Small Shoulders

It's hard to believe that Rex's third birthday is fast approaching. I swear, I blinked and he transformed from a tiny (well, not really tiny… 8# 15 ounce) newborn into a walking, talking, opinionated, silly, loving little kid. I am in awe of that little kid.

While I am completely grateful for the great privilege that is watching him grow, learn and become who he is supposed to be, I am simultaneously humbled and overwhelmed by the great responsibility that comes with being his parent. After all, It is my job to nurture his mind, body and spirit so that he CAN become who he is supposed to be.

What I already know is that I cannot protect him from everything and he will not always abide by my rules or heed my warnings.

Those three things are guaranteed. But, out of respect for him, I can…

1) give him a sense of responsibility and
2) instill in him a sense of pride

If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders. ~Abigail Van Buren

To that end…



We hung coat hooks at his level and placed a basket below for other outdoor essentials. It is his responsibility to hang up his coat and put away his gear because they are his. It would be a disservice to do something for him that he can do for himself.

And I have started allowing him to slice his own apples (with supervision). I cut the apple in slices, and he then cores them with the slicer. The pride that shines through his toothy grin while enjoying a self-prepared snack makes my heart sing.



After all…

"The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them." Frank A. Clark

A Montessori-ish Play Space

I am simplifying our play spaces. They weren’t functioning the way I wanted them to so I started voraciously reading about Montessori principles.

I was immediately captivated by the clean, uncluttered spaces that promoted early literacy, math, self-help, fine motor and rest.

After extensive reading, I discovered that I didn’t “buy into” to the Montessori philosophy in its entirety, but that there were definitely aspects that I wanted reflected in our play space.

My Must-Haves
1. Good Design
The space should be uncluttered and everything should be easily accessible to little ones.

2. Promote exploring and learning

In our previous play space, every toy was accounted for - talk about sensory overload!

Before




Confession: Our previous space made me itch a little. That probably explains why we spent very little time there…

Kids are kind of like puppies… give them too few toys, they get bored (and destructive); Give them too many toys, they get bored (and destructive). I decided to pare down and start a toy rotation.
Here is a little tour…





We included a comfy chair with low arms so that the three of us can sit together to read a book or two (or five).

The six cubby unit keeps the area clutter free, organized and the activities are easily accessible. (It will also be easy to rotate new toys in when the kids get bored with these.)

The tent is an all time favorite for my kids. Sometimes they play peek-a-boo from behind the curtain door, and other times they like to sneak away for some quiet time. My favorite is when they go in together and I can’t see them, but can hear them giggling. My least favorite is when they go in together and someone ends up in tears.




The child-sized table is a perfect spot to do something creative like draw or play with play-dough.

The kitchen is a perfect place to “play grown-up,” and a basket of instruments gives them an opportunity to give me a headache make a little music.

As a recap, the must-haves for our Montessori-ish playroom are…

1. Good Design
The space should be uncluttered and easily accessible to little ones.

2. Promote exploring and learning

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our Montessori-ish play space ☺

Sydney likes it!

Less is more

De cluttering can seem overwhelming. A few questions that immediately gave me pause when I started simplifying were: what defines clutter? What if it was a gift? What if I need it again? What if it holds sentimental value? What now?

Well, I have discovered that each one of those questions is (fairly) easily answered.

1. What is clutter? Anything that gets in the way of completing a specific task is clutter, and anything you don't use or (really) love is clutter. (e.g. a centerpiece that has to be moved every time you sit down to dinner).

2. What if it was a gift? So what. Rest assured, the gift giver did not intend to give you something that would collect dust or that you would keep FOREVER. See answer to question 1.

3. What if I need it again? You likely won't, but if you are worried put it in a box and let some time pass before getting rid of it. Also, really think about the word "need" as it is often confused with the word "want."

4. What if it holds sentimental value? Objects don't hold memories. You do.

5. What now? Donate it to benefit someone else or sell it to pay down debt.

When you are done, you won't just have less stuff. You will have more time, more money, and more energy to focus on what really matters to you. Less is more.

In the kitchen of a Type A Housewife

I don't decorate my kitchen per se, but I do like it to look like some thought was put into it. For that reason, I make it a rule that anything "decorating" our kitchen has to be functional. Since pictures are more fun and where inspiration is usually drawn from anyway, I snapped a few pics of my kitchen and how I add "personality" to it.


A stoneware crock holds utensils, and my copper tea kettle adds some visual interest.


A basket holding cookbooks adds texture (and easy organization), a chalk board serves as my measurement cheat sheet, and my dutch oven adds a pop of color.

