Baby Clothes Organize System

Kids grow so darn fast! 

Having my clothes organized has made changing sizes so much easier and cheaper. I have a big ole big for every size and each gender. 

I made myself up a chart with clothing categories. You only need so many pants, shirts, pj, etc. I decided that having 10 in a category was perfect for our family. This also helps me to keep up with laundry. No giant piles for me so far (I'm sure that will change depending on how many kids we have). 

Not every category needs 10. For example there is no way one needs 10 swim suits. You don't need 10 pairs of jeans, maybe 4 or 5 to have options but 10 is extreme. Chances are you won't even wear them all before you have another growth spurt on your hands. 

I'm not extremely strick when it comes to only having 10 items per category. I have received lots of hand me downs and have kept the items that are in good condition. If I am given an article that I already have 10 of I either get rid of something that has been well loved or stick it in the bin to be loved by my next baby. No sense in refusing or throwing out good stuff.

How do you get started. 

Make a chart for you to keep track of your clothes. Mine is simple. Type of clothes and an empty spot for tally marks. Every size has it's own paper. 

Wash everything!

Sort clothes into sizes. Pick a size of clothes and start tallying what you have in your piles. While I am tallying I fold my clothes and put them into categories. That way you will be able to find what you are looking for really easy. 

I always have a bin in my kids room. For the size of clothes they are currently wearing. When something gets tight I wash it and put it into the bin. When I only have a couple of days in clothes I wash everything and pack it all away. Then I simply bring out the new bin. Walaa easy peasy.

Switching everything works excellent til about 1 year. After that sizes are a little trickier. Example: My toddler is chunky on top so he grows out of his shirts faster than pants. I now have 2 bins down for him. That is until his legs catch up with the rest of him. 

How is this system cheaper?

I always know what clothes are missing for sizes so I can utilize sales. This year I bought a winter coat and snow pants for 70% off regular price. If I would have waited til next year to purchase I would be out $100 instead. When stores have awesome sales I go. I got a ton of shirts for $0.60. Score! 

If I didn't know what I was looking for I would have too much of one size and none of the other. Very rarely do I have to run out to the store and buy something. This is really the only time I pay full price for anything.

You can collect as far in advance as you want or have space for. Currently I have clothes up to 3T for girls and boys. Some bins still need some more but I have time to watch for the best sales. 

Hope this helps you to be a little more organized and prepared for your little ones.

My boys cleaning up and putting the bins away. Bee was so excited to help Jason push the boxes down the hall.

Sleeping in the Kitchen

We are painting our bedroom this week which means we had to move everything out!!! 

Including our bed. 

We put it in the only logical place we could think of... the dining room.

Good news is it's close to the fridge for late night snacks and breakfast in bed.

Blue Week

This week went by so fast! I am glad that I was able to prepare a bit before hand. 

Here is our weeks sensory box. Random things with different textures and uses.

We had blue rattle gloves, tissue paper, a ball, dinosaurs, sponges, lids and my favorite a mini broom.

Bee loves to use my broom which is wonderful but it's so tall he ends up whacking himself in the face... So I got him this mini one. I am trying to incorporate household duties into our daily routine, this broom was the perfect way to teach him blue and also help him learn about sweeping. This week he just spread my pile around but at least he got the concept of moving things with the bristles. 

We got into some deep reading. Lol. He loves looking through my books and I don't mind. He is very gentle for the most part. 

We spent time reading an animal book, the cover is blue. We have two copies so Bee followed along in his own book, turning the pages after I turned mine.

He liked flipping the pictures over more this week. Bee wanted to give them a ride so he flipped the tray beside down and pushed it around the kitchen. He still threw the pieces all over the place but gathered them back up when I asked him. So helpful.

Once he was finished with that Bee decided it was music time so he got out his favorite percussion instruments.

Boxes! Every kid loves boxes!

Another favorite for this week. Pom Poms! This week I gave him 3 light blue and 3 dark blue. We matched the colors, made patterns in an egg carton and counted them. 

