I don’t know about you, but I was sleeping on a mattress that never really gave me a good night’s sleep.  After having 3 kids I continued to have problems with my back and neck and often woke up with aches and pains.  I felt much older than my 33 years and I knew we needed a change but mattress shopping can be really difficult and I did not know exactly what we were looking for.  Lucky for me, the perfect choice landed in front of me!

Last year I was asked to tour the Serta Mattress headquarters and factory with 7 other fabulous bloggers and I can honestly say we were blown away by the care and quality that goes into all of these mattresses and that effort Serta put into making their workplace as much of a haven as possible for their employees.  At the end of the tour we got to test all of the iComfort models and choose one for our own homes.  We had no trouble rolling around together on these beds and playing with the massage and adjustments. I think we were all a little in love with the comfort level.

A Little About the iComfort

The iComfort is a memory foam mattress, but Serta has totally changed the game.  Everyone loves the pressure relieving aspects of memory foam beds and the fact that they don’t need different numbers to be great for different sleepers.  Yes, I know people love to wonder if you can really rest a glass of wine on one, but I have not tried that.  What many people complained about with memory foam was that it slept hot, that they sunk in or that it was hard to change positions.  Well, Serta changed all that!  Memory foam technology hadn’t changed much in 40 years and Serta rocked that boat and has a frame that is adjustable and gives a massage!

The gel microbeads in the iComfort will not only move to the parts of your body that need more support (instead of just allowing your whole body to sink) but they also have an open cell structure that allows airflow and actually takes heat away from your body.  I can tell your from experience that both me and my husband sleep hot and we have no complaints in the iComfort.  After a few months, we are still as giddy about this bed as the first day.

Hello Luxury Adjustable Bed!

I have to admit, I was more than little curious about an adjustable base on my bed.  However, I adored being able to adjust my hospital bed when I had my babies and I thought it might be fun to have.  Fun is not the right word.  I adore it.  Not only does it help to relieve pressure on my back if I am reading or typing (the TV / PC setting rocks) but it allows us to elevate our legs if I need specific relief in my lower back or to help my circulation.  I actually really messed up my tailbone over Christmas when I smashed it into the corner of a table and guess what?  They only place I am totally comfortable sitting is in my bed.  We also pile in bed and let the kids put the back up for books.  They love it!  The adjustable base is more expensive, but in this case if I could afford it, I would go for it.  You spend a lot of time in bed and should spend what you can afford to have the most restful night of sleep possible.

The iComfort Models

You can love a firm bed and love the iComfort.  Like regular mattresses, Serta has incorporated 4 comfort levels to the iComfort.  We got to try them all and really, they are all wonderful.  However, out of 7 women every bed was picked by at least one person.  We are all different!

From the right, you are looking at the Insight, the Genius, the Revolution and the Prodigy.  The Insight is the basic iComfort model.  The Genius is for lovers of extra firm beds.  The Revolution (the bed we chose) is a big old balance between firm support and plush comfort on the top.  The Prodigy is for all those cushy pillow top lovers out there.  Serta has also released a new model, the Renewal Refined, which I have not tried.  It is like the ultimate bed, with 5 layers of luxurious foam, gel and support.

One thing you should note with the iComfort beds is that the “box spring” is upholstered like the edge of the mattress and looks really good.  I have not gotten around to building my headboard yet and this is not bothering me with this bed.  However, the adjustable base will fit inside a standard bed frame as long as it is well supported and the legs are removed.  If you keep the legs on, they are a very good looking dark brown.  Also note space requirements.  For queens and smaller, the base is one piece, so make sure it will fit up the stairs or in your elevator!  We finally got the king bed I have dreamed of and I am glad because that base comes in two pieces.  I don’t think the queen would have fit up the strange staircase in this old house.

The iComfort models run from around $899 for a twin XL insight with a standard box spring to $3499 for the Renewal Refined in a King with a standard box spring.  The adjustable base is about $1600 for a king.

