The secret to the cleanest looking grout!

Grout will be the death of me.

I get down and scrub the grout about every 6 months.

Spring cleaning it's always taunting me waiting for me to get down and have aching back & knees, cursing my house,floor & tile. & promising our next house? Lord, our next house will never have any tiles!
Sigh..

I have tried it all, every pin on Pintrest, bleach gel pens..you name it I've tried it.

A large portion of our downstairs is tile, so the job is tedious & time consuming.

I hate that grout can make your freshly mopped floor look dirty!

I'm getting upset just writing about.

All the products I've used have never given the results like I'm about to show you! Please don't judge me by my previous grout..so embarrassing! Also, I hadn't mopped. Looking back now I should have, but the grout has to be bone dry when you use this magic potion! 

& it is only 12 DOLLARS ya'll!!!

What is this amazing product you ask?

PolyBlend Grout Renewal..can you hear the angels singing? You can find it at your local home improvement store with the tile stuff! Another reason why my before is SO different is my grout is normally gray, but I bought the Grout Renewal in Snow White. I think it looks better! It does come in about every color you can imagine to match your grout!

 How does it work? Well its actually more like a paint then anything. You will need a toothbrush, & LOTS of wash cloths & fresh water new by. I set up shop with Kate & Plus 8 and made a day of it!

First, like I said above the grout HAS to be bone dry. Take the toothbrush & brush back & fourth several times to get it really in the grout. DO NOT let it sit for more than 3 mins. It WILL stick to your tile, you can get it off with a razor blade but trust me when I say just avoid that. After you do about 4x2 radius take a wet cloth & wipe off the tiles. I found it best to rub lightly in circular motion so it wasn't bring it up from the grout.

  I ended up doing 2 sessions a few weeks apart to get the final look I wanted {in the after} because my grout is gray & its was BAD. So it took more coats, again kinda like painting a wall! Make sure you wait over 48 hours before you mop for it to properly dry & adhere to the grout!

 Also, the grout renewal seals & protects your grout so you will not be doing this every 6 months, if you are anything like me before, again the angels..do you hear them? I am going on 3 months & my tile looks like it had just been grouted & laid. {they are over 10 years old} Hopefully this will help someone out somewhere!  You can thank me later! ;)

If you end up using this method let me know how it works for you!

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Toddler Learning: Letter Recognition with marble rocks

We are forever learning each letter of the alphabet, we are about half way thru, but Kennedy still has her favorite letters we revisit. As you will see "K" is a favorite, I'm sure you can guess why!

This is just a fun activity to get those little fingers moving all the while working with letters & recognizing them while having fun!

Things you will need:

Paper

You could also use the letter printout from the dot to do activity  by clicking HERE

Pen

Marble rocks {you can get a whole sack of them at the dollar tree}

What to do:

Make small circle making a letter of your choice.

Then show your tot to put the rocks on the circle to make the letter.

Benefits:

fine motor skills, pinching those rocks

color; there are a few colors to choose from at the store, talk about the color

sense; talk about the texture of the rocks

letters, talk about the letter they are making

 For more activities click below:

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Currently..

Dreaming.. Of warmth, & from the weeks outlook we might just get it! The thought of windows open, girls playing outside on their bikes, our million days at the zoo allll day every day, walks around the neighborhood & hours at park has me just longing for those days. GET THESE KIDS OUT OF MY HOUSE.

Hoping.. For a small family vacation, not much. Just a little getaway for a few day! Brandon & I are going to Cabo San Lucas in June, brace yourself...KID FREE. So I am really wanting to do something with the girls & get us out of the house to cure our cabin fever & a little bit of winter depression.

Netflixing.. I am actually not watching a series for once. I am anxiously awaiting the new OITNB season. Please leave some suggestions I need a new addiction! The last movie I watched the other night on there was Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Holy tear jerker!

In my Amazon cart.. Paint brushes & Polar watch..yup I am the only left on the planet to not have one. I really didn't want in the beginning. I wanted to workout for me. Not for the numbers & 3 months in I want to know how I am doing! Now I just need to order it.

