6 Tips to Actually Get a Good Night’s Sleep+

This post is sponsored by Natrol®, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Ever since we became parents to our three foster kiddos almost two years ago (!), we understand now (more than ever probably!) the importance of a good night’s sleep. If we don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night, our entire day seems off: we feel lethargic, we get headaches, we just feel…blah. Do you know what I mean?

The key to getting a good night’s sleep is creating a sleep routine, and part of having a successful sleep routine is a regulated circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal clock that manages that delicate balance between sleep and wakefulness. Your body’s natural melatonin production regulates part of the circadian rhythm, but when life gets in the way (and by life I mean work, family, friends, deadlines, etc.), our melatonin cycles can be thrown off. We’ve been trying to train our bodies to sleep better through the night, but how?

March is Sleep Awareness Month and Daylight Saving Time begins on March 14, so we thought it would be fun to share some tips and solutions from Natrol® for how you can get a better night’s sleep and create your own sleep routine.

1. Create a Sleep Routine: Establishing a consistent sleep-wake schedule helps regulate your circadian rhythms and increases the quality of sleep.

2. Avoid Bright Screens 60 Minutes Before Bedtime: Exposure to bright LED lights such as smartphones, laptops and TV screens before bed can interfere with your body’s natural release of melatonin.

3. Consider Taking a Melatonin Supplement: When you need a little extra help, Natrol Melatonin can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer so you wake up rested.†

4. Create a Calm, Dark Bedroom Oasis: A noise-free and dark bedroom environment can help you sleep better throughout the night. Mask noise pollution with calming sounds or ear plugs (PJ’s fave) and block out disruptive light with darkening curtains or a sleep mask.

5. If You Have a Partner, Switch Sides of the Bed Every Few Months: It’s true! PJ and I started doing this a couple of years back and it’s been so beneficial. Sometimes a small change like that makes all the difference.

6. Exercise Daily: Walking as little as 10 minutes a day can help improve sleep quality.

Dr. Mike Dow and Jason Tartick partnered with Natrol to share their personalized “Hit the Sack” pack  (how sweet is that?!) that was filled with a bunch of helpful sleep products and tips, including Natrol Melatonin, to help us and our family create a sleep routine since we’re losing an hour of sleep beginning March 14! Right now I am obsessed with the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray they gave us and these Natrol-branded purple socks because yes, they are as comfortable as they look. And how cool is the night reading light (still reading and loving this book)? Oh, and I can’t forget the Fitbit! I have wanted one for years, and I’m so excited to finally try it out!

Sometimes we just need a little extra help going to sleep and staying asleep. We talk about it all the time with each other - how our minds are constantly racing right before bed with questions like, “Did older brother drink enough water today” or “If little sis spit out all of her vegetables at dinner tonight, how many will she have to eat tomorrow to make up for it?” along with never-ending thoughts on what we have to do the next day, what materials PJ needs for the house he’s renovating, and so much more. I’m getting exhausted just thinking about all of this, tbh. So, in short, we need help sometimes, which is why we feel so confident taking Natrol Melatonin as a natural, drug-free sleep products.

Ever since we’ve been taking Natrol Melatonin adult gummies, we’ve been falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer.† We don’t really have trouble falling asleep anymore. The importance and impact of a good night’s sleep can not be overstated enough. You’d be surprised by how much better you’ll feel during the day when you create and stick to a healthy sleep routine.

When describing the product, they say that:

“Natrol® Melatonin is the #1 drug-free sleep aid brand in America^ and produces a special nighttime sleep aid that assists with occasional sleeplessness.† It helps to establish normal sleep patterns to give you a more restful sleep.† Natrol Melatonin Fast Dissolve comes in strawberry flavor that tastes great and can be taken anytime, anywhere, no water needed. It’s fast-acting and helps those that have a hard time with swallowing vitamins and supplements. Additionally, Natrol Melatonin comes in great tasting, strawberry flavored Melatonin gummies. Natrol Melatonin Gummies are non-GMO, gelatin-free, and vegetarian.”

Natrol Melatonin and Kids Melatonin are available at local drug stores, select grocers, warehouse clubs and online retailers. Click here for an exclusive $2.50 off any one Natrol Melatonin product through March 21!

†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.

*Melatonin is a solution for occasional sleeplessness

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A huge thank you to Natrol® for sponsoring today’s blog post, and thank you for supporting the brands that support our small business. 

We Finished Painting the Exterior of The Downtown Cottage!

This post is sponsored by our friends at Benjamin Moore. All opinions are our own.

Before we begin, you can enter code MYSAVE10 during check out to save 10% on Benjamin Moore color samples, paint and supplies now through April 15, 2021 in the US only.  Terms & Conditions apply. Head to the Benjamin Moore Online Store for more info!

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Y’all. This is not a drill. WE FINISHED PAINTING THE EXTERIOR OF THE DOWNTOWN COTTAGE. And we’re in love.

