I Did It!

So I got rid of the playroom and I am loving it!  It might seem like a big task but really it was simple and I think it has made our lives a tad bit simpler:)  You might be asking yourself why and how and I can answer both of those questions...

Why-I am a firm believer that less is more.  I used to say that I wasn't going to buy toys for my kids (remember that Amy) but it started slowly and got more and more out of control.  I like to buy things for my kids and I started thinking that this was *the* toy that would bring them hours of contented play--guess what, nothing was like that!  They had so many toys that we converted our dining room into a play room and then I felt like I needed to fill that space too.  Can you see how this happened!  Madness, really.  The worst part is my kids weren't playing better or longer, it seemed the opposite was happening.  They were playing less frequently and with more toys they were less satisfied.  Then the toys started "creeping" into our adult spaces.  I was tripping on things in the kitchen, pulling toys out of the couch, there were even things in the bathroom!  uggg!!!! After Christmas I knew things had to change...

How-I woke up one morning and just dug right in!  I got each child two bins and filled them toys that they actually do play with.  Everything that didn't fit into the bins went into piles.  One pile was for goodwill, one for grandmom's house and one for craigslist.  I started to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I decided that all of their toys could go upstairs into their rooms.  They have large rooms and large closets.  So I took everything up and told them they could play while I finished downstairs.  I have a large chest that I kept full of board games and a cabinet that I used to keep books for downstairs.  Two more bins for art supplies and homeschooling items.  I took all of the ride on toys and big toys out, too.  Somethings went to the garage for spring and I did keep a grocery cart and baby stroller downstairs.
The effect has really been great.  The kids haven't missed any of their toys and they play upstairs for long periods of time.  They have been more creative in their play and I have seen lots more pretend games, reading and just contentment.  I love that the toys aren't taking over our lives anymore!  They do make a mess upstairs but it is more contained and I can take ten minutes before bed to clean it.  I am on my way to bringing to my dining room back, I just need a table;)

 The cabinet that holds books and one box of legos that need adult assistance

 The chest is perfect for puzzles and board games

 The now empty shelves...the baskets on top hold diapers and some special books that the kids need me to read with them

The plan is to get rid of the couch and add a table.  Not sure what I am going to do with the shelves yet but I might keep them as decor:)

It feels so good....

Paper Work

My husband is super organized with his paperwork.  He has read books about different systems and he has a great one that works for him.  His office is always in pristine condition and he tries to *help* me be the same way.  What I have discovered is that what works for one person might not work for another so I have my own way of organizing papers.  I have had a wire basket that I threw everything in and then I went through it once a week.  It worked ok but it never looked nice and I was often rooting through looking for things.  So I was reading Jen's blog (which is amazing) and I decided to switch things up.  I am so excited with the outcome and I can't wait to show my hubby!
First I took the old, ugly, overflowing bin and emptied it into piles sorted by category so that my papers looked like this:

I gathered my new supplies from target:)

I don't really save much paperwork, so that's why my piles aren't very big.  My husband takes care of all of the important files.  I just cover the bills and receipts.
Then I used my new files and the free template to print out labels.

 Stuck them on the file folders

 And filed them away...isn't it beautiful!

 And it's perfect on top of the desk...pretty and clutter free!

What do you think?  Worth the 30 minutes it took and the $12 at target?  I say yes!

Big Change

I am getting rid of my playroom and I feel like dancing!  The toys have over taken our lives and my kids don't even play with them!  I find toys in every room of the house left abandoned.  Sometimes they take things out for less than a minute.  I am going to majorly reduce/ get rid of toys and even some of the furniture in their rooms.  Each child will get to keep their favorite toys in their bedroom and that is where they can play:)  Contentment is a struggle in this house and I feel like part of the reason is all of the "stuff" that the kids have.  I have really been praying about contentment and the kids hearts and this is one solution that I really feel God laid on my heart.  Tomorrow I will take some pics of the playroom now and keep you updated on the progress as time goes on.
This might sound mean but really they don't play with their toys anyway and I think that it will make things so much better for all of us!  Stay tuned...

The Great Redo

I am constantly rearranging and cleaning, decluttering and reorganizing...join me in a challenge!  I am going to attempt to do one thing each day in the house to make things "better."  We finished the Christmas toy overhaul and putting things back, getting rid of things and getting our lives in order.  I have started to keep more things in Jack's room.  I made a big pile of things to go up there and when I dropped it off in his room and looked around-well see for yourself!  I really can't believe I am going to share this embarrassing picture but hopefully the after will make up for it!

 Apparently telling my 4 year old to clean his room with little to no direction results in a very messy bookshelf!

 My kids love to play sleep...hence two unmade beds!

 A toy organizer that I am OVER!