Colouring. We tried crayons this week. He is improving with his grasps but still hold the crayons upside down for the most part. I wish I would have traced the word "blue" in permanent marker like I did for last week. My favorite thing Bee did in regards to colouring was the cleanup. Once he was finished he pointed to the box of crayons and put them away. I had to point to the empty spots but he slide them right in.

Bee is also babbling a lot more and dancing all the time. He is such a joy in our home. 

It truly was an awesome week. Next week is yellow! I'm sure it will be Bees favorite so far as he loves loves loves duckies! We are also renovating our bedroom so yellow week might turn into two weeks. 

Valentines Day

In our home we don't celebrate valentines day with gifts. Mostly because neither of our love languages is gifts. We have enough stuff but we still find ways to show each other how much we love the other. 

We went to our Stakes Presidents Ball. It was a dance, with the Lethbridge Big Band. I loved it we had such a great time. 

My parents also joined us which was awesome to have another couple there with us. I stole a couple of dances with my Dad too. He is such a great dancer. Jason and I really should take some lessons from my parents. I would love to dance more. Especially in our kitchen!

The next morning we had a delicious egg in toast and sausage breakfast. I'm not sure if you can tell but we used festive heart shapes to cut the bread.

We celebrated love by attending the temple with my parents and helping reunite families in the eternities. 

Bee loved Grammas flowers. He stuck his face right into the bouquet to get the full scent. 

This is my favorite picture! He was so gentle with the roses. Look at that belly!!! He is definitely getting pudgy. Maybe he is approaching a growth spurt.

Bee fell asleep almost as soon as we got into the car. He was all loved out. I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Happy Valentines to you! I hope that you felt loved and were able to do something special. 

Cupcake

Well it's official! The doctors report tells us a little Miss Cupcake will join us the end of June! We are so excited and can't wait to meet her.

We called our families and they were all very excited. The best reaction, surprisingly, was from my 18 year old brother. He has never had a niece before and is excited for a "baby, girl, thing" as compared to a "baby, boy, thing." So far this only happens every 18 years. I'm sure that will change but he needs further data before he draws any conclusions. Silly silly. He also congratulated us on the two X chromosomes..... That's one way to put it anyways. 

I love that boy and he is already a wonderful uncle. I'm sure he will figure out baby, girl, things before too long. Newborns really do the same sort of thing regardless of gender. 

Jason has always wanted a baby girl but I wanted a big brother for her first. Our plan is perfect so far.  I am so excited to watch Jason and his little princess. I am excited for her to join our family, dress her in adorable clothes then jump in mud puddles! 

A little girl is exactly what our soon to be family of four needs!

Red Week

I love Tot School! Bee loves Tot School! This is going to be a wonderful thing for us. 

He was so open to the different activities I set up for him. I only planned on him participating in various activities for 10 minutes. He completely surprised me and focused for 30 - 40 minutes!!

I printed off the word "red" and put it in a page protector so Bee could color it multiple times. We used a washable marker but it didn't work as well as I would like. The color mostly beaded.... I would suggest using dry erase marker. If your up for a mess, try this. Tape the page to the table or a tray, give them some yogurt or edible paint and set them free! So much fun and you can mostly wipe it up. Another option is playing with play dough and filling in the lines. 

Our sensory bin. Bee loved this so much. Over 40 minutes! Wow. I just went around my house and gathered up everything that is red. Cups, plastic animals, funnels, etc. Use what you have, you don't have to spend lots of money to get started with Tot School. 

Bees favorite was Pom Poms. I showed him how to put the Poms in the container one time then he kept doing it. Started off one at a time then he was trying to stuff them in all at once. This was great for his fine motor skills and also allowed us to practise counting at the same time. 

I printed off images of red things and laminated them. My plan was to put 3 sets on the table and help Bee pick out the matches. Well that just didn't work at all! He wanted to just throw them around. I quickly thought of what else I could do. We ended up flipping the pictures to the blank side and finding the color side. Hide and seek! Just a small change but it made all the difference. 

*Once I figure out how to put PDFs on this blog I will give you the document I used. 

