As the weekend approached, pretty much all anyone could talk about in our area was the impending snowstorm. I know I lived in Florida for 10 years, but the former Illinois girl in me is still getting used to just how much everyone freaks out over a small amount of snow. Buuut, the fact is, our area isn’t well-equipped to handle a lot of snow. Everyone gets all worked up at the thought of a few inches and shovels, boots, snowpants, sleds… everything sells out at local stores in a flash! We missed the boat on snowpants for Chase but somehow his new high snow boots and high socks helped cover the exposed calf skin from his way-too-small snowpants from last year. Thankfully we nabbed sleds from Lowe’s last spring when they went on sale so we were prepared for plenty of snowy fun!
The snow began to fall late Saturday night and started letting up a bit by Sunday evening. Schools are all closed today and Ryan is working from home. We’re hoping to have the chance to get out and play some more today before it all melts away!
We woke up on Sunday to a wintery wonderland but had to put the breaks on playtime for a few hours because the snow that was coming down in the morning was more like sleet. This ended up working in our favor because we were able to knock out a few projects around the house. I tackled a DIY project that’s been on my to do list forever (more on this soon!!) and it turned out so well!
It was part of our living room refresh which is slooowly coming along. I promise to share more pictures once we get furniture in the space but right now it’s pretty bare. If you happen to have a white couch you love that’s easy to clean (<– HUGELY important!), please let me know! We’re looking for one but coming up short and I’m scared to have a white couch that we can’t clean easily with two boys and a dog who thinks she’s a human in our house.
We spent the rest of the morning making chocolate gingerbread cookies (thank you to blog reader Lilly for the recipe recommendation!) and eventually the sleet turned into softer snow flurries so we bundled up and went outside.
Ryder was napping, so I kept the baby monitor in my pocket and didn’t leave our front yard but Ryan and Chase ended up venturing off to the bigger hills in our neighborhood for some sledding!
By the time everyone was home, we were all hungry and dug into sandwiches, cookies and hot chocolate!
We spent the next couple of hours indoors but couldn’t resist heading back out into the snow before dinner. Ryder even got in on the action this time and I bundled him up in lots of layers for a short amount of time in the snow.
I mean I couldn’t have him just stay inside and miss his very first snow ever, right!?
I was hoping to get a sweet picture of Chase and Ryder together but this was the best we could manage…
Ya win some, ya lose some.
We rounded out our Sunday evening with a big roast chicken dinner with all the yummy veggie sides and climbed into bed nice and early.
Oh! And aside from the snow one other semi-big thing happened this weekend… We finally transitioned Ryder into the crib in his nursery and started sleep training. The four month sleep regression hit us hard and I’ve been up nursing Ryder in the night 3(ish) times a night for the past two months and am hoping to see some improvement because I am dragging! We’re only the second night in and so far I’d give our experience a B. I’ll report back as we continue to navigate baby sleep madness and hope my next report is a very positive one. Fingers crossed!
Hope you all have a great Monday and stay warm out there!
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Ektorpp from Ikea! I’ve watched our white cover a ton of times (machine wash) and it always looks great. Plus it’s only $100 to replace if something really stains it. Enjoy the snow!
She took the words out of my mouth! We had an ikea couch for years and would have had it longer, but we moved and didn’t have a place for it! Cannot the reccommend it enough. We just recently bought a foo out from Ikea (the cover doesn’t come off though ?) and had it delivered (we don’t have an ikea close by anymore) and had a great experience!
Okay I have this in my cart on the IKEA site right now! You have me sold! So you never had ANY issues with the cover shrinking? And is it comfy? It looks too good to be true — and that price is fantastic!
It has not shrunk! I do wash on cold and hang it to dry. I’ll stretch it back over slightly damp. I do it at night and it is dry by morning, so no little fingers touch it while wet 🙂 We love it!
Ektorp is the way to go! Shipping takes FOREVVERRR though. Also, my biggest piece of advice is to wait until a different stage of life for a white couch. We had a small one up until about 6 months ago, and it was the biggest source of frustration in my domestic life! Dare I even say it was a stress on my marriage, haha! We got the Ektorp in a dark grey and I am SO happy with the decision. The stress of dog, toddler, and wine-o stains just wasn’t worth it. I still hold out hope for one day being able to have a white couch again, but not in this season of life.
