Organizing Toddlers/Young Children's Rooms

I don't know about you, but I get beyond tired of cleaning up the same old messes over and over again. 

Toddlers rooms seem to be one of the worst. They take all of their toys out at once and the entire room is covered in toys. 

I wish I had taken a before picture, but I am pretty sure that you all know what I am talking about. lol

Now I have cleaned and organized his room many times before. I'be had shelves and crates and canvas boxes....all sorts of organizing containers. 

Everything still ended up dumped out everywhere. 

I went through everything (AGAIN) and got rid of the items he doesn't really play with or has a lot of (cars), and made a give away box. 

I I decided that I wanted to put everything in tubs with lids and put them under the bed so that there will be more floor space. 

I fit as many cars and trucks as I could fit into the big tub on the right, and got rid of the rest. (These are just big cars, not hot wheels). 

I put hot wheels and  Schleich animals in shoe box size tubs. 

I put blocks, robots, action figures, ponies, etc... in larger tubs. (My niece also stays with us, hence the ponies and pink tub full of girl toys.)

I put as many stuffed animals as would fit in the blue tub on the left. ( A few stay on the bed), and got rid of the rest. 

Then I threw all of the balls and Nerf guns in the blue crate. 

I am LOVING this loft bed that a friend gave me. You can store all kinds of stuff underneath it and not be taking up any more room that a normal bed would!

I went ahead and kept the one shelving unit that I had to store some other items that don't go into tubs very well. 

Now, what really gets me, and probably most other moms, is all the "miscellaneous" items kids have. I got rid of as much of that as I could and only allowed one of these drawers to hold miscellaneous toys. The top drawer holds the items that go along with the other toys on this shelf. 

And of course I just put all of the tools in the bins underneath the tool bench. 

Now there is nothing on the floor other than the shelf, tool bench, rocking horse and dresser. 

The best part about organizing in tubs with lids is that since they do have lids, the kids don't just go dumping them out everywhere. 

Brently has actually been getting a box out to play with it and then putting it back up before getting another box out! And he's been doing it all by himself, without my asking him to!

It almost seems as if he doesn't have many toys anymore. lol 

But, trust me, when it's all over the floor it looks like a lot! 

I hope this gives you some ideas. I am really loving the tub idea. You can stack them on top of each other saving even more room. They have lids which helps prevent them from getting dumped out, and it will be so easy to pack up his room to move. It's practically already done!!

2011 Gratitude Challenge - November 15th

Man, I missed yesterday's Gratitude Challenge. I have tried so hard not to miss a day. Oh well, what can you do right?

I'll tell you something from yesterday that I was very grateful for.

My husband has a signed Kevin Johnson Phoenix Suns jersey, and in all of our 15 years of being married I have never washed this.....Yep, you can see where I am going can't you....Yep, I accidentally washed it. Some of the signature was worn away. I thought he would be so upset. He wasn't. He said it wasn't that important. I was so thankful that he didn't get upset.

Today I am thankful for all of the things we have that make life easier. I am thankful for the simple things like a washer and dryer, a refrigerator, an oven, etc... Just think how life would be different without those things.

I know it is kind of a frivolous thing to be thankful for, but these are things that really do make life easier. Can you imagine not being able to vacuum, or wash your sheets in a moments notice? I know we could do it, but I am thankful that we don't have to. lol

Educating the WholeHearted Child/ TOS Review

For the last couple of months Mardel has had all of their Apologia products on sale.

I have been wanting to get this book while it was on sale, but it has never been in stock. It must be a great seller!

Anyhow, when this came up for review, I was very excited, hoping I might get a copy to review. And I did!

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this book. After I finally got it, I opened the book and started reading it. "Hmmm, this sounds kind of familiar", I thought.

As I was reading, and looking at the quotes and the Bible verses in the sidebars, I was thinking, "Man, this seems really familiar".  Then it hits me, "I have this book!"

What in the world? I realized that not only have I seen this book before, but I already own it!

