Category Archives: Blogging

My Ultimate Favorite Things Round-up!

I talk about favorite products a lot around here, but recently a few folks have been asking for more info on some of my favorites. So I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about some of my favorite items and why they are so amazing!

This post is in progress, so please pardon the lack of neatness! 

I’ll be using affiliate links throughout this post to take you right to my favorite products on Amazon. If you decide to buy something, it won’t cost you any extra but I’ll receive a small commission. It helps me keep my blog going and afford my next must-have items! Some of the posts might contain a coupon code so be sure to check!

*Instant Pot
Life-changing. I now have two. I can’t remember how I fed my family before I got them! Probably my top favorite invention and whoever is responsible has my undying, eternal gratitude. Yesterday returned from grocery store about 4:30 and had sweet potatoes and corned beef made in time for dinner with about 5 minutes of set up. I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again and again.

Click here to check out the Instant Pot. 

*Marpac Sound Machines
We are super vigilant with guarding sleep in our family and this is a must-have. We own three and will not travel without them. In the past we’ve used box fans and other sounds machines but because the Marpac is an electronic fan, there is NO variation or “seam” in the sound making it far superior as a white noise generator. Plus it’s way smaller than a box fan and perfectly portable.

Click here for the Marpac Sound Machine.

*Sash Bag Purse

I never knew how much I hated a purse until I switched to a Sash Bag! I never felt this way about a purse before. Beautiful, light-weight. ergonomic, doesn’t hurt my neck, eliminates need for wallet, completely organized, impossible to lose, best customer service I have ever encountered. I’m such a huge fan I’ve become a brand ambassador and as of this date I believe I’m the top referrer for the brand. It’s because switching to a beautiful, comfortable, perfectly designed crossbody bag that hugs your body is a total no-brainer!

Click here to explore the Sash Bag. (You’ll even save 10% when you buy through my link). Don’t miss the new reversible leather and cloth options, they are to die for!

*Coaster Tray-now we don’t waste cups and glasses and the kids don’t leave them everywhere.

*Vitamix-Totally worth the investment. We use our Vitamix almost every day. It’s a powerhouse appliance that lasts for years!

*NYDJ– Not Your Daughter’s Jeans are the best ever. I love them and have mostly culled my non-NYDJ jeans. They fit great and really do make you look two sizes smaller. I have found must of mine at Nordstrom Rack or thrift stores but you can also get them on Amazon. 

*Zip-it Bedding

I’m so glad we found Zip-It bedding and I have to say they’ve held up so much better than I expected. My son has a loft bed (shown in pic) and my girls have a bunk bed and it is just plain a HUGE pain to make them up and change the sheets. With our allergies, we need to wash comforters+sheets at least every two weeks, which is a tall order. With our old bedding, even when a neat-freak of an adult made them, they never looked neat because bedding isn’t designed for bunks. Now I can wash and re-make all three beds within a few hours and they look amazing. I consider Zip-it Bedding a Mom-hack for sure!

*Simplified cleaning/bath body-I’m still working out my cleaning routine but I know for sure that a simplified cleaning and bath routine works GREAT for us. We use e-cloth for cleaning (basically a budget version of Norwex) and Force of Nature cleaner!

*Color-coded towels

I love having one color per kid. It has vastly simplified our laundry and next time I need to replace towels I will probably get a separate color for myself and my husband too! It makes a huge difference in laundry and you never have to ask “Who left this towel on the floor?”

*Ikea furniture
We specifically love the Kura junior loft bed and the Mydal bunk beds. We have recently gotten the Svalnas built-in desks and love them also!

*Tangle Teezer Brushes
These are something that literally saved my time and sanity when the girls were little. I tried SO many products and SO many brushes but these were ultimately the winners! They made combing out those crazy tangled curls do-able!

*Sashka Co Bracelets
I love sashka co bracelets as a unique little gift for friends or teachers. Click here and use code CHASINGSANTEE25 to save 25% on all purchases! SASHKA CO. GLASS BEADED BRACELETS ARE HANDMADE BY SKILLED ARTISANS IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY OF NEPAL. PROCEEDS FROM YOUR PURCHASE EMPOWER WOMEN IN NEED TO RISE ABOVE POVERTY THROUGH FAIR TRADE. ROLL A BRACELET ON AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. 

*Plant Therapy Essential Oils
The more I learn about them, the more I love essential oils. I use a few Young Living products and some Doterra and I love them, but in general they are very expensive and the cost is padded to cover the direct sales platform. Plant therapy essential oils is crazy affordable and exceptional quality. I have been so happy with their safety guidelines, customer support and products. My very favorite product is Relax!


