Safeguarding Against TICKS

TICKS.  Just the word makes my skin crawl.  Living in the Northeast, we've always known to look out for them after spending time in the woods or tall, grassy fields but recently the amount of ticks has seemed to reach plague status.  We're now finding ticks places where they should just NOT be - including short trimmed lawns, sandy areas, even in our asphalt driveway.  There's more ticks than ever, with many of them likely carrying potentially debilitating diseases like Lyme.  Because of the great risk, we're not taking chances any more and have taken precautions to protect our yard and ourselves against ticks.  | This post contains affiliate links |

DISCLAIMER:  I am not an expert or medical professional.  These are tips and information I've learned over the years living in a tick-prone area.  Always check with your own doctor, vet, and local experts for the best prevention and treatment plans for yourself and your family.

Safeguarding your Yard

Eliminate Tick Habitats  

Ticks like to hide and breed in brushy areas, leaf litter, log piles, dampness, etc.  It's important to eliminate these places.  Keep your lawn cut short, trim back bushes and over hanging tree branches to maximize sun exposure to your lawn, get rid of compost piles or move them as far away from your usable yard as possible.  Also make sure to thatch (rake and scrape) your entire lawn every spring - this will reduce the litter mat under your lawn.  

Deter Mice 

Believe it or not mice, and not necessarily deer, are one of the biggest culprits at carrying ticks and transmitting diseases carried by ticks. A single mouse can easily carry and feed hundreds of baby ticks on it's body. If you have mice in your yard and around your house, they are dropping ticks. To deter them eliminate brush and log piles and spray peppermint oil around sheds, decks, and other places they might nest or hide. Mice hate peppermint oil (they are very sensitive to smells) and will generally avoid the areas where it's been sprayed. Also, make sure to get rid of bird feeders in your yard since dropped bird seed with attract mice and other small rodents.

Get Guinea Hens or Chickens

Okay, so this tip certainly isn't for everyone - but guinea hens and chickens can be very effective at reducing the tick population in your yard.  As they free-range they forage for bugs, including ticks, and can eat a lot throughout the day.  Guinea hens are particularly known for their tick-eating abilities but can be harder to keep than chickens.  Make sure to do your homework and talk to your neighbors as a courtesy before getting guineas or chickens.  

Tick-Repelling Plants 

Ticks do not like certain plants - including lemongrass, lavender, sage, and mint.  Planting these can help keep ticks away, at least in the immediate area of the plant.  We make sure to include these in flowerbeds and planters around paths, our deck, and doorways to help deter ticks from hanging around these high-traffic areas.  

Tick Tubes

By selectively placing Tick Tubes around your property, you can help kill off the ticks that are hitching a ride on mice and other small rodents that may not have been deterred by the peppermint oil. Tick Tubes contain permethrin-soaked cotton and are placed in areas where these rodents frequent (brush piles, under decks/sheds, in stone walls, etc). Rodents take the cotton and use them in their nests. Permethrin will not hurt the rodents, but will kill the baby ticks riding on them.

Have Your Yard Sprayed

Last year was the first year we actually had our yard professionally sprayed - despite all our best efforts, the ticks in our area were just out of control.  We chose to have our yard sprayed with an all-natural spray option because we had chickens, a toddler, and a veggie garden.  We were very pleased with the results and only saw one or two ticks in our yard for the rest of the summer.  There are many spray options available out there - from all-natural to chemical-based.  There are pros and cons to every option, so it's important to discuss your concerns and situation to your pest-specialist when choosing a treatment plan.  

Despite our best efforts - short lawn, maximum sun exposure to the backyard, keeping chickens, etc. - there were still lots of ticks (as seen here on our daughter's playhouse). Soon after this we decided to have our yard professionally treated for ticks and it helped immensely.

Safeguarding your Family

Bug Spray

Whenever we spend time outside, we use bug spray each and every time. Typically we use an all-natural repellent, especially for our little one, but bug sprays containing DEET are supposed to be even more effective.

