Well, Christmas vacation has ended. Monday we will return to home schooling and our regular schedule. Even though I did not get done all the projects I had wanted to over our vacation...I feel happy. Every small thing I did accomplish - I felt a sense of accomplishment. And that is important. I most likely will never finish my to do list...there will always be something else to do. So be happy and satisfied with what you have done...and just keep working at it! It is a great thing to remember this New Year!
What else happened this week? My washer drain plug would not drain which caused water to overflow onto my kitchen floor and also onto the carpet in the girls' bedroom closets. PTL that we were able to borrow a steam cleaner machine to clean up the water...my father-in-law and husband were also able to unplug the drain and it works again! No plumber bill. You know...I can't help but think that it pays to tithe and obey God in this area. I firmly believe that because we are faithful to tithing...that God doesn't stop us having problems but he brings along people to help us solve those problems and in turn saves us from losing money. He has been truly faithful in the last month in this area and I praise Him!
The weather has been truly un-December-like! We hit temps in the 60's this week...and I even watered our lawn and our trees yesterday. It is cooling down; however, this next week is supposed to be still in the 50's. Such a mild and dry winter for Reno so far.
My sister gave me an idea on how to help organize better in the girls' room. Four girls in one bedroom...clothes, shoes, beds, toys. It could become quite chaotic very quickly if you are not organized. :) So...yesterday I spent several hours trying to organize and make sense out of it all.
The first thing I did was to pitch lots of stuff. Broken toys, tattered books, old coloring books, etc.
A few ideas I utilized from my sister:
*You don't have to have every toy your child owns in their room. Separate books and toys into storage bins. Keep one bin in the room and the rest in the garage. Every so often swap out the bins. The kids will have forgotten about the toys that they haven't played with in awhile and will appreciate each toy.
*Store your child's books in storage bins vertically. They are easier to pull in and out and to keep organized.
*Separate each category of toys into different bins. For instance, I created one bin for my girls' kitchen play toys. When they want to play restaurant, I can bring that one bin from the garage and they have all they toys together. When they are done, we put them all back in that bin and it is back to the garage. Have you ever seen a child looking for one toy and he dumps out entire bins of toys just to find it? Yes. :/ This method will keep that from happening. :) I also have a bin for the Barbies/Doll accessories. I have one bin for the large baby/toddler toys. Separate however you like. These are just a few ideas.
These bins are now stacked neatly in the garage. :)
A few ideas I have utilized myself:
I bought one colored storage crate for each daughter. These are on the floor of their clothes closets. This is where their shoes are stored. It is simple and easy for even a toddler to put away and find their own shoes if they are stored this way.
My two oldest daughters have one large bin each that is able to slide under their bed. This is where they can keep their purses, small toys, knick knacks...whatever they like. I like it because it is out of sight. :) If they want something, they just slide it out from under the bed, pick out what they want and push it back.
I store baby wipes and diapers under the baby crib. Diapers are kept in a plastic basket. It is easily accessible and the girls can reach them to bring me a diaper and wipes when I call. :)
I have a large tote bag for our library books. They can be kept in the tote when we are not using them. This helps them from being lost and ready to be returned by just picking up the tote and dropping off at the library.
I have one smaller bin for coloring books and one small bin for crayons and small art supplies. I keep crayons not in their original boxes but in the small plastic school boxes. It is much easier for kids to pick out crayons and then return them to the plastic boxes instead of the small cardboard boxes.
(I keep our extra art and school supplies in a separate bin in our school/office closet. When school supplies go on sale, I buy enough for the entire year. Then when we need another glue stick, we just go to the school supply bin. :)
I label all the bins so it is easy to find the bin I need quickly.
I have bins as well for our outdoor toys. Balls, bats, kites and the girls bike helmets and pads.
These are just a few ideas that you can do and create a peaceful atmosphere in your home instead of unorganized chaos. :)
