Toddler Home Decorating

Guest Post Alert! Featuring April Griffin from http://pinkiefae.blogspot.com!

I know all the parents out there will appreciate this post. It can even be applied to those parents with the four-legged kid variety. Children change your home.

It seems that before children, your home always looked a certain way. Usually it didn't look like the aftermath of a tornado scene. I said "usually". That doesn't apply to any of my fellow hoarders out there. 

When a sweet little baby comes along, there are the typical home improvement projects that take place. Nursery painting and decorating is a time-honored, but completely useless, rite of passage for new parents. I remember all the plans I had for Bean's room when I was pregnant. I wanted:

• a fiber optic milky way on the ceiling

• top of the line French furniture

• odorless and VOC-free paint for the walls

• emission-free carpeting  

• a built-in sound system that would play the sweetest lullabies known to man

Everything that Martha Stewart and the nature-moms say is best for your baby's space is what I wanted. What did I get? I got some beautiful furniture compliments of my in-laws. (Thank you!) And I got the odorless, VOC-free paint. No milky way. And it was all completed 1 day before I went into the hospital. (Thanks Hubz!)

And how many nights has Bean slept a peaceful slumber in this beautiful oasis of love created by her doting parents? NONE. STILL. Yes, she's 3.  I understand all of my parenting faux-pas here. She still sleeps with us. 

My back protests this every single morning. We've even moved her toddler bed into our room with no luck. She's offered it up to her Daddy but he's standing his ground.

Then when a baby starts to crawl, the baby-proofing comes into play.  Baby gates keep the drooling wonders safe from harm's way.  So do door locks that keep toxic chemicals out of your precious one's hands but continually break your own fingernails and cause eruptions of quickly hushed profanities.

As your baby becomes a toddler, they begin to express their own inner Vern Yip by putting their designing mark anywhere they can, including the tables and chairs:

Wildon Home Hamilton Square Counter Height Table in Amaretto - $497.00
Hamilton Square Counter Height Table
Traditional style
Rich dark Cappuccino finish
Smooth edges with beading, turned legs
Smooth top with leaf, and smooth edge with rounded corners and beading
Dimensions: 36" H x 60" W x 60" D

Too bad my kitchen table is no longer as chic as the one above.

If you are anything like me, you start to forget what your house used to look like and begin to fret about what part of your house will be your child's next victim.  She's been eyeing the top of my bed posts for a couple of days.  She has just realized that the tops come off. Is there a bed post lock out there on the market? 

How do you keep your little loves from destroying the house?

Thank you April for your awesome post! If you are interested in been featured as a guest writer, please contact csnpromoteam@csnstores.com for more information!

Friends Homes Can Say A Lot

Guest Post Alert! Featuring Lisa Weidknecht from www.weidknecht.com!

Have you ever been to a friend's home party? You know the kind where you go because your friend roped you into it. Then you sit through an hour presentation of some product you certainly don't need and probably don't want, and later in the evening feel obligated to buy at least $25 worth of stuff so your friend can get something free? Even worse, they often talk you into having your own home party, because your friend got talked into becoming a representative for the company. Honestly, I love going to those parties. Mostly so I can scope out my friend’s houses and how they decorate. You can tell so much about your friends by hanging out in their home for a few hours. 

One time, I was invited to a home party for candle stuff. I walked into the house and was nearly knocked over by a huge dog. Three cats roamed around the living room, knocking over products and climbing on everyone, while we listened to the representative's long drawn-out explanation of how different their candles were from every other candle on God's green earth. I excused myself to use her bathroom and found myself face to face with the litter box. Obviously my friend needed some new candles because it smelled awful in there. I bought one candle for the grand value of $30.  Her bathroom could have used something like these:

Kenneth Wingard Moda Pillar Holders - $48.00
Available in brushed nickel and slightly antiqued bronze colors
Set of three / one size each 3.25" H, 5.75" H, 8.5" H
Linear, modern design
Mass them together or break them up - they’re very adaptable
Overall dimensions: 3.25"-8.5" H x 3.25" W x 3.25" D

Another time, a friend invited me to her home decorator party. My friend did not need any home decor at all. Every inch of every living room wall was covered with photos and paintings. Her retro kitchen clock collection stretched from one end of her colorful kitchen to the other. She had more fake indoor plants than a cheap casino hotel. She was trying to earn enough points through her friends buying home decor so she could buy a candle collection. Obviously she was at the wrong party. I know where she can get one for $30.

My all-time favorite home party was a kitchen cooking party. I got to go sit on a couch while my friend and her company representative made a dozen delicious recipes. Oh, they were looking for volunteers to help, but we were too busy enjoying the wine they had served when we walked in the door. Note to self, don't serve wine if you want your friends to help you work, but wine does tend to increase the amount of money they will spend on the stuff in the catalog.

Have you ever bought something from a friend’s home party that you instantly regretted?

Thank you Lisa for your awesome post! If you are interested in been featured as a guest writer, please contact csnpromoteam@csnstores.com for more information!

Michigan Wines

Guest Post Alert! Featuring Jane Marie from http://www.thyme-for-herbs.com/!