*AlexaPure Water Filter
I had been wanting a Berkey Water filter for a loooong time, but I couldn’t justify the price. We need the filter to remove fluoride, chlorine, and toxins and the AlexaPure does it all for way less! I’m super happy with it!

This post contains affiliate links. 

Liebster Award Winner

Liebster Award:

If you haven’t heard of the Liebster Award, it’s pretty much a way that bloggers help connect their readers with other great blogs. It is really more of an online blogging chain letter than anything else, but I’m excited to participate, and look forward to following the chain that continues from my nominees!

liebsteraward2

Thank you so much EatMyScience for passing the nomination to me! (and my apologies for taking so long to respond; I admit I was a little overwhelmed)! I appreciate you taking the time to give me a shout-out! I am blogging my little heart out and really appreciate when anyone notices my efforts. Jadie, I am so amazed that your blog is so new, it is really beautifully done. I look forward to reading more of your posts!

Here are my answers to your  questions:

Questions:

  • What was the moment of inspiration that motivated you to start your blog?

I guess it was a long time coming. I had blogged casually and sporadically but my mother always told me I should write professionally. Then a few of my friends really encouraged me to work on my own brand rather than just contributing to other blogs. Finally I reached the tipping point of motivation and confidence and took the leap.

  • What is your favorite post that you have written so far? Give us a link!

This is one of my favorite posts because it really takes me back to the chaos and craziness that was the first few years of parenting twins. It also reminds me of how much better things are now and that my current challenges will one day be funny memories (hopefully).

  • List a few of your favorite blogs.

www.franishtheblog.com/
http://sheaffertoldmeto.com/
www.unfancy.com

  • What is your favorite thing about writing/blogging?

I love how writing clears my head and it just feels like what I am supposed to be doing. Also, I love knowing other folks are reading my thoughts! That’s a good feeling.

  • What goals do you have for your blog in the next year?

So many goals! I would like to figure out more about design and improve the flow of my blog. I really, really want to work on my photography and photo editing skills. I need to figure out my niche a little better.

  • If you could start another blog, what would the topic be?

Maybe a blog exclusively about twin stories and twin parenting tips! My problem is that my memory is so foggy about that exhausting time that I may not be able to remember any of my own tips!

  • What advice would you give other new bloggers?

I am not sure I should be giving advice yet, but one of the most important tips I have is to proofread your blog! Spelling mistakes can ruin a good post!

  • What are your hobbies other than blogging?

Do you count being woken up ridiculously early by the same kid every day and drinking way too much coffee to make it to sunrise? I also love crafts when I have the time and shopping whether I have time or not.

  • What is your favorite food?

Coffee is my favorite thing to consume, but if I have to pick food I would probably say cheesecake. With a cup of coffee.

  • And finally, what is one random thing about your life that you think your readers would like to know?

I have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Rather than saying I have Anxiety, I like to call myself a worse-case-scenario enthusiast. If you would like me to provide you with a worse case scenario for any given situation, just email me. It’s a natural gift.

I am always early. I feel like folks may think this is because I am super uptight (and hey, I kind of am, see above). But I really just hate being stressed, and running late makes me stressed. I have found that I can avoid stress by always leaving early so that’s what I do. Since I leave early, I always arrive early.

I am not athletic at all. But I was a green belt in karate and I did once break a concrete block with my hand. I don’t really care about goals or baskets or points or teams, but kicking a guy in the crotch is very liberating.

Sorry. I see that I gave you three facts instead of ten. Over-sharer.

 

Nominees:

Finally, I get to pick my own Nominees. Here they are!

1. Caroline Ganahl

2. Grace Enough

3. Creed of Man

4. Refurbish360

Now, here’s what ya’ll have to do. That is, if you want to. I totally understand if you aren’t up for spending a couple hours of time on this post!

  1. Thank the blog that nominated you on a post and in your blog.
  2. Answer the questions asked by the blog that nominated you.
  3. Nominate 4-11 other new bloggers.
  4. Create 10 new questions for the nominees to answer.
  5. Notify all nominees via social media.

Here are the Official Rules of the Liebster Award, along with lots of graphics. 

My questions for my nominees are:

If you could pick one person in the world to read your blog, who would it be?

What is your favorite book of all time?

What’s your favorite post of all you have written (have to copy this one from Jadie!)?

What is the hardest thing about blogging?

What’s a topic you’ve wanted to blog about, but haven’t yet?

I guess that’s it! Thanks again for reading, thank you Jadie for nominating me, and thank you nominees for letting me pick you even if I didn’t ask ahead of time.

praise of his glorious grace