when you click on the link in this post and order. 

Great deal on concealer and makeup bag!

From time to time I may come across a great deal that I’ll share. Today, it is under eye concealer! As a mom with 2 toddlers and a newborn, I always have dark circles under my eyes and concealer is a must. Just $2.32 (shipping included) on Amazon and many shades to choose from. 

Order yours here!

While you’re at it, here’s a great deal on a cosmetic bag, too! Only $2.29 (including shipping!)

*I do receive a very small commission when you choose to click on the links in this post to order the product

All about me!

While the majority of my blog will be about DIY (food, decorations, etc), deals, and products that are handy for moms, wives and animal lovers, I will also post face painting related products on occasion as well. 

A little about me: 

My name is Cortney and I just celebrated by 26th birthday last week. I am a wife to my amazing husband of 3 years, Joe. He is one of the hardest working men I have ever met. He works and works and then on his one day off each week he works on our rental houses. His sacrifices allow me to be a stay at home mom to our three beautiful children. Lina is my oldest (almost 4). She is full of life and energy and she is so smart.  She just started preschool and she is loving every minute of it. Joey is our middle child (he will be 2 in December). He has the most contagious laugh and he is (almost) always super happy and easy going. For a while he was a momma’s boy but, now he loves being Daddy’s shadow. Our youngest is Baby Luke (2 months old). He is a happy little guy so far! His little coos and smiles make me light right up. 

We also have 2 husky dogs- Dante and Yukon. Dante is 10 years old now. He came to us at 8 years old when we adopted him from a family that could no longer care from him. After many tests, we found out that he has a large tumor on his liver and the time he has left on Earth is limited. My husband and I are so heart broken. He is the best dog ever and I can’t imagine life without him. 

Yukon is our 3 year old husky. He is THE FLUFFIEST dog I have ever seen. In the middle of winter, he looks like a giant Pomeranian! He is insanely energetic and at times hard to keep up with but, he’s part of our family nonetheless. (Picture is from the end of last winter)

So, yes. We have 2 adults, 3 children and 2 dogs living in this house. It can be chaotic at times! 

A little about my professional past/present: I started as an amateur face painter when I was 13 years old and eventually turned it into my own business! Check out my Facebook page Here.

Face and Body Painting is a passion of mine and I love when companies contact me asking to review their supplies! It is an honor to do it and, let’s be honest, it’s a lot of fun!

In addition to that, I have worked on and off at a science center/planetarium for the last 10 years. I have worn many hats including front desk, planetarium technician and wedding/event lead. So, on occasion I may make some DIY event/wedding/party decoration posts (especially since my older two kids have birthdays coming up).
-Cortney

Miloo brand silicone breast pump Review (comparable to the Haakaa)

Today, my youngest (Baby Luke) is 2 months old! Which means we have successfully made it through two months of ups and downs while trying to establish a good breastfeeding relationship. 

Among many other battles, I have battled a serious low milk supply that has been very frustrating and almost made me give up completely! Well, recently I ordered a product from the Amazon seller Gray Nod and it is effortlessly helping build my milk supply and makes me feel much more confident in my body’s ability to produce all that Luke needs! I may be able to start putting away a small milk stash in my freezer soon because of it which is amazing!

Want to know what this miracle product is? Okay, I’ll tell you… It’s the Miloo Silicone Breast Pump! If you’ve ever heard of the Haakaa silicone breast pump, it’s JUST like that but a fraction of the price! It even comes with the lid for no extra charge; something Haakaa charges extra for (ps the lid is not air tight on either one)

Wondering how it works? Well, you are in luck because I’m going to tell you. It is as simple as sterilizing it, placing it at the breast (center your nipple to the opening) , lightly squeeze it and release which will suction it to your breast. Depending on how hard you squeeze, it may feel like your nipple is being pinched. If that’s the case, release suction and try again, squeezing a little more gently until it feels comfortable. The suction will draw your milk out while you go on feeding your baby on the other breast. 

I love this so much more than an electric pump or manual pump because it is only one piece to wash! So simple. I will say that I do not think this would replace an electric pump because it doesn’t completely empty a breast. It’s just to help catch letdown on the other side/helps build a milk supply.

Throughout the day, I use the pump 3-4 times and I am able to store away 3-4oz per day, which I used to have to feed to Luke when my milk supply wasn’t as great but now I can start freezing and storing away!

The ONLY “con” I have with this item is that the measurement is wrong on the side by 10ml or so. This is not a big deal to me because I transfer it to a storage bottle or bag and get the real measurement. I will take that con to save some money!

My two recommendations: 

1. If you don’t have an oversupply and always nurse on each side during a nursing session, use the pump after nursing your baby first from each side. That way you can make sure your baby is getting everything he or she needs and you are just boosting your supply a little. (Remember this is NOT a milk saver, it is a pump. So, using it will signal your body to make more milk. This is how I was able to increase my supply!)

2. If you are less than 6 weeks post partum, you should wait to use this product, along with any other kind of pump. Pumping in any way before 6 weeks can cause an oversupply which could lead to clogged ducts and mastitis. 

 
If you nurse on one side per feeding and don’t want to hook your electric pump or manual pump up to the other side OR you have an under supply and you are looking to increase your supply OR you only want to store a few ounces away per day, this is something I highly recommend! You can order yours here

*I do receive a very small commission when you choose to click on the link in this post to order the product