Permethrin-Treated Shoes and Clothing

Permethrin is supposed to be one of the best tick deterrents around (it's also what's used in Tick Tubes). By pre-treating your shoes and outer clothing with it, it can be very effective at keeping ticks off of you. We treat all of our shoes, yard work clothes, and hiking gear with permethrin. Check the label for exact instructions, but many permethrin treatments are good for several washes or 40 days so it's great for lasting protection. We've personally had the best luck with Sawyer Permethrin Spray.

Most Importantly:  Check for Ticks - Twice

The most important safety measure against ticks is always checking for ticks - at least twice.  Despite all your best efforts, yard treatments, and bug sprays, you can still pick up ticks.  For us, we've come up with our own protocol to thoroughly check for ticks whenever we come in from spending time outdoors.  We're lucky enough to have a bathroom/laundry room right by our back door, so as soon as we come in we stop in to put all the clothes we wore directly into the washing machine and shut the door (shoes are left in the garage and not brought into the house).  Then we thoroughly check for ticks - paying close attention to check those hard-to-see areas and scalp; a full-length mirror can be very helpful with this. Then, if possible, take a shower or bath next before getting dressed in fresh clothes.  Ticks won't drown but thoroughly washing right after you come in will hopefully rinse any missed un-attached ticks off of you.  Then that night before going to bed, make sure to do a second tick check just to confirm that nothing was missed earlier in the day.  

You might think this tick-checking protocol is a little overboard, but if you live in a tick-prone area (like the Northeast) it's unfortunately very necessary.  After following this protocol for two years now, we have had instances where we found dead ticks in our dryer lint trap (it's actually the high heat of the dryer that kills them - not the washing machine) and a live one on the shower wall once... these were ticks that were on us but were stopped by our thorough system.  

Safeguarding your Pets

Up-to-Date on Preventatives and Vaccines

Talk with your vet about the best tick preventative option (collars, topical, oral medication, etc) for your pets and make sure you keep on schedule with it, even during the winter months.  You might not think that ticks are out in the winter since they go dormant, but even a brief warm streak can bring them out.  

Check for Ticks

It's a very good idea to check your pets for ticks when bringing them in as well, since ticks can "ride in" on them. We have a black lab which is particularly tricky to check, so we make sure to keep a brush and a lint roller by the back door to check her before coming in. We stop her outside and brush out her coat, then use the lint roller to roll over her legs, underbelly, and snout to make sure no ticks are hitching a ride. We also vacuum carpets and her dog beds often to make sure none get dropped around the house in the event we miss one.

If you Find an Attached Tick

**Always call your doctor right away for the best advice for your situation**

If you find an attached tick, remove it carefully without squeezing it's body - you do not want it to potentially expel any more toxins into you. Tick Spoons can be particularly helpful in removing them; we also like Tick Keys which fit handily on your keychain so it's always with you. Then wash the area with antibacterial first aid wash and call your doctor immediately. The doctor will help determine whether you need to start medications right away or wait and see if symptoms develop.
Don't count on seeing the hallmark "bulls-eye rash" though - many people who contract Lyme will never get it. Make sure to keep the removed tick as well (you can stick it in an empty jar), and see about getting it tested right away for Lyme and other diseases. This will give you the quickest and most definitive answer since even if you did contract Lyme yourself from the tick you would not test positive for it for some time.

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DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT an expert or medical professional.  These are tips and information I've learned over the years living in a tick-prone area.  Always check with your own doctor, vet, and local experts for the best prevention and treatment plans for yourself and your family.  Discuss with your doctor ahead of time what to do in the event of a tick bite (and I hope you never need to use that information).  Stay vigilant and stay safe!  

