Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great 4th! We did. In fact, we’ve been having a pretty fun summer so far.
A prime example of how things have changed around here since I had my third child…
Exhibit A: Star Behavior Charts (made when I just had my girls)
— Time spent on planning and prep work (measured lines, bought supplies)
— Hand cut and laminated stars with velcro attached to each one
— Color coordinated, symmetrical, pretty
— Every letter was hand stamped for the title & days of the week
— Clearly defined and thought out goals
— Clearly defined and thought out reward system
Exhibit B: Star Behavior Charts (made last week with three kids in tow)
Hello everyone! Sharing some fun organization solutions I’ve found on-line. Thanks to Pinterest I now have a perfect place to save all of the inspiration I find all over the web. Have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest yet? It’s like a drug. And I am BEYOND addicted. But it’s a good addiction. I think. Maybe Kenny would tell you otherwise since I can’t carry on a conversation with him each night because I’m too busy “pinning” ideas for our next home. But in my defense, we are watching the Bachelorette (I know – it’s a train wreck I can’t pull myself away from) and Kenny is making so many lame wise cracks about this show and all of the people on it that our conversation is one I feel totally justified tuning right out! So Pinterest it is. And what better to pin than fun, creative ways to organize! Here are a few solutions that just make me smile —
This picture made me want to immediately run to the Container Store to find baskets for my fridge. Then I realized I didn’t really need baskets for my fridge – but they sure look good! :)
Speaking of looking good – I can’t get over this clever and fun way to store first aid supplies. These little tins would also make great containers for jewelry…they would be great to house anything small. I love them. Love the green too.
This shelf is such a fun way to store, display AND organize books and magazines. Plus I love the pop of color it brings into the room. So so fun.
Is anyone else feeling the need to organize something? Or the need to watch Bachelorette? Or the need to put a muzzle on my husband?
Guess that last one is just me.
It’s summer! Time for easy breezy, low key, go with the flow days!
8:00 – way too late – Hang with Kenny, watch our summer shows, blog, veg, recharge! So that I can wake up the next day and do it all over again. :)
I know that someday things will be different. My kids will be older and in the summer we will all sleep until 9:00 (can’t even imagine that one!) and then have an empty day ahead of us with no need for camps and naps and schedules. But for now, this schedule is what works. It’s what keeps my kids happy and their mom sane.
For the most part. :)
What about you? Do you like a schedule even in the summer time?
So maybe I didn’t listen to everything you taught me. But I did listen to most of it.
And so much of me comes from all that I’ve learned from you.
Hi everyone! Thanks for your comments on my last post. The summer to-do list was so much fun to make. My girls loved helping me come up with our summer plans. I’ve seen such a variety of fun summer lists in blog land so it was fun to finally make our own. When we were brainstorming ideas Addison told me that all she wanted to do this summer was to “play with mommy.” Then she said she wished it could be like it used to be before Kole when I would play with her and not just take care of Kole all day. Ouch. Dagger to the heart! She has really been struggling with that lately. And it’s true. Kole occupies so much of my time – as most one year olds do – and I’ve felt stretched a bit thin lately. So, after feeling some major mom guilt in that little moment, we wrote “play with mommy” on our summer to-do list and I vowed to myself to focus on spending some one on one time with each of my girls each day this summer. Even it it’s just for twenty minutes.
This first picture is blurry but the expression on his face is one of my favorites. He sits in the hallway and anxiously waits for me to take the warm clothes out of the dryer and throw them on him. A fun little routine I’ve done with all three of my kids. My girls still love it and come running whenever they hear the dryer stop. Oh the anticipation! Who knew a load of darks could be so much fun!!
Ellie has completely taken over our guest room and decided to spruce it up and make it her own. I went to wake her up for school one morning and found the walls covered in her artwork.
Hmm… maybe I’m putting her to bed just a tad too early? My favorite is the bumpy picture of her and her friend on the left which she clearly drew and colored AFTER it was taped to the wall. Classic!
I also get a kick out the way she neatly places her little house shoes to the side of the bed so they are ready to slip on each morning when she wakes up. Little things like this always make me smile.
And as for me, I’ve become even more lazy with food preparation – if that was at all possible. Lately I’ve been buying a Spring Mix of lettuce already washed…
I didn’t do a complete layout for that year because well, she couldn’t write much yet. :) Next to her class picture in her PL book I just added her 12×12 pre-school envelope to hold random things from the year.
The completed layout for her PL album! Quick and easy documentation of her year in pre-school. It has sure been a fun one. I’ve been dropping my girls off at this pre-school for five years now – first Ellie and now Addison. It will be so strange to not spend three mornings and afternoons a week there. I would bawl my eyes out saying good-bye to all of the staff (who have become like family) at this school next week but in just a couple more years, I know I’ll be back with my little buddy. So I’m going to try to remind myself it is just a short break – not good-bye for good. I don’t handle good-byes very well. :) Kenny on the other hand is thrilled to not be writing out the pre-school check each month. Pre-school is seriously worse than paying college tuition around here! But it is worth every penny. I mean just look at the way she wrote “MOM SHOES” for her favorite thing to wear! Clearly my child is a genius. ;)
For those of you who have asked, here is more on the topic of what I do with kids’ school work. And here is how I organize school work before it is placed in their PL albums. Speaking of albums, I am SO going to try to catch up on them this summer! Not much progress is happening with Kole’s baby book but I feel like I need to get the girls’ albums caught up first before I can really start working on anything for him.
I know – poor third kid. Right!? :)
I know a lot of you entered summer bliss a while back, but around here we have still been trucking away! This is Ellie’s last week at school and her agenda includes a pajama day/read-a-thon, a Hawaiian Luau, a movie party, and a ‘lunch with dad’ day. Wish I were a first grader!
This last month as the school year has been winding down, I’ve been working on the girls’ school pages for their Project Life Albums. I have received a few e-mails from readers asking what I do to document school stuff so hopefully the next two posts will answer any questions. Several years ago I ordered a kit (actually one for each child) Becky Higgins created called her “school kit.” The kit came with a few coordinating papers for each school year along with a clear 12×12 envelope (also one for each school year) to hold miscellaneous memorabilia. Originally when I ordered the kits, my plan was to create a “school album” for each child with a few pages from each school year. Now that I am using the Project Life albums, however, I’ve decided to just add these school pages in the girls’ albums along with pictures from that school year. Any other pictures from field trips or other school related activities are just placed randomly throughout their albums. Here is an example of some pictures from Ellie’s school Valentine party/performance from last year:
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