I hate to be a downer and you may be a MUCH better cleaner than I am… if you’ve got the guts, go for it 🙂
I was going to say the Ektorp as well! I have the gray but have machine washed the cover. It has not shrunk, but I would probably wash it on cold and not dry it. It is SO comfy. My mother has a pricier custom sofa at her house but raves about how comfy mine is! I have the sofa with the chaise, and you can put the chaise part anywhere and move the cushions accordingly if you ever want to change it up. I also have the arm chair and footstool with storage, and all have gotten rave reviews from humans and dogs alike!
Looks like a fun snowy weekend! I’m so glad we didn’t get any this weekend but I’m sure our winter will be full of plenty of snow here in the northeast!
Hope the sleep training goes well. . Sleep regressions are so hard. My 5 month old seems to be getting better and only usually wakes once now…oh, except the night that her first tooth cut through and the other is ready any day….it’s always something 🙂
Looks like such a fun weekend in the snow! I was so surprised to hear about the amount of snow North Carolina is getting! Initially, I thought my area (Philadelphia suburbs) would be getting some today, but it looks like it’s held off for a bit.
Where are those amazing furry boots from??
They’re Uggs! I got them a few years ago though!
I bought the Columbia winter boots you’re wearing in some of the photos when you posted years ago about how much you loved them. I should have bought four pairs! They are THE BEST. I wear them all winter and they’re starting to show it and they stopped making them!!!
Aren’t they amazing!!! I LOVE them all these years later and have bought them for my mom and sister, too, and we’re all obsessed. I just wish I would’ve bought a black pair before they were discontinued!
Hi Julie!
What boots are these? I live in chicago and am on the lookout for winter boots that are cute
So cute! What a fun day! I feel the same way – we live in Maryland (Baltimore area) and people freak out when it’s a couple inches! I am hoping for a white Christmas (fingers crossed).
I’m a first time mom-to-be, and have read a few books now on sleep for babies. I’m curious which sleep training method are you using? Hope it works well for you! I’m really hoping for a good sleeper!!
Hi Amy! I’m loosely following the “gentle cry it out” sleep training method outlined here: https://glitterinc.com/2018/09/how-we-taught-our-baby-to-sleep-through-the-night/ I’m not implementing any kind of a daytime schedule but mainly just following the timing of going into Ryder’s room (5 min, 5 min, 10 min, 10 min) & replacing his pacifier then when he begins to cry.
LOVE that you’re trying out our method (a.k.a., our sleep doctor friend’s method!) It was a lifesaver for both of our girls! <3
I am a first-time mom to a 3-month old. I can not recommend TakingCaraBabies (she has a website and an Instagram account) enough! Through a combination of her advice and a dose of good luck, my daughter has been mostly sleeping through the night since she was 5 weeks old. I am so glad I saw someone’s recommendation for her and try to tell every expectant parent about her now.
I JUST started following her on IG last week!! I LOVED her mom hacks highlights!
Love takingcarababies!! I give a gift certificate to her course for every baby shower gift now. Her newborn class is a no cry approach. I never had to do cry it out with my daughter thanks to her newborn course. It is the best thing ever.
I second this! I did her newborn class and 5-24 month class. It took me until 7 months to get serious about sleep training but then it only took 3 nights for him to sleep through the night!
Please update us on how sleep training goes! I have a 13 month old who still can’t sleep through the night without at least one nursing session. She’s weaned except for the bedtime and nighttime sessions, and I’m hoping to eliminate those soon. Hearing about your experience will hopefully kick start me to focus more on sleep training. Thanks!!
They’re admittedly pricey, but we have a Sactional from LoveSac and the covers (not a slipcover, but actual cushion covers) are easily removable and washable. Couldn’t recommend it more!
Good luck with sleep training. I always feel like it’s the hardest but most worthwhile thing I have done as a parent!
Following along for white couch recommendations! We’ve also experimented with sleep training lately (with our 8 month old). I know every baby is different. Hope this works for you!!
Adorable photos. You’re brave spray painting in those boots. 😮 I always have over-spray
lol i thought the same thing I would have it all over me!
