The Afdem Farmhouse

Wow, you guys. It’s been a minute. We’re all still alive and kicking! It’s been an adjustment with Parker starting preschool. Even though it’s only two days a week I feel like my schedule is a lot different! Plus, the kids have gotten sick 3 times already this season! I’d love some pointers from you moms that do all the things! When do you sleep? Shower??

It seems like everybody on social media has moved on to Christmas already so I wanted to share some photos from our fall. It’s been a great season! Timothy has been so much fun. He started walking and has grown so much. He’s still my little tough guy. When he gets tired or upset he turns into a tiny Hulk. Parker is thriving in school and is making so many friends. She loves her teacher and seems to hate snack time the most. Strange huh? I think she hates having to stop playing with her friends to sit and eat.

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen some of these photos. I post there daily if you want to follow along!

We visited a couple pumpkin patches. One as a family and one was just Parker and I and all her preschool friends. It was her first field trip and it was so much fun!

We went Trick or Treating (twice!). Timothy was the cutest little pumpkin and Parker decided last minute that she wanted to wear the same Peppa Pig costume as last year. Good thing it still fit!

I wouldn’t be a good Instagram mom if my kids didn’t have matching Halloween pajamas and shirts! Their shirts say Aint No Hocus Pocus You Know I’m the Dopest.

We’ve been lucky with the weather and have had plenty of chances to play outside! And apparently Parker wears the same dress a lot. LOL

The high school in our town has the most gorgeous maple trees so of course photo shoot!

After more than a year of dealing with pretty severe postpartum anxiety and hiding behind the camera, I decided it was time to start getting in the photo more. What do you think? Should I resurrect my mom style posts?

I celebrated my 36th birthday last weekend! It was a great day spent shopping and being spoiled by my family.

Signs of fall all over our house! White pumpkins and buffalo plaid was my theme this year. I already miss the pumpkins but I replaced them with trees last week! I’ll be sharing all of our Christmas decor with you as soon as I can talk my husband into getting everything down from the attic.

If you’re still reading this, tell me how your fall has been! Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?

My second and last baby is one! Today is Timothy’s actual birthday but we celebrated last week with this fun pancake cake and photo shoot. I had planned on doing the whole shoot outside in our pasture but the weather didn’t cooperate. I really love how Sarah was able to capture these in our house though. Lifestyle photos might be my new favorite thing! Although you can see dirt on my floors and crap under the couch. This is real life people!

Timothy’s birthday party coming up this weekend is Lumberjack themed. I wanted to keep that theme but make sure the photos looked classic (not too many props, etc). His suspenders and blue jeans worked perfect! And this pancake cake! It was amazing! The outer layer was marshmallow fondant but inside was a white cake with buttercream frosting. Timothy destroyed half the cake (did you see his foot in it?) but we were all able to enjoy a taste after he was done. It was probably the best cake I’ve ever had!

I wanted an updated picture of Timothy for our gallery wall so I had my photographer get some photos of him before the cake smash. He was all smiles! I can’t decide which photo to print and hang up. This plaid shirt kills me. He looks so grown up. Cue the tears!

Before the skies opened up outside we were able to get a few photos in front of the log wall my husband put together. Big sis was there to jump in front of the camera too!

Happiest of birthdays to you little man. You make our family complete and we love you so much. Now get to walking because you’re getting to heavy for your mom to pack around!

Photos | Photos by SW
Cake | Cakes by Dee
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I can’t believe my daughter started preschool yesterday! With the first day of fall coming up and back to school shopping done, I thought it would be a good time to clean and organize her room; and with the help of Tide purclean and a couple of garbage bags we were able to tackle that job with ease! Her drawers were a mess and her closet was stuffed with items that no longer fit (why do they outgrow stuff so fast!?). Her clothes are now super clean and organized and all set for the beginning of a new season! Bring on sweaters, boots and scarves!

I know it doesn’t look like her closet was bad before but I was able to get a whole bag of garbage, a bag to donate and a tote to sell. Here are the steps I took to prepare my daughter’s closet for fall.

1. Toss anything that is stained or has holes/tears. I kept a couple old tee shirts for playing outside but she had far too many clothes with large stains. I never put them on her so they were just taking up space. Don’t forget old socks and underwear too!

2. Try on items from last fall and winter. If they still fit bring them to the front of the closet. I put all of Parker’s fall clothes on the bottom so she could pick out her own outfits before school.

3. Before you pack away or stash in the back of the closet any summer clothes that will still fit next year, wash it all with plant-based Tide purclean. Parker’s closet is big enough that I store everything in there. Labeled totes work great for storing out of season clothes as well.

4. Decide if you want to donate, store (for future kids) or sell any items that no longer fit. I sell clothing at a local children’s consignment sale twice a year so I put the items in totes marked fall/winter or spring/summer. That way I’m prepared for our sale when it comes around! The Facebook Marketplace is also a great place to sell children’s clothing. Sometimes I’ll have items that are still in good condition but aren’t “sale worthy.” I donate those items to our local community center.

5. Remove tags from any new items and wash with Tide purclean. All of Parker’s back to school clothes were still on the store hangers with tags attached so. I removed the tags, and saved the hangers for my consignment sale items. and laundered everything. I also took this time to write her name in all her sweaters and jackets, a preschool requirement!

6. Wash everything you’re keeping or storing! I laundered all the clothing with Tide purclean that I purchased from my local Fred Meyer here in Seattle. I used the Honey Lavender scent so the entire closet smelled fresh and clean. Officially ready for the new season and school year!

Earlier this year our family switched all of our household products to cleaner, safer and more natural alternatives. I was so excited when I heard about the new Tide purclean laundry detergent. I’ve tried several other, more expensive detergents and they didn’t clean as well. The Honey Lavender scent is my favorite but it also comes in Unscented. Tide purclean is HE-compatible and cleans just as well in cold water! I try to wash most of our clothing in cold water because it saves energy. Tide shares the same eco-friendly values as I do by producing purclean in a facility that uses 100% renewable wind electricity and is zero manufacturing waste to landfill. Tide purclean is free of dyes, chlorine, phosphates, ethanolamine and optical brighteners. Both of my kids have sensitive skin and I feel good using this plant-based detergent on both my own and my family’s laundry.

Is your kid’s closet in need of an overhaul? It took me less than an hour to clean and organize her closet and dresser, and I couldn’t be happier! Cleaning before a new season gives me renewed energy. We are ready to take on preschool!

Get over to Fred Meyer and pick up Tide purclean today. And be on the lookout for Tide purclean Demonstration Carts which will be at Fred Meyer Seattle locations on select days throughout September to get your $3 off one Tide purclean liquid laundry detergent (excludes trial/travel size).