The cover is very different, and it had been so long since I had looked at this book, that I didn't even realize it was the same one. (Here is what the last version looked like. The one I already own.)

You can see the difference in the covers. The covers aren't the only differences though.

The last edition had 256 pages, and the new edition has 376 pages. Over 100 new pages! It is now a very thick book.

The second edition is also now published by Apologia Press.

This is one of the most helpful home teaching books I have ever read. I think for me it is because there is such a huge emphasis on what the scriptures say about teaching your children.

It also has a big emphasis on the child as a whole. It has many verses that talk about your child's friendships, and about disciplining and training your child as well.

This is not your typical homeschool book. This books talks about every part of your life. It gives you tips on home management, discipline, homeschooling, Bible training, etc.

Here is a quote from the book that explains it pretty well.

"God did not forget to include "school" in his biblical design for raising children&mdash:home education is a natural expression of all that God intended for parents and their children. Clay and Sally Clarkson's Educating the WholeHearted Child is about rediscovering God's original design for the family. What you'll find in this book is a homeschooling model that makes sense. It's an approach that is based on sound biblical principles of nurture, discipleship, instruction, and learning. Newly revised and significantly expanded, Educating the WholeHearted Child is about much more than homeschooling; it is about life. Effective Christian homeschooling must begin with the sure foundation of a Christian home, and the Clarksons' uncomplicated, common-sense approach to life and learning will provide you with the tools you need to experience God's abundant blessings for your family."

There is so much in this book that I agree with. There were so many times that I was like, "Yeah, why don't people get this? Can't they see what Scripture says about this?" It is good to read a book written from a like minded mother.

This is a fabulous book that will lead you and your family towards God's way of raising your children.

I absolutely recommend this book, and think you will be really blessed and encouraged by it.

You can find it at Apologia's website for $22. Well worth it in my opinion.

You can read a sample chapter here. 

Let me know if you get this book and if it encourages you as much as it does me.

And be sure to check out what my fellow Crew Mates thought of this book too!

 



*I have received a copy of Educating the WholeHearted Child, free, as a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew, in return for my honest opinion.
No other compensation has been given to me.*

Keeping your dishes to a minimum

I don't know about you, but I am so tired of my kids using up all the dishes.

I really wish they would wash their dishes and reuse them, but that doesn't happen. 

So to help ease the load, I decided to give them 2 plates, bowls, and cups apiece. 

These are different colors, or patterns, so that they can tell the difference between theirs. 

This way they can only use that amount of dishes, and if they need more, they can wash them. 

At least that is the goal. 

I have not gotten them in the habit of washing them yet.

I just bought them new dishes yesterday, and will be working on this all week. 

I got rid of the rest of the plastic dishes that just built up in the sink. 

This way, even if they don't wash them, I won't have as many to wash. 

I think this is really gonna help keep the dishes to a minimum.

Let me know if you try this and if it works for you, or let me know how you keep your dishes to a minimum.


Be sure to check out The Christian Home Magazine this week.

Come celebrate with me! A CSN Giveaway!

I have been trying to think of a good idea for a giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 followers, and then yesterday I was contacted by CSN, and was asked if I would like to do another review, or possibly a giveaway.

Last time I chose to do a review, but since I was looking for a good giveaway already, I figured this was perfect!

I have worked with CSN once before, and I was impressed with the variety of items they had to choose from.

They even had the KitchenAid mixer that I want! (At 100 dollars less than retail.)

I searched through their bookshelves, because as a homeschooler, I always need more bookshelves, don't you?

They have a great variety of home office furniture if you are looking to set up, or remodel your homeschool room.

I settled on a set of 12 mobile drawers that I thought I would use for workboxes. I actually ended up using them for a different purpose. I use them to keep all of our school supplies in, such as paper, pencils, scissors, glue, tape, etc.
I am really happy with them for this purpose.

All, this to say that I am happy to be able to announce that I am offering a giveaway to CSN in the amount of $45. You can really find a lot of useful things on their site.