Yay for snow!! We live in Michigan and I can’t believe you have way more snow than we do right now!
We have the Ikea Ektorp sectional in pure white and LOVE it! We also have a dog and toddler and grape juice and muddy paw prints have magically come right off in the washing machine. It’s also really, really comfy. I even use bleach on it and haven’t had any problems. I do hang dry it so the covers don’t shrink. You have to get this couch!!
We just got a new sectional from LoveSac and got it because all of the covers can be washed. Full disclosure: they’re expensive. We have a french mastiff so lots of slobber :). We just got ours Thursday and already had to wash a cover (stupid dog). I think it will pay for itself a million times over. Our friends have one as well. They have small children and love that they can get their sticky little hands all over it without ruining it. 🙂
Hope the sleep training goes well! Sounds like a fun snowy weekend! I live in PA and we get a lot of snow, so it’s always funny for me to hear about how the southern states react to snow haha! I love those little pants Ryder’s wearing out in the snow…so festive!
Girl I feel your pain on the sleep regression and mama sleep deprivation! We are at the 7 month mark and I’ve also been up 3-5 times a night for the past 4 months ?finally got baby in her crib and are sleep training. I also started formula supplementing to help with sleep. Got a 6 hr stretch last night for the first time in months and feel like a new person today!! Hang in there. I know how hard it can be to function on so little sleep especially when you have another little (this is our 3rd). Also loved the snow pics!!
We got a white couch when i was pregnant and had the same fears. A newborn, a French Bulldog that loves to roll in dirt and always ends up with blood on her face, and a cat. We got a white couch from Restoration Hardware in the Perrenial fabric (i believe it is the maxwell sofa). Actually the day i came home from the hospital the dog had rubbed her bloody eye on the couch. Lysol wipes and the stains are gone.
So fun!! And OMG your comment about Ryder’s sleep regression and you dragging made me feel SO much better. Our little one hit the regression hard about 1.5 months ago after being a good sleeper and we are struuuuuuggling. I think sleep training needs to happen soon because 330 am feedings are killing me. At least we’re all in it together! 🙂
YES!!! He started off SO well so I think it just threw me for a MAJOR loop when all of the sudden nighttime sleep was a million times worse for us than the newborn days!
I Want to hear how it went for you!! My son was sleeping so well until literally the day he turned 4 months. I’m planning to sleep train at 5 months (as takingcarababies suggests) but am SO not looking forward to it (obviously!!!)
The four month regression hit my family hard too, and I totally related to you and felt your pain! My hubby sleep trained our son when we’d had enough (after close to two months) and it was such a relief!! Hang in there and good luck!!!
Julie where is your adorable red puffer coat from? Love it!
It’s from Columbia a few years ago — one of their Omniheat puffers! So warm!! <3
Good luck sleep training! So so hard but SO SO worth it 🙂
I gasped when I saw you wearing those beautiful Uggs while using black spray paint – brave woman!! Haha
I have had an Ektorp for years and it is a great couch but I did have an issue once with a cover ripping right down a seam after washing it… maybe it wasn’t damp enough when I tried to stretch it on so just beware of that!
Hi Julie! I’d love to hear more about your sleep training AND what you do for daytime naps. I always see how much you accomplish during Ryder’s naps and I’m over here struggling with 20 min naps OR a baby who only wants to sleep on me! Although, I never knew just how much I could get done in those precious 20 min. Ha!! Good luck!
Good luck with sleep training! I didn’t do it with my first but at 6 months hit a wall with my second. Sleep training took us a while and I had to incorporate better nap routines for her (aka we were chained to the house for 4 hours each day if we wanted her to sleep at night…) but by that point it didn’t matter to me anymore. I just wanted to sleep! I hope your Christmas gift will be a good night’s sleep!! These snow pics were so cute!
We got the Lounge II Petite from Crate and Barrel in a light color in one of their “family friendly” fabrics and have been very happy with it. Liquid will bead and not soak in. You can clean it with water or water and soap. I’ve had to wipe off muddy dog paw prints a handful of times and good as new. You can catch some good sales sometimes too. (It’s also a deep couch which I find comfy).
Wayfair!
Chase =mini grandpa Bream
Ryder = mini Ryan