What Makes a Serta Mattress Special?

Touring the Serta headquarters and main factory was an eye opener.  I was happy to hear that 95% of Serta’s materials are made right here in the U.S.A.  Did you know it takes about an hour to make a mattress at Serta?  That means that they can have a lean process where mattresses are not made unless they are ordered.  They don’t have to hold tons of inventory, because your mattress is made for you.  Watching a mattress get made was super fun, not only because I love machines, but because I love watching men sew.   The iComfort is Serta’s newest addition and is a memory foam mattress.  Of course, they have a full line of mattresses with the traditional innerspring support system inside layers of soft comfort levels.  Serta also uses a proprietary blend of fibers to create their Fireblocker layer, which helps to isolate the impact of a fire and prevent the spread of flames.

Serta tests each mattress configuration rigorously to make sure that your mattress will last and remain comfortable for a good long time.  They have machines that simulate sleep and ones that behave like your crazy jumping child if he was a lot heavier and jumped for months straight.  I am pretty sure that was my favorite!

Depending on which mattress they are making, somewhere between 2-5 layers will go into the comfort level (that’s the top part that makes you happy) and be sewn together by this baby.

It comes out looking very like a mattress top right?

After the top layers are sewn and the frame is given corner supports it is ready to be sewn together and literally goes very quickly from a cool mess to a very comfy bed!  Here you can see the top and bottom pieces with the fabric edge added to come around the frame.  They are stapled on using a very cool looking staple gun that I did not get to try.  Sad panda.  I love tools.

This awesomeness is inside.  Yes, please!

Then Mr. Awesome (any man who sews earns that title) sews it all together and voila!  A brand new mattress!

Win Your Own Serta iComfort Sleep System!

Any Size, any style and any base.  Yep, you choose your perfect night’s sleep!  I am over the moon to offer this to you.  This is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in and I am proud to share the iComfort with you and also Serta’s commitment to making the world’s best mattress.  That tagline totally fits.

This is a huge prize and I am offering a few ways you can win but make sure you do the mandatory entry and tell me in the comments about your mattress and what you want in a new one.

Good Luck!

Disclosure: Serta  sent me the Revolution iComfort Sleep System with Adjustable base and they paid for my travel costs to attend the iComfort Blogger Experience as well as a stipend for tax purposes.  The opinions and reviews here are my own and have not been changed or altered by anyone else.  This is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.  Even fancy hotels pale in comparison.  That’s my opinion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am not one to curse on my blog or out loud much really.  In my head it is a whole different story, but that is beside the point.

There is no other word but shit for our weekend.  It was everywhere.  Literally.

Violet is all good with pee pee in the potty and she just LOVES wearing undies.  She even potty trained her doll.  How sweet is she?

What she doesn’t relish is putting her nasty poop in that potty and it is driving us crazy.  It doesn’t matter if she has undies or a pull up on, she goes right in it and then takes it off with shit going everywhere and then sits on the potty, spreading the nasty all over everything.  Of course, I thought, the solution is simple.  She can be as naked as the day she is born and I will follow her around like a hawk.  When she makes that very obvious shit face, I will place her on the potty and she will learn.  It is not rocket science, right?

It could have worked, but Miles got sick this weekend. He came into my room late Friday night saying his body hurt and I heard the sound of his stomach turning.  In order to save my bed I sacrificed the carpet.  I spun him around (that’s the gentle way of putting it.  We have a brand new bed.) and he threw up all the way from my bed to the bathroom and to the potty.  He had nothing left.  It was all on the carpet.  We cuddled him and cleaned him and changed him and then I spent an hour cleaning our carpet, but I knew that this stain, like the ones in the other bedrooms, would be nearly impossible to get out.