Pretty simple, but I find these little elements charming as well as functional, and it doesn't add unnecessary clutter.

*update*
We had an issue with our flooring and when the installer came out to fix it, it was necessary to pull the fridge out. Tyler took everything off the top of the fridge, and my "decor" got edited. No need for the chalkboard cheat sheet. I wrote my "cheats" on the inside cover of my most used cook book instead. We now have a chalkboard for sale ;).



It looks a little bare, but the chalkboard made it hard to clean the top of the refrigerator so it was unnecessary "clutter" and got the boot ;).

Spice, Spice Baby!

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

I despise spice storage. It's next to impossible for me (despite good effort) to organize all those (various sized) bottles in a really efficient way. I feel like I am constantly searching for what I need... only to find I have either a) multiple bottles of it or b) zero bottles of it. While this little organizing system doesn't completely solve my hide-and-seek spice problem, it does lessen it a bit by making my spice cupboard a little less cluttered.


I love IKEA. Have I mentioned that yet? This is the bygel rail ($2.99), coordinating wire basket ($2.99), and a set of rajtan spice jars ($3.49). I filled the jars with the spices I use most frequently when cooking: {kosher, iodized and garlic} salt and italian seasoning.

I love that it doesn't take up any counter space and frees up space in my spice cupboard. Not bad for a grand total of $9.47, right?!

You can also get s hooks for the same rail… which has me itching to use bygel rails for another kitchen organization project in the very near future…like tomorrow :).

What Works

Most of my organization systems are evolving or have evolved over time. Some systems have been nothing more than a "good effort" and live on as a work-in-progress. Others have worked, continue to work and (I hope) always will. That is what I am focusing on for a new series of posts called, "What works."

This series will be super simple, easy to implement fixes for every-day problems. Nothing fancy. Just tried and true.

Problem: coats (We live in MN so these are a problem YEAR ROUND!)
Solution: a coat tree. Did you know coat trees predate hangers, which were invented in 1903? Talk about tried and true! They really are quite handy. Call me lazy, but hangers can be a lot of work at the end of the day. It's so much easier to grab and go. The coat tree is the perfect spot to hang my purse and is even more ideal when we have company. Love our coat tree. Hooks could work just as well.



So, that's that. What Works (Part 1). Simple. Tried and true.

No such thing as too many books...

There's no such thing as too many books, but there is such a thing as "too many books on the floor."

If you have littles in your house, you probably have this problem too... books EVERYWHERE. First, I had them on a shelf which Rex would clear with one swoop of his arm. Next, I had them in a cupboard. Out of sight, out of mind. So, I channeled my "inner teacher" and got a basket! It's easy to see and choose the books, and even easier to put them away.

Book baskets work!

Every problem has a solution - It's called Google

I am a sucker for an organized, well appointed closet. Since we moved in, I have been slowly tackling them one by one. Last week I tackled our linen closet.

I really did very little. I rearranged things in a more logical way and re-folded everything. Which brings me to the real content of this post...

Confession: until recently, I didn't know how to fold a bath towel the proper way. Gasp, right? And I call myself Type A? Ha!

Thankfully, every problem has a solution! 95% of the time, the solution is google :). Without further ado, I give to you, the proper way to fold a towel!!

Voile! A properly folded bath towel ready for towel bar or the closet. Speaking of closets, look at what a difference re-folding made in our linen closet.

P.S. Yes, I know how to fold a fitted sheet, but I am simply incapable of explaining, teaching or showing you how...trust me, I tried. Alas, all is not lost. If you would like to know how to fold a fitted sheet...google it :).

A pretty, little pantry - before and after

I have always wanted a walk-in pantry, and it was on my must-have list when we were house hunting... I didn't get one. Boo, hiss. But just because it's not a walk-in doesn't mean it can't be super functional and organized.

This is what we started with...

Not bad. Fairly organized... but still in need of some "Type A" love.

The problems:

1) It was in major need of a fresh coat of paint. Seriously. The previous owners must have had food aggression because it looked like someone got into a knock-down, drag-out fight with cardboard food packaging, and lost. Scuffs, scrapes, and food splatter EVERYWHERE. It was gross.

2) The door- ugly, old, in poor working order, and when opened would close off the doorway to the dining room.

3) Storage - normally, losing vertical storage is the problem. In this pantry, I was losing storage in the form of depth.

What we did...

