Currently Clicking #20

Pardon the language, but this is perfect. 

Each and every week, I gather links of all of the places I have been perusing in the great, grand internet. There are plenty of people out there doing big things and small things. Some of these are practical, some are inspiring. This week I am delving into the world of Paleo, realizing how important good real estate photography is, wanting to not sleep as much as do, hoping that I am a good mother that feels good about who I am, daydreaming about another garage sale, and drooling over the new IKEA catalog. 

1. I am slowly trying to remove dairy/grains/legumes from my diet in an attempt to get my skin to calm down after pregnancy and to fit back into my old jeans again. I have been experimenting with Paleo meals and approaches. I want to try these breakfast muffins and these apple cinnamon muffins. I love these Paleo Lunchbox ideas. I want to make cauliflower rice. Also, if anyone needs another birthday idea....I could use one of these.
2. I am a real estate photographer on the side. I am always amazed at the photographs some people place on the internet of their home in order to sell it or not sell it. Here are some absolutely terrible real estate photos.  So many wrongs. 
3. Back in my college days, which are further away from me than I realize at times, I didn't sleep very much. Now I try to sleep as much as possible with a 5 month old baby in the room next to us. Did you know though that intelligent people have one thing in common? They sleep less than the rest of us. Interesting read. It makes me want to stay up later and get stuff done like I used to. 
4. Nowadays, the simple thought of getting into a bathing suit is pretty terrifying after having a baby. Everything has shifted. Everything. Sometimes we lose sight of what really matters. A Mom's Kids Exposed What She 'Really' Looks Like, And Her Reaction Is PERFECT.
5. I've been on a kick lately again of getting rid of a lot of our stuff. We just accumulate so much stuff. Here are some tips of getting the most out a garage sale, not annoying your neighbors in the process, and getting rid of your stuff. 
6. IKEA just released their 2015 catalog. Per usual, I could buy the whole store. But on the other side of things, anything you buy from IKEA usually needs to be assembled. Here are the (humorous, yet truthful) emotional stages of IKEA furniture assembly. 

Baby Marin: Week Twenty Two

This week brought about a very messy milestone. We used our awesome IKEA highchair for the first time. Marin ate with a spoon. She tried some rice cereal which I believe ended up just about every where other than her mouth. I did further research and decided that we won't be heading down the road of rice cereal any further due to the lack of nutritional benefits. I am currently researching baby led weaning like a crazy person. Next week I'm thinking of bringing in bananas or avocado. I think the best thing right now is to just remember that up until she is one year old, solid foods are meant to be fun and experimental. Her nutrients will still come from breast milk. It was quite a fun adventure and I'll hopefully post a little video soon.

Baby Marin: Week Twenty Two.

Weekly Lovelies: Currently Clicking #10

Every week, I gather links of all of the places I have been perusing in the great, grand internet. There are plenty of people out there doing big things and small things. Some of these are practical, some are inspiring. 

I want to make sure I don't forget these some where down the road. 

1. The Ultimate Ikea Shopping List: 9 Cheap, Chic Classics
2. Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge: A 2-Week Detox plan that focuses on eating REAL food. 
3. MOTHER: A new web mag for Moms. Style, living, beauty, food, and travel. It also just looks so darn good. 
4. The Only Pizza Dough Recipe You Will Ever Need. I need this in my life. 
5. 20 Little Ways to Buy Happiness for Less Than 10 Bucks
6. A Beautiful Mess has done it again with their newest E-course: Blog Life. Learn how to make a living doing what you love. I love everything about this. 

IKEA TRIP

I can mark yet another item off of my list. My whole 28 Things List is actually going quite well. Let's see if I still say that once a baby comes into the picture. 

This list item: TAKE AN IKEA TRIP. 

I love IKEA. It's like the land of inexpensive furniture that I can actually use in my house. Did I mention there are meatballs? There are meatballs. And mashed potatoes. And Swedish everything. 

A few years back, Colorado finally got their own IKEA. When I lived in the northwest, I used to drive by the IKEA in Portland every single day on way to class. Talk about tempation. Luckily, the Denver location is a pretty long drive. Convincing my husband to drive all of the way there isn't always the easiest of tasks. But, this time, I succeeded. 

We also didn't bring the mom van (bad choice.) But, we ended up fitting everything in Ryan's car. I had to ride in the back seat on the way home. I bet we looked like an odd pair driving back to Fort Collins. 

Some of our goals for this trip: 

1. We wanted to bring back the Man Cave. Now that we don't have room mates, I figured I'd be a nice wife and let my husband have his room back. 

Sad Man Cave 

Geoff helping. Not. 

2. Since he was getting back his man space, I wanted a new rug for the living room and whatever other goodies I could find. 

3. We wanted to check out the baby/kid section at IKEA. Before this, I always breezed through that area because I didn't really have a need to look at that stuff yet. We have a lot of ideas for the nursery now. 

Our Man Cave....

I would like to take a moment and tell you that I am a total nerd. The X-Files, I Want To Believe poster, all my idea. Mulder and Scully forever. 

Our Spruced-Up Living Room....

I am obsessed with the rug and pillows. Obsessed.

A few other odds and ends from trip....

Dish Towel 

Kitchen Rugs 

This same weekend, I finally painted the accent wall in bedroom as well. 

I feel accomplished and really like these little additions to our home. I predict that we will be taking another trip to IKEA for some nursery items in the future. And meatballs. 

February Goals

Holy cow. How are we to February already? 2012 is moving far too swiftly. Must slow down. 

Have a romantic date with my man for Valentine's Day. 

Finish one DIY project. I have too many ideas floating around.  

Begin working through this book. 

Clean the garage out. Yuck. 

Make a trip to IKEA! (Hopefully!)