How we Make it Work on One Income: Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom

When we started growing our family, our original plan was to have me go back to work part-time but once I started maternity leave, I realized I just couldn't go back... breastfeeding was a HUGE challenge for me in the beginning and I didn't want to jeopardize it.  We also quickly realized it wouldn't be as practical as we first thought for my husband to shift his schedule around to watch the baby.  Daycare did not make sense financially for us and we had personal reservations of letting someone else raise our baby all day.  So after a lot of discussion we made the tough decision to have me stay home full time, which was a definitely a wake up call.  | This post contains affiliate links |

How we Make it Work on a Single Income

Now I certainly wasn't making the big bucks at my job, but suddenly loosing that income and adding a dependent definitely strained our budget - hard.  For a little background, my husband is self-employed which means that we essentially have to pay for everything 100% out of pocket ourselves - health insurance, retirement, life insurance, etc. - there is no paid time off or sick days and no "benefit perks" that come with his job.  No Christmas bonus to look forward to every year either.  We also have a mortgage and are still paying off college loans - over all it becomes a lot of expenses once you add everything up.  In order to make this work we had to cut back a lot, but it's worth it to be able to stay home with our little one.  

Here's what we did to make it work:  

BUDGET

I can’t say how important it is to have a budget and know where all your money is going. By seeing what all your bills are and how much money you have it will help you efficiently allocate your paycheck and plan for the future. {Please read my blog post on Creating and Maintaining a Monthly Budget if you’d like more information on how to create budget as well as download a Free Excel Budgeting Spreadsheet.}

Called Around to Lower Bills

Make a list of all your utilities, car insurance, home owners insurance, phone plan, etc.  Call around to each one and ask if there's anything they can do to lower your bill.  Often if you've been a customer for a while and your rates haven't been adjusted in a few years, they will be able to give you a bit of a discount.  

If they can't give you a discount on what you have, re-evaluate your current plan.  There might be something unnecessary in your plan you can drop to save some money on your bill or consider switching to another provider for cheaper service/coverage.  

Cut Cable, Limit TV Streaming Services 

Cable TV is expensive - SO expensive.  Ditch that bill and you can easily save $100+/month.  Subscribing to multiple TV streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Amazon Prime, etc) also adds up fast.  We originally subscribed to several services but now just use Amazon Prime since we pay for that subscription anyways for it's shipping perks.  

One Vehicle

Having just one car won't work for every family but we decided it was something we could make happen.  With my husband working from home already, we really only "needed" a single car for errands and school drop-off... sometimes there are conflicts when we both need to be somewhere different at the same time, but we've learned to plan ahead for these conflicts and carpool or rearrange a schedule to accommodate each other.  
By having one car that means just one car payment, one insurance bill, and one set of carseats to purchase.   

Save on Health Insurance and Medical Bills

Ha.  I'll use the term "save" loosely here.  Health insurance and out of pocket medical costs are sooooo expensive these days and sadly there's not much you can do if the plans available to you are limited and you don't qualify for reduced premiums (both of these situations apply to us).  But there are some small tips we've found over the years to help save a little on our health-related bills - these include using your credit card rewards to your advantage, shopping around for care, and asking for prompt payment discounts.  
{How to Save on Health Insurance and Medical Bills is a separate blog post that goes into more detail on all the ways we save on health bills if you would like to read more.}  

No More Date Nights/Takeout

Before kids, we had date nights a lot - going out to eat, to the movies, etc.  But all that spending sure adds up fast.  Once I became a stay-at-home mom, date nights were limited to special occasions only and takeout nights have become few and far between.  

No More Personal Shopping

What do I mean no more personal shopping?  I mean no more shopping for "fun stuff" for ourselves just because we want to.  Gone are the days when we could spend all day wandering around the outlets picking up whatever we liked.  Now when we buy clothes it's justified:  it's because we actually need a new pair of sneakers or because we have a wedding to attend - no more "just because" shopping.  These days we do a lot of consignment selling and shopping, especially for baby/kid's clothes - that way we're never really spending, just "trading up" for what we want or need.  
We also don't buy books or movies anymore, we borrow them from the library instead.  

