Thursday, March 24, 2016

7 DIY Springtime Upgrades for Maximum Curb appeal



Spring is here and if you are like me, you start to notice more of what is going on outside. The air seems clearer and the colors are more crisp. We listed our house last week for sale and in addition to getting the inside of the home ready for showing, it's important to think about how the outside of your home looks too. First impressions count, right? But if landscaping isn't in your plans (or budget), fear not because there are quite a few super easy things you can do to the outside of your home to make it look more spring time ready!

1. Wash your windows (inside and out). You'll be amazed at how big of a difference it makes!
2. Pressure wash your driveway and sidewalk. Fall and winter grime builds up and darkens your concrete. A freshly washed driveway looks awesome.

3. Spruce up those flower beds. Lay down a coat of new beauty bark and add some pretty annuals or perennials. If you have a small space, just a few bags of bark from your local home improvement store will do the trick, but also buying bark in bulk is way less expensive if you have the ability to haul a yard or two.
4. Wash your house. This is a little more tricky, but we use a ladder and a car washing wand and it quickly scrubs off the dirt on the house. Sometimes the simple task of washing a house that hasn't been painted in the last decade it will brighten up the color.

More work, but high pay off:
1. Paint your front door. I recently painted our front door to change it from a tired purple to a hot flashy firehouse red. Va-voom!


2. Paint your house! We recently did this ourselves after getting really high estimates from our local painting businesses. For our two story home we used about 10 gallons of base coat and 2 gallons of trim. This can be as simple (and honestly tedious) as rolling it on by hand, but we were very fortunate that our neighbor has a excellent sprayer that we could borrow and got it done in no time. Some home improvement stories also rent these as well. The cost of DIY is very low, but it also does require a few days of hard work and the right tools that normally aren't on hand.

3. If painting the whole house isn't something you are totally up for, a real estate trick that works almost just as well is simply painting the trim. A fresh coat of paint on your house's trim gives the house an updated look without the commitment of a full paint job. This house was our first renovation and it was a really sun bleached yellow with white trim. We kept the body color the same and gave it a high contrasting blue trim. Looked better than new!

These tips are great whether you are selling your house or just want to give it that spring time re-fresh.



How do you give your front yard a 
quick, springtime make over?

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

WIN MOMMYCON TICKETS!

If you are going to any of the MommyCon events this year, save $5 with promocode PIEROGIEMAMA16



The MommyCon 2016 season has already ramped up and I am so excited for the Seattle event! After attending the first Seattle MommyCon event in November I knew that I had to be come back again for the 2016 date.

A photo posted by Bianca @ The Pierogie Mama (@thepierogiemama) on


The MommyCon events are always star-studded with amazing speakers; including blogger The Leaky Boob, BabyGuy NYC and Jennifer Labit (owner of Cotton Babies cloth diapers).


A photo posted by Bianca @ The Pierogie Mama (@thepierogiemama) on


Last November my blogging bestie and real life friend That Mama Gretchen and I took the night out to have some much needed catch up time and a girls night before her little man Reid was born. We had a late night snack at the hotel bar, and retired to our room to chat about what we were excited to see the following morning.

Not only were there great speakers in the main room, but the smaller break out rooms had great sessions as well. I really enjoyed the Wrapping 101 class with Ergo Baby and a cosleeping consultation (which gave me the umph I needed to help begin Ruby's transition to sleeping with her older sister Penny!). The seminars include topics on babywearing, parenting, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, car seat safety, babygear and so much more!

A photo posted by Bianca @ The Pierogie Mama (@thepierogiemama) on



Truth be told, that Wrapping 101 class did me some good because Cassiope Wovens was doing a super fun instagram giveaway of a MommyCon exclusive wrap and guess who won? THIS GIRL! Her very first wrap!!



So if that doesn't give you the push to visit MommyCon this year, here's the schedule for the upcoming Seattle event.




