6 SIMPLE Ways to Help Save The Environment!

This post was sponsored by NEW! Tide purclean as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a "hippie". While I'm not claiming to be the most eco-friendly, tree-hugging person on the planet, I do like the idea of doing my part to help save the earth and I love the notion of keeping this planet "green" for future generations. While we haven't gone as far as growing our own produce or composting yet... I am trying to make sure my family and I make little changes in our lives that will help our planet in the long run.

From choosing to cloth diaper while we are at home, to buying used clothing, and even choosing environmentally conscious cleaning products, we're doing our best to help this planet stay a little greener. Today I want to share a few different ways that we can all do our best to help this planet stay a little greener, especially if your a mama-to-be or a new parent:

As I mentioned one way we plan to do our part is cloth diapering while we are at home, once our babe arrives, of course. I'm sure it is going to be an adventure, I've been told to steer clear by a few people but I know in my heart of hearts that this is the best choice for our family. I think there will definitely be a learning curve but I'm looking forward to saving the earth one little clean booty at a time! If you're interested in learning more about the cloth diapering world, I highly suggest you check out some of the awesome CD groups on facebook!

The next way we do our best to keep the world green is buying used clothes. While this may not have a HUGE impact on the way the world works, it is one less item bought that warrants a company to manufacture more items. I love the idea of buying used when there is plenty of good merchandise on thrift store and consignment store shelves. I'll be honest and share the fact that we have bought our little princess plenty of new clothes... but most of my maternity clothing and a majority of her wardrobe have come from resale stores and I'm proud to say that! It's easy to find great deals on adorable items when you look for them and I think finding balance between buying new and used is a great way to help save the planet, even if it's just a small way of helping.

Another awesome way that we try and keep things green is buying our fruit and veggies locally - again, this may not have a huge impact but every little bit helps. While we stock up on our favorite produce, we're helping our local farmers and farmers markets flourish and in turn giving back to our area instead of large farming corporations that sell the same items in stores. It's not going to change the world overnight but if everyone shopped at farmers markets, it might change the world just a little bit.

We're also big advocates for recycling in our house! I receive LOTS of packages as a blogger so all of the cardboard we get goes straight into our recycling bin, with the occasional box being reused and sent off to a friend or family member! We also recycle boxes that our food comes in, bottles, papers, and anything else labeled as recycling friendly. This may be our biggest contribution to the environment and luckily, the neighborhood we live in provides us with a recycling container so it's easy as pie to set it out on the curb once a week and do our part!

Find Inspiration for Your Baby's Nursery & Give Back with Lorena Canals Rugs

Big Thanks to Lorena Canals for sending over this beautiful rug to include in my Baby Shower Gift Guide,
regardless all opinions expressed below are completely my own!

Getting Delainey's room together has been an adventure and we're not even closed to finished yet... We went from thinking we were going with a "Where the Wild Things Are" theme whenever we first found out we were expecting to deciding on a feminine mermaid theme once we knew our babe was a girl. We've went through a handful of different color schemes, because let's face it, I can be a bit indecisive at times. We've looked at a variety of furniture and finally decided on the pieces that we needed to be a part of her room; but one I item I knew was perfect from the get go, oddly enough, was the rug I found from Lorena Canals. Adding one of the washable rugs they make is a must for any nursery or children's room!

While it's true that most rugs for kiddos are soft and they are often used for tummy time, these beauties are washable and similar to a blanket in many ways yet they stay put and add the perfect stylish touch to any kid-friendly room! Plus, they get major bonus points from this mama to be because they fit in most standard washing machines! So there really are no worries when baby has a little spit up mishap during playtime, all you have to do is toss the rug into the wash during nap time and it'll be clean and ready for round two of playtime before baby even wakes up!

With a classic design that'll match her room through out the years, our Lorena Canals Mix Ramlal rug is going to be the perfect addition to all the changes her room undergoes through out the years. I love it's simple coloring and the fact it's uniquely made, just like all of their rugs... plus, since it's washable we don't have to worry about mishaps with finger paint or other fun adventures while she grows!

These rugs obviously aren't just your plain ol' big box store option though... Lorena Canals rugs undergo an extensive handmade elaboration process based on the selection of the best raw materials, the use of only natural dyes, the control of non-child labor in the production process, and the compliance of quality and safety standards for children - making these beauties even more unique!

The best part about Lorena Canals rugs though, is the fact the company provides schooling for children in Northern India! With the purchase of a Lorena Canals rug, you will help a child attend school. Lorena Canals believes that education is the key to mobility and vital to breaking the poverty cycle so they give back whenever possible. So not only are you rewarding your babe with an awesome new rug when you buy a Lorena Canals rug, you're rewarding another child with an education!

