How To Clean A Corian Sink

Our kitchen sink is a white Corian sink.  I hate it.  It's darn near impossible to keep looking clean, even if it is clean.  It came with the house and I have tried and tried to find a cleaner that keeps it looking white instead of dingy and dirty.  

When we moved in, there was a little bottle of cleaner under the sink made specifically for cleaning Corian surfaces.  I used it once and the fumes from it just about knocked me over.  It literally burned my lungs.  It actually worked really well, but I decided I probably shouldn't use it.  Anything that potent can't be healthy.  So I set about on a quest for finding the perfect cleaning solution.  I tried just plain soap and water with a lot of elbow grease.  Adam thought to try toilet bowl cleaner and that did well until we switched to a greener, less toxic toilet bowl cleaner.  

So then I set about trying to find a non-toxic cleaning method, especially with Archer and Lyla's little lungs in the house now.  My standard cleaning solution of baking soda and vinegar didn't work.  So I did some research and baking soda and hydrogen peroxide kept coming up.  So I decided to give it a go.  Let me tell you, it worked wonders!  

Here's what I was working with before trying out the cleaning method.  

I typically only use the left side of the sink.  I always rinse it off and clean it with dish soap on a regular basis, but it was still just dirty-looking.  

On a side note, Lyla was quite curious as to why I was standing on a stool and peering into the sink.  She's a blogger in training. 

I collected my supplies.  All you need to make the cleaning solution is some hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, a bowl, and a spoon.  

I started by adding some baking soda into the bowl.  I probably used about a 1/4 cup of it.  Then I added in little bits of hydrogen peroxide and stirred until the mixture was the consistency of toothpaste.  At one point it got a little too runny, so I just added in some more baking soda.  

Next, I smeared my mixture onto the stains on the sink.  I started using a spoon to smear it on, but ended up just using my fingers.  Then I let it be for about an hour.  I hadn't intended to leave it on there for quite that long, but I got distracted with the babies and lost track of time.  I was planning to let it sit for about 20 minutes.  So I can only speak to its effectiveness if you leave it sitting for an hour.

The final step was to use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and scrub the cleaner around the sink.  (I always cut my erasers in fourths so I can throw away the smaller section after I use it.)  I didn't add any water, I just used the mixture.  I made sure to clean all the way up the sides of the sink, too.  

I was left with a sink that looked much cleaner!  It wasn't perfectly glistening, but it looked a heck of a lot better than it did.  And it didn't take much to make it happen.  Plus, I felt a lot better knowing the cleaning method didn't involve any harsh chemicals or fumes.  Gotta love a simple cleaning fix!   

These Are My Confessions: Mom Edition

My babies are almost a year old!  I have no idea where the past year has gone.  Time has a way of moving at warp speed.  I am truly trying to take everything in and really soak up the sweetness of every moment with my babies.

As I take some time to reflect on this past year and myself as a mother, I am not afraid to admit that motherhood has been far from what I expected.  It has been more amazing than I ever could have dreamed.  But it has also been so much more incredibly challenging than I imagined! 

I can still remember the kind of mom I thought I would be when I finally got pregnant with Archer and Lyla.  I was worried that I would be a little too controlling and hover a little too much over my babies.  I thought I would be hyper-organized and scheduled.  I thought I would make all their baby food and be obsessed with sanitizing everything they touched. 

Ha!  What a joke! 

Once Archer and Lyla made their arrival, everything I thought I would be as a mom seemed to fly out the window!  Of course I knew I would love them and keep them safe and make sure they felt secure.  But what I didn't know was how much freaking work and time and effort two infants take up! 

To help illustrate just how differently my parenting style has panned out, I will share a few confessions with you:

• Sometimes when I need a moment of peace and for no one to touch me, I throw a handful of cheerios on the living room floor.  It keeps Lyla, Archer, and Jazzy busy for a least five minutes.  

• I don't know any of the songs we sing at story time.  Archer and Lyla have a deep love for going to story time at our local library.  When we go, there are always several songs we sing (some of which we sing every single time) and I still don't know all the words.  I kind of just mouth the words and hope none of the other moms notice.  I keep meaning to google the lyrics to the songs, but I never seem to get around to it.  I do know the Tiny Turtle song we sing at swimming lessons, though!  I should get some sort of credit for knowing that song!  

• My underwear now comes above my belly button.  That's just how it is now.  (Sorry, Adam!)  

• When we are grocery shopping and one of them starts to get restless, I give them my car keys to chew on.  I know they are probably full of germs.  And I know there's a tiny battery in the remote that would be bad news if they somehow managed to get to and swallow.  But I would rather not get a bunch of stares (and glares) from all of the people in the grocery store when Lyla and/or Archer get bored of sitting in the shopping cart.  

