I am so excited to be able to promote another friend today.  My friend Robin that I have know for over a decade has just published her first book!  Robin has always been a talented writer and is now a published author of “Then I Became a Mother“.  I had the privilege of reading her book before the release and it was a joy to read.  Robin’s writing is not only beautiful and creative, but it will draw out so many inner thoughts and feelings you have had as a mother.  The premise of her book is to take you through what she now sees as her top advice to new moms now that she is a mom of three.  This is not a normal parenting book that is trying to give you ways to become a better parent though.  It will free you to relax and enjoy your children more, while laughing at the moments of motherhood that aren’t always so pretty.  This will be a book you want to recommend to your friends as well.

So go support Robin today by purchasing her book and also visit her blog at Pink Dryer Lint for more of Robin’s incredible writing!

One company that I discovered this summer is York Photo, (even though I know they have been around a long time!).  They are always running great deals and their products are good quality.  If you click this link to sign up you will get 60 free 4×6 photos (it is my referral link, so I also get a $10 credit).  And today they are running a special on pillowcases and fleece blankets for 50% off!  We got my nephew a fleece blanket for his birthday and it turned out really sweet.  It would be a great gift for an upcoming birthday or Christmas (yes, I just mentioned Christmas shopping!).  Sign up for their e-mails and you will get all their daily deals delivered to you.

Last year before we headed to Ukraine my mom came up to help me get the house in shape before we left.  The area that needed the most help: our bath tub.  I am not a fan of cleaning the tub.  I know there are lots of great cleaners out there for the shower/tub, but so many of them have such harsh chemicals that I just can’t use them.  I have tried more natural every day shower sprays, but they didn’t work that well.

But this summer I happened upon a great idea for cleaning the shower during one of my internet “bunny trails”.  It suggested using a dish wand filled with dish soap (you can choose a natural one) and some white vinegar.  Keep it int he shower and use it to wipe the shower down.  It has been fabulous!  Not only is the soap scum kept at bay, but I also wipe down the shower head in order to keep away build up from there.  Cleaning the shower and tub is now really easy!

We are finally back into the swing of things here in the Crispin household after a busy and fun summer.  The spontaneity of the summer is fun, but picking back up old routines is nice too.  Blogging was hit or miss this summer, and I think may continue to be so as the pace of life doesn’t seem to be slowing down.  But I did make a list of some things from this summer that I learned of or read about that I wanted to share.  So over the next few days, I will post some of my favorite finds from the summer of 2012.

My husband showed this to me last night when he saw it on Facebook.  The fact that he was laughing hard at it and knew it applied to him, let me know it was a good one.  Enjoy.