a little tip: Showing off Kids Art

Having little ones in school now, we have some serious art work and such things that are most worthy of displaying in our house!

Part of our schoolroom is our "TA DA!" wall ..where we have several ways that we celebrate their paper accomplishments: 

* The Art Frame - a frame I stole from my sisters garage. I took some cork board sheeting and some spray adhesive. I needed several more layers than I actually put on there in order to use push pins. I didnt figure this out until after I had put the frame back together, so we tape everything to it for now.

* The Wire Line - the wire curtain rod, is from Ikea for $15, the clips are $10 for way more clips than you will ever use :) We keep ours up high because our little men like to try to hang their own art work, which doesnt work so much :)

* Clipboards - the clipboards are just boring old $1.50 clipboards from the office supply store. They have little metal loops on the back that allow them to hang on the wall.  We keep them nice and boring, BUT ..if I had girls I would tie cute ribbons to the clip part. AND, if I had several little artists I would add a name tag for each kid too.

We have these in their bedroom also ...they can change the art out so their current favorites are displayed per their choice :)

Right now, we also have our art prints for current art lessons on the wire line and our Steedly Schedule posted on a clipboard.

This allows for several ways to show off our little man's talents ...it works for us!  ....WFMW'ers, remember to refresh the site for the most current posts! ..thanks for being here!

Out of the House

Apparently, getting out of the house is a stressor for me because we have been sharing alot of getting "out of the house" tips lately :)

A friend shared another idea with me this week that I have implemented in my house. So far, it is working great for us and so I had to share of course :)

You know that I am in love with my Car Bucket right now.  This idea adds to the effectiveness of the CB and the ease of getting everything I need to head out the door...

It is simple really, but she just has "grab and go" bags already made up and ready to go a moments notice. She has a Swimming Bag, which is the permanent home for the beach towels, swim suits, sunscreen, flip flops, sun hats, sand toys, etc.  She has a Quiet Bag, which is stocked with snacks and quiet activities that would be appropriate for church or the doctors office. She has a Messy Bag, with wet wipes and an extra outfit for everyone in the family ..this one stays in the car.

These bags are always packed and ready for their next adventure, and are hanging where she can grab them when needed.

For me, I grab my Swimming Bag and diaper bag and throw them in the Car Bucket. We are set to go to the pool or beach and it took only a second to put together. I have a set of hooks in my laundry room, this is where my bags are hanging right now. I can keep them stocked and ready to go the easiest and fastest from that location.

I love this idea, because it means I dont have either pack or unpack any of these bags. I dont have to empty the Swimming Bag ...just take out the wet towels and suits, wash them and return them to their bag. No trying to locate the sunscreen or waterpark pass when we are ready to go ...its already in the bag where we left it the last time we used it. Makes for fun spontaneous trips out the door, with less stress making it happen!

Remember, any area you can make a bit less stressful means you are taking resources

back to use towards what God has planned for you today! :)


posted proudly to: We are That Family..Works for Me Wednesday!

a little tip: Carrying Cash

I have a little tip for you "Dave Ramsey" gals ... for those of you who are good and do monthly cash for certain parts of your budget (like I do on occasion..I need to work on this!) I found a solution to the worn out envelopes that I am always trying to keep up with in my purse or diaper bag.

It doubles as a high-tech theft deterrent device ...hee hee.

I noticed that Target has the coupon holders for $1 right now. They are perfect for categorizing the cash and keeping it together and organized. It is also really easy to steal from another "envelope" to cover something in another category. It also gave me a more orderly place to put my receipts.

Whatcha think?

a little tip: the Launch Pad

Getting out of the door for us is like trying to herd cats into the ocean! There are kids going everywhere, dogs barking, babies crying, mommy yelling, time passing ...it is STRESSFUL!