Sold in over 30 countries and promoted by so many amazing people including one of my favorite celebs, Chrissy Teigen, Lorena Canal rugs are the answer to spicing up the look of your nursery, no matter what them you choose.

Are you decorating your little darling's room in a pineapple theme? They have a rug for that.

What about a desert theme? They have a cactus rug you'll be gaga over.

With Ombre rugs in shades of emerald and coral to lavender blends, it was a little difficult to narrow down my choice between all of the beautiful options... but the classic look of the Mix Ramlal rug was the perfect choice for us and our nursery that I'll be officially unveiling soon! Are you looking for inspiration for your nursery? Check out these adorable baby rooms enhanced by a gorgeous Lorena Canals rug and leave me a little message sharing your favorite look in the comments below!

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!

Stay Mosquito-Free Ths Summer with Orkin on Your Side!

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Orkin; however, all thoughts and  opinions are my own.

As a mama to be, I'm hyper aware of mentions of pregnancy on the news and when I heard about the Zika virus I pretty much had a panic attack on the spot. It's not that I travel to Mexico often or even plan on visiting any time soon, it's just the fact that we live in a pretty culturally diverse area with a beach that attracts people from all over the world... It's hard not to worry that one of the millions of tourists that visit my beautiful beachy hometown will be carrying the virus and all it takes is one bite from one mosquito and my baby and I are in danger.

Unfortunately, in Florida, your own backyard can be an excellent mosquito breeding ground - all they need is one bottle cap worth of standing water and babies are on their way! Instead of being able to focus on our summer plans, all I could think about was avoiding these pesky little creatures by all means possible. With the Zika virus and the West Nile virus making headlines, it's hard not to stress about mosquitoes.

Instead of spending all summer indoors worrying, hubby and I decided we needed to be proactive and take the mosquito problem head on. While we can't walk around annihilating every little blood sucker in our area we can keep them out of our yard and that's where Orkin comes into the picture. They've got mosquito control down to a science!

We've been getting Pest Control treatments for our house monthly since we moved in last May and we've never even seen a bug in our house. So when our lovely Orkin guy mentioned that they also offer a mosquito treatment for outdoors, we knew it was something we wanted to have done to protect our precious little babe, myself, and my husband as well.

With award-winning training and advanced technology, our Orkin Man was able to look for conditions that invite mosquitoes, tackled all the current issues we had that were breeding current infestations, and stopped the life cycle of these little nuisances to help reduce the number of them in my yard. With more than 160 hours of training (in just his first year), I have confidence in my Orkin guy and know that my property is protected from these pests because of his skills - now mosquitoes don't stand a chance!

I'm happy to say after these treatments I'm confident that our summer can be full of backyard fun without the worry! We're so confident, in fact, that we're actually planning on hosting our baby shower in our backyard in July and BBQ-ing with some of our other friends in just a week or two! It's nice to be at ease in our own backyard and I'm super thankful that Orkin was able to help protect my family. 

Are you wanting to do everything you can to protect your family and those around you that are expecting from the Zika virus? Find out how Orkin's treatments are the best Zika virus precaution and why you should treat your house today - it's totally worth it! Plus, check out this infographic for tips and tricks on how to deal with mosquito bites when they happen AND how to keep those pesky mosquitoes away!

The Perfect Baby Monitor!

This post was sponsored by Baby’s Journey as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary merchandise to facilitate my review.

In case you haven't heard the news, after years of hoping to become parents, we are finally expecting our little one in September and we couldn't be any more excited! With that said, we are already nesting like crazy and want to prepare the perfect room for our little bundle of joy, as you can probably imagine. I'm choosing fabrics for personalized blankets, picking out little trinkets to decorate the nursery furniture shelves with; I'm already washing and folding all of the adorable little clothing and obviously, trying to equip the room with the best of the best when it comes to her safety and well-being!

While I'm a newbie to this parenting stuff, I've heard from seasoned parents that choosing a baby monitor can be difficult. I've been told that you don't want to be stingy when it comes to being able to keep an eye on your precious bundle of joy and I tend to agree.

So after doing hours of research, I decided that the new AT&T Smart Sync monitor will work the best for our little family. This beauty from AT&T and Baby's Journey, an innovative children's products manufacturer, offers all of the features that I know we will use! Not only does it offer the ability to see my baby at any time, it also will come in handy for documenting (and sharing) our lives!