• I've lost track of how many teeth they each have or how much they weigh.  When I'm at activities with other moms, conversations somehow turn to milestones.  I'm inevitably asked how many teeth they have or how much they weigh and I just make it up.  A new tooth in someone's mouth pops up, like, every other day.  And who has time to weigh their kids every day?

• I call the nurse line at our pediatrician's office at least once a week.  One of them always seems to have some sort of bump or rash or I work myself into a tizzy trying to decide exactly how much food they should be eating or how much water they should be drinking.  I'm sure the nurses play rock, paper, scissors to see who has to talk to me, yet again.  

• I let my kids crawl on the floor of a bowling alley.  If I had seen babies crawling on the floor of a bowling alley five years ago, I would be appalled.  But now that Lyla screams bloody murder because she hates being held for too long, I have loosened my bowling alley floor policy.  

• Archer somehow managed to make it all the way downstairs by himself without me knowing the other day.  Archer, Lyla and I were in Lyla's room.  I was trying to take out the clothes that are too small for them from the closet.  I guess the door hadn't fully latched shut and Archer got the door open.  Then he backed himself down the stairs.  I didn't realize it until I heard him loudly smacking his hands on the hardwood floor downstairs.  I ran out of Lylas' room, through the open door, and saw him grinning away at the bottom of the stairs.  Thank goodness we had been practicing how to back down the stairs!  That whole episode could have ended very differently!  

• I don't think my kids have ever eaten any of their food warmed up.  When we started solids, they always acted so starving that I didn't take the time to heat anything up in the microwave.  They even happily drink their bottles straight from the fridge!  They never seemed to mind and I am not going to do any more work than necessary in the kitchen.  One of these days I'll have to actually cook something for them.  I'm dreading that day.  

Motherhood isn't easy.  Most of the time I have no idea what I'm doing.  I just feel like I'm winging it most days.  But I do know I love my kids to pieces.  And given the sheer number of slobbery kisses and delighted smiles I get every day, I'm pretty sure they love me too. 

What Kid Doesn't Need A Marble Top Picnic Table?

For the babies' first birthday, Adam and I wanted to get them a kitchen set.  We threw around the idea of DIY-ing one.  But we found a heck of a deal on this KidKraft one that was just too good to pass up.  So we bought it and assembled it.  It's currently hiding in our basement waiting for the kids' birthday.  In addition to a kitchen, we decided the kids needed a table to eat all of their home-cooked meals at.  We again threw around the idea of making one ourselves, but my mom found this Little Tykes picnic table at a garage sale for $2!  That was definitely too good of a deal to pass up!  (Thanks, Grandma!)

While the table was in good shape (there were some crayon marks that my mom used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get rid of), it wasn't exactly cute.  The top was beige, the base was blue, and the seats were red.  Since this picnic table was going to live in Lyla's room, I decided I could make it look cuter with just a little bit of effort and a few supplies.

I decided to spray paint the whole thing and then use some "marble" contact paper to put on the top.  I bought a can of Rust-Oleum Spray Paint and Primer in Satin Granite.  It said on the can that it would work on plastic so I was sold.

The first thing I did was hose down the picnic table.  I wanted to make sure the surface was clean and free of any debris before spray painting.  I let it fully dry in the sun.  My original plan was to take the pieces apart and spray paint them separately, but I couldn't figure out how to get it apart.  There weren't any obvious screws or other hardware.  I tried tugging on some places that looked like connecting points, but they didn't easily come apart and I didn't want to break anything.  Plus, this was nap time and the countdown was on!  So I just decided to spray the whole table while it was fully assembled.  I laid out a flattened cardboard box in the yard and put the picnic table on it, top side down.  I held the can about 12 inches away and sprayed several thin, light coats.  It helps if you keep the can moving the whole time so you don't end up with any runs or globs of paint.  It will look like you missed some areas after a coat or two, but that's okay.  It's better to do more coats than just do one that looks bad.  

I didn't really wait until each coat fully dried before putting on the next one.  Time was not on my side, but it worked out just fine to wait just a few minutes in between coats.  Of course, I ran out of spray paint before the project was completed.  So when Archer and Lyla woke up from their naps, we took a trip to Home Depot to get some more spray paint.  They didn't seem to mind the errand because they got to ride in one of those fun race car carts.  Lyla made sure to show Archer how to correctly turn his steering wheel.  