I am not a spender...especially not on furniture for the kids rooms.  Jack has all of my husbands furniture from when he was a child and I love it!  This End Up made such quality things.  We have a lot of things from a neighbor, too but some things are broken and time to be tossed!

The AFTER!!!

 It looks really fresh and streamlined.  The tag on the quilt is driving me crazy but that's a quick fix

 I got rid of all of the books except what would fit on one shelf.  It makes it much easier for Jack to put them away on his own.

This is his reading chair.  Now that it's in a better spot he uses it more.  I am in the process of some wall art and I will post when I am finished.
What do you think?  Do you keep toys in your children's rooms?  How do you organize what is in there?

Menu Planning

I have gone back and forth about menu/meal planning.  I love the newest way that I am organizing my meals.  I subscribe to an amazing magazine called Cook's Country.  It comes every other month and there are many recipes in it but in the middle there are 8 thirty minute meals.  Every single one I have made is amazing.  So on the days that I meal plan (usually Monday) I get out my magazines and my recipe index.  Last year I started a word document (my index) with four columns.  One for chicken, one for beef, one for non meat and one for soups.  Under each heading I put all of the meals that we love to eat.  This way when I meal plan I see everything and I am not faced with the "I don't know what to make" question.  Back to the planning...I usually pick around 10 meals, which is normally two weeks of meals for us.  I make a list of 10 meals that I want for this rotation.  Then I make a list of all of the ingredients that I need.  I put the list of meals on my board in my laundry room and each day I choose what I am in the mood to make/eat that night.  It has really worked out well and it has saved me from needing one thing and having to take all three kids out.
We are very selective in what we eat so I get food from a lot of different places.  We get our produce from a co op and I know what is on the menu for the week on Friday.  I have been using that to help with my meal planning too.  I order my beef from a farm and it gets delivered to me.  I doubled my order this year and I am hoping it will last me at least 6 months.  I get all of my chicken from BJ's and the rest of the stuff comes from Trader Joe's.  It has been really helpful for me to have all of my meats in my freezer and ready for  me to take out in the morning.
How do you meal/ menu plan???

My Favorite Thing

This is one of my top three organizational tools in my home.  It's a huge bulletin board that I made and hung in my laundry room.  How did I make it?  It was so easy and so cheap...only cost about $25.  I went to the local lumber store and got them to cut a large piece of homasote.  Homasote is a thick cardboard type of wood.  The best part about it is that you can stick thumb tacks right in it.  I bought a large piece of fabric and stapled it to the back.  To hang it on the wall, I nailed one nail in each corner.  I am not crafty at all so if I say this was easy, it was!

So, what do I use it for?  EVERYTHING!  I stick business cards on it, school calendars, prescriptions, receipts, invitations, anything that I want to have easy access to that I don't want to get put into a pile.  About once a week I "purge" anything that has expired or that we don't need anymore.  I like it because I can tack stuff anywhere and it still looks cute.  When I come inside from anywhere, my first stop is to hang up mail, coupons or items that I brought in from the car.  I don't like anything on my refrigerator so this is great for that too.

I am thinking of changing the fabric soon.  I liked this one because it was fun for my laundry room.  You have to be careful about fabrics that have patterns that can only go one way.  A lot of choices were eliminated for me because I couldn't use any patterns that went up and down.  Hope you like it!

Rules

So like I said earlier, I have three young children and I do have a *slight* tendency to flip out when things get messy and disorganized.  So when my first became a toddler I started making some "house rules".  I think they really save me even more cleaning and they teach the kids a little about organization.
1.  The first rule is that the kids are only allowed to eat while sitting at the kitchen table and drinks are allowed in the kitchen only.  This has made a huge difference for so many reasons.  First, my oldest LOVES to eat and snack so if he wants something he knows he has to stop playing and come to the table.  He doesn't ask as often and when he does snack he will sit and eat the whole thing instead of grazing.  Second, I don't find crumbs in many places except the kitchen (and there are a lot) so my sweeping doesn't take as long.  I hope that this will instill life long healthy eating habits, too.
2.  Each child gets one cup in the morning and they use the same one all day.  I was losing sippy cups left and right but not any more!  Oh and washing them is such a pain!  I line up the cups on the counter and the kids can drink from them as often as they want as long as they come into the kitchen.  The two oldest use regular cups for the most part but if we are going to be in the car for an extended period of time I will fill sippy's in the morning.  They have to bring the sippy's inside after we get home and use them for the rest of the day.
3.  We don't wear shoes in the house so as soon as we come in, the kids take their shoes off and put them into their bins in the laundry room.  I always know where their shoes are and we aren't dragging in dirt and leaves.

4.  I strip the kids down in the laundry room so they can put their clothes right into the laundry sorter.  They love the naked run up to the tub at night:)
I hope these are helpful.  Like I said before they have helped me so much!