The last time I was looking through their sites, I found many things that had free shipping! Even a lot of their bookshelves had free shipping, so even if you wanted a heavier item, you may not have to worry about shipping. Not every item has free shipping, but a lot of items do.

If you would like to be entered for a chance to win this CSN gift card worth $45, all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post. I would love to know what you feel is your number one organizing item for your homeschool room.
(Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you.)

For additional chances to win:
*Follow my blog, and leave me a comment letting me know you are now following, or let me know that you already follow.
*Post about this giveaway, and leave me a comment letting me know that you posted, and where I can find the post.

This giveaway will end on Monday, Feb.14th 2011,  at noon. I would love to bless someone with a Valentines gift!  If the winner does not respond back to me by the morning of  Wednesday, Feb. 16th 2011, a new winner will be chosen.


Official Rules for this giveaway:

1. Eligibility. This giveaway is open to all readers. This will be a certificate code to CSN.

2. How to Enter. Entry is made by leaving a comment on the giveaway post. A limit of one entry is allowed per e-mail address. You may only enter once, please do not use multiple emails to enter.
You may, however, obtain additional entries on a particular giveaway through other channels when applicable.

3. Disclaimer. I will not be responsible for any lost or damaged items, or any lost or late entries, any technical issues, or anything beyond my control.
If you order an item that comes to more than the certificate code, or if there are shipping costs that are not covered, I will not be responsible. You are responsible for any charges over $45.


Good Luck, and thanks for stopping by!

*THE WINNER IS COMMENT NUMBER 31! CONGRATULATIONS!*

Planning for School While Getting Ready for the New Year

Wow! I need to take a deep breath and just relax a little.

I have so much I want to get done, and it is just not getting there.

I am still cleaning up after Christmas. It is amazing how much can happen in one day.

I had really been doing a great job of keeping the house up, and it was all destroyed in one day.

It is hard to keep things up though, when you are getting ready for the holidays.

Oh well, I know I will get it back in order, but I just wish I were farther along.

Oh well, I will buck up and just get er done! HA HA HA

So, as far as school goes, we will keep it light for the next couple of weeks as I try to get the house in order for the new year.

We will be focusing mainly on TOS review items until we really get back in the swing of things.

I think what we will do is to have my daughter doing Ten Marks, completing one worksheet a day, and then moving on to Math Facts Now for review.

I am having her do 25 multiplication, and 25 division each day. (She already know all this, as she is in the 8th grade, but we are reviewing this item, and hey, you can always use some good review, right?)

Then my son will do Math Facts Now as well, although he will be doing very basic addition. (He is just starting Kindergarten)

Following that, I think I will have them watch a video from Speekee.

It is funny because I can't get those spanish songs out of my head when I watch the videos! HA

They are loving Dig It! I am going to keep it to once or twice a week for now as we finish up these other review items.

After the new year begins, we are really going to dive into I See Sam, a reading program that we are reviewing.

I love it! We have done a little of it, but we are going to do it daily after we really get back into the swing of things this year.

And for my daughter, we are really going to dig into the Writing program we received from The Institute for Excellence in Writing. 

It is awesome!!!

We will also be listening to Peter and the Wolf from Maestro Classics. 

We have listened to this already once, and my son thought parts of it were kind of scary, but it is pretty cool.

I have never listened to anything like this before. It is a mix of a story and the Philharmonic Orchestra!

I will let you know more about these products as I get my reviews done, but you can check out their websites for now if you would like to.

So, I got our living room and my son's room picked up, and now I have the kitchen, our bedroom and bathroom, and my daughters room.

I still have the study, but it is a disaster ,and has been for a long, long time.

It is full of books, school and crafts supplies, etc.

I will take pictures of that for you. I am sure it will be amusing! HA

Well, I am off to get some of this stuff done. Hopefully I will get it all done this week.

I want to, at minimum, get everything done except for the study. If that is all I have to do next week, that will be great.

I'll keep you updated.