Once I received the Smart Sync monitor in the mail, I knew I made the right choice! This super cool and sleek little gadget is SO MUCH MORE than just a monitor; I know I'll just love being able to keep track of the little things like diaper changes and feedings while also keeping an eye on my angel at any time, from the monitor or my cell phone! This simple feature provides me with true peace of mind and allows my hubs and I the ability to co-parent easily!

Plus, as I mentioned, this monitor is made for sharing! If you know me, then you know this social media guru was pretty stoked to find out I can share photos directly to Twitter and Facebook whenever I want my family & friends to see the adorable baby doing something adorable or accomplishing a milestone like sleeping through the night or rolling over on her own, all of these memories can be documented and as you can imagine, I'm so excited to share each and every accomplishment!

I know the adjustment into parenthood will be unlike anything I've ever experienced before, I've been warned; but I find comfort in knowing I'll always be able to check on my darling baby no matter where I am with the Smart Sync monitor.  The monitors are now available online and in-store at Babies “R” Us locations. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ATTSmartSync.

Take a Selfe at Home & Save Money Each Month!

This discussion is brought to you by HomeSelfe, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Saving money is a pretty big priority in our house lately, from spending less on ordering take out to scrunching and saving on our monthly bills; we are doing everything we can to save a few dollars each and every month, because as we all know, it all adds up and we need to add to our little nest egg.

If you're looking for ways to save around your house, HomeSelfe may be the answer you've been looking for. It's a new app that allows you to save $$$ with a free evaluation of your home's energy inefficiencies and it helps provide solutions for each of your issues! While saving you money each month, the savings up-front for this service are phenomenal... with the normal price of an energy audit running you around a few hundred dollars, you can spend nothing using HomeSelfe for FREE!

So how does it all work? HomeSelfe has partnered with local, state, and the nation's ten largest public utilities to develop this simple-to-use tool, allowing you to see results in your home and where it really counts - in your wallet! The patent-pending technology allows you to create a digital version of your home with a simple questionnaire you can answer at your own pace. Once your HomeSelfe is complete, you'll receive a free, easy-to-understand report that provides a crystal clear picture of your home's energy efficiency, where your place could use a little improvement, and what upgrades you really need to make ASAP.

Get ready to take action against your own home, in the best way possible. With connections to the best contractors via HomeSelfe and access to special offers & rebates, you'll be saving money while saving energy (for yourself and your home) and protecting the environment!

Are you ready to take action against the energy inefficiencies in your home? Try HomeSelfe out for yourself and don't forget to take the time to enter to win one of 4 Home Depot gift cards to help make improvements using the tool below!

CLICK HERE to ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

After you've taken the time to download HomeSelfe and use the app, as well as enter the giveaway, I'd love to hear what you found the most interesting in your results! Are you hoping to replace insulation? Do you have a water heater that's making your bill sky rocket? After learning how our house could use improvements, I'm eager to hear about your HomeSelfe results!

Fun Spring Cleaning DIY Projects

It's almost spring time and that means I'm thinking about spring cleaning... Mind you, I said "thinking". I'm not exactly implementing any of my ideas yet, but I plan to get things in order soon and with my inspirational thoughts of a clean home, comes some amazing ideas to keep things stored away in pretty little containers and creative, functional projects that I plan on making a part of my place.

Here's six different fun spring cleaning DIY projects that you'll want to make space for while you are cleaning this year:


1. We'll start with this super cute Ikea Hack. These beautiful little shelves are super easy to make and just involve a little bit of paint and elbow grease to make it this beautiful.

2. The Second DIY project you have to work on to really get your home in the perfect functioning order is this simple kitchen cabinet makeover! When everything has a place, it's much easier to find!

3. Another kitchen organization set up that I am totally eyeballing right now is this perfectly placed pantry. I love how it's all even labeled, making snack time and even cooking a little bit easier.

4. I know I'm not the only one that receives a million pieces of mail everyday and doesn't read it all at once, I mean, who has time for all the bills?! This DIY mail organizer is the perfect place to stow away all my bills for another day.

5. Organizing your laundry room is easier said than done, but this layout is super tidy and perfect for a growing family. I think a laundry system like this in our laundry room would be excellent for storage and would eliminate some of the clothing clutter that accumulates.

6. Totally in love with the idea of having even more places to store my accessories, this DIY accessories organizer project is the perfect creative way to keep all my jewelry and little pretties in their place.

There's so many ways to keep your house organizer but these projects are on the top of my list. Do you have your eye on some projects that can keep your house a little more tidy this year? Give me the details in the comments below!

Looking for more DIY inspiration? Check out these 111 Most Loved DIY projects from Homesthetics!