As a side note Tot School has helped me more than I could have possibly guessed. I love a schedule, when things are organized. I don't like when I don't have a plan for the day. Being a stay at home mum is tricky. Some days I am busy all day long and still have nothing accomplished. Ugh! Please tell me I am not the only one. 

Set up only takes a couple minutes now that I have organized myself a bit. I am seeing Bee learn which is so rewarding. I don't feel like I am doing nothing anymore. Life is going so much smoother! 

Can't wait to see what happens in the weeks to come. Check back next week for blue week!

Being My Best Self

This weekend I was blest to be able to take some time to learn more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, what I can do better at and that I am loved. 

I attended a Relief Society Meeting with my mom. Participated in a planning meeting with some of my female mentors. I also was able to go to my own Stake Relief Society meeting. This all occurred on Saturday. Sunday was also wonderful as I got to attend church and a special Youth fireside. Lucky me, I am a Young Women's leader so I get to attend. It was so wonderful, the whole weekend, but I am completely spiritually and emotionally drained. 

When I listen to speakers I don't often remember what they said exactly. I try and listen to what my Heavenly Father wants me to learn. He will tell me if I listen closely. He often gives me a theme. This weekend my Father told me that I need to be my best self.

Often I am hard on myself. I look at my to do list and see the things that I didn't accomplish instead of what I completed. Sometimes I feel like if I can't do it perfect why even try at all. I expect myself to be perfect. Nobody expects this. Why am I so hard on myself? 

I am so glad that my Heavenly Father knows of my struggles and shows me how to improve. He has given me my own special gifts and talents and that is enough. I am enough. I just need to be me, but the best me that I can be at that moment. 

There are many other things that I learned this weekend. I am going to share some of my thoughts so be patient. I am sure this is going to be a long post. 

The theme was A Heart Like His. His being Jesus Christ. As a member of the LDS faith I am always striving to be more like him. It isn't always easy but if I take the time and look for opportunities I know I will find them. I can treat people a little better than they think they deserve.

I can also let my actions speak for me. They tell people who I really am.

After the theme was introduced we were given a list classes to choose from and then attend three.

The first class I went to was in regards to family and how to be unified. Truly "knit" together. We are just starting our family; it's just us, Bee and our little Cupcake on the way. Here are some of the tips they gave us to be focused and unified as a couple and a family. 

1 - Be on the same team as a couple. Stronger together. 

Personal Attitude. Pray daily . Attend the temple. Create a positive environment. Have a purpose for everyday. Start off the day with priorities. Prepare for the week or day before hand, it will help life to flow better and to be prepared for whatever is thrown at me. 

Unity in Marriage. Be an example. Attend the temple. Compromise, different isn't wrong it's just different. Support each others interests. Do things together. Pray together. Make sure that Christ is the foundation and lean on him always.

2. Family. Faith - daily scripture study (try reading at the table so kids don't fall asleep) and prayer. Prayer - keep as a constant companion. Follow prompting and allow prayer to work. Prayer protects. Make a family tradition eg. Families are Forever cheer. Repentance - more than just apologizing, you must improve. Forgive - forgiveness heals both the offender and frees you. Respect - respect self and others. Monitor the media in our home. Praise positive actions. Teach self confidence and respect. Love is spelt T I M E - meals, playing, chores. The idea of a notebook letter swap was shared. A place where kids can write their challenges and struggles and you (parent) can respond. Bedtime, take the time to focus on individual children. Compassion - be present when needed. See the positive. Know love languages and make sure their love tanks are full. Work - we can do hard things. Get chores done. Work before play. Recreation - play together = stay together. 

The most important work I do is between the walls of our home. Follow the council of the prophets and the scriptures. They are given to us as an instruction manual. 

Valiant Hearts. It takes obedience to gain a valiant heart. I have to be willing to do what I can with what I have. Even when I don't know know what is ahead of me I need to keep I keeping on. My Heavenly Father will direct and protect me and my family. I have been given my gift of agency. I determine what my life consists of. I determine what I am known for. My decisions will determine if I recognize my Savior when I see him. 