Saving on Groceries and Meal Planning

The big weekly bill you have the most control over?  Your grocery bill.  Groceries are expensive but there are lots of tricks to save that can really add up.  Meal planning is probably the biggest one - by planning out your meals for the week ahead you'll waste less and use more wisely.  You can also clip coupons and use couponing apps to save even more.  
{Saving Money on Groceries is a more detailed post on how we save on groceries using these tips and more if you would like to read more on it.}  

That Nap Time Hustle

Even though stay-at-home mom is my #1 job these days, finding something for me to do to generate some kind of income from home was important - which is how Birch Landing Home was born!  I started this little blog and Etsy Shop as a way to make a little extra money during nap time.  Birch Landing Home certainly isn't huge (yet), but it's an enjoyable outlet for me to work towards growing more.  If you have any kind of hobby you can make some side money with, definitely go for it!  Just make sure to keep good records because you need to declare this income on your taxes.  

Pay Yourself Every Month, No Matter What

This is something my Dad instilled on us from the first day we got after-school jobs.  Every month put some money in a separate emergency savings account that you don't touch.  Ideally you budget this deposit into your monthly expenses so you know you are definitely putting $X-amount-of-dollars away each month.  However even if you can't commit to a definite amount every month you still should put something - anything - in that savings account each and every month (my Dad said so, haha). 

My Extremely Hardworking Husband

It goes without saying, but all this wouldn't be possible without my extremely hardworking husband of course.  He puts in long hours every day and weekends too to make sure everything keeps rolling.  There's no way we could make this work without his dedication and resourcefulness.  

What we Should Have Done Differently

We made good headway from the beginning cutting expenses but we should have started A LOT sooner.  How soon?  Well as soon as we started trying to have a baby!  In hindsight, we really should have drastically cut all expenses way before we ever got pregnant and put my whole paycheck away into our emergency savings (or at least 60% of it since I was originally planning to go back part time).  Then we would have spent all those months really trialling and perfecting the single-income lifestyle to see what was working while creating a substantial safety cushion.  

To anyone who is considering going from two incomes to one after baby it definitely can be doable but I would recommend evaluating all your expenses early and saving as much as possible - that way, it will be a lot less scary of a leap into stay-at-home-motherhood.  Good luck and enjoy the journey!  

Thank you to my friend Michayla for inspiring me to finally write this post!  

Please note:  These tips relate to what we've learned in our own experience, but please do your own research for the best information regarding your own situation.  Use the information in this post at your own discretion and risk.  

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More Money-Saving Posts:  

• How to Make the Most Money Consigning Clothes and Household Items

• Our 9 Favorite Money Saving Apps

• How to Save on your Health Insurance & Medical Bills

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We're expecting baby #2!

So the reason I haven't been posting as often lately is we're expecting baby #2!  ...and those early pregnancy symptoms have been kicking my butt the last few months (morning sickness?  I think you mean all-night-and-most-of-the-day sickness).  But I'm finally starting to feel a little better and am excited to get back at the blog and Etsy shop more regularly again.  

Please let me know if you have any favorite New England-made baby brands - I would love to check them out and shop local when I can :)  

(Fun Fact - the duck pull toy in the photo was mine when I was a baby!)  

Easy DIY Book Rails

In our daughter's small bedroom, space is at a premium.  We try hard to make the most of the space and keep the floor as open as possible to help the room feel a little bigger and give her more area to play.  On one wall of her room, there is a very shallow nook I wasn't sure what to do with but wanted to make it an efficient use of space.  After some thought, I decided building some custom book storage would be the perfect solution.  

Materials:  

• 1x3 boards

• 1x2 boards

• screws

• wood glue

• spackle

• level

• painters tape

How-To:  

1.  Cut the wood the desired length of the rail shelf.  You will need two 1x3 boards and one 1x2 board for each rail.  

2.  Line up the boards as shown below (the wide ones on the bottom and back, and the narrow one at the front).  Pre-drill, then glue the edges, and secure with wood screws.  

3.  Once it's dried and secure, spackle the screw holes, let dry, and then apply 3 coats of paint (I used semi-gloss trim paint).  