Once Lyla and Archer were down for their afternoon nap, I went back outside to finish the spray painting.  It worked out well that I was able to get the bottom and sides completed with the first can.  That portion was dry so I just flipped the table over and started spraying the top of the table with the second can of spray paint.  I didn't worry about getting the table top absolutely perfect because I knew I was going to cover it with contact paper.

I let it dry completely for about two days before I moved onto the contact paper step.  I let it dry outside on our deck so it wouldn't be so fumy when I brought it inside.  To do the contact paper, I cut a section of contact paper that was a little bit longer than the length of the table.  I peeled off one edge and lined it up with the edge of the table.  There's actually a little lip on the table and I put the contact paper just inside that lip.  It was helpful to only take off part of the paper backing.  That way it didn't all stick together on me.  I just pulled the backing off and smoothed down the contact paper as I went along.  

Once I had the whole piece stuck on the top of the table, I really smoothed it out.  I started in the center and pushed any air bubbles out towards the sides.  

The next step was trimming away the excess contact paper along the edges.  First I tried using the edge of a pair of scissors, but that didn't give me a very crisp cut.  So I tried a razor blade next and that did the trick.  I just followed along the inside lip of the table.  I didn't push too hard because I didn't want to go through the paint or cut into the surface of the table.  Just some very slight pressure cut through the contact paper.  

Once I made it all the way around the table, I just pulled off the excess contact paper like a giant sticker.  It was very satisfying!  

It turned out super cute!  They gray will look perfect in Lyla's room with her other gray furniture.  And the "marble" gives it a touch a sophistication.  What kid doesn't need that in their toys?! ;)  I also like the fact that the contact paper is removeable, so I can just peel that up and replace it when they scribble all over it or take a few bites out of the edges.  Such a simple project that will really dress up Lyla's room!   

Our Family Room Gets a Facelift

When we first moved into our house, we were a bit overwhelmed with all the space.  Going from a tiny apartment to a house full of rooms was a bit daunting.  And we felt like we had to fill it up with furniture right away.  The fact that we had a family room and a living room was wonderful, but it meant we needed to furnish two living spaces.  We didn't really know what our style was at that point either. 

So we ended up with a red couch and love seat.  It's funny, neither Adam nor I are all that fond of the color red.  But somehow we ended up with lots of it in our house.  We had some red accents in our kitchen, so I think we felt like we needed to tie the two spaces together.  Our kitchen and family room are open to each other and share the same paint color.  After living in our house for a few years, we're not crazy about the paint color anymore and would love to change it.  But then you run into the whole If You Give A Mouse A Cookie problem once you start changing things like paint color.  If we paint the family room, we'd have to paint the kitchen because the walls carry on into the kitchen.  And we'd have to move the fish tank in order to paint the walls behind it.  And so it goes. 

Eventually we'd love to move the fish tank to the wall where the love seat currently is.  And paint the walls a light gray or blue.  And paint the paneling and trim in the family room white.  And if we paint the walls in the family room, that means we'd have to paint the walls in the kitchen.  And then we'd want to change the back splash in the kitchen.  And paint the kitchen cabinets.  And get new counter tops.  Oops...sorry you got stuck in my daydreams! 

Back to our mini facelift.  It all really started with the blinds on the doors.  When we moved in, there were very dated vertical blinds covering the doors.  (Only the left door opens, the right side is more like a floor to ceiling window.)  One of the first things we did was tear those down.  All the other windows in the house had white faux-wood blinds.  I thought all the window coverings had to match, so I bought more white faux-wood blinds.  I remember when I bought them how the guy at Home Depot asked where they were going.  I told him on a door and he warned me that they would clang around every time you open the door.  I ignored him and continued on my quest for matching window coverings.  So I bought and installed the blinds on the doors. 

Fast-forward a few years.  The blinds drive us crazy, just like the guy at Home Depot said they would.  Jazzy goes in and out those doors to go outside.  We go in and out every time we put the babies in the swing.  We use them when we grill.  And the blinds bang and clank around and are super annoying!  I personally would be okay with the doors being bare, but Adam wants there to be some sort of covering at nighttime.  It really is very logical and safe to have some way of covering up the glass on the doors.  So I talked Adam into taking down the blinds and putting up a curtain rod with curtains instead.  That way they could be open during the day and closed at night. 

I wanted to find a curtain rod that would be sturdy and could handle the curtains being pulled open and shut every day.  We decided on an industrial-looking pipe curtain rod.  It's manly and sturdy.  We got ours from Walmart because it was the most inexpensive, but I saw similar ones at Target and Lowe's. 

