Don’t get me wrong. I love my feisty little five-year old. She’s one of the funniest people I know, a lovable little mushball and smart as a whip (whatever that means).

She is also the ultimate drama queen (we’re talking about the stomping off to her room and composing songs about how no one loves her because I told her she couldn’t have an Oreo at eight thirty in the morning kind of drama queen).

Because of the drama and the fact that I had another little girl at the end of March, this summer has felt incredibly loooooong. We can’t do as much as Sam is used to and my attention is a bit diverted. This is the perfect recipe for drama soup, which just so happens to be my sweet pea’s specialty.

Samantha is totally fine if she has some sort of project to work on, which is why I was thrilled to come across a helpful article in this month’s Disney Family Fun magazine. The story was about a family who had this special jar that they filled with scraps of paper that had fun activities written on them. From baking cookies to berry picking, it sounded right up my little lady’s alley.

So we decided to do our own version…

We grabbed an old oats container and scraps of paper Sam had cut up the day before. She meticulously colored all of the scraps (it was so tiring she had to “take a bweak” when she was done), glued them to the container and added jewels (all while mommy magically got some writing done!).

We then added things we like to do: from spa day (where I give her a mani-pedi while she has a homemade facial) to garage sales (which she also happens to call antique or thrift shops).

So far it’s worked out great. She feels like whatever she picks is her idea and not something I came up with, which is always a bonus (hmm. sounds a little like her father…). She also likes that it comes from a pretty container, which automatically makes it cool.

Now I just have to remember to think up new activities before the next vacation…

I’ve been thinking about storage solutions a lot lately– specifically a solution to hide Samantha’s ever-growing pyramid of toys. While Barbie legs and My Little Ponies peeking out of every corner of the house might be somewhat expected when you have two girls, I’d love it if my living room didn’t look like a volcano erupted in it, spewing pink lava as far as the eye can see.

So like I said. I’ve been trying to think of creative (inexpensive) ways to store her mess that doesn’t involve buying more plastic bins. My hunt has led me to the wonderful world of vintage trunks and suitcases.

via Country Living

It’s perfect! Cheap, eco-friendly, and interesting–which is always a winning combo in my book. Better yet, they’re the perfect size to hold dolls and tea sets while keeping them all together and out of sight.

Plus, she and my nephew love to pretend they’re going on trips whenever he comes over to play (usually Africa by boat or train but sometimes they take a plane to California). When they inevitably dump all the toys on the floor, they can use the suitcases as toys too (I’ll just have to bribe them with chocolate to make sure all the toys end up back in the suitcases in the end).

Suitcases also happen to be a perfect big girl storage solution. I love the idea of stacking them to make a bedside table like in the photo below.

via Elements of Style

It’s a great place to store extra blankets (lord knows I have a never-ending supply of those!) or off-season clothes–just make sure you don’t put something you use a lot in the bottom. That would make this look go from cute to unbearably annoying in no time.

I think my favorite idea is the one above from Design*Sponge. They give an insanely easy DIY tutorial on turning a vintage suitcase into a table. How cool is that? It makes for a great conversation piece with lots of charm and it lets you stash your junk out of site. I love it!

Here are some vintage pieces that I found on Etsy…

1 via The Vintage Treehouse :: 2 via Simply Chic Treasures :: 3 via Ets Place
4 via California Senora :: 5 via The House of Oliver :: 6 via West on Cole

I realize this might fall under the “too much information” category for a lot of people. But I don’t care. If you’re not feeling it, check back tomorrow instead, when boobs won’t be center stage (but vintage luggage will!).

Since 1991, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action has been celebrating World Breastfeeding Week as a way to promote and support breastfeeding worldwide. As a breastfeeding momma myself, I thought it would be fitting to do a post about it this week.

There are a lot of people out there who think it’s gross or weird, but I think it’s one of the most beautiful and natural things in the world. Humans have been doing it for millions of years.

If you’re able to do it, I don’t quite understand why you wouldn’t considering all of the health benefits linked with breastfeeding (not the least of which being the fact that you pass your immunities to your little bundle).