4.  Next mark the location of the studs and the approximate spacing of the book rails.  I could have easily put three rails in this space but I didn't want our toddler trying to climb it like a ladder, so I decided to only do two.  

5.  Center the book rails in the space and use a level to hang the book rails, pre-drilling and screwing the book rails into the wall studs.  

6.  Decorate and add your books!  While these are pretty sturdy, I would recommend being mindful of the weight put on the rails - don't put too many books or large, heavy books on them, especially since your little one will be reaching up to pull books off and you don't want anything heavy to topple off.  

And finally I decided to build a simple, sturdy narrow crate to hold our daughter's bigger, heavier books.  

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Other posts you might enjoy from Birch Landing Home:  

• Cape Cod Inspired Toddler Room

• DIY Learning Tower / Kitchen Helper, Based on Plans by Ana White

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Affordable Baby Shower Gift Basket with Nûby

Sometimes it can be really hard to decide on an affordable baby shower gift for a friend, relative, or co-worker.  Maybe you waited too long and all their registry items in your price-point have already been purchased (darn!), or maybe you're like me and like to go rogue and buy fun and practical items that weren't on their registry in the first place.  In any case, you can't go wrong with gift baskets - and what better way to to fill a gift basket than with affordable, practical items from a great brand like Nûby.  
| Thank you to Nûby for providing the products to review for this post.  This post contains affiliate links |

I had a hard time narrowing down exactly what Nûby products to include in this gift basket, but after some thought I decided to choose a variety of items that would be useful throughout baby's first six months and beyond.  In the past, I've also done gift baskets in a particular theme (all bath items, or all feeding items, etc), and those are always a really fun option as well!  

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Hot Safe Bath Duck

This bath duck you can use from day one with your little one. He is BPA-free and has a super-handy heat sensor on the bottom so you know if the water temp is safe for your baby. I love that this duck is something you'll be able to use at every bath for a long time - as a temperature safety feature and as a fun bath toy.

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Nûby Natural Touch Bottle to Cup

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know already that I am ALL about the baby products that grow with baby - if it's convertible, and you can get a lot of use out of it, that's the product I'm going to choose.  This 3-stage, BPA-free cup is good from 3+ months and converts from a bottle with a slow-flow nipple to a no-spill sippy cup as your little one gets older.  It even has detachable handles.   

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Look at Me Mirror Toy

This fun teether toy is BPA-free and recommended for babies 6+ months. It has multiple surfaces and textures to keep your little one occupied while they're teething, including cooling gel and a fun mirror to look at their reflection.

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Easy Clean Bottle and Nipple Brush

This BPA-free bottle brush will come in handy from day one as well. It has a convenient suction base so it stands up on your counter and away from coming in contact with germs on the counter top. It also has a big bristly top for scrubbing inside bottles, and a handy nipple brush stored in the base to clean bottle and sippy cup nipples.

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Teething Trends Pearl Beaded Necklace

And finally, it's always great to put something in that both mom and baby can use! This BPA-free, soft silicone necklace is fashion with a purpose - it makes a fun statement necklace for mom, but pulls double-duty as a wearable teether for your little one.

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More affordable ideas to add to a baby shower gift basket:  

• thermometer
• comb/brush set
• package of wipes
• nail clippers
• rattle
• diaper cream
• pacifier
• cute onesie
• funny bib
• board book
• receiving blanket
• baby bonnet
• photo frame

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- I received these items for review from Nûby but all opinions expressed are my own.  Please see our Disclosure Policy for more information. -   

These Nûby products can be found at various retailers including Babies 'R Us, Buy Baby Direct, Walmart, and Amazon.  

Daylight Savings Time Miracle

You guys.  Our toddler stayed in her room until it was time to get up, despite the time change - something that hasn't happened in years.  It's a miracle!  
| This post was not sponsored but does contain my Amazon referral link |

A mom friend had recommended the Ready to Wake Clock to us when we moved our daughter to her big girl room and it's been amazing! She stays in her room now until it turns green in the morning and after "quiet rest time" (she's dropped nap, but still has a time in the afternoon to play quietly and look at books in her room).