In addition to all of these "grown up" talks, there are tons of kid friendly activities too! There's a toddler play area, crafting, a quiet room for nursing or napping and usually a food vendor for kid snacks and more. Don't be afraid to bring your child, co-parent, or anyone else who is interested.

Now- the super fun part-

ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF MOMMYCON TICKETS TO ANY OF THE UPCOMING 2016 MOMMYCON EVENTS!!!



MommyCon Seattle - Saturday April 2

MommyCon WEAR Chicago Friday May 27
MommyCon Austin Saturday June 26


MommyCon DC Saturday July 23
MommyCon Orange County Saturday August 20
MommyCon Orlando Saturday Sept 3

MommyCon San Jose Saturday Oct 29

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Old Fashioned Pound Cake Recipe



Having backyard chickens, I can go through feast and famine with eggs. Some weeks my family can't get enough of them and the girls can barely keep up production and other times they are popping those eggs out like clockwork but the fam is kind of over it. So what do I do with all those egg-stra eggs?

One of my favorites is a serious good old fashioned pound cake. This cake is dense, it reminds me of the Polish babka cakes that I get to enjoy every once in a while. It's perfect for pairing with an evening cup of tea with your bestie. Or, pretty much any other time of day.

My favorite part is the massive amount of eggs that it takes up! Because my eggs are from my own chickens who get to free range - meaning they go out into my yard and eat up bugs and weeds - the egg yolks are an intensely glorious orange and are packed full of protein. The natural color of those yolks makes this cake a deep yellow without having to use any food dye. This cake is legit!

I also adapted this recipe to use doTERRA lemon essential oil. This reciepe doesn't require you use to lemon essential oil; in fact you don't have to use lemon at all, but I like the depth of flavor that it adds. If using essential oils isn't for you, substitute the oil for the zest of one lemon in the icing.

Pound cake:
Ingredients:
1 lb of sugar (3 1/2  cups)
1 lb of butter, softened (4 sticks)
1 lb of flour (4 cups)
1 lb of eggs (10 eggs)
4 drops of doTERRA lemon essential oil
1 1/2 t almond extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl cream your 4 sticks of softened butter with 3 1/2 cups of sugar, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides.
3. Add one egg at a time to your butter mix. Mix well and scrape down the sides often.
4. In 3 stages, add the 4 cups flour to your mixture.
5. Finally, add the 4 drops of doTERRA lemon essential oil and 1 1/2 teaspooons of almond extract.
6. Pour into a pre-greased 10 inch bundt pan.
7. Bake for 60 minutes, cover with tin foil and bake for a final 30 minutes.
8. Invert and allow to cool completely.
9. Glaze it! Recipe below.

Glaze recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c powered sugar
3T heavy cream
1 T light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 drops doTERRA lemon essential oil

Directions:
With a high speed mixer, blend all of the ingredients together. It should be fairly thick. Pour over your cake and allow to set.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Win a Didymos Indio Ruby Red Woven Wrap!

Didymos is world renowned for their commitment to quality sourced materials and high ethical standards and bringing baby wearing to the Western World. Woven wraps have been historically the best way to carry babies and although they take a little bit of practice, they can quickly become just as easy to use as any other carrier. Started in 1972 by Erika Hoffman, a mother of twins, the heritage of Didymos runs deep with a great following. A Didymos Indio wrap, made from 100% organic cotton, is a crowd favorite and works well for babies through toddlers!





The Didymos Indio Ruby Red is a wrap that is sure the wow anyone who sees it! When The Pierogie Mama visited Didymos HQ in Ludwigsburg, this wrap stood out above the rest. Not only was the color so rich and deep, it also reminded her of her own Ruby...who just turned 2 years old! So in honor of her baby not being so much of a baby anymore, The Pierogie Mama is excited to send a little bit of her daughter's fiery spunk to a lucky winner!  Yes, this very wrap hitchhiked with Bianca (in her carryon luggage, mind you!) all the way from Germany to Seattle. Enter to win a size 5 Didymos Indio Ruby Red below!