The story of the 10 virgins was brought up. All 10 of them wanted to be in the presence of The Lord but only 5 were determined to do what was needed. I cannot have a lamp full of oil if I don't add oil daily. Drop by drop. 

I want to be an example to my children. I want them to know without a doubt that I knew. That I tried my best. I want my family to be together forever, my children and those that have gone before us. I must stand strong. Uncompromising when it comes to my standards. Satan is suddle; he leads gently and slowly. Don't let him in. He can do much work with even a slight crack. 

Nurturing a Cheerful Heart. I really loved this lesson because it really tied my thoughts together. I need to see the good in myself, to allow myself to be whom I am meant to be. As a mom my attitude will be passed onto the environment in my home and those whose lives I interact with. I don't have to be superhuman, that's impossible. I just have to do the best with what I have been given and trust in The Lord. 

How in the world can I have a cheerful heart all the time? I'm not sure if it's possible to be cheerful everyday but I do know that everyday has joy in it. Someday see just have to look a little deeper. 

Challenges will always be there but hey help us become a little better. They smooth out the rough edges. Here are some tips on getting through daily challenges. Laugh at yourself and the situation you end up in. Don't take yourself too seriously. Enjoy the sun and dance in the rain. Have a Mary Poppins attitude by putting a positive spin on life. Dance! Be silly! 

Struggles can become our strengths even some of our greatest blessings. Perfection doesn't come automatically or after one try. It takes courage to be imperfect in a world that demands so much. 

Keep what matters most a priority ALWAYS. Daily actions will push us in one direction or another. Where do you want to go and is that destination inline with where you are headed. 

Live so others know I am committed to keeping my covenants and blest as a result. Live so my happiness shows! 

After my inspiring morning and delicious lunch I met with two of my female mentors. It really was a perfect addition. My mind and heart were in a wonderful place and I was ready to make and set plans to achieve my personal, family and business goals. I have learned that every aspect of my life works better when my spiritual self has been properly fed and nourished. I have a lot of work ahead of me to achieve all of our goals. So far I am very glad and blest that I have already been able to quit my job to stay at home with my babies.

My stake had a very different and similar type of meeting. It was entitled "Its A Chick Thing." We had wonderful food, as all Relief Society activities do, goofy skits, spiritual messages and lessons.

This months skit was the story of the Little Red Hen and helping the ward through visiting teaching. All of the animals had different struggles and situations that prevented them from accomplishing their visiting teaching. It was goofy but it showed how important even the little things are in assisting with the work of The Lord.

The classes focused on visiting teaching and how we can be more effective.

First off you need to get to know the sisters that you teach. How can you help someone if you don't know what their needs are? How can you love them as Christ does if they are strangers to you? 

Be persistent. Sometimes it's difficult to get together with those you teach but if you are persistent they will know you will be there when they need you. Be someone they can count on. 

How do you arrange your priorities? There was a object lesson on how to fit everything we need to get done into a day. You may have already seen this lesson. There was a jar, some larger rocks and some smaller rocks. You can put these objects in different ways but can you get them all in? If you put the bigger/more important things in first you can fill in the gaps with the smaller things. I love this because I find that I find the time to squeeze in some things when I have a spare moment. 

I forget what book it was, but I once read about eatting the frog first. Gross I know! If you have to eat a frog when would you rather do it? Get it over with!! Same goes with your duties and priorities. Do what needs to be done in the beginning of the day and the other things that you accomplish are bonus. 

I am a list lady and my lists can get quite daunting. I have changed my list from one huge list to a daily list of five. A few around the house, business, one I will enjoy and scripture study.

 When I read my scriptures in the morning it seems that everything goes smoother. I get the majority of my list done before lunch then I can enjoy my afternoons and even take a nap without feeling guilty.

What a long post! You deserve a ribbon! I wrote this mainly for myself but I hope you were able to learn something. 

As I have focused on these concepts I feel so much better about myself, my roles and what I accomplish daily! 

Remember be the best you that you can be! You are enough!