Month: August 2019

Daily schedule as a stay-at-home mom

Published on by emmamaxinemarin1 Comment

How I keep my house clean with a newborn is not exactly easy but in this first month we’ve gotten into a good routine to do it! (No I am not perfect and do NOT do this everyday, rest, happiness and nourishment are bigger priorities!) Also I have no idea how we will keep the house clean when I return to work too.

If you just want to see baby photos, scroll to the end.

9:00 AM Feed baby, and make bed.

9:30 AM Start laundry, eat breakfast and watch TV episode.

11:00 AM Feed baby, switch laundry, do dishes then shower (I can only shower if someone else is home).

11:30 AM Eat lunch, and run any needed errands. (If no errands then clean kitchen, bathroom, living room or office.)

1:00 PM Feed baby, fold laundry and watch TV episode.

2:00 PM NAP! (Or lay down on the couch with baby and think about napping LOL.)

3:00 PM Feed baby, do choice of leisure activity (go on a walk, craft, read, write, scroll social media.)

5:00 PM Feed baby.

5:30PM Make supper, eat & enjoy. Start movie now if it’s in the plan.

7:00 PM Feed baby, watch movie or read.

9:00 PM Feed baby, go to sleep.

I go to bed early because we wake up every 2-3 hours to eat throughout the night. This way I have time to try and catch more sleep.

After a good morning feeding I can typically leave Marcel in bed with Vincent so I can have a quiet hour to myself.
When Vincent isn’t home we typically curl up in the recliner, and yes by “we” I mean Marcel, Dixie and myself. I do love this time together.
When Marcel is fussy during the day and I need to get stuff done I will wear my DIY scarf wrap.

Find your perfect entryway …

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Every person is different so of course their home will be different too. Here are some examples of functional and beautiful entryways for different types of people:

Young professional: You don’t need much as a young professional and you probably don’t have much space. The simplest thing is to have a bench where you can sit to tie your shoes, store them underneath and a hook for your coat and purse. You can dress it up or dress it down but the simpler the better!

50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (25)
50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (31)
50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (33)

Working family: The easiest way to stay organized as a working family is to keep things separated by person! Cubbies work well, to have them include a few hooks, a basket for small things and a space for shoes helps immensely. The space also needs to be easily accessible so right next to the front (or back) door works well or to have a separate room to hide the clutter. Lastly, the space needs to be durable. Tough flooring such as ceramic tile, luxury vinyl or old fashioned hardwood work well. If you have a rug look for indoor/outdoor rugs that stand up to the elements better, they are typically made from sisal, jute or synthetic materials such as polypropylene. When it comes to the cabinetry make sure the wood wont dent, chip or crack easily. Hickory, oak or hard maple are much better to use than pine, cherry or walnut.

50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (6)
50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (5)
50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (10)

Farm/Outdoor Laborer: With messy jobs comes a messy house, the best way to combat that taking over is to use a laundry room / entry way combo, a mudroom! This way you can throw those manure covered pants into the washer right away or keep your concrete covered boots away from the rest of the house. Combine this with any of the other entry ideas to fit your lifestyle!

Retiree: It’s funny about getting older, you start to need similar things like you did when you were young. Going back to simplicity here but with some gained knowledge. You know that you need more support to get up after tying those shoes so having a bench with arms is nice, you also know that a durable floor is needed so it will last and you also know that a first impression is important so you show off what is important to you may it be family photos, a gorgeous painting your husband made or a simple bouquet of flowers.

50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (11)
50 Stunning Farmhouse Mudroom Decor Ideas And Remodel (42)
, Favorite Things Friday

Why should you hire an interior designer …

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This is a question a lot of people blow over and in the end it can get you into trouble. Here are 7 reasons I learned why you SHOULD hire an interior designer.

1. They act as an advocate for all parties involved in the decision making. (Husband, wife, kids and builders) This will save you lots of headaches and fights.

2. They will have more ideas than what you’ve collected on Pinterest, or they will actually know how to pursue those Pinterest ideas!

3. They make sure your project is being built safely and will meet the codes and laws for your area. Those books of codes are very large and can be confusing to someone who isn’t trained on what to look for.

4. They know where to go to find the supplies, furniture, decor and other supplies you need so you don’t have to search the 1,500 stores for that correct piece!

5. To have a personal negotiator. They might just be able to talk your builder into those stain glass windows you want even though he hates installing them.

6. They can make your kitchen (or bath or pantry or whatever) both functional and beautiful.

7. They make sure that you are happy when the project is done and that you don’t have anything that you’ll regret 5-20 years later.

Anxiety about getting pregnant …

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In November of 2017 I had been fed up with dealing with painful menstruation cycles and ovarian cysts that ruptured that I went to see my doctor about what I could do to fix this. After a lot of blood tests, a few more ultrasounds (than the probably 50 I had before this for my re-occurring ovarian cysts.) and some deep conversations my doctor and I decided to do an exploratory surgery to diagnose if I had endometriosis. This happened in December 2017, it turned out that I did not have endometriosis but I had a large amount of scar tissue on my ovaries that was causing problems.

That finding still did not answer all of my questions. My physical health was back to normal but mentally I was even more confused. I was freshly engaged and I knew we both wanted kids right away but had no idea if I would be able to get pregnant.