If you remember, when we bought the cottage two years ago, it looked like this:

The green color with that funky front addition and the off-center windows gave us nightmares. PJ always knew he wanted to rework the front and knew that ripping off the entry and coming up with a new color scheme was the winning recipe to completely transform this little house. He worked on the front all last summer, but stopped when it started getting wet, cold, and rainy during the winter months. This is what it looked like right before he took a break:

You can see he tore off that weird 1960’s front addition that ate up almost the entire front porch, added brand new windows, and framed in the new porch. And he did it all by himself (!). The kiddos and I had fun coming over to the cottage and seeing the progress and updates he was making every day. And I really mean every day. PJ is so fast when he works, even after 11 years of being together, it still blows my mind.

Anyway, now that spring has just about officially sprung here in Tennessee, it was time to resume work and get this thing finished. We’re simultaneously so close yet still have so much more to go, so right now it’s in that in-between phase, which can sometimes weirdly be the most fun.

When Benjamin Moore reached out to collaborate, we almost couldn’t believe it. We have been using their paint for years on our projects. Remember when we painted the guest bathroom at our old house Hale Navy HC-154? And all of the bathrooms, our kitchen, and now our living room in our home are all painted White Dove OC-17 (our absolute most favorite white ever). So when it came to their beautiful paint colors and this cottage, it’s safe to say we jumped at the opportunity to work with them, a company we’ve known and loved for many years.

Since this cottage is located in the heart of downtown, PJ really envisioned a sort of Americana theme when it came to the colors he wanted to use for the exterior. We had initially considered going with more of an earthy color scheme (similar to our home), but it ultimately didn’t feel right for this house. It’s so charming and cute and almost storybook-like, so an ode to the colors of our flag just made sense to him.

We used the Benjamin Moore Color Portfolio™ App to visualize what the exterior colors would look like together in real time. It’s seriously so cool! You take a picture in the app (or upload one you’ve already taken directly to the app) and then choose the Benjamin Moore paint color you want and “paint” it onto the picture with the “magic wand”. It’s surprisingly accurate and is an incredible way to play around with different colors until you land on the one that’s right for you and your overall vision.

We chose the Aura Exterior Paint in a Satin finish, which is formulated with proprietary Color Lock® Technology for rich colors that provide a beautiful finish and durability after repeated washings, so we knew it would not only look great, but it would hold up for many years.

Our starting point was choosing a color for the siding. We knew a white house would not only stand out on the street, it would be a classic choice that you would (hopefully) never get tired of coming home to. We debated on going with a different white than we normally do, like BM Chantilly Lace, or BM Cloud White (both gorgeous colors), but in the end, we settled on our tried and true favorite: White Dove OC-17. It’s such a versatile white: creamy, but not yellow; white, but not stark. It’s welcoming, and we knew it would be the perfect color for the downtown cottage.

Next came the shutters. Like I said, PJ really wanted an Americana, red, white and blue theme, so it was a no-brainer to do a navy on them. Call us creatures of habit, but we really loved the way our bathroom at our last house turned out, so we went with Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy HC-154. It’s a deep, rich, true navy that couldn’t be more perfect if it tried. The way it pops against the White Dove siding gives us heart eyes. PJ made the shutters himself and I love how cottagey they make the house feel, especially painted Hale Navy.

After the shutters, it was time to make a statement with the door, and considering the only color of the flag we hadn’t used yet was red, we immediately knew what we had to do. Only, do you know how hard it is to find the perfect red? We poured through all of Benjamin Moore’s choices and thought we had settled on one (Raspberry Truffle), but right after we picked up a gallon of it, PJ found another color he liked even more at the last second. We ended up going with Benjamin Moore’s Caliente AF-290 and y’all. I can’t even. It’s so gorgeous. In person I find myself unable to stop staring at it, like a moth to a flame I am drawn in. We’re both smitten. So you heard it here, folks: if you’re looking for a gorgeous red that’ll stop you in your tracks, look no further than Benjamin Moore’s Caliente.

The last color choice we found on Benjamin Moore’s Color Portfolio App was for the front porch. Because the color scheme of red, white and blue was so obvious and bold, we wanted a quieter color as to not overshadow our three core colors. We went with Benjamin Moore’s Gray Huskie 1473, which is a really soft, neutral gray. We both love the way it doesn’t compete with the other colors; it stands on its own as a welcoming shade of gray that begs you to come on in (when it’s safe to visit others, of course).

Now that we’re finished painting the exterior of the cottage, we still have to install the front porch lights (they’re picked out, we just have to get around to putting them up) and landscape the yard, and then we can focus full time on finishing up the interior. PJ picked out all of the finishes and colors for the interior and I am SO excited to see it come together. I have a feeling we’re both going to wish we were living in this little cottage when we’re finished with it. 

We want to give a huge thank you to Benjamin Moore for partnering with us for this post. We feel so grateful to work with a company who not only inspires people to get creative (and also provides the tools to do so), but who we have admired and loved and actually used for so long. They make getting paint so easy, with both online or in-store pickup and delivery options. Just visit the website to order online or find a retailer near you. It’s truly been a dream come true for us to work with them, but stay tuned for more updates in the coming months as we finish out The Downtown Cottage for good!

Before we go, how about one more before & after?

Before:

And after:

So, so good.