What are you all doing for school until the new year?

What is Homesteading?

Every person might have a different idea of what homesteading means to them, but basically it is about getting back to the basics.
Things like making what you can yourself, growing what you can yourself, being self reliant, buying in bulk or on sale, and preserving it by freezing or canning, saving money, reducing expenses, re-using what you can, and possibly even having your own chickens, goats, or cows.
Each person will do this differently, and if you live in the city, it will be different for you than it would someone in the country.
I am still in the country, but I am learning now as we are going to move soon.
It’s almost like I have been doing my own unit study!
I have learned a lot so far, and have a lot more to learn, but I am loving it.
How do you homestead where you live?

Laundry Tip - Sheets

Do you have problems with your sheets not being completely dry the first time you dry them?

Well, I found the solution! HA HA sounds like a mystery! lol

Anyhow...If you will open them up and shake them out before you put them in the dryer, they will dry the first time, because they are not being put in the dryer like a ball.

You all may actually already know this, I don't know, but I just figured it out a week or so ago, when I had the brilliant idea pop into my head! HA

I wanted to share this with you all in case you didn't know and had the same problem I have had for all of these years.

Yay! No more having to dry my sheets twice!

Working Willingly Wednesdays

I wanted to do a Meme that would help us all to get those dreaded, but needed, things done around the house.
I have always had trouble keeping things up, and I think this will help motivate me, and I am hoping it will motivate others to as well.
I got the name form this verse:
She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.Proverbs 31:13
What I thought we could do was to tackle those little things that need to be done, but never seem to get done.
Each Wednesday I will post one or maybe two things to tackle during the week. It does not have to be done on Wed., just before the next Wed.
I want to post before and after pictures, and if you want me to post yours too, just email them to me, and I will put them on here too! Oh, and if you have ideas for things to get done, just let me know.
I really hope this helps us to get those little things done, and that we will be more like the Proverbs 31 woman, and work more willingly, instead of grudgingly.
I hope to see some of you doing this with me. It will make it more exciting!
See you soon.

Clean House!

A few months ago, I posted that we were going to be moving. We are still going to move, but it has taken longer than I thought it would to get ready to move. Many months ago, I packed up a LOT of our stuff in the garage.
Needless to say, we haven't really missed much of it. Now, I feel like I do not want to bring all that stuff into a new house.
So, I think, I am going to go out there and go through each box,and see what else we can get rid of and have a garage sale.
it will be a lot of work, but I think it will be worth it.
I am finally able to keep my house up now that I have gotten a lot of it out of the house.
I will keep you updated. Maybe I will take a before and after picture for you guys. You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff out there. I do not want that burden in another house.
Ok, off I go!

Clean House for the New Year?