This thought terrified me to my very core. I would have total breakdowns randomly throughout the day when the smallest things about babies, and pregnancy were mentioned. I noticed this before it was too bad and started seeing a therapist. They helped me through the issues giving me a place to vent out all of my anxieties.

The main moral behind this story is that when you are having problems, physically or mentally please do see your provider! I was hesitant at first because a lot of times I felt like I got the run-around with doctors just wanting to get me in and out as fast as possible but if you do your research and find a provider that has the same beliefs as you (and interests help too) it is much more comfortable to work with them.

Happily I got married and a few months after I did get pregnant after a fun little story I will tell you soon, I gave birth to my son, Marcel Joseph. The same doctor who performed my exploratory surgery performed my emergency c-section delivery. I will tell that story in a post to come.

Disclaimer: I am not giving medical advice in this post, just telling my story.

How I have learned …

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I attended Alexandria Technical and Community College for a degree in Interior Design. This was a two year program that honestly was so much harder than I anticipated! We started the year off with 20 students and only graduated with 11. This really was because a lot of people enter the degree thinking it’ll be all about making rooms pretty by adding decorations and moving some furniture but in all reality Interior Design you need to know building code, construction methods, extremely specific product information and a lot more. However I do still enjoy making things pretty as you can see in a few of my projects below!

How I keep house …

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As a young woman only married in September 2018 and a very new mom I haven’t had a world of experience in keeping up my own household but so far this is how I have gone about doing it. I want to share this with you because even though I’m a newbie in this field I still have found some great things that are helpful!

Baking soda and white vinegar go a LONG way. I use these products for a lot of things, such as;

Clearing drains. I put a 1/4 cup of baking soda directly into the drain (less for a sink) and then pour white vinegar over top (about a cup or more until the fizzing settles) to create the chemical reaction which fizzes. I let this sit for five minutes and then will either run the hot water straight from the faucet or if it is a really bad clog I will actually pour boiling water from my kettle.

Washing windows. I mix one cup white vinegar with plain tap water in a squirt bottle to create my own, healthier, “windex.” This works super well with a microfiber cloth or if you like paper towels they work too but best if you wipe in a circular motion to create more abrasion.

Disinfectant. I will use a cup of white vinegar in warm/hot water to disinfect and de-smelly my Tupperware containers, travel mugs, water bottles and more. This is quick and simple but vinegar is really good at de-scaling these items from build up and getting rid of those nasty odors.

Laundry. When I have smelly towels I will put a cup of white vinegar directly into my washer along with my regular detergent and then come out smelling so clean! Also I will use baking soda to get out stains, it works well to mix with a little water to make a paste to get out grease stains and also mixed with dish soap for more set in stains.

Washing my face. I use baking soda in paste form to wash my face. I started doing this shortly after getting pregnant because my skin was so sensitive to all my other face washes! It really works well, doesn’t make my skin feel super tight after using it and acts as a mild exfoliant. I do of course still put moisturizer on my face when I get out of the shower but I’d recommend you try this at least once.

My second favorite thing is Grove Collaborative, which is an auto-shipment service that delivers eco-friendly home, beauty, and personal care products when you need them. It is customizable so you can get products every month or at your own desired frequency. I don’t use the auto-ship service myself but I like to order singular products at a time when I need something more than vinegar to get the job done or when I am interested in changing another product I use to a more natural item such as shampoo & conditioner.

If you’d like to check it out here is my reference code! https://www.grove.co/referrer/3510269/ (I will receive $10 credit after your first purchase with the use of this code.)

My love for interior design …

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I choose to write my first post about my love for Interior Design. I found the love for it at a very young age when my mom gave me the opportunity to be creative in decorating my bedroom. Now at a young age my choices were exactly that, young. Rainbow covered curtains, hand print covered furniture and a wonderful mess of toys as you can see below.

Featuring the adorable dachshund Oscar Meyer Wiener, my childhood pet.
Notice the string lights in the reflection of the window.

Luckily as I grew older my understanding of style did grow, somewhat slowly, but it did grow! I didn’t however know I wanted to pursue a career in Interior Design until freshman year of high school when I took what I thought was a silly test to see what career I’d do best in. Can you guess the results? Yes, it said Interior Designer and as it turned out my best friends aunt was a local designer. I watched how she worked and became so interested, with Pinterest as a huge platform for design inspiration coming out all I could think about was Interior Design for the following years of high school.

Now as an educated designer, yet young adult, I spend my days arranging and re-arranging our rental house and planning all my ideas for our future home (which hopefully is soon to come!). This really didn’t all come to my understanding though for a while, that’s why I find it important for children to take focus on the things that actually interest them because most likely that little thing will become their whole adult lives.

Follow me on Pinterest for some design inspiration! https://www.pinterest.com/EmmaMMarin/

Hello, I am Emma Maxine…

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I am from Minnesota currently living in the central part of the state with my husband Vincent, new baby boy Marcel and dog Dixie. I met my husband during college at Alexandria Technical and Community College where I obtained a degree in Interior Design. I worked for a few years in that field then decided to take time off (only a year) when I got married and then pregnant! I am now looking at re-entering the design field full swing ahead and will be sharing my stories with you in this platform.

I do hope you enjoy my posts and gain inspiration or knowledge from them!

And with that here we go!