On Saturday morning I was performing my hawk like observation of Violet when I head Miles cry out, “Mom, my toots are exploding!”.  I glanced at Violet and ran to see Miles trying to run down the hall with diarrhea running down his pant legs.  He started bawling and Ross and I were at a loss for a moment.  Don’t be shocked, we love him but that was just a lot to take in and we had to figure out a plan for getting him out of his clothes.  It turns out there is no good way and we all ended up covered in shit.  Thank God I rolled up my sleeves.  Miles’ clothes were not salvageable.  In fact, we have sacrificed 3 pairs of pants completely this week.  They were not worth saving, I promise.

This whole horror story lasted only a few minutes when we remembered Violet.  We looked in and she looked fine and happy.  Then we saw the floor.  Littered amongst the logos and the figures was a bunch of scattered turds.  One she had stepped in.  As gross as this was, it was better than the previous accident.  She looked at the poop and started to pick it up to put it in the potty.  At that moment I almost threw up too.

Needless to say, I cleaned a lot of floors Saturday morning.  I cleaned a lot of body parts.  I cleaned a lot of toys.

Let’s just say Miles got antibiotics and they have made him feel better but his toots keep exploding.  And he keeps yelling “exploding toots mom!”.

It’s been a long few days.

You might be wondering about the sunshine?  Well, first, we are getting there on the potty training.  That will be a big amen moment! Even better though, after 6 years in this house with carpets that have always needed replacing, we are getting new carpet!  My big wish got moved to the top of the list when we surveyed the damage of the past few days coupled with all the stuff that came on the carpet from the previous owners with 5 dogs.  It’s hard to move “not needed” things up the list with my husband, but this few days of shit totally did it!

I will totally be posting the whole before and after on Tip Top Nest, so I hope you can check it out!  It is my brand new home blog.  So there’s some sunshine too.  I love it!

I am off to continue moving all of the furniture out of the bedrooms.  I hope you are having a much less shitty time than I am!

Guess what?  eBay just launched their new site at green.eBay.com and to celebrate and encourage people to shop green when they can, they are having a contest where a lucky eBay green member will win a $1000 eBay giftcard!  To be honest, I am totally digging the new site and the concept.  I like to be inspired to buy, sell and think green.  The possibility to win $1000?  Well, that just makes it better!

How Can I Go Green and Win?

1. It’s pretty easy!  Follow these simple steps and you will be entered.  Good luck!
2. Go to green.ebay.com and login with your regular eBay username and password.
3. Join the Green Team!  The link is at the bottom of the page.
4. On the home page, find the Greener Alternatives and Eco Shopping List areas.  You will see an option under Greener Alternatives to add and item and under Eco Shopping to add a list.
5. Go ahead – make your list and add an item or a few.  You simply select items from eBay that are greener in any way and the site gives tons of ideas.  Think organic cotton sheets, pre-owned toys or electronics or anything pre-owned really.  I made a list called Orange You Glad You’re Green.  12 awesome orange things that make you greener.  I had fun with this!  Once you have made your list and / or added your items you are entered into the contest!  You can have 1 entry for the list and one for adding a greener alternative.  Easy peasy!

Now that we all have a chance to win $1000 to eBay, settle back and check out the site!  There are options for buying or selling green and recommendations from other eBay members, real people who have submitted an item or a list.  If you are wondering what green is all about in a site for buying and selling, eBay makes it simple.  Items that are pre-owned, resource saving and / or sustainable all help us be greener.  See?  Me buying my kids used Playmobil all the time on eBay is GREEN!  Wahoo! Here’s what eBay says.

Prevention is Key: The greenest product is one that already exists. A pre-owned find has history. By bringing it home, you extend its useful life, keep it out of the landfill, and prevent the environmental impact of producing something new.

Do More With Less: Solar powered electronics, LED or compact fluorescent lights, water conserving faucets, Energy Star appliances. All are examples of products that tread more lightly and take less of our limited natural resources.

Materials Matter: New alloys vs. recycled metals. Fast-growing bamboo vs. old-growth hardwood. From shoe soles made of old plastic soda bottles to furniture made of FSC-certified wood, sustainable products make use of re-purposed or renewable materials.