We emptied the pantry, removed the door (good riddance), and gave it a fresh coat of paint. I chose a blue. It was supposed to be a pop of color, but due to my fear of dark paint, I ended up choosing a very pale blue. You can barely tell that we painted by looking at the picture, but we did. It is a very pretty blue... subtle, but pretty. I then maximized my storage by grouping like items in bins and drawer organizers.

What it looks like now...

More specifically...

Medicines are in the drawer organizer (I wrote about this in more detail in a post titled "Label It") on the top shelf next to the cereal. I considered purchasing containers for our cereal, but the packaging it comes in is fine and changing it wasn't go to give me any additional storage room... it was just going to give me another thing to wash.

On the second shelf, a bin holds our basics like rice and Bisquick. A tiered shelf holds our canned goods, and another, smaller bin holds extra condiments and dressings.

The third shelf holds all of our pastas (I labeled their containers so that I don't forget the boiling times), and two more smaller bins - one for pasta sauce and sides, and another for baking necessities.

The fourth shelf is home to a bin for chips and popcorn, and another for baby food (those little containers are a storage nightmare). The new three drawer bin for our K-cups is rocking my world (a drawer for decafs, a drawer for tea, and a drawer for the good stuff... what more could a girl want?)

The bottom shelf has three bins. One for crackers, one for sweeter treats (fruit snacks and cookies) and another for granola bars and nuts. Finally, the floor is home to a large milk crate used to hold our bags (reusable, paper, and plastic), as well as the puppy food container.

The final problem was the door, or lack thereof since we removed it. My very type A brain is screaming "It's a shame to hide all that pretty storage!" but I don't think the hubs would go for the open shelving concept. So, I purchased and hung an ombre curtain from a tension rod. I think I like it. It might not be a forever solution (we may buy a new, prettier door at some point), but it works for now.

It may not be what I dreamed of, but it is maximized, organized, and functional. Turns out I didn't even need a walk-in. Who knew? :)

Here is another before and after so you can really see the transformation...

Better, right?

First impressions...

I am a firm believer in the impact of first impressions. The first impression of one's home is usually made at the threshold, and for that reason I am very particular about our foyer coat closet. However, since it is a coat closet, form MUST meet function. These are my tips for creating a functional, aesthetically pleasing coat closet...

1) use wood coat hangers (You can get them on the cheap at IKEA, and I found the kid sized wood hangers on Amazon)
2) purchase matching baskets to store like items (mittens/gloves, hats, etc)
3) label those baskets! (I made mine with gift tags and my label maker)
4) Purge (if you don't (outer)wear it, donate it)


Four simple tips and, voila, a pretty coat closet sure to make a good first impression.

Confession: I purchased my first closet organizer at the ripe old age of 10.

Note: We keep our shoes in the garage, which leaves room for baby gear and the diaper bag on the floor.

Susan ain't lazy. She's a genius!

Whoever named this ingenious product (probably her husband) needs a swift kick in the rear. It is, by far, one of my favorite organizing tools as of late- the lazy Susan!! Susan is far from lazy by the way. The woman was clearly a genius.

Just as "going vertical" maximizes storage, the "merry-go-round" approach maximizes accessibilty. For years I have struggled with my under sink storage. I am a hoarder of cleaning products and I have always struggled to find a way to organize my "collection" in a way that is easily accessible. It never fails- go to grab the pledge and knock over 8 other products in the process; While trying to complete one task, I created another (that being the picking up of said products). Sad face... Until about a month ago that is. I had an epiphany! Put a lazy Susan under the sink! I can now grab what I need EASILY! Oh, happy days are here again!



It got me thinking. Where else could Susan's laziness change my life? The fridge! Anyone else do the "crouch down and search despairingly under the clear shelf" move to find that sneaky tub of butter? Well, no more crouching for this gal! Thank you Susan!



I'm sure there are about a ga-zillion other places in my home in desperate need of a lazy Susan, but for now I'm going to enjoy these two small victories. How about you? Where could Susan's laziness (or genius) solve one of your storage woes?

Start your day off right!

I think most of us can agree that how a day begins is a large predictor of how the rest of the day will go. Think about it. When you have a bad day, can't you usually trace its origins back to the first couple of hours?

So, this post is going to focus on the zone where the day begins. The bathroom. I recently heard the bathroom described as a real workhorse. A truer statement was never made! For this reason, organization is of utmost importance.