I love that supermodel Miranda Kerr posted the photo at the top of her breastfeeding her son Flynn (taken by proud papa Orlando Bloom) on her Kora Organics blog. Even though you see more of her in her Victoria’s Secret photos, some people were put off by this sweet photo. I just don’t get it!

What do you think about the issue?

Nursing Wear

1 Motherwear :: 2 Gilligan and O’Malley :: 3 Milk Nursingwear
4 Manhattan :: 5 A Pea in the Pod :: 6 Annee Matthew :: 7 LatchOn

My older daughter just turned five a few weeks ago. Sometimes I look at her and just can’t believe how big she is. From the way she carries herself to the way she speaks–and the attitude that flows so freely from her already! It’s obvious that my baby isn’t a baby anymore (tear).

The older she gets, the more often stomps her way down the hallway and shuts herself up in her room (I know, it will only get worse) to demonstrate her individuality and give a metaphorical middle finger to my husband and I. Each time I make my way into her room to discuss her latest tiff, I can’t help but notice how woefully underdecorated it is (yes I just made that word up).

So now while she sulks, I find myself poring over photos of kid’s bedrooms…

Samantha’s room is purple (actually, it’s almost the exact same color as that second photo). This is not about to change–not only because I don’t have the time or patience to do it, but because Miss Thing is not big on change. She’s fine with beautifying, but don’t you dare move her pencils from the spot she keeps them in. Because of this, I’ve decided to focus on artwork for her walls for the time being.

The color of her walls is light and airy and a little whimsical. I think art that plays off of that would be perfect.

I love this print. First of all, blue is her favorite color and this shade will work nicely with her walls. It’s also fun and playful, which is what I’m looking for. Plus, if you know her, you know this print fits her Type A, grab the bull by the horns and boss everyone around personality. 😉

I also love the idea of dreamy photography and I absolutely adore this set of prints! Not only is she a huge fan of carousels (what little girl isn’t?), but the colors are perfect and it’s something that wouldn’t get old too quickly.

This one is also super dreamy–and it features Cinderella’s castle. Sam is obsessed with princesses and Cinderella is definitely one of her favorites so this could be perfect.

While we’re on the subject of princesses…

I couldn’t really go wrong with anything Cinderella themed…

or princess in general for that matter. Maybe a grouping of different princess prints would work? Wild and Free has a bunch of cute and simple Disney princess prints available.

She’s also been really into Rapunzel since Tangled came out. She loves reading different versions of it at bedtime.

She’s also a huge fan of Princess and the Pea–in fact, for Halloween this year she wants to dress up as a princess and she wants her new sister to be the pea (can we say slight adjustment issues?).

She’s actually into just about any fairy tale or folk tale. She loves books, just like mommy and daddy.

Maybe a print that reflects her love of books and reading would be cute.

Or a quote from one of her favorite stories. I’m always telling her I’ll eat her up I love her so and she’s always pretending to hate that I say it.

If we’re going with inside jokes, I could always go with a nesting doll print. My family always jokes that my mom and I are like little Russian nesting dolls and that Samantha is the next doll in our set. This set of three dolls would be perfect!

What do you think? Where do you look for decorating inspiration?

As if the gloominess and bad hair that all this rain is bringing isn’t bad enough, it’s also making me increasingly lazy. I mean, really. Who wants to leave the house when it means getting soaked? Especially when it means wrapping up a newborn and trying to keep her warm and dry while your almost five-year old jumps in every puddle in sight.

But I said I was trying to find the positive in everything, right?

If the rain is going to prevent me from walking off my baby weight in the park, I’ll just have to scrape my ass off the couch and find something fabulous to do inside.

This afternoon I’m thinking yoga. Aside from being awesome in it’s own right, it’s something my daughter can actually do with me (her favorite is the tree pose and she can do it better than most adults). So while I stretch and tone my core, I can be sure she’s not off somewhere getting into trouble. Instead, she’ll be next to me giggling at my form.

What do you do to feel good in bad weather?

1 Old Navy :: 2 Gaiam :: 3 Au Lac Designs :: 4 Gaiam

1 Drishti dress outfit :: 2 Athleta Inhale pant outfit