The site is fun.  There are ideas for green decorating and babying and technology and everything in between.  They also have these brand new reusable boxes coming out for eBay transactions and they track the box as it travels and record how much we are saving by reusing.  Also – the boxes are adorable.  I sort of want to have all of them and leave them in a corner to look at.  The different sizes make one big, happy tree!

If you have never sold on eBay or gave up years ago, it is time to try again.  Not only is it better to keep things out of landfills and see them re-used as much as possible, you can supplement your family’s income by using the incredible platform eBay has built to sell your items.  That’s green for the planet and for your wallet!

Go ahead, check out the new eBay Green for your chance at $1000 and the knowledge that you are so being green.

And hey, if you want to shop orange and go green, check out my list by searching in Eco-Shopping at eBay Green.  Have fun!

Full contest rules can be found here.

Disclosure:  This post was written by me as a member of the eBay Parent Panel.  All opinions are my own.  And I honestly love orange.

She had a mystery rash covering her body.  This photo was taken a little before 9 a.m.  By 10 a.m. the rash had spread to her face and the entire red portion was becoming brighter and very swollen.  Of course I called the doctor instead of typing my fears to Dr. Google when I saw the nasty red area was surrounding her eyes.

$25 Bucks for Mommy Guilt and a Mystery

Of course, as usual after you pay $25 dollars to see a professional and not the free Dr. Google, the problem is completely your fault and basically untreatable.  Violet has hives.  She is allergic to something and I am supposed to figure out which one of the million things that child touches or puts in her mouth causes this outbreak.  I am supposed to go through these million things with the knowledge that 2/3 of the time, according to the real doctor, we will never figure out what the offensive item is.

If we cannot deduce by amazing sleuthing what item causes this and it remains all over her body in 2 freaking weeks, then we will go to the allergist.  So you know, the Dr. said that often this also yields no additional information but for the list of terrible possible allergies my child might have.  Let me just say we run the gamut of allergies in this family already.  Shellfish, bees, nuts, and even grass run in my husband’s lovely blood.  Awesome.  I’m pretty sure that $50 specialist co-pay would lead to something just awful.

So we begin the process of watching every single thing she touches and hoping that this goes away so she can enjoy her 2nd birthday on Thursday.

A Molloscum is Better than a Nipple

The day got even better when I asked about the bumps on Miles’ legs that have recently become very painful and irritated.  I was told he has very common internal virus that produces wart like bumps called Molloscum Contagiosum.  About 50% of children will get them but Miles has extremely sensitive skin and as his immune system recognized these molloscums (yuck!) it did what it was supposed to and started to attack them.  Now the back of his legs is a bloody infected mess and according  to the doctor I should be cheering on his immune system for finally getting it right.  This is less than a huge Wahoo in my book.

What we are really pumped about is the fact that we thought that one of those molloscum on his chest, after a few glasses of wine, looked a lot like a third nipple.  Well we all know from Chandler on Friends that a third nipple is like totally uncool and people just want to see it and whether or not is has hair and they call it a nubbin to make it cute and well, we just hoped he didn’t have one.  We would have loved him and his third nipple, but we are happy with that molloscum that will go away after his body physically attacks and mutilates it.

Now Investing in Band-Aid and Really Cool Pants

As you may have guessed, that whole contagiosum thing means this can be spread and so, for Miles to go to school, his third nipple like molloscum will need to be covered with a water tight bandaid and he will need to wear pants to cover his knees.  Let’s hope these babies go away before the southern summer roasts my poor little guy.  Good news is this type of bump is not spreadable to me or to other grownups unless we have a compromised immune system.  So, last night’s cuddle fest will not give me the bumps.  However, there are no more baths together, which will devastate Miles and he has to wear his long pants or jammies while playing with the girls.  Poor kid.  He loves nothing more than being naked.  So this blows.

