Boxes upon boxes

One question i get asked the most is how i'm so clean, organized, or unpack so quickly after a move.

I'm not tooting my own horn here, because its something i had to learn over the years. 

Now lets set the base for this post. I'm an unusual person, i LOVE to clean and organize!!! I know that's not a normal thing to love, but its true i do!

I spend way more time than i probably should, looking up organizing and cleaning ideas on pinterest... that and recipes for desserts! So i have tried LOTS of ideas over the years, and what I'm going to share with you is what works for me! Now that doesn't mean it will work for everyone, because each home is different. I just know its always fun to get helpful tips and ideas. You know the phrase "take the meat and spit out the bones"...
Ok! Lets get started.
Something that i live by is the 6 month rule. If i haven't used it, worn it, played with it, or decorated with it within 6 months i get rid of it. Trust me when i say this is a HUGE help. it keeps my house free from unused stuff, my cupboard storage open for things i actually use, and my closet available if i find something on clearance at Walmart that looks super cute.
You can even do this with children's toys!!
 So that would mean no more living room that actually looks like a play room, or closet that looks like you've become the lady off "Confessions of a shopaholic", or kitchen that looks like an episode off hoarders....
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Another thing that helps me stay organized is the quote i learned in a college class i took years ago. "A place for everything, and everything in its place."
I apply this to my life by using baskets, wooden boxes, or pretty trays!

Here are some examples from my home:

So above from left to right... We have the left of my TV stand. on the top shelf we have plastic baskets from the dollar store that houses remotes, chargers, batteries and computer mice. middle shelf is our DVD player, and bottom shelf has a wooden box that stores dvds, and a wire basket that has my sons wooden blocks. Next we have the right of the TV stand. the top wooden box stores magazines and my laptop. then we have board games on the middle shelf, and on the bottom are two plastic baskets (from the dollar tree) that my sons toys are stored in. the third picture is the overall picture of the TV stand. It looks pretty organized, doesn't it? You probably wouldn't have guessed there is all that stuff hiding in there!!

Again left to right. We have my laundry room (obviously) i store my laundry soap in pretty containers as you can see in the left of the picture. I also found the PERFECT jar to put my wool dryer balls inside, and of coarse some milk glass to store essential oils to add to said dryer balls. then i have toilet paper which i buy in bulk at Sam's club and have yet to figure out a good way to store so much toilet paper! Then there is a nice wooden crate that stores all our bath towels. the next picture is in our bathroom toilet shelf. I store q-tips in a pretty see through glass jar, placed on a pretty glass tray. I had another container like it but it broke during the move. The last picture is my cupboard that houses cookbooks, and my sons stuff. On the top shelf I put the cookbooks in order and periodically go through them and get rid of ones i don't use or never find useful. The middle shelf houses baby treats/ snacks. I put them in nice Tupperware containers that seal them well so they don't go stale. and the bottom shelf i found these ADORABLE plastic baskets at the dollar tree. They store his sippy cups, plastic spoons, bibs, burp rags, and any other items like that. 

This lonely picture is under my kitchen sink. I have two woven baskets that house dish soaps, hand soaps, Reusable plastic bags, grocery bags, and grill cleaner. then in the center i have a cute metal bucket that stores my Norwex cloths, and another little tin cup that stores my scrubbing stuff, like my vegetable cleaning cloth, kitchen scrub cloth, and spirisponges (all from Norwex)

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Another organizing tip i use is the wonderful thing called Command Hooks!!! These bad boys are amazing, especially when you live in a small apartment and want to keep nail holes to a minimum. 

Here are a few ways i use them.

Left to right: I apply command hooks to the inside of kitchen cupboards to hold my coffee scoop, measuring spoons, and even measuring cups! It helps save space, especially when those items are somewhat awkward. I've even seen (on pinterest) ways to store lids to pots and pans using command hooks. I just prefer to use actual lid storage slots that Walmart sells. