Nursery Organization Tips from Baby Industry Pros

Jessica was recently featured in an article written by Redfin, a nationwide leader in real estate on nursery organization and design. Redfin interviewed professional organizers, newborn photographers, nursery designers and Doulas to gather must-read tips for new parents. Find Jessica’s tip and 20 other nursery ideas in that article here: https://www.redfin.com/blog/how-to-create-and-organize-a-nursery-21-expert-tips-for-a-safe-functional-and-adorable-space/

For even more ideas on how to organize baby things in different areas of the house, take a look back at one of our older blog posts written by Jessica when she was living life with her own new baby!

I Prayed For This...

Today Judy turned 8 years old and I’m just as reflective as I was on her 1st birthday. So often Eric and I still look at each other with tears in our eyes because she is here and she is really ours. Even on the hardest days, we are so grateful for the responsibility and adventure this kid brought into our lives. I wanted nothing more than to be her Momma and to live this life with Eric.When we’re elbow deep in sass and spice, I remind myself that there was a day that I prayed for all of this.

I Prayed For This…

When a Kidz Bop song starts playing during my workout 

When I ring out wet Barbie hair into the tub 

When there are sticky fingerprints on the window 

When she puts her hands on her hips and shouts 

When I’m folding tiny socks for hours 

When the door slams and I sigh 

When the bath mat is sopping wet 

When the cat is painted pink and so is she 

When the school Principal calls about unkind words 

When she beams after a perfect living room cartwheel 

When bedtime can’t come fast enough 

When we snuggle in bed on Sundays 

When she cooks alongside me 

When she’d rather watch her iPad 

When she brings me “Duck Duck” when I’m sick 

When she packs her lovey in my suitcase before a business trip 

When she jumps out to scare her Daddy with a “Boo!”

When I’m the inpatient one 

When we both have to apologize 

When she calls me Mom instead of Momma

When she’s sick all night and no one sleeps

When I’m utterly exhausted by it all 

When she leaves chocolates on my pillow 

When I sing the Goodnight Bubba Song off key 

When she cracks the perfect joke 

When she blasts Taylor Swift in the car 

When we don’t have the answers 

When we know we got it wrong 

When everything just feels right 

When time flies like they said it would, I prayed for this.


Summer Series: Tips for Open-Water Safety

In part two of our Summer Series on water safety, I’ll jump into open-water tips. We tend to worry the most about the youngest kids on the water, but drowning rates for teens triple when they reach age 15. Teenagers can be just as fearless as preschoolers and more likely to take big risks when playing in open-water. If you are boating on Lake Lewisville, wading into the coast of South Texas or flying off for a tropical vacation at the beach, these helpful reminders will keep you on your toes. 

Know Water Conditions

Whether you are on a crystal clear beach in Cancun or on one of the more murky North Texas Lakes, water conditions can vary and change every day. If you are vacationing on the coast in Galveston or even all the way down in Mexico on the Gulf, rip currents can be hard to spot from the shore and pose a big risk for drowning, even for experienced swimmers. Know the condition of the water before going in for even just a dip. 

Life Jackets

The most crucial thing to remember on open-water is the importance of life jackets or personal flotation devices (PFDs). Growing up as a kid with an active-duty Coast Guard Dad meant that life jackets were non-negotiable, even as a teenager hanging out with experienced boaters. If a life jacket isn’t stamped with “United States Coast Guard Approved” or “USCG Approved”, it is not safe and can mean the difference between a fun day on the water and tragedy. If you have a lake house, boat or are even just visiting the beach, enforce a “toe in/vest on” rule so anyone going near the water has an approved life vest on. 

Lifeguards and Water-Watchers

The best choice would be to find lakefronts and beaches that have lifeguards working, but that isn’t always possible. Just like with pool safety, when you are on open-water, designate water-watchers who are sober, not distracted and able to take breaks from watching the water. It might be helpful to have them wear a wristband or take shifts with other adults to watch the water and everyone in it. Be sure that no one jumps in to save someone in distress who can’t swim themself, or there will be two people in need of rescue. 

Baby's First Trip to the Beach

Just like in our first post of the Summer Series: Tips for Pool Safety, I can’t stress enough the importance of early and effective swimming lessons for children. As soon as they are old enough, usually around age 4, swimming lessons can add a great deal of protection. Our little one has been in swimming lessons in Allen/McKinney since she was 3 at Life Time and loves the small class sizes. I love that they have swim classes for all ages, even adults. 

What else would you add as a safety tip for boating, lake days or beach vacations?



Summer Series: Tips for Pool Safety

The long weeks of Spring rain have left the area and we’re back to normal sunny days in North Texas. As we head back to the pool, days on Lake Lewisville or beach vacations, it’s a good time to refresh your ideas of water safety for your family. This will start our three-part Summer series on water safety, where we will cover safety for the pool, open water and bathtime. These are some of the best tips for pool safety and children:

Lifeguards and Water-Watchers

A common misconception is that more adults means children are safer, when the opposite is true. The more adults present, the more likely everyone is to assume someone else is watching the water.

A common misconception is that more adults means children are safer, when the opposite is true. The more adults present, the more likely everyone is to assume someone else is watching the water.

The best option is to have a lifeguard on-duty, but if there isn’t one available, designate a water-watcher who is an adult who can swim themself. Whether it’s an inflatable kids pool in the backyard or the neighborhood swimming pool, there should always be an adult watching the water and children while they play. Drowning is often silent and can happen in an instant, so assign an adult for 15 minutes who won’t take their eyes off the pool, then switch adults so everyone has time to relax. Set an alarm or grab a wrist band to hand off and take turns watching the water.

Floaties and Swimming Lessons

Water wings, puddle jumpers and pool floats are not a substitute for swimming lessons and teaching water safety. Our little ones don’t have the impulse control to avoid jumping in one last time when they don’t want to leave the pool, even if you have taken their puddle jumper off and are packing your bags. 1-4 year olds are the most at risk for drowning, so stay within arm’s reach and as soon as it’s age appropriate (usually around age 4), enroll your child in swimming lessons. Even after they are a solid swimmer, still keep watching them closely in the water. The U.S. Coast Guard recommends approved personal flotation devices (not floaties or water wings) for everyone on open bodies of water, regardless of swim skills. Remember, anything that floats and is filled with air is a toy, not a life-saving device. 

Safest Swimsuit Colors

Some colors of swimsuits are easier to spot in the water, especially if a child is in danger at the bottom of the pool. If the water is moving or agitated, they can be even harder to see, especially in colors like white, black, blue or gray. When shopping for swimsuits for kids, take it back to the 80’s and try to find bright colors like neon orange, lime green or hot pink. 

When you hit the pool this Summer, talk to your kids about pool safety and remember the rules for swimming. Texas leads the country in child pool drownings and that’s not a title we want to keep. Lifeguard your little ones and stay vigilant. We’ll be back next week with safety tips for lakes, oceans and open bodies of water. For homeowner pool safety, follow this link to get ideas from the experts at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. 



Chores for Toddlers and Preschoolers

We have learned that asking Judy to go and clean something up is much less likely to work than inviting her to do it with us. If we encourage kids to cooperate with us in the early years and help them, they are more likely to be cooperative down the line when we ask them to do it on their own. I’ll often say, “I’m going to help you clean your playroom. Here is my stack of books, can you find all of the other books in the room and add them to my stack?” It works a lot better than ultimatums and asking 14 times. Some days Judy will go and clean things on her own, some days she’ll help alongside me, and others she’s not interested at all and I do it on my own. We just keep inviting her to cooperate, in an effort to keep it light and fun.

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