5 Things You Need In Your Work Space

6.23.2017

5 Things You Need In Your Work Space

I don't know about you, but I feel like my workspace reflects the kind of person I am and my character. I like things to be in order, but I also like to express myself through the things that are on my desk. Those things will define the type and quality of work I will produce. It may sound silly, but the items on my desk really help to set the mood -- in other words, I tend to work best when the things on my desk reflect the state of mind I am in. Here are 5 things that I find I always want around when I need to get creative!

Item One :: Fresh Blooms

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I feel like this a must -- not only because they're pretty to look at, but because they add a sense of freshness to the room. Before I turned twenty, I found flowers cliche and pointless. I don't know when or where, but somewhere along the line, I found myself always wanting fresh blooms inside my home. There's just something about them that radiates happiness. 

Item Two :: A Cup of Coffee (or Tea) 

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I think it's say that I'm a coffee / tea person. I love sipping on something while I get creative, work on a project, read, plan and research. I'm not an addict (as I can go days without coffee or tea), but I find that I work best when I have a cup on my desk -- it's almost like a comfort type of thing. As I think back on my "aha" moments, I specifically remember that cup of coffee that helped me along the way. 

Item Three :: Candle

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CANDLES. Oh, I love them so! I can never have to many of these things. There would be a candle on every surface in the house if I had my way. I'm a sucker for packaging and some candles come in the cutest containers that often become a great home decor item. It's just a bonus that they smell so good!

Item Four :: Art 

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I really feel like the art that you have in the room also helps set the mood. I love dozing off while I brainstorm and having a piece of art in the room to inspire you is perfect. It doesn't have to be a painting though -- it could be a snow globe, a mini statue / figurine, a motivational scripted quote or something that you created yourself. 

Item Five :: Supplies

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Notebooks, pens, a planner, cute stationary, highlighter, stickers, and a stapler! I really love having my workspace equipped because there are times when I get an idea and I just want to create. The best work gets done when it's naturally spontaneous. There is nothing worse than having a creative vibe die because you don't have what you need. 

When it comes to a workspace, I want it to be organized and tidy because if I'm honest, I am a messy worker. Paper usually goes flying everywhere and I tend to have what seems like a million start ups! It's rather ridiculous, but I sometimes shudder at all the paper I waste when I start up a project. I think in color, so I keep the hues in the room white and minimal so I can picture color in my projects without it clashing with the walls. My workspace defines my thought processes and the way I operate -- especially when I'm under pressure. It's self expression all while being a place of comfort and where the creative juices flow. 

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Teething With Nuby

6.19.2017

Teething With Nuby

Hello lovelies!

I know I said that I'd be more consistent with blogging, but I've literally been sick all month long. I've had pink eye in both eyes (in each eye and then in both) plus a sinus infection / head cold.

On top of all that, Felix has been teething since the end of May and it's been chaotic to say the least. I'm back though, for real this time and have so many things to share with you! One of the things Felix and I have been dealing with together  is the teething process.

If I've learned anything, it's that the teething stage is HARD -- on you, the routine you've set up for your little one, your sleep schedule, and it's especially hard on your baby. At almost 8 months, Felix has had a total of 5 teeth that have cut through and more are on the way! He tends to have two to three teeth that try to cut at the same time, so the pain my little guy is feeling becomes super evident from his super swollen gums and the tears he sheds when looking for relief.

One of the things I've done to deal with the teething woes is trying different kind of teething toys. I've tried multiple brands of teething toys, but the ones that Nuby USA make are the ones that my little one consistently grabs when he's looking for relief.

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR ALL TIME FAVORITES FROM NUBY:

3 Step Soothing Teether Set: I can honestly say that this set is a life saver. The first teether is easy to identify because it's the softest one in the pack -- in our set it's blue and it has soft bristles that help massage the gums. The unique design of this teether is designed to help massage babies gums all while assisting the eruption process. The second stage is teether in our set is yellow and it is still soft, but a bit firmer. This teether is made to provide stimulus to the lips and tongue in order to help the transition from nursing to chewing. The third stage teether in our set is green and is shaped like a little hand in which the fingers are supposed to help soothe sore gums. I really love this set because like most of Nuby's products, it's BPA free. They grab your little one's attention because of the colors and they really help soothe their gums. Felix will alternate these teether all day long and it makes life so much easier.

Orange Fruity Chew: So I have to say that this little teether is one of my personal favorites because it smells so good. This is a big deal for me because I find that other teether smell of rubber and I've always found that super strange. This teether is not only cute, but it smells of vanilla. It's easy for your little one to hold and the whole teether is super soft. Felix loves nibbling on this all day long. It's BPA free and comes in other fruits too -- pineapple, strawberry, and grape!

Lion Squeezy Teethe: Nuby does it again with another super adorable teether that will keep your little one busy and happy. It's made of natural and soft rubber and of course it's BPA free. The lion makes a noise when your little one nibbles on it and my little guy thinks that's the funniest thing. I keep this teether near because when the fussiness starts (especially when we're out and traveling), it's a fun distraction & a great chewing toy! 

Nana Nubs Gum Massager: I've mentioned this before, but it's one of our all time favorites! Felix loves nibbling on this -- all day long. It's made from 100% silicone which means that it's super soft and bendy.  He really bites down and hacks at the nana nubs which is great because it soothes / massages his gums. I also really love the bristles that encompass the nana nubs because it serves as a mini toothbrush -- which I call a mom win! I took this with us on a 15 hour road trip last month and Felix started to cut 3 teeth during the way back. This teether helped him so much! 

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR BABY'S TEETHERS: 

Upon opening the package, I usually like to sterilize each teether and pacifier that I let Felix nibble on. I take a mug, fill it with water and then I place hot boiling water in the cup. I let the teether sit in the cup for about 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is done, let the teether sit and air dry for a few mins that way it'll cool off and then it's ready for your baby. I do this sterilizing process whenever I feel like the teether is too "dirty."

Nuby has come out with all natural teether wipes which has made my life so much easier! These wipes smell great and are great to slip in your purse or diaper bag. The pack comes with 48 wipes and it's a literal life saver. Before these wipes, whenever Felix would drop his teething toys and pacifier, I'd be stuck with a dirty toy and a cranky baby. I've never liked using baby wipes to wipe his toys because of the smell, but  I can now feel safe with wiping the toy and not leaving a distinct and unpleasant scent on the toy. These wipes smell so nice and are non-toxic, BPA and alcohol free. I recommend this wipes to all my mom friends! 

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You can find all the items that I've listed in this post on:

Amazon.com,  Babies' R' Us, or Walmart's website! 

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NOTE:

I am part of the Nuby Parent Blogger Program. 

All that means is that Nuby sometimes sends me products free of charge for my honest review. 

This review is my own personal & honest opinion. 

This review was not influenced by the fact that I received these items for free.

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Quote of the Month | June (+ JORD Giveaway)

6.03.2017

Quote of the Month | June (+ JORD Giveaway)

Hello again!

I know it's been awhile, but I've been off vacationing in California for the last two weeks -- which means my blog posts have been scattered and not consistent. For that I am sorry, but I am back now and ready to get the ball rolling again!

This month I'm dwelling on doing less with more focus. You know, the whole quality over quantity type of thing? YAH. I need maaaajor help with that. I have the tendency to be a yes man and sign up for everything and then get overwhelmed.

Lately, I've been saying no when I'm not ready to put my 110% in it and it's been so relieving to do things that I can fully commit to, even if I feel like I'm not doing much.

While I was on vacation, I took a break from Honestly Mothering and didn't post on my IG every single day -- and if I'm going to be honest, it felt a little liberating. Don't get me wrong. I love collaborating with brands and interacting with the mom community on Instagram, but it can be a lot of work -- it was nice to take a break. Now that I'm back, I'm more committed to doing things with more focus. While I feel that my feed and posts have been my best, I want to push myself to do even better -- for me, the companies I collaborate and my readers!

Which brings me to something that I am super excited about! This has been in the works since last month and I am so excited to announce this as Father's Day is right around the corner.

I've partnered up with JORD watches to award one lucky person 100$ towards a luxury wooden watch. 

What I looooove about this giveaway is that even if you don't get the 100$ prize, JORD still gives you 25$ just for participating in the giveaway and that makes everyone who participates a winner, right?!

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE.

The watches JORD offer are a great Father's Day gift (see the Men's Watch selection here), but they also have super cute women's watches that you can snag for yourself (see Women's watch selection here). I really love the classic style and sleek appearance of the watches, so they make the perfect gift for anyone.

I really love the Reece Walnut + Navy JORD watch (pictured above). I loved it so much that I'm gifting it to Florin for his very first Father's Day. He's been on the search for the perfect watch, so hopefully I've found it!

Soooooo, you should definitely enter this because it literally takes less than 5 seconds and you could win a 100$ gift certificate!

GO ENTER :: what do you have to lose? Giveaway closes on June 18, 2016. 

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30 Days of New Wash :: A Hair Story

5.29.2017

30 Days of New Wash :: A Hair Story

I was gifted a free bottle of shampoo from the brand Hair Story in exchange for an honest review. It's called "New Wash" and is brand new to the market.

In addition to an honest review, I thought I'd log my experience with the shampoo.

Here is what New Wash claims to do:

"Say no to shampoo. New Wash is the new way to clean hair with aloe and essential oils – instead of detergent – to respect the natural moisture barrier. New Wash works on EVERY type of hair, and you’ll never need conditioner again to mask the damage that shampoo and detergent cause. Rediscover your hair, restore its vitality, and prepare to be amazed."

So, naturally I set out to be amazed and went to wash my hair 30 times using only this shampoo and recorded my thoughts, reactions and the results.

Before I start the log, I'll give a bit of my hair's story -- a Marta scalp history, routine, you know, just a little background information.  I wash my hair once a week since washing it every day has been proven to be bad for your hair. I shampoo and condition because that's how it's done. If I want to be technical, I actually condition first, and then shampoo because it's supposed to help protect the hair from the harsh chemicals in the shampoo.

Before I got pregnant, I had dry frizzy hair. I could literally go 10 days without washing my hair and having it get and look oily. However, to my dismay, pregnancy changed all that because now it only takes 2 to 3 days from the initial wash for it to look suuuuper oily (those darn hormones.) Because of that, I tend to use a lot of dry shampoo until the next wash. While using this wash, I'm gonna stay away from the dry shampoo and see if this New Wash helps with the oiliness.

Now, without further ado... 
Here is my experience with New Wash shampoo:

First Impression: The bottle I received in the mail is 8 fluid ounces and looks rather small. I'm not sure how it's supposed to last me 30 washes, but since I have shoulder length hair -- it might. It smells kind of minty and that's surprising since the only other shampoo I've encountered with a minty smell is Selsun Blue. I hope it doesn't tingle like SB though. I also looked up the retail price for 8 oz. of New Wash and it's $40 -- wowzers! This must be shampoo gold.
Wash #1: I ended up pumping about 12 squirts total for my thick shoulder length hair and that kind of worried me because I'm not sure if this bottle will make it for 30 washes. I will say that the squirts are rather thin, so maybe it will last... we'll see. Anyways, I did what the directions said to do and pumped the shampoo onto my hand then distributed into my hair, massaged it into my scalp and then took a comb to my hair before rinsing it out. No suds ensued in this process. I then rinsed which took longer than I expected. My hair felt pretty clean after that and pretty light weight. I was pleasantly surprised! I air dryed my hair and my natural waves were present without any fixative. We're off to a good start.

Wash #2: It's been about 5 days since I washed my hair last and up until today, my hair was fine. I woke up today and my hair looked like part of it was drenched in oil. It only took 10 pumps this time and I felt like it was maybe a little to much. I'm going to try 8 pumps next time. I massaged the shampoo into my scalp and then combed my hair before rinsing. As soon as I started to rinse, my hair felt instantly clean and fresh!

Wash #4: So, I dropped the bottle during my shower and the pump broke. I was pretty upset about it and was unable to fix it. I ended up squeezing thebottle and getting quarter shaped drops onto the palm of my hand. I did that 4 times before my hair felt completely covered in shampoo.

Wash #10: My hair is starting to get super oily from this shampoo. The first day this shampoo feels super clean and makes my hair look great, but come day three and I feel like my hair is glued to my scalp because of the oil my hair is producing. I hope that this goes away with time.

Wash #16: Hair still oily. I feel like with each wash it gets more oily and faster. I've also noticed that if I wash my hair with this shampoo and then using some type of styling product, I need to wash my hair the next day because it feels really stiff and uncomfortable.

Wash #24: I am super glad this trial is coming to an end because I can't handle the oiliness of my hair these days. I am prone to think that the oil levels are mostly due to my postpartum wacky hormones since I was noticing more oil secreting from my scalp before, but I find that this shampoo is really helping.

Final Wash + Impression: I am so glad this trial is over because I was having to wash my hair every other day when using New Wash. I'm hoping that I can regulate the oil levels of my scalp because this is getting out of control...

Here's What I Loved: 
- the smell :: the fact that my hair smelled minty was one of my favorite things about this shampoo.
- the idea that the shampoo is infused with essential oils.
- how clean my hair felt :: when you rinsed your hair, it felt like the dirt and grime from your hair was being stripped away.
- the way you washed your hair :: I loved not having to scrub like my life depended on it.
- hardly any dandruff :: this was AUH-MAZING! I loved not having flakes everywhere.

Here's What I Didn't Like:
- the oiliness of my hair increasing as I was using it :: again, maybe this is because of my postpartum hormones.
- the quality of the bottle :: the pump broke with one drop in the shower; making it very hard and time consuming to use.
- the price :: 40$ for only 8 ounces seems a little exaggerated.

All in all, I think New Wash is a good shampoo, it just wasn't for me -- at least not at this time. I am one of those people who can't stand oily hair and this just made me cringe toward the end. I don't know if the shampoo is to blame or if my body is going through some weird phase. However, I do think that the fact that it was able to regulate my dandruff levels was amazing! If my hair would go back to how it was pre-baby, I think this would be the shampoo for me.

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NOTE: 

I was given a bottle of New Wash free of charge for review.

However, this review is my own personal & honest opinion.

This review was not influenced by the fact that I received the mat for free.

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4 Nuby USA Products That I Love

5.22.2017

4 Nuby USA Products That I Love

Before I had Felix, I had never heard of the brand called Nuby, but as soon as I started to shop for baby items I noticed their products in a lot of places. I really like that they have affordable prices on products that are very practical and useful. Here are some products that I've tried and my honest opinion about them. 

1. Nana Nubs Gum Massager (with 360 degrees bristles): This is Felix's current obsession! He loves nibbling on it -- all day long. It's made from 100% silicone which means that it's super soft and bendy. I find that to be one of the most important things in a teething toy because  it won't hurt their gums. My little guy really bites down and hacks at the nana nubs, so I really like that I don't have to worry about him hurting his gums. I also really love the bristles that encompass the nana nubs because it serves as a mini toothbrush -- which I call a mom win!

    

2. Tub Tugs: these little bath boats are the cutest thing. Felix loves watching them float on the water during bath time. He prefers them to all the other bath toys we've gotten him thus far. I love that they come in a 2-pack which means double the fun come bath time! 

3. Teething Trends :: Necklace + Bracelet (wearable teething jewelry): the nice thing about these products is that you can wear them which means that when baby wants to chew on something, you always have it with you. The fact that you get to wear them also prevents you from having to dig into your loaded diaper bag or misplacing them -- it's so convenient to have them right at your finger tips! Both pieces of jewelry is soft and textured which helps with teething and soothing uncomfortable gums. I think these teether are a great distraction from pulling on mom's hair. When Felix sees these on mama, he instantly tries to attack them because he loves to chew on things that mom is utilizing.

(please note: the bracelet and the necklace are sold separately & they're available in different colors)

4. 360 ° Grip 'n Sip: I really love these sippy cups because they are spill proof. When you have a little man that likes to wave around everything that he can get his little hands on, that alone is a lifesaver. Without these cups I'd continue to have milk splattered everywhere. This is the first sip cup Felix has ever used and he mastered it pretty quickly. The spout is super soft made from silicone and it has a "touch and flow" feature to it. That made my life so much easier when trying to get Felix to learn how to use it. As soon as he realized that milk would come out, he then started to suck on the spout. Each sippy cup is 8 ounces and it comes in a 2-pack. They each have handles on the side so it's easier for your little one to hold. 

You can find all the items that I've listed in this post on Amazon.com or Walmart's website! I highly recommend these cute, affordable items from Nuby. They'll help your mom journey in little ways that you'll find useful, I promise!

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NOTE:

I am part of the Nuby Parent Blogger Program. 

All that means is that Nuby sometimes sends me products free of charge for my honest review. 

This review is my own personal & honest opinion. 

This review was not influenced by the fact that I received these items for free.

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Confessional :: Mrs. Overpack Her Diaper Bag

5.15.2017

Confessional :: Mrs. Overpack Her Diaper Bag

You know that mom, the one holding her purse and another gigantic bag that could probably eat her baby? The one who looks like she belongs in the circus because she's juggling all her children and a sea of different sized purses. Well, I am that mom.

So, let me just start this little bit by saying -- I am unashamed of the fact that I overpack my baby's diaper bag. Yes, it's bursting at the seams and yes, I can see that I probably don't need all the stuff that's in there, but I like to be prepared, okay?

I all I ask is that you not judge me. I mean really, I am prepared for everything from a major juice spill at Denny's to the Zombie Apocalypse.. I have and carry all the supplies needed for ALL the times coming in the near and far future. Other moms may smirk and critic my uptight demeanor, but in the end I'll be the one who's laughing.


Here are some things you should know:

1. In the end, I really won't be laughing. I'll probably be digging in my bag trying to find the supplies to help you out because I've been there. I've been short a few baby wipes, forgot to grab an extra pair of short on the day my baby has had the biggest poo of his life (and continues to fill up his diaper). I know the stress of being miles from home and not having what I need, so boo, I got you.
2. The bag must be restocked as soon as possible (or I can't sleep at night). Trust me, I've tried. I've gone to bed thinking about what I need to replace in my baby's bag and if I don't do it as soon as I think about it, I'll most likely forget -- which means little babe and I will be stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no baby wipes, soooooo I must replenish the diaper bag stock. right. now. 
3. I know I don't need all this stuff. But what if I do someday? I mean, that thought alone justifies this life choice for me. Having all the supplies next to me gives me a little piece of mind and since I'm not hurting anyone, I will continue this habit. It'll save my life one day, I just know it! 
4. I will never change. Before you call me hardheaded or stubborn, hear me out! I've tried to leave things out, but every time I leave something home, I end up needing it. Like that one time I only took 4 diapers with me because I usually only change the baby once when we're out -- baby ended up with multiple blowouts and I had to rush to the store to buy more diapers! Or that one time I left the first aid kit home and my child was gushing blood due to a really bad scraped knee? YAH. I can assure, I'll be prepared next time. 

You may find me silly, but I see myself as one practical mom ready to tackle the world with every supply I can fit in my diaper bag. If you thing my baby bag is bad, wait until you see my car.

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NOTE:

this post was a collaboration with Momidarity. 

This post was not written for compensation or reward

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