I ran into a friend today and we were discussing organizing so I thought I would share with you what I told her and some other tips for getting organized this year.
I told her that the ONLY way she would ever get anything organized is to get rid of everything possible. She was kind of in shock of what I said but it is true. There is no way to really feel peaceful and serene in your home if you have clutter or nick knacks around the house.
I have been working on this for years, and I have come a long way. I am not there yet, but I am a lot better than I used to be. I am still unorganized though and will work on this with you all this year.
A few years ago, I had 2 friends come to my house a couple times a week and help me.
This is my first idea:
Tip 1. Get a friend or 2 to come over and help you. You really need someone else to help you decide if you really need to keep something or not. Your friends are not attached to your stuff like you are, so they can put things in a new perspective.
I needed them to ask me such things as “Do you really need this?, What will you use it for?, When or how often will you use it?, Where will it go, etc…” It is hard to get rid of your stuff, so having a fresh perspective and someone to remind you of your goals is a very helpful idea.
After my friends helped me, I have kept up with frequent decluttering. Whenever I feel the need, I go through things and see what we can get rid of. I will frequently ask the kids to go through their stuff and see if there is anything they can get rid of.
Each time I do the laundry, I look at everything to see if it still fits a child or if it is really worn out and if it fits one of those, I will toss or donate. Also, if you find that there are pieces of clothing in you or your childs closet that never get worn, get rid of them because they will inevitably end up on the floor or in the laundry or at minimum are taking up valuable closet space.
Tip 2. Go through room by room and see what you have not been using. I realized there are so many things that I do not use and do not need. A lot of it is knick knacks and odds and ends;decorative stuff. I find that I can do with little to no decorative stuff laying around the house. I like pictures or things that hang on the wall but things that sit on a surface are just clutter and make it hard to dust and keep clean. If you have too many on one surface, it just looks messy and does not give you that peaceful feeling.
So, go through each room, each cabinet and get rid of everything possible.
Tip 3. For keeping things up, I will periodically throughout the day, say to the kids, “Ok, lets all pick up twenty things from the living room” and then it is picked up and it was fast and the kids could know exactly waht was to be done and do it fast.
Sometime I will say,”let’s set a timer for 5 minutes and let’s all work in the kitchen reals fast.” When you are hurrying, you can get a lot more done than you would think.
Tip 4. Go through each room and write down what the trouble areas are. For instance, if you go into your bedroom and you have paper all over the place, write that down. You will need to come up with something to organize your papers. This is what I really need to work on myself. If you go into the bathroom and there are items out that shouldn’t be, make sure you have a spot for them and then practice putting it away.
Which brings me to my last point, at least for now, because I need to go.
Part of your becoming organized will have nothing at all to do with the organizing itself. This may be the most important thing to know. You can organize till the sun goes down, but if you do not keep it up, you will just have to keep doing it over and over. If you are constantly organizing but everything is still always falling apart, you will have to train yourself in the habit of putting everything back. Once you get organized, you may have to work really hard at making sure you are putting everything back in it’s place. I am a master organizer. I love organizing, but I can completely organize a room and a few days later it is back to disaray.
I know that more than the organizing itself, this year I will have to practice, practice, practice, until it becomes a habit that I am actually keeping up what I have already organiized.
Ok, well I have to run. I like this idea of all working together on this this year.
Oh, Wait, one more thing. We have been getting ready to move and have had a lot of our stuff packed away in the garage. I have found that we havn’t even missed hardly any of it. So, if you just can’t bear to part with some things, try packing them up in the garage and if after a certain period of time, you find yourself NOT thinking about it or needing it back, then go ahead and give it away, but at least you gave it a chance and know that you will be ok without it.
Ok, bye for now.

A few tips for procrastination...

Well, you are talking to the queen of procrastination! At least I used to be. I am much better now but still not quite there. I have found some things though that really do help.
1. You have to get your heart into it. This is something that I learned from reading Ministering to the Heart of your Child. I realized that when my heart wasn't really into whatever it was that I was doing, I would just keep putting it off. I saw things in a new light and realized that God wants me to be cheerful and grateful about things like the housekeeping and homeschooling!That makes me want to do things better knowing that it pleases God.
2. Another big thing I have found that really helps is that when there is something to be done, just get the mindset that if you will just hurry and get it done it will soon be over! LOLBut really, if I will just hurry and do the job or set a timer for me and the kids and see how much we can get done in a short amount of time, it works wonders!
3. If you are procrastinating because it is a repeat job that never seems to stay the way you want it, sit down and really try to see what the problem is and see if you can get some sort of organizational tools or containers to help you keep it up that way it wont be so daunting.
4. Call a friend and tell them you need motivation! This can really help. If you feel like you can't do it or don't have the motivation, let your friends help motivate you or even come over and help you with whatever it is that you are procastinating about!
5. Picture the end result! Just think about how much better you will feel when it is done! You will feel better and things will look better and then just try to daily maintain it so that it doesn't get back to the point where you are procrastinating about it.

I finally got my car cleaned out! Tips for keeping your car clean???

Whew! I tell you, it was hard work! It took me all day but I finally got it all cleaned out! I have the hardest time keeping it clean, What are your tips for keeping you car clean and organized?