As far as illness and affliction, I know this is small potatoes compared to some stuff out there, and I am grateful that our illnesses are more gross than serious.  Still, could today have sucked much more? Probably not.

I am off to make lists of a million possible allergens.  I hope you have something more fun on your agenda.

I think us moms have a great deal to do with whether or not our little men who love to help grow into big men who know how to do complicated things like plug in the vacuum and walk around pushing it over dirt or put dirty clothes in that big metal thing, add soap and turn it on. We can even teach them that with a dry cloth and a little spray of pledge they can remove that nasty stuff called dust on their own nightstand or giant television.  We mothers are powerful people, you know.

Clearly, my mom knew what she was doing when she gave my toddler brother Graham a Eureka vacuum.  She was making him a real man.  That’s her supervising his first vacuum lesson.  Can I get an amen!

Pin It

My brother Graham has been in Charlotte for the past few months after serving our country in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea.  He is getting back on his feet after losing many friends, being medically retired from the United States Army, being diagnosed with P.T.S.D.,  and struggling as a veteran to find his way without his army family.  He is amazing in so many ways and we are happy to help him out here in Charlotte.  Not only is he fantabulous to have around with the kids (yes, he babysits and is way more fun than me) but he is a real man….one who knows his way around a vacuum.

Mom, you would be proud.  We left for a week for Disney and when we came back my baby brother Graham had cleaned our entire house.  Vacuumed, dusted, swept, picked up and basically rocked my world.  Ususally we reutn from vacations to the crapper we left with the rush of packing visible in every room.  This time we came home to a heavenly house.

Thank you Graham.  We all love you.  You are going to make some lady very lucky someday.  And not just because you can clean.

Parents…teach your men to vacuum.  It is a skill that will always be appreciated, never make him look like a wuss and hey, if he resists, treat that baby like his first power tool.  What’s more manly than that?

You should try this one on your husbands as well.  Tell them you think it is hot.  I think it is when my husband cleans.

Good Luck!

p.s. Graham has invented at least a dozen physical games for the kids that they BEG for.  I should post those don’t you think?  Another perfect addition to your honey do list.

Pin It

The problem is, for a site that is so big on sharing, it is not the easiest site to implement into your blog.  After a long time spent finding the code, I finally have the little PinIt button in my GetSocial plugin that floats in the left side of my page and I could not be happier! Now I do not have to worry about going to each individual post and choosing a URL and image.  Of course I still can choose to do this by using the Pin It instructions on the goodies page, but by having it right there with the other sharing options makes it available on each and every post I have ever written. Of course, I have added it to this post…feel free to pin!

I finally found the code snippet you will need at Chykalohpia and then I just changed it a little to get what I wanted.

The Magic Pinterest Code

If you want the PinIt button at the end of your post with other social media sharing buttons like twitter or facebook you have a few choices.

1. You can use a plugin like GetSocial as I have and add it to the additional options in the menu.
2. You can add the code to the end of each post or page in the HTML view.  This option is not preferred if you have other social media sharing icons here that will not match your new PinIt button.  However, it will work.
3. You can add the code to the loop of your post and / or page files.  Usually these are single.php or single-post.php.
4. If you are using Thesis (as I am) or another theme that has hooks you can use your hooks to add this code and the button to the bottom of posts or pages. I add code directly to my php files but you can easily break your blog this way so if you are using the Thesis plugin for hooks you would use the Thesis_Hook_After_Post.

Without further ado, the code!  Please note that this image pulls from one of my sites.  If you have a particular PinIt button you would like to use, make sure to replace the src portion of the code below with your own image file location.

<div><a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r=' Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img style="margin: 0 0 -5px 0;" onclick="doPinIt();" src="http://www.tiptopnest.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/pinitbutton.jpg" alt="Pin It" /></a></div>

As a note, when you add this to the end of your post you can modify it’s placement using the margins in the code above and / or by applying specific css rules to it.