1. I keep my make-up and daily products stored "ready for travel." This idea was "birthed" when I was packing my hospital bag before Sydney was born. I bought a travel organizer and I liked it so much, I just never unpacked. My organizer (container store) simply hangs from an over the door hook. It is easy see and access my products, and when we do travel (not often), I just have to grab my organizer and a few things from the shower. Easy peasy. Admittedly, this won't work for someone who has a a lot of make-up. I have one eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, blush and a Chapstick (my version of lipstick). I know, BORING, but it saves me from additional decision making, which I am terrible at.

2. Feminine products are stored in a small tote. For 7 days, this tote can be kept near the toilet; It can be tucked back under the counter for the other 20-some odd days.

3. First aid and seasonal products (sunscreen and bug spray) are also kept in portable totes.

4. Tyler and I both have products that are exclusively our own, and as much as I love him, and as much as our lives are enmeshed, I still need my own space... even if its just a drawer. I am a huge fan of the stackable drawer containers for the purpose of categorizing like items; we each have our own under our sink (confession: I have stolen a couple drawers in his). The drawers are labeled of course!

5. My hair tools (hair dryer, curling iron, flat iron, etc.) are kept in a basket under my sink. I can pull it out when needed and tuck it back under when not.

6. Combs and brushes share a drawer with the Q-tips. Hoarding brushes and combs used to be a serious problem for me. A few years back I threw away probably 15 combs and brushes that I didn't use. Why I was hanging onto those unused combs and brushes like some poor soul from an episode of "hoarders" I still don't know. I think I, like many, hate the idea of throwing something away that I spent money on, but there is a valuable lesson to be learned when purging drawers, cabinets and closets. DON'T BUY S%#* YOU DON'T NEED! No one needs 6 brushes, 4 picks, and 5 combs. Find one of each that you really like and purge the rest. I know a lot of people put their Q-tips and cotton swabs in pretty decanters, (and I love that idea) but for me, if the packaging fits in the drawer and is easy to access, I don't change it. You know the saying, "If it aint broke, don't fix it."

7. Drawer organizers are used for toothbrushes, tooth paste and floss storage. This rids my counter top of that gross toothbrush holder that is layered/caked with "After brushing" tooth paste residue. Yuck. I recently came across a pin that suggested re-purposing a cutlery tray for tooth brush storage. Genius! Especially if you don't want to risk rubbing bristles with the other toothbrushes in the drawer.

8. Bath toys are simply kept in a tub scoop I found at Target. I wish our toy storage was more innovative, but it isn't. Maybe a future project? Since Rex will be turning two soon, putting his toys back into this container after bath will soon be his job. I am big on everything having a place and teaching little ones where those places are. Rex already seems to appreciate order and will put things away on his own. Not always, but often enough to make his OCD mommy proud.

9. I keep as much tucked away as possible. A clutter free bathroom is SO MUCH EASIER to clean!

And there you have it! A few tips (plus pictures) for creating a functional bathroom you won't mind starting your day in :). The last picture (of the empty drawer) is my proof (and pat on the back) that my system is working.

"I Can't Believe You Don't Already Own One?"

We are in the middle of a move and being the slightly obsessive, anal retentive person that I am, I have been trying to purge, organize and pack simultaneously. This post is dedicated to a survival tip - "label it."

I purchased a label maker on Sunday. My husband rolled his eyes, my sister wasn't surprised and my brother-in-law said, "I can't believe you don't already own one." Me either, Mitch! Me either!

The beauty of a label maker is not merely the label (relieving you of the task of questioning the contents of this bin or that bin), but that it forces you to categorize and group your belongings in a meaningful way. I have two favorites thus far.

My first favorite is our new battery chest - a small plastic chest with three drawers that fits neatly in our kitchen cupboard. Each drawer is clearly labeled as the type of battery it contains (D and C, AA, and AAA). No more digging through that overstuffed junk drawer only to find that you are one D battery short of having an operable baby swing -OR- two months after a 10PM Target run for batteries, finding a brand new unopened stash of D's on top of the fridge.

My second favorite (courtesy of Pinterest) is a similar chest for our medicines. Each drawer labeled by the ailments said medicines treat (i.e. pain relievers, stomach, cold/sinus). No more vitamins and ibuprofen bottles hiding the infant tylenol that you are frantically searching for at 2AM. Believe it or not, while sorting our medicines we discovered that we had approximately 10 bottles of infant tylenol hiding in the back of our cupboard. That sh@* is expensive!

So, my survival tip is this: LABEL IT! It will save you money (as you won't buy products you don't actually need) and, most importantly, it will save you time - precious minutes that you can spend cuddling that 2 year old with a fever, rather than cursing at the pill bottles spilling out of the cupboard while you search for that elusive syringe.