Once we had the curtain rod, we needed to find some curtains.  Adam and I decided we needed something with a pattern since there's nothing else going on in that room.  Adam also requested blackout curtains which would fully cover the glass at night and help with energy efficiency.  I figured navy would be a color that would tie in with the rest of our house but still look good with the red couches.  So I found some navy, almost gray, patterned curtains that were blackout and energy-efficient at Lowe's that fit the bill.  We hung the curtains so they would hang a little outside the door trim and not interfere with opening and closing the door.  The grommets at the top allow for the curtain panels to be easily opened and closed. 

I absolutely love how they have instantly turned the family room into a more beautiful space!  I actually want to spend time down there now.  I am actually writing this blog post while gazing up at our lovely, new curtains from time to time.  It also helped make the room look bigger and more open by taking down the blinds.  It was definitely the right move. 

In order to tie the curtains into the space, I decided to get a few throw pillows for the couches.  I sold our old ones through Facebook marketplace.  Since we never sat on those couches, they were in pristine condition.  With our couches as blank slates, I started to add in some throw pillows that would coordinate with the new curtains.  I had two white and navy chevron curtains that I had made a long time ago to go in the guest room that is now Archer's room.  Adam and I took the kids to TJ Maxx to hunt for pillows and we found one almost batik-like patterned one with tassels.  The tassels kept Lyla occupied while we searched for more pillows.  The other pillow we found featured a panda wearing a hat and glasses.  It's charming and whimsical.  Besides, now we have kids and have an excuse to get fun pillows. 

I found two others at Tuesday Morning.  One is a floral pattern and one has a similar pattern to the curtains.  All these seemingly random pillows actually go together quite well because they are all in the same color scheme.  I love how they instantly elevate our space. 

We also took the opportunity to pare down some of the stuff we had going on above our estate-sell find bar cabinet.  We had shelves that showcased our shot glass collection.  I know it's tacky, but we pick up a shot glass every time we go on vacation.  Adam had made some frames with bottle caps (his first woodworking project ever!).  And we also had a bottle cap map of the United States.  There was a lot going on and it was starting to look very cluttered.  So we took everything down, patched the walls, and repainted.  Adam wants to put a new finish on the frames and I've commissioned him to build something to showcase our shot glass collection.  Until we figure out exactly how we want that space to look, we decided to just leave it blank for now. 

A few final changes we made were swapping and rearranging a few things.  We swapped the rug that was in front of the door with the one that was in front of our garage door.  It was navy and fit perfectly with the color-scheme we had going on.  I moved some black cubes to our basement that were in the corner next to the bar cabinet.  That allowed us to move the bar cabinet over and make room for the curtains to hang.  I also moved the coffee table in front of the love seat.  It helped open up the room more and not block the path to the door. 

So there you have it, our family room's facelift.  It's pretty amazing how some curtains and pillows can completely transform a space.  It's now one of my favorite spaces in our home.  And Lyla and Archer are putting their stamp on the space by putting fingerprints on the windows of the doors.  Gotta love a space the whole family can enjoy.               

Eleven Months!

We are quickly closing in on a year!  Archer and Lyla made it to the eleven month mark today.  They are both growing so much every single day!  The seem to pick up new skills each and every day.  Both Lyla and Archer are on the move.  They despise holding still, especially when I am trying to take their picture.  This is the best I could do in trying to get them both in one picture.   

They are both starting to understand what words actually mean.  They've known Momma, Dada, and Jazzy for quite awhile now.  But now they know what "no no," "hi," "bye," wave," "shake," "clap," and "yuck" mean.  Archer can even say "yuck."  It's incredible how much they soak up language.  

Archer has had an exciting month!  He recently took his first unassisted steps!  He's pretty darn sturdy and has taken up to five steps on his own.  He even manages to stand up on his own without holding onto anything.  I'm sure Lyla will take note and be walking in no time.   

Archer still has separation anxiety big time and gets very upset when I leave.  He even throws a fit if I go in the kitchen and he can still see me.  I am hoping this starts to ease up soon!  He is starting to get more comfortable smiling at random people we see at the store.  He'd never be okay with them holding him, but he'll at least smile and wave at them now.  

He loves to jabber in his own little language.  He loves Jazzy and tries to pet her, but he can't quite get the concept of being gentle down.  He loves to climb on and off the fireplace and on his Pikler triangle.  He loves to be chased and will squeal with delight when we say, "I'm gonna get you!"  He loves bath time and being read a bedtime story.  He loves swinging in his swing and taking walks while riding in the stroller.   

He's been working on stacking his blocks.  He can't quite get the hang of it yet, which makes him mad.  The fact that I taped the knobs to the doors on the tv stand shut also makes him mad.  He also gets mad when he's hungry.  Other than those times, he's a pretty happy guy.  

Lyla continues to be strong-willed and independent.  She's content to crawl and gets around very quickly.  When I try to get her to walk towards me, she just plops down and crawls to me.  She is very into cruising around furniture.  She loves to walk along the edge of her toy basket and toss out every toy behind her head.  She also loves to walk along the window sill, especially if she sees a bird or bunny or Jazzy.  

Lyla is still my little social butterfly.  She offers up anyone she sees her smile and dimples.  She eats up all the attention people give her.  She loves to look out the window in her high chair and wave as all the neighbors check their mail or leave in their cars.  

Lyla wakes up happy and is content to play on her own.  She loves to jabber to herself and "read" books.  She's not so much a fan of getting her face wet during bath time.  She and Archer are starting swimming lessons soon, so we'll see how that works out.  She loves to climb on her Pikler triangle and up the stairs.  She's pretty good about stopping when she comes to the top of the stairs, but I still don't trust her to be on her own around stairs.  She loves to chew on my tassel key chain and take Jazzy to check the mail.  She only enjoys being in the stroller for about 10 minutes, so we either go on short walks or I wear her.  She's quite content when I wear her, but unfortunately it's been in the 90s for awhile so we're both soaked when we finish our walks.    

These sweethearts have certainly stolen my heart!  I am starting to plan their 1st birthday party and it's so hard to believe they are almost a year old!  It's certainly been a crazy, overwhelming, but incredibly amazing, time so far!  

Dada Makes Archer & Lyla Some Toys

Adam has put his love of woodworking into creating some toys for the babies recently.  He made something called a Pikler triangle.  It's a jungle gym of sorts for babies and toddlers to work on their fine and gross motor skills. 

Of course it turned out beautifully.  It's the kind of thing you don't mind being out in your living room because it looks so nice, as opposed to all of the other tacky-colored toys that litter our living room floor on a daily basis.

He made it out of walnut, oak and poplar so there would be a bit of contrast between the different types of wood.  Once it was all assembled, Adam put a coat of shellac over the top of it to protect it from all of the baby drool it will undoubtedly encounter.  Shellac is non-toxic and safe to use on baby toys.  It's a good thing, too, because Archer and Lyla put EVERYTHING in their mouths these days.

There are two sets of rungs that the kids can climb on.  They have both mastered climbing to the top.  But once they make it to the top, look down and realize how far off the ground they are, they holler and want us to help them back down.  There's also a two-sided ramp.  One side has slats on it that they can use as hand and foot holds.  The other side is smooth and can be used like a slide.  Both Archer and Lyla instinctively know to hold up their feet and their heads when they slide down.  It's pretty cute!

When Adam first told me about this, I thought it sounded like something the kids would enjoy.  Now that it's complete and in our living room, I have realized that I might not want them becoming so adept at climbing!  It kinda gives me a heart attack when they scale to the top of it.  And they've started to transfer their climbing skills to other areas.  Just today Archer used my leg as a ladder rung to climb on top of the ottoman.  It's only a matter of time before they scale the bookcase!  

Oh well!  This Pikler triangle certainly brings them joy.  It is fun to watch them develop new skills like seeing their little hands grasp the rungs and their little feet gain their footing.  And Lyla has a new prop to help her perfect her dance moves.   

An equally exciting addition to Lyla and Archer's toy arsenal are some wooden blocks.  Adam cut some blocks from some maple wood.  He sanded them until they were super smooth and made sure to round out all the sharp corners and edges.  After adding a coat of shellac, they were ready to be broken in by Archer and Lyla.  Jazzy wanted in on the fun too, but decided against it when Archer started tossing the blocks around.    

They both love chewing on them which is helping them cut even more teeth.  They like to clang two of them together to make fun sounds.  And they also enjoy knocking over the towers of blocks that Adam builds for them.    

It's so fun to watch what each one decides to do with the blocks.  Archer even tried to stack one block on top of the other.  He couldn't quite get it, which made him mad.  But he'll be stacking up his own towers in no time!  

Another wooden toy that I am going to commission Adam to make when the babies get a bit older are some wooden puzzles.  Adam made the one below for our friends' daughter as a birthday gift.  I think it turned out so cute!  After Adam cut out the pieces, I added a few coats of acrylic paint.  A final topcoat of shellac completed the project.  Adam has some time before he has to begin this project.  I figure we'll wait until the babies can tell us what kind of puzzle they'd like for Dada to make them.  

It's so exciting to see Adam use his talents to make toys for our babies.  I'm sure it's rewarding for him to watch Lyla and Archer play with something he created.  I can only imagine all the fun projects Adam will make for Archer and Lyla!