Houzz // Baking Soda: The Amazing All-Natural Cleanser You Already Own

Fluffy pastries and scrumptious cookies might be the first things that come to mind when you think of baking soda, but this ingredient is far more than a baking staple. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a powerful cleanser that should be a mainstay in your kitchen pantry and cleaning arsenal. This inexpensive, all-natural ingredient is neck and neck with vinegar as one of the most nontoxic and versatile household cleaning agents.  

Check out my latest Houzz Ideabook for lots of helpful advice on cleaning with baking soda and share your tips in the comments section.

My favorite?  

•  Freshen babies' burp cloths and clothes by sprinkling on baking soda, rubbing it in and washing as usual.

It is SOOO hard to get that nasty spit-up/vomit smell out with just laundry detergent - I'm so glad baking soda can tackle this tough job.

Disclaimer:  As a Contributor for Houzz, I have been compensated for any Ideabooks featured on Houzz, although I am not compensated for sharing Houzz Ideabooks on Revamp Homegoods.  All opinions expressed here are that of the writer and are in no way influenced by Houzz.

This post was sponsored by Moen.  All opinions are my own.

Kid n' Play // DIY Lego Puzzle Book {Downloadable}

Let's be honest - working on DIY projects with kids around is nearly impossible.  They either want to "help" or they have other plans for how they want you to spend your afternoon.  For those times when I need to get something done busy projects are a life saver and they sure beat sticking an iPhone in my little one's hands.

Legos have been around for decades and are a favorite among both kids and parents.  A Lego Puzzle Book, which I first spied over at KidsActivitiesBlog, is a perfect project to engage kids in an activity that they highly enjoy which means plenty of uninterrupted project time for Mama, too.  It may require a little help at first but once they get the hang of it it's a perfect independent play project that develops important math and problem solving skills.

A few months back I laid out a few of Luke's Lego creations on white copy paper and snapped a few photos.  I finally got around to creating the puzzle book which was as simple as printing off the photos onto cardstock and stapling the book together.

Baby on Board // Baby #2 Wish List

We always planned to have another baby.  (Actually, we planned to have four...and then after we had Luke I quickly widdled that number down to two.)  Since we planned to add one more little tike to our crew I kept nearly everything which might have something to do with why our attic is overflowing.  Luckily, we're having another boy so I don't really need much but there are a few things that I'm dying to have this go-around.

A Girl Can Dream // Attic Inspiration

If you caught the post about our attic then you know how far we have to go before it is a liveable space.  And while I'm putting off clearing out the space I'm in my happy place dreaming of all it could be.  Here are a few of my favorite inspiration photos - full of built-ins, exposed beams, and lots of light - all things we are currently lacking.

Landing/Sitting Area:

Traditional Media Room by Raleigh Home Builders Beaman Building and Realty, Inc.

Traditional Family Room by Sullivans Island General Contractors Sea Island Builders LLC

So....Who Wants To Clean My Attic?!

Did it help that I said that in a "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" game show host voice?  No?  Too bad because what's behind door number 2 is a dream!

A hoarder's or professional organizer's dream, that is!  The mess starts at the stairs where things have just been dropped because we're just too lazy to carry them upstairs.

And upstairs?  Holy mess-of-all-time!  Our upstairs needs work.  Lots of work.  Oh how I wish I could go back in time and set it up from the beginning rather than making it our storage/dumping ground for all the things we don't have room for.  I also wish the hubs was home so I could put him to work removing everything!