Using the code with Get Social

I chose to add this to my Get Social plugin because it puts them with the other sharing items.  If you use a sharing plugin and it allows you to manually add a site like pinterest, this should work. Get Social is awesome because it floats next to your posts and you have the option of easily setting in the menu where it floats, how far down it starts, what color it is and what icons you want to show.

The simple code to add for Get Social is as follows.  You simply add it in the box!

<div class="sharebutton"> <div><a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r=' Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img style="margin: 0 0 -5px 0;" onclick="doPinIt();" src="http://www.tiptopnest.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/pinitbutton.jpg" alt="Pin It" /></a></div></div>

Here’s what my profile looks like.  It is full of things I love! I would love to share Pinterest with you so please check out my profile and of course, let me know if you have any questions! Let’s Get pinning!

Hard to be a wife. Hard to be a mother. Hard to be a friend. Hard to be a writer. Hard to be me.

You see, I was going all gangbusters and ready to share with you the news of our 4th baby when I found out that our beautiful child would never make it to us.  Everything stopped for me.  Instead of bursting with joy I was overcome with grief.  The day I started writing about our new addition was the day I found out that I would instead be saying goodbye.

I want to connect again.  I want to share our moments and yours.  First, I need to let go of this anger and hurt and work from a place where my heart is again open. I was not going to post the following, but I think it might help me to share my darkest moments so that I can again relish the many joys I have.

Here is my heart. I will re-build myself.

I have been in and out of everything lately.  My life, my friendships, my blog, my marriage and yes, my mothering.  Lately isn’t even the right word.  We lost our baby to a fetal teratoma months ago.  That’s a tumor.  This tumor is called an epignathus.  A tumor growing out of my baby’s precious mouth.  Since then I have been shitty at everything.  I am left feeling heartbroken about losing that child and then guilty because my parenting and wife-ing has been so far below par for the last 5 months.

I look at women who have lost children and I am amazed at how together they seem.  I can’t even imagine that grief.

I remember my past miscarriages and wonder how I got over those.  I think I only barely started to move on when we had another baby.  This time I am not sure another baby will come.

I keep talking to people and reading posts from people who are pregnant, planning to have another or done.  They seem to know where they stand.  And then I barely keep myself from crying over my response as I approach our due date in February and know that I do not want to be done.  That I wanted that child.  That I might always want another baby.

See, I can’t find the bandaid.  I don’t know what will stop this pain.

Losing that baby took any semblance of thick skin from me and crushed it.  Now, I am fragile when I want to be strong.  I am sensitive and my heart bruises easily. I cry a lot and worse than that, I have been raising my voice, yelling, because all of my anger can’t stay inside.  I feel ashamed.

I have not written very much because I did not want to burden anyone with my grief and be that totally depressing woman who can’t stop crying about that baby when she already has 3 beautiful children.  Well, that’s me.  Totally beaten by the end of most days, and some days from the moment my eyes open.  I can’t let go.  I can’t move on.  I am not okay with it.  I am angry and hurt and confused and I am terrified.  Because it is not really getting better.

And I have not been talking about it. Now I am letting it out and hoping that I will begin to see myself again soon.

I want to be better and I want anyone out there who has felt this way to know that you are not alone.  That is why I am writing this down.  Because this loss is real and because it does not just go away.  It helps to share, and I am taking that first step.

I know that it has to get better.  It just has to.

My husband loves me.  My kids love me.  My friends love me.

I love me.

I know I will be okay.  It will take time.  More than I ever thought, I suppose, but I will be okay.  I will re-build my emotional life.  I know I am a good friend, a good wife and a good mother.  I need to ask everyone for patience and understanding and just do my very best.

Because my best is enough.  I am enough.

If you have experienced the loss of a baby, know that you can share your experience and that you are not at all alone.  Please visit Unspoken Grief, a community for healing after the pain of a miscarriage, stillbirth or neo-natal loss.