And, not always safe ..let me tell you a story. This weekend we were all headed out the door for something or another. It was not well planned on my end, and I was harried trying to get everyone out the door. There was a timing miscommunication between hubby and I, and he sent the boys to the car to buckle up. As they were headed out the door to go obey, I explained that I still needed to feed the baby one last time before heading out.

We didnt get the message to the kids. The eldest figured out pretty quick we werent coming, so unbuckled and came back in the house. No one thought anything about it.

It wasnt until we were ready to head out again, that we discovered the three year old had been waiting in his car seat, buckled up and ready to go that whole time. You see, he can buckle but not unbuckle ..this is bad, because it is the middle of July in SC ...and the car was closed up, leaving my child cooking in the van in 120 degree weather!  I dont have to explain how I felt. He was flushed, sopping wet with sweat and a bit weepy. So.was.I.

There has to be a better way ...obviously such things wont always happen if you are running late out the door, but had we a better plan, that would not have happened.

 I know this is not an original idea, but it works for me. It is something that has helped in a major area of stress, especially since having my third little one two months ago...

___

For me,  planning is everything.  I have discovered that having a physical place where I can plan my route and my day out, really helps decrease the stress that is involved in getting out of the house.  I call it my Launch Pad! Combining this space with the Car Bucket makes for a great location to identify what is needed for everyone.

Timing is a big factor as well, when talking about the stress of getting out the door. I know, if I take the time the night before we have planned activities out of the house, I am most more relaxed with it comes time to leave. It helps the whole experience be less stressful for all involved!

Our "Launch Pad" is a shelf surface in our dining room, which is a central location between the kitchen (where the snacks and drinks are) and the rest of the house (where everything else is).  I put the Car Bucket there, as well as the kids outfits for the next day and anything else I need to make our morning run smoothly.  Today, I needed paperwork to drop off at the doctors office, dvd's to return, the kids clothes and shoes and the Car Bucket..truthfully, it was NOT all in one location but scattered all over the dining room.  But..it would have been better if it was!

Anyone else have any other "out the door" ideas to share? I know I can use them!

Project Simplify: Paper Clutter

 {okay, I am going to participate in this weeks Project Simplify challenge but I am reposting this to remind myself about a system the does work great for me ..as long as I stay on top of it!}

A huge area of stress and clutter in my house is paper!

I just finished cleaning off my desk ..which was a pile of ridiculousness that I have been putting off for forEVER. I had piles everywhere and only I knew what to do with any of them.

I was forced to resurrect a great system that I used awhile back. I am now remembering how much easier it was than going through a pile of paper clutter for a couple of hours every few months. Like so many things, it is a matter of taking care of the clutter on the front side ..before it becomes clutter.

Having a place to put everything, just like in my house otherwise, is the secret to keeping the clutter down.

I found this file folder holder about a year or so ago at Sam's Club, of all places. They have all sorts of file keepers on sale right now,  so it would be a great to get what you need for this tool.  It came with some really cute file folders (cute makes everything easier). I think I bought the whole thing for $3...it works great for me!

It is in my kitchen, where I bring the mail ...the ROOT OF ALL PAPER CLUTTER!  I have each file folder labeled:  Current Bills, Finances, Current Projects, Receipts, Pending Business and Important Stuff (genius, I know).

As I open my mail, everything goes into one of these places or the trash.  I open it all right at the file folder so I open, file or throw away. No putting the filing off til later.

I have found that this keeps everything I need right at my finger tips when I need it (like, the bills), helps me keep track of small pieces of paper (invitations, receipts, gift certificates, etc.) and important information (like eye prescriptions, drs excuses, etc.). I do still have to file into my larger filing system at some point, but only every couple of months and then it is already sorted and organized.

Another great use of it is keeping track of receipts for tax purposes ..last year was our first year to itemize, so this year I am having to keep a close track on all my receipts. I am filing them straight to this file box so I know exactly where the money receipts are!  I will love myself next April :)

What type of paper clutter system do you use? Does it work for you??!