 

Watching...Always Always Parenthood & ya'll dont judge for me for TV choices but on Showtime there is a series called Shameless, it is filth &  I mean filth it just awful; & so amazing all at the same time! haha I think I get SO into these shows like OITNB is because it's SO far fetched from anything I can even comprehend in my everyday life & Teen Mom 2. Guys, it just trash but I cant.stop.watching. I need to catch up on Scandal, I miss it!

Obsessed with.. Quiz up! I play way too much. I get so angry with this game, but I just keep pushing. "Play Another". My fave topics are of course: Disney,Pixar & Logos!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day ya'll!

Ah I live for holidays, big or small!

Anything to wear anything themed, any themed food, themed crafts, any theme for my mantle with appropriate garland & door decor; SIGN ME UP.

I know its not everyone cup of tea, but me? 

Oh it gives a little bit of fun from our day in & out, same ol' same ol'!

First on our to do list?

We gotta gear up for the holiday of course! We read these books! & watched a few movies/episodes, some that I suggest: Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers: Last Leprechaun , Christmas Gold {technically Christmas but appropriate!, Luck of the Irish, & Darby O'gill and the Little People {parts of this really scared Kennedy, we turned it off. She IS really sensitive so watch with caution!}

Next? Catch a leprechaun of course!!

Kennedy was VERY excited!

Translation Key:

"Kennedy what are we going to catch"

"leprechauns"

"we are going to take his gold"

"where are leprechauns from"

"Ireland"

We didn't catch him. He was just too fast! But he left note saying we almost did! 

We will try again next year!

He left necklaces, hats & treats for the girls! 

Hope everyone had a great St. Patty day!

How did you celebrate?

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Snow Day Activities!

Ironically today my scheduled post of "the great dethaw" {see below} just so happen to post on the day of a HUGE snow storm.

I had collected all these photos during the last 4 months of non stop snowing & planned on using the next year, but it looks as though the snow isn't stopping AND we might be getting more Sunday. Sigh.

Here are some of the stuff that kept us occupied!

1. Snow Ice Cream

A popular classic! The girls loved mixing it all up & well obviously eating it :)

2. Home "Science"

This is just a fun little attachment on two two-liters! We did this while Kensley napped & Kennedy was in amazement! I def suggest coloring the water & adding glitter; somehow I didn't have any glitter!

3. Carpet Skating

This is pretty simple & has hours of entertainment!

Cut wax paper into squares, put them on the bottom of their feet & have them drag their feet around the carpet!

4. Sensory Bins

We brought the snow IN. & used water will smooth marble rocks from the dollar tree! Each keeping their attention from something other than TV and killing each other. These bins are great for when im getting dinner ready or doing the dishes! They are in the same room & for some reason that time of day is the whinest!

6. Dollar Tree Finds

You will be amazed at what a trip to the dollar store can lead too! They have lots of these grow animals! This was a fun project to do. They checked on them thru out the day & when they thought they were big enough {you can lets them go for like up to a month} they would play with them in the water! 

7. The Classics

When all else fails don't hesitate to do the classics.

At our house its paint, play doh & the good ol game of "dont touch the lava" you know when you take off all the couch cushion & pillows & walk on them  & try not to touch the ground? ;)

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the great dethaw

Its upon us.

Well sorta.

We are getting a few warm days in the mix with some snow.

But when it gets over 50 degrees, you don't think about it snowing in a few days.

You grab a jacket, rain boots & you just GO.

Ahh, I can't tell you how nice it was to breathe in fresh air, watching the girls run & play.

& after hours out there coming in & them being calm.

Their energy had been ran out & now they were normal little humans again ;)

So today was that 50+ degree day, & we made the very best of it, as the snow melted around us & created what might possibly be the next "flood".

Noah, is that you?

I think I am not the only one ready to scream from the rooftops, "SPRING WE ARE READY FOR YOU".
Any day now..

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