Redefining: Clean Laundry

By now we all know about the many dangers of toxins lurking in our household cleaning supplies, and for the most part - it's as easy a problem to fix as a trip to the health food store. But what about when it comes to something you just don't want to part with and can't seem to find a substancial and satisfying replacement?? For me, this was dryer sheets and the way they make my laundry soft, static-free, and subtly scented. Don't get me wrong, I haven't exactly been using bounce sheets since the day I read the news about them being choc-full of cancer causing synthetics, but I have been on the market for a greener variety since then and have only now come up satisfied! Method Baby Squeaky Clean Dryer Cloths are amazing!! They're softening, static-reducing, fresh-scent inducing, and most importantly - they're safe. I'm obsessed with the "rice milk + mallow" scent and have been freakishly inhaling fresh loads of laundry since birthing baby Hudi. It smells just like a newborn baby should - of sweet sweet milk and earthy florals - I swear, you'll be hooked! Plus, it's all just extra goodness on the scale - the real important thing here is to lessen your household toxins - start with the worst of the bad guys; your laundry methods.

P.S. I'm loving these star swaddle wraps I got from aden + anais! I know they're not super-girly, but I've been on a serious star-stint and haven't been able to turn down anything 5-pointed! Some other star-themed goodies I'm currently coveting? These totally rad superstar tights, hollywood glam hair via this headband, star-struck by kids in scarfs (I was recently inspired by my little buddy Sima B. and her fashionable neck accessory! :)), and this really retro elbow-patched sweater!

Furniture of the Future

Resource Furniture is blowing my mind! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAa6bOWB8qY&feature=player_embedded]

(Never thought I'd see a bed more functional than this one or this one!)

Nature Babies

Naturally, I've got babies on my mind... and these images of newborn baby animals popping up all over Pinterest have surprisingly got my heart smothered in mama-love.

If any of you are swooning over these teeny-tiny animal features like I am, check out the Sharon Montrose shop (I mentioned it previously here) for a modern menagerie of baby animal photography - worthy of even the most sleek and svelte homes!

Yeah, it's baby fever. :)

Weekend Round-up!

Happiest weekend wishes!! We're going for the homestretch here - each time I open my planner, my heart skips a beat seeing how close my due date is (12 days!) - so right now I'm all about last-minute pre-baby tasks. And there are heaps of them! My lists don't stop, but thankfully I've been crossing plenty off recently, and I'm starting to feel settled enough to go at any moment (besides for the unpacked hospital bag!). It was so much fun opening up boxes of stored baby gear - some things made me feel like it's been ages since my last newborn, and other things had me reeling at how recently I stored them away! Yesterday, Freida and I went through a huge box of baby things (plush rattles, swaddle blankets, newborn rompers etc.) - it was so special to be doing that with her; feeling like I've got this beautiful big girl on my hands, helping out with the newborn chores... :) So while I go through and fold this basket of freshly-laundered baby items, here are a few things I've been meaning to share over the course of this week:

- These popcorn bird-feeder garlands are such a charming fine-motor skill activity for Shabbos Shira! (Plastic needles will do the trick!)

- A whimsical read + a wonderful recipe for french toast.

- A $200 bubble blower. Baby keepsake, anyone? :)

- 2012 in Nail Laquer.

- This insanely-awesome playhouse has left me dreamy....

- This bathroom-themed survey made me laugh out loud.

- This hot-pink number got me thinking about my right to bare arms.

- I loved this honest + beautiful piece on parenhood.

- Ever wonder how much you'd earn if all your housework was done as a paying job?

- Hilarious (and ridiculous!) Super Bowl cupcakes!

Have a wonderful February weekend!!! I'll be back to share some of my hospital-bag-packing necessities next week!

Light Reading

I've been doing heaps of nighttime reading lately (mostly self-help baby books), and found myself wishing I had some sort of old-school reading light (remember those geekly little gadgets that would clip onto your book pages, hold your spot, and light up when you opened to that page??). Each night, after brushing my teeth, I head to bed with the intention of finishing another chapter in book #1 so that I can move onto book #2... but you know how it is - you say you'll be in bed reading by 10:30, but 11:15 rolls around and you're still in the living room? Anyways, I'm now at the point where I think I'm in the middle of about 5 different books! And since all are read primarily as I'm turning in for the night, I couldn't help but covet this insanely awesome bed lamp!! Not only can it shelve all 5 of my current reads, but it can hold the place in the one I fall asleep holding (my husband is rather good at removing forlorn books from sleeping clutches), and let there be (reading) light! Genius!!

This light would actually make for a creative and effective bed hack - imagine mounting these lamps to something as simple as the Ikea Malm headboards... Immediate custom made design-y beds! Pretty sweet for readers.

P.S. About those 5 books :)

A Labor of Love (I wrote about it once here.) The most perfect birthing book.

HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method (Thanks Rachey!!) Very helpful birthing techniques.

Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems (Which is what has me coveting a bedside reading lamp to begin with - Freida has been inhabiting our bedroom at night, and I need to nip this in the bud before baby!)

The Sleep Easy Solution Reading up a bit on sleep scheduling for newborns... after the first two weeks I hope to establish a bit of a eating/sleeping schedule. This book makes it easy as pie!

Eat, Sleep, Poop A common sense guide to your baby's first year - well-written facts of little lives.