And probably the biggest BONUS of all - we actually got to sleep in this morning and take advantage of the time change!  First time in like 3 years.  She just played quietly in her bed until the clock turned green and was none-the-wiser that she was there for an extra hour.  

Parenting win!  

Cape Cod Inspired Toddler Room

It's been a long time coming, but we've finally moved our little one up to her "big girl room"!  Decorating and organizing this space has been a challenge since it's such a tiny room.  And while arrows, deer, and gold polka dots are all the rage right now, we wanted to get the biggest bang for our buck and go with a timeless, classic theme that our daughter can grow into.  | This post contains affiliate links |

We decided to go with a blue, white, and yellow color scheme (which always reminds me of Cape Cod) and just a few decorative touches that can easily be changed out as our little one grows and tastes change.  Keeping everything pretty light in the room helps make it feel just a little bit bigger too.  

The bed and dresser came from Ikea and were very reasonably priced. In fact, these were my first purchases from Ikea EVER (gasp) and I was very impressed with the quality and sturdiness of them. While not shown in these photos, we have under-mattress bedrails that are typically on the bed so she doesn't roll out.

The bedding was one of the most reasonably priced quilt sets I could find and came from Amazon (*at the moment it's listed for double what I had paid, but Amazon pricing can change often so hopefully the price will come down again soon). I just love all the different blues, greens, and creams in the bedspread! It keeps with the Cape Cod color scheme and adds a country touch.

The "love you to the moon & back" sign was made by me and will be coming to our Etsy shop soon ;)  

This little dormer was the perfect spot to tuck the dresser in as well as some decorative touches like the wooden oar, which was a freebie find. The custom name puzzle is from Amazon, and both the lamp and the curtains are from Wal-Mart.

We also added this Personalized Alphabet Printable from my Etsy shop as well, and our daughter loves finding the letters from her name in it.  

This Moon Bed was a custom creation from my brother and sister-in-law as a gift for our baby shower - it makes the perfect spot for snuggling up with a good book and some stuffed animals. The starfish watercolor painting is by New England artist Jen Scully of Mack & Ro. I love how it compliments this corner with the "moon and stars" theme but also fits in perfectly with the overall coastal vibe of the room.

What's New England without a farm? This little Pottery Barn table was a yard sale find (score!) and makes the perfect spot for a barnyard scene. The wooden barn is from Melissa and Doug but the animals are Little People (all yard sale finds again). The woven rope basket to hold accessories for the farm adds a coastal touch. This rope basket is old, but I've linked a very similar one here.

This room has a very shallow alcove and to make the most of the space I built custom book rails in it for storage and display.  I debated on putting one more rail down lower but decided against it since I know our toddler would try to climb it like a ladder.  Instead, I made a custom narrow wooden crate to sit on the floor and hold her heavier books that I didn't want to put up on the wall.  

The book rails make for great storage that doesn't take up a lot of room, as well as gives us a chance to show of some of our current favorite books (including some fun New England-themed ones).  

And last but not least, possibly the most important addition to our daughter's big girl room, the Ready to Wake Clock! I was a bit skeptical at first, but this clock really has been a lifesaver (and no, this is not a sponsored endorsement). Our daughter used to get up between 4-5AM everyday, but once she learned that she needs to stay in bed until the clock turns green she now sleeps to the decent hour (6:45AM) that we set her clock to (thank goodness!).

I've tried to link all my sources for the room but if there's anything I'm missing that you have a question on, please send me a message.  

Coming Soon: Signs!

Coming (soon I hope) to the Etsy shop - signs!

I've been wanting to add signs to the shop for forever but ornaments have been keeping me too busy.  For now I'll be listing an occasional sign in the shop here and there, but after the Christmas ornament rush you can expect to see a lot more!  Designs will mostly be New England-inspired and some nursery/children's room designs (like the one pictured).