• Organized Chaos: Kids Crafts & Activities

    P1350816c

     Kids crafts

    Our kids love doing a variety of crafts and fun activities.  Anything from artwork to bead work to pottery and so much more!   A lot of times for their birthdays or Christmas they will get some neat crafts and activities gifts to do.

    We wanted to find a convenient place to store them until they had time to do the craft. Originally, we had all the craft items stored together in one general location, but not in their room(s).  As the girls got older we had to start putting names on the boxes or items so each one knew which ones were theirs when they went looking for a craft to do.  Since they are twins it is important as parents to make sure that each child has some items that are specifically for them. We felt like this was something easy to do regarding their crafts and it has worked out well for our family.

    Once the kids moved into their own rooms we decided to put their individual crafts on one of their higher shelves in their closets.  Each kid has their own individual craft or activity shelf so they can pick out their specific item whenever they want to do a craft.  Some of the crafts on their shelves are the same while some are completely different.  They can easily get a chair or step stool when they want to pick out a craft to do, but with the crafts being on a higher shelf it isn’t as accessible so when we have younger kids visiting the crafts stay in place and don’t get all spread out.

    P1350827c

     Crafts lined up, visible, and ready to be used.

  • Flashback Friday: First Summer

     Flashback Friday - Brina's Flexible and Totally Asleepc

     Brina completely folded in half and sleeping

    This flashback Friday bounces us back to June 2005.  The girls first summer!  They were continuing to grow.  It was amazing to see them start to learn more and change.  They still could go to sleep in the most unusual (and what looked like uncomfortable) positions.  Their smiles and little giggles made our days so much brighter.  They put up with our silliness as parents and we had a lot of fun learning together.

    We were home for the majority of the month of June.  At their regular Doctors appointment they were growing and looking healthy, however, on Brina’s apnea monitor her heart rate was showing unusually high numbers so we had to go into a specialists office to get her hooked up to an EKG.  We also had to bring her home on a portable EKG for a couple days to see if there were any complications.  Thankfully she was fine, she just has a faster heartbeat than other kids at her age.

    Karlie Sucking her Thumbc

     Karlie was our thumb sucker.  She is enjoying her thumb as she falls asleep.

    Cuddling (Karlie and Brina)c

    Snuggle bugs

    Karlie found her fist and Brina giving us a shy smilec

    Looks like mischief!

    Karlie laughing because she pushed Brina offc

    Karlie giggling as she attacks Tigger!

    Karlie our pretty presentc

    Karlie fast asleep with a decorative gift bow on her forehead…..she has no idea!

    Flashback Friday - Karlie and Brina shy smilesc

    Love seeing those pudgy cheeks!

    Brina doing the EKG in the doctors officec

    Brina having the EKG test done.  She is not very happy with us right now.

    Flashback Friday - Brina and her wiresc

     Back home with all the EKG wires attached to her.  She was more content once we were back home and didn’t seem to mind the extra wires until we pulled them off 2 days later and she had a bunch of red spots all over her belly.

    Sistersc

    Hanging out!

    Brina holding still so we can get a shotc

    Silly ducks….Brina – “What are you guys looking at?” while Karlie snoozes away completely unaware of the duck on her head.

    Karlie Cutiec

    Karlie tolerated our silliness.  As long as she was fed, changed, and got to play she was a happy baby.

    Karlie's Milk Bellyc

    Look at that cute milk belly! Such a huge change since her surgery the month before when she couldn’t keep anything down.  Thankful for the doctors and a healthy baby.

    Brina picking out gifts in Cheaper Than Dirt Catalogc

    Brina is excited about picking out gifts in the Cheaper Than Dirt Catalog…..makes Daddy so proud!

    Flashback Friday - Brina showing off her silly hatc

    Brina showing off her fancy “pant” hat.   She is not very impressed.

    Karlie wearing her pants wrong and showing off her diaperc

    Karlie is not overly excited by her hat either.  She is ready for her nap!

    Happy Brinac

    Happy Brina Bee!

  • Organized Chaos: Closet Clothes Baskets

    P1350875c

    Baskets of clothes in the closet

    On the bottom shelf in the kids closets we have 3 baskets of clothes.  Each of these baskets contain specific items.  The clothes are easy to access for the kids.  The baskets make good use of the space between the the hanging clothes and the bottom rack.

    The 3 Baskets contain:

    1. Basket of Blue Jeans and Pants
    2. Basket of Shorts and Skirts
    3. Basket of Outside Play Clothes

    In the Spring  and Summer the short and skirt basket will be in the center with the jeans / pants as well as the outside play clothes are on the sides.  During the Fall and Winter the jeans and pants are in the middle with the short / skirt as well as the outside play clothes are on the sides.  All the girls have to do is grab a shirt from the hanger above, a bottom (jeans, pants, shorts, or skirt) from one of the baskets and they have the majority of their outfits picked out.  When they are going to play outside they can pick a shirt and bottom out of their outside play clothes.