When you think of wine, does France or Napa Valley immediately come to mind? I'll bet you've probably never placed Michigan and the word wines in the same sentence.  But did you know that Michigan has been competing with wines from all over the world and doing quite well?  Traverse City has established itself as a Mecca for wine tasters. My husband and I make at least one trip a year.  More wineries are popping up in the UP (Upper Peninsula for those of you who are not familiar with my beautiful state); it makes for a very picturesque vacation in the summer. In Paw Paw and Fennville in the Lower Peninsula near Kalamazoo you can find rolling hills of grapes and more wine tasting to be had.

My husband and I like to leisurely stroll through the wineries. It doesn't really matter if you're a connoisseur or just learning. Everyone is always friendly and helpful. It seems to relax us just to be in the buildings – oh, maybe that was because we were partaking. The next time you see my husband you might want to ask him about Gewurztraminer. It seems after a few tastes of sweet and fragrant wines, he loses the ability to retain words. After being served a few different wines, from fragrant and fruity to dry, he asked the young server what Gewurztraminer meant and she replied something about the pretty forests.  Later when he was asked which wine was his favorite he smiled in his fermented grape haze and said, “Pretty lady” and then quickly got embarrassed. We still giggle when one of us says the word Gewurztraminer. Someday we'll buy a case and store it in one of these wine racks which we hope to purchase soon. That way when friends and family members come over we have a full supply of delicious wine to pick from a sturdy wrought iron wine rack whenever we need it!

Creative Creations Xiafend Thirteen Bottle Vine Design Wine Stand - $99.89
Thirteen bottle vine design wine stand
Xiafeng collection
Iron construction
Grapevine design

In the meantime we'll be making memories in Michigan's wine country.  I hope you'll get a chance to, also. 

Have you ever visited Michigan’s wonderful world of wine?

Thank you Jane for your awesome post! If you are interested in been featured as a guest writer, please contact csnpromoteam@csnstores.com for more information! 

A New Bed for a Healthier Life

Guest Post Alert! Featuring James Gibson from http://supermarketrxs.typepad.com/!

Are you a newly married couple planning on shopping for apartment furniture?  Or are you a high school graduate planning on moving into a new dorm in a few months and you want a sleeper sofa?  Or are you the elderly man or woman who needs a new adjustable bed?  Well, if you're any of the above, please try and make the purchase of your bed the most important decision you make.

Sitcom Furniture Hida Bed - $799.00
Dark Oak finish
Constructed oak veneers and mangowood solids
Available in Queen, California King and Eastern King sizes
Please Note: Optional Serta Mattress ships separately from bedroom furniture, and may arrive for delivery on an earlier or later date than bedroom furniture.

Why the bed?  For the past ten years we've been told about the importance of sleep to our mental and physical health.  How important is it? Look below, and see the number of ways too little sleep on an uncomfortable mattress can affect your health.

1.      Learning and Memory

Less than 6 hours of sleep a night can cause difficulty learning and retaining information.  Researchers say it is especially important for those still in school to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep in order to optimize learning and memory.

2.      Safety Issues

Too little sleep can affect your safety and the safety of those you come in contact with.  This is especially true for drivers.  Falling asleep at the wheel is one of the biggest hazards associated with too little sleep.  For the sake of your own safety and of those around you, get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night.

3.      Weight Gain

Are you eating right, exercising and still struggling with your weight?  Have you ever considered that sleep, or lack of it, may be the cause?  That’s right- blame the hormones Leptin and Ghrelin, hormones that control our appetite.  One tells us when we’re hungry and the other tells us when we’ve had enough.  Researchers say that sleeping for 3, 4, or even 6 hours can wreak havoc on our “appetite hormones” and makes losing weight and keeping it off nearly impossible.  Researchers also say that too little sleep can cause a craving of refined carbs and sugars (think white pasta, danishes, donuts and soda).  A greater amount of sleep, like 8 to 10 hours, rebalances the 2 hormones and slashes our cravings for poor carbs and sugar.

4.      Mood Disorders

Less sleep may result in irritability, impatience, an inability to concentrate and severe mood swings, making it hard for family, friends and coworkers to be around you.  So, think of more sleep as being more pleasant.

5.      Heart Health

Want a healthy heart?  Make sure to keep your blood pressure “normal” by getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night.  Too little sleep increases stress hormones, leading to everything from hypertension to irregular heartbeat.

6.      Diseases

If heart disease wasn’t scary enough, a lack of sleep can raise your odds of getting diabetes and cancer, specifically colon and breast.  Researchers think the lack of sleep, stress hormones and poor eating make it a combustible combo that will increase your odds of getting diabetes or cancers.

So, have you learned something about sleep that you didn't know before?
Great! Now that I've provided you with some insight on the importance of sleep, head online to www.CSNStores.com and allow their professionals to share their insights on helping you find the perfect bed and mattress!

How many hours of sleep do you get every night and how does sleep affect your daily life?

Thank you James for your awesome post! If you are interested in been featured as a guest writer, please contact csnpromoteam@csnstores.com for more information!