Disclosure: This giveaway is hosted by The Pierogie Mama and participating blogs. Participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. If you have questions or are interested in having your brand featured, please Bianca at thepierogiemama@gmail.com

Monday, March 7, 2016

Win a MiaMily Hipster Baby Carrier!

You would think that it's Babywearing International Week over here! Well, that's in October, but I don't think you're complaining! Here is a chance to win a MiaMily Hipster Baby Carrier!

MiaMily Giveaway
Welcome to the MiaMily Hipster Giveaway, hosted by Lindsay at Maman Loup's Den!
Curious about this carrier with a built-in seat and 9 ways to carry? Check out her review!
About the MiaMily HIPSTER:
MULTIPLE USES FOR EVERY OCCASION: With HIPSTER™, you will get to enjoy all the benefits of a hip seat, structured carrier AND a ring sling! One carrier, 9 different uses.
SEAT BASE ONLY: This position allows your little one to stay close to you without feeling enclosed (like a traditional carrier) but still able to explore surroundings. It’s perfect for when your baby insists on being carried, when you’re out at a friend’s house (where you don’t feel comfortable leaving your baby alone on the floor), or places that are not stroller-friendly like museums, narrow shopping aisles, or smaller restaurants.

DOUBLE SHOULDER CARRIER: This set up transforms HIPSTER™ into a traditional structured carrier, perfect for the times you need to be completely HANDSFREE. The double shoulder straps go over each shoulder, which reduces back strain. In this set up, you can also discreetly nurse your baby when out in public.

SINGLE SHOULDER CARRIER: This set up allows you to use HIPSTER™ like a ring sling, where you can position your baby on your side and also have both hands free.

Entry-Form


Want to see what other babywearing carrier 
you might win from The Pierogie Mama?
Check out the other giveaways here!



Participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment or technical failures. If you have questions or are interested in having your brand feature in a promotion, contact Lindsay at MamanLoupsDen@Gmail.com.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Win a Melody TULA!

As you know, I love me some babywearing! I am so excited that it's only March 4th and I've got 3 babywearing giveaways going on the blog.. But wait! Two more are on the way! Be sure to keep up with The Pierogie Mama on facebook and instagram to get the latest!
_______________

Melodytula
Welcome to the Tula Baby Carrier Giveaway
Hosted by Conservamom
Sponsored by Sprinkles Magazine
We all know how wildly popular Tula Baby Carriers are! From the beautiful prints to the versatility in carrying.
Here's your chance to win one of these beauties for your self!
Each Tula Ergonomic Baby Carrier:
  • can be used in both front and back carries
  • can be used from 15-45 pounds (toddler carrier is approved for 25-50 lbs)
  • can be used from birth with the use of the revolutionary Tula Infant Insert (not included), and into toddlerhood with Tula Free to Grow Extenders (not included)
  • is easy to use and comfortable
  • provides an ergonomic M-position seat supporting optimal development for baby’s body
  • is easy to care for and machine washable
  • is made by hand from 100% Öko-Tex Standard 100 certified cotton
  • is made with the highest quality Duraflex buckles available
  • includes features such as dual-adjustment straps to allow for the perfect fit, additional leg-opening and shoulder padding, and a large pocket on the contouring hip belt
  • includes a removable hood to support baby’s head while asleep, protect from sun or wind, and allow for comfortable breastfeeding
Have you been wanting to own one? Here’s your chance! One lucky winner will get the chance to win one of these beautiful baby carriers in gorgeous Melody print.

So head below for your chance to win! Giveaway open to US & CA and ends on 4/4 at 11:59 pm EST. Must be 18 Years + to Enter.
Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.All opinions and experiences are Conservamom‘s. Open to US & CA residents only , must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted through email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. For questions or to see your product featured in an Event you can contact Elia At Conservamom

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