    They usually do pretty well with keeping the correct items in the right baskets.  Although, sometimes when they are in a hurry or if they are digging for a specific pair of jeans they don’t always keep all their items folded nicely.  For the most part they keep the baskets looking good.  If the baskets do get messed up we can just pull out one or all three baskets and fold or organize them again.

    We have been using this system for a few years now and it works well for our kids.  It helps makes those busy mornings go more smoothly.  Even though they are suppose to lay out their clothes the night before sometimes they forget or decide to switch into something else at the last minute.

    P1350824c

    Basket on the left is full of shorts & skirts.  The middle basket is full of jeans and pants.

    P1350825c

    The middle basket is jeans / pants and on the left side the basket is full of outside play clothes.

  • Organized Chaos: Kids Shoes

    P1350875cc

     Organized Kids Shoes

    We live in an older house.  Most days it’s fine, but there are a few things (like any house) that we would love to change.  The closets in this house are pretty small.  When the girls shared a room their closet was full even though they were babies.  All the closets had in them when we moved in was a small wooden shelf with one metal bar underneath to hang clothes on.  We have slowly been converting the closets to a rack system* which allows us to use the space we have more efficiently.

    The kids are now in their own rooms and we have updated both of their closets with the rack system.  We decided to leave a space underneath the bottom rack for their shoes.  They have enough space to stack both shoes from each set under their bottom rack and line them up.

    The shoes that are stored in their closets are slippers, sandals, crocs, dress shoes, and ones they were for special occasions.  The girls dirtier shoes like their school shoes, outside boots, and other outside shoes or sandals stay in a basket by the back door or the garage.  It makes me happy when I look into their closets and see them neat with their shoes lined up.

    P1350874c

    Shoes lined up in the kids closet!

    *If you are looking at converting your closets to a rack system you can locate them at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or another store. 

  • Organized Chaos: Hair Accessory Organizer

     P1350811c

    All Brina’s headbands, flowers, decorative hair ornaments organized and in one spot

    A few months ago I showed you our  Easy DIY Headband Holder.  As you can see from the pictures on this post we are still using it.  It works very well for our girls.  Since they wear more than just headbands I wanted to find a solution that would help organize all the pretty, fluffy, and decorative hair ornaments they have as well.

    My qualifications for getting these items organized:

    • Must assist in making these items more organized
    • Able to be hung in a visible location and still look nice
    • Easy to see, reach, and get access to the items when the kids need them
    • Reasonably priced organizer because I will need 2 (one in each of the kids room)
    • Something that we could hang near to the headbands (which were already hanging on the back of their closet doors).

    It took me a little longer to find the perfect organizer for these items.  Part of the reason it took longer is I wasn’t really sure what I wanted for the decorative hair accessories.  I wasn’t in a rush so I just kept an eye out for ideas while in various stores.  One day when I was going through CVS the clearance section happened to catch my eye.  I paused for a moment and these little blue and black organizers were in the clearance section marked down to $1.*  After looking at them and thinking about them I decided to pick them up and see if I could make them work for the kids hair accessories.

    It was exactly the type of item I was looking for and at a great price!  The organizer fit all the current hair accessories items I wanted to put in it plus had room for some extra ones too.  When I am on top of things (which doesn’t always happen) I will put the kids seasonal hair accessories in the extra pockets on the organizer too (ie. Christmas, July 4th, Halloween, etc… hair accessories during that specific season).

    The organizer hangs on the back of the closet door where the kids can easily reach it.  It goes right under the Easy DIY Headband Holder  so everything is available in one spot.  The items are visible and easy to reach.  It meets all my qualifications for getting the kids hair accessories organized.  These have worked very well for our family!

    *I tried to find these on the CVS website, but either they do not carry them online or they are not available.  You can look in your local store or I am sure there are other stores that carry a similar item.  This one on Amazon or something similar might work well too if you are looking for one.

    P1350810c

    Looking down on the Easy DIY Headband Holder and Hair Accessory Organizer as it is hanging on the closet door

    P1350812c

    Organized and ready to go!

  • Organized Chaos: Jewelry Organizer

    P1350808c

    Necklace & Jewelry Organizer

    Having girls in the house means you are bound to have some jewelry around.  As the girls got older they continued to accumulate more necklaces.  It slowly became harder to keep the necklaces organized without them getting tangled or putting them in a spot that was hard for them to easily access.

    I wanted to find something simple, easy, and reasonably priced.  It took awhile of looking around to find one that I liked and could hang on the back of their closet doors.  I ended up finding this one at our local Michaels store and bought it using a coupon.  At first I only got one because I wanted to make sure I really liked it before getting another one.  After a couple weeks I still liked it so I used another coupon and got the second one.  It has been nice to having all their necklaces organized and visible.

    Our kids are using it mostly for necklaces since they do not have pierced ears yet, but you can use it for earrings, belts, watches, scarves, rings, bracelets, ties, or a multitude of other things.  I like that it is  simple design, not too big, and yet pretty.  It hung on the back of the closet door so it is accessible for the kids to reach when they want to wear one of their special necklaces.  All of these necklaces were given to them from family or friends and have special memories so I am happy that they are now displayed well and tangle free.