After the holidays a lot of people are thinking about bills.  Many people spend more than they budgeted for to have that perfect gift or dress or party.  January comes and so does the bill.  Most people think about budgets for a new year.  Getting your finances in order might also cause you to look around your home.  Organization is on many a list for the New Year but it’s tough because most of us have so much stuff…and we just got more!  It is time to clean house.

Guess what?  Some 0f the most popular selling categories for used items are the same things you have too much of.  Name brand clothing, toys and technology.  You can take that cash and pay off debt, sock it away to pay for a great vacation or even donate it to others in need.  While it might seem easiest to give things away or sell things locally, you will get the most from some items on eBay.  If you have never used eBay or are wary about jumping in again, worry not.  There is now an awesome Seller Information page that can answer a million questions and help you get started and if you don’t get your answer, I will help you find it.

What did you give and get for the holidays?  What is building up in your closets? I am guessing there is at least one item from the big three.  Especially with toys and technology, now may be the time to say out with the old and in with the new!

The best place to sell clothing and electronics is on eBay where millions of people check everyday for items you can sell.  Maybe you got a new camera and could list your old.  Maybe your child got a new gaming system and no longer plays with his Leap Frog or her Nintendo DS.  Whatever technology you have grown out of, someone else is looking to try.  Check out the technology selling guide to get the best information on selling your gadegts for lots of moolah!  I like clothing and electronics because usually they are easy to sell and easy to ship.  While there is an option for local pickup only, ebay bids work best on items that you can ship.

If you totally want to make money fast you can check out the Instant Sale page on eBay.  If you have in demand electronics (think phones, cameras, computers, gaming systems) they will buy them right from you and plop cash right into your paypal account.  You print out a free shipping label and mail it in!  Easy peasy.  I got an offer of $166 on my iPhone4 in good condition.  Not bad huh?  I am thinking of sending in all of our old blackberries.  At $50 a pop they could add up!  And yes, this is incredibly green.  Don’t throw those old phones away!

Go ahead and grab a box.  Fill it with things you do not need or use anymore or things you now have 2 of!  Figure out what can be sold.  I do think by just searching on eBay for what is listed and what bids are on it.  Whatever is left donate, recycle or trash.  Look at your box and imagine how much nicer a little cash would be.  Then start listing!  Start slow while you learn the ropes and then become a regular at getting rid of the valuable things you no longer need.

I hope we can all start off the New Year a little lighter feeling like we have the tools to conquer the clutter and help our families.

Disclosure: I am an eBay Parent Panel Ambassador

Pin It

This is a simple monthly calendar made the way I like it.  Any extra space is used for notes and it is formatted so you can easily put three holes in the top and pop it in a binder or insert it into a plastic sleeve.  It prints on standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper.

It also has a nifty little place to write your main goal for the month.  For me, having weekly and monthly goals is a big help.  Giving yourself a focus for a smaller period of time can be very rewarding and help you to pin point a specific achievable goal.  Anything from cleaning out the attic to organizing your closet to finding a date night with your husband is fair game.  Write it down, look at it when you glance at the calendar and make it happen!

Go ahead, get organized with the Monthly Calendar 2012 or the Monthly Calendar 2012 with Jewish Holidays and get your new year started right!

If you want to download the calendar in MS Word, here it is!  I made it in Word 2010 so hopefully it will work in whatever version you have.  Monthly Calendar 2012 MS Word

If you missed it and you have a blog, check out the Weekly Blog Planner Printable!

If you want more organization, I will be sharing my whole family binder and printables with you this coming year!  Please consider subscribing via RSS or Email so you don’t miss a thing!

I remember playing games with my family since I was little and to this day, it is one of our favorite things to do.  Now that I have kids, I love them even more.  Not kidding – this is just the grown-up games.

Top 8 Reasons Board Games Rock for Families:

1.  They do not cost a bajillion dollars a game.  In fact, many are really inexpensive, especially for kids’ games and they can be played over and over.  Perhaps because it is people playing board games with each other and not a computer, they just don’t get old.

2.  They are fun!  Yes, playing games with other people is awesome.  Families sometimes get stuck in ruts together and everyone goes their own way.  Throw everyone on the floor or around the table and play with each other.  This is one of those times when people come together and have fun.  Yippee!

3.  This is healthy competition.  Instead of who is better at soccer or piano or who has the better job or is the better cook – just throw out some chips and play a fair game that determines who rules the world at Monopoly (my husband) or Boggle (me) or Scrabble (toss up).

4.  You totally learn things.  Even as a grown-up I learn facts in games like Trivial Pursuit, strategy in Monopoly or Axis and Allies, and words in my favorites, boggle and scrabble.  Play some operation and learn body parts!  Guess what, your small children can learn too!  With games like Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land the kids learn counting and rules.  They learn directions like forward and backward.  They learn coordination with a lot of building games.  They also learn to fly solo and be their own character for the game.  Without mom or dad, they can play and win or lose.  This is no small thing.

5.  Everyone can play.  Using teams, even our kids can join in on fun with harder games and they love being part of the grown-up activities.  They can move the piece, roll the dice, be the money keeper.  This way you don’t have to play Candy Land all day and your kids can still play with you!  When visiting my 96 year old grandfather I realized how important games are.  He can still play them.  He remembers the rules and you don’t need to talk that much to play.  He doesn’t hear well.  My husband and I spent an entire day with him playing games and enjoying his company.

6.  Board games make better people.  You know with games and cards, kids learn really fast how to cheat.  They want to win and of course, no one wins all the time.  Very early on, Sophia bent the edge of a certain Candy Land princess card accidentally because she used to carry the card around.  Then, I figured out that she was purposely looking for that card and pulling it.  We talked about cheating.  We talked about winning and losing.  I bent a lot more cards to make it fair.  It is interesting because I have totally seen grown ups try to bend the rules of board games and flat out cheat.  Playing in a group and talking with your kids about games helps them to grow and learn.  It also reminds and grown ups that playing fair is always the best way to play.

7.  Board games can travel.  At a big family get together bring one or two along and you will be set for some great entertainment.  They easily pack in the bottom of a suitcase.  Sometimes you need to leave the box at home but hey – whatever brings the bonding, right?

8.  Board games make great memories and make people want to get together.  This is real quality time.  Get to know your family all over again.

A Few Tips for Board Games with Smaller Children:

1.  Store your board games where they cannot reach them.  Many a game has been destroyed using the pieces in the dollhouse and the money in the dress up purses.  I used to find cards all over the house and never be able to put a whole game back together.

2.  Don’t push them too far.  If kids aren’t having fun the game really may be above them or frustrating them because it is too complicated.  As long as people are having fun, keep going, but consider choosing a different game or switching to a puzzle if kids are not happy.

3.  Consider some house rules.  Think about the game and maybe simplify it a little.  It works for a lot of games.  Basically you just take out some of the work or strategy.  Maybe people can see what other people have.  Perhaps you shorten the game.  Many games come with a shortened version.  It is easy to use the board and the pieces and make up some rules.  Try it sometime!

I hope you have a wonderful time playing games with your own family and friends.  Unplug and enjoy a little good old fashioned fun!

How are board games a bonding experience for your family? Reply for a chance to win one of five ultimate LEGO® Games prize packs!!  The prize pack includes 3 LEGO Games, a $30 iTunes gift card and a copy of Gourmet Game Night!

LEGO® Games are the world’s first collection of board games that can be built, played and changed, that delivers a whole new way for families to have fun together the LEGO way.  Whether challenging friends or family to a LEGO Game in a variety of themes and types – guessing, strategy, memory, logic and chance – no two LEGO Games experiences are ever the same!  Check out the Minotaurus game!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of LEGOSystems. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the LEGO Brand. Official Contest Rules