    P1350809c

    Brina’s necklaces are organized now!

  • Organized Chaos: Keeping Track of Water Bottles

    Organized Chaos - Water Bottles - P1410648c

    Labeled Water Bottles

    Since we have two kids the same age and gender they have several items that are identical.  A common identical item that both kids have are their water bottles.  Like the blue water bottles with the owls on the outside pictured above.  A few months ago we had some issues with everybody using whatever water bottle they wanted (even if it was their sister’s), however, during the course of the school day their sister’s water bottle would get dropped, dented, scratched, broken, or misplaced. The next time that sister wanted to use her water bottle it was gone or had additional marks on it.

    I know it seems crazy, but there have been some serious discussions between the two kids in our house over damaged or lost special water bottles.  I am pretty sure no other household has these types of discussions in their home, but there were a few times I had to intervene in these conversations.  Although, items will get dropped or damaged the more they are used I had to find a solution so that these discussions would not be happening on a regular basis in our house. Prior to this year neither child cared which water bottle they took, but the older they get the more they want their items to look good and last longer.  I am happy they they want to take good care of their items we just had to find a method to track which water bottle belonged to who.

    My initial solution to the problem super easy, took only a couple seconds, and was very inexpensive.  I wrote their names on the special water bottles with a permanent black sharpie.  The names were written on the bottoms and / or sides of the water bottles so that each kid could easily see if it was theirs before taking it out of the drawer.  It was amazing how quickly the issue was resolved, however, after a several washings the permanent marker would wear off making it harder to tell whose water bottle it was again. Now I use several different methods to identify or keep track of the special water bottles:

    • Write the Names on the Water Bottles with Black Permanent Marker (easy and inexpensive, but washes off over time)
    • Use a washable Label with their Individual Names Printer on it – My personal favorite are the thin Lovable Labels ones because they stay on through MANY washes (anywhere from a few months to years as long as your kids don’t try peeling them off)
    • Purchase water bottles with their Names printed or engraved on them (usually more expensive, but works really well). My favorite place to get printed or engraved names on water bottles is Oriental Trading.

    There are several generic water bottles that anybody can use at any time in the drawer, however, the special ones have each child’s name on them.  The special water bottles usually have the child’s name written in permanent sharpie on the bottom and a label (or name printed / engraved) on the side of the water bottle.  Occasionally someone accidentally picks up the wrong water bottle, but for the most part everyone uses their own or a generic one.

    Now if they lose or damage their water bottle then they are the only ones inconvenienced by their actions.  One of our kids tends to be a little rougher on water bottles (clipping or tying them to her book bag which is bumped against everything in its path, dropping, or just forgetting it).  She has gotten a lot better as she is getting older, but I have to smile when she brings home just the water bottle top because I know that means the water bottle itself did not survive it’s nose dive to the concrete floor at school.

  • Flashback Friday: Playing Around the House

    Daddy and Karliec

    Karlie talking to Daddy!

    This Flashback Friday took place about 10 years ago.  The girls loved having fun around the house (well at least we did).  It was nice when we had time to relax as a family.  Jake is always great with the kids.  The girls were still little, but were starting to move around more on their own.

    Karlie and Brina riding Tigerc

    Hanging out on Tigger!

    Karlie's unsurec

    Karlie is unsure about this Tigger animal.

    Flashback Friday - Wiggling Aroundc

    Karlie on the move while Brina rests peacefully on the floor.

  • My Sweet Girls – Brina and Karlie

    IMG_0005cc

    I have the privilege of being a Mom to these girls!

    I love being a Mom.  It is the most rewarding, yet most challenging part of my life.  I am thankful for the many blessings in my life and that my prayers to be a Mom were answered over 10 years ago.

    The girls bring me a lot of joy yet they know how to best push my buttons at the same time.  Being a Mom is a huge responsibility.   I want my kids to grow up to love the Lord.  I pray that God gives Jake and I the wisdom to raise these girls.

    While they keep me on my toes the kids also know how stretch me and make me laugh.  Thankful for the amazing girls who call me Mom.   What a blessing it is to be their Mom!

    I am thankful for my Mom, Mother-in-Law, Grandma’s, and the many women in my life who have shared their love, prayers, and words of wisdom with me.  Wishing all of you a very Happy Mother’s Day weekend!!!

    Happy Birthday Brina and Karlie

    Our girls!

  • Flashback Friday: Exhausting Day

    Daddy, Brina and Karlie nappingc

    Must have been an exhausting day!

    Our Flashback Friday goes back to April 2005 when the girls were almost 2 months old.  Jake and the girls were playing while I was making dinner.  When I came back to check on them this is what I discovered.  Everyone was napping peacefully.  Must have been a busy day for the crew.  Maybe it is all those middle of the night feedings interrupting our sleep.

    Thankful for my family and the blessings in my life. They look so peaceful when they are sleeping.  Those first few months were especially tiring for Jake and I.  I am not sure how he did everything.  He got up every night to help me with feeding the girls and then go work a full day.  There weren’t a lot of parties and late night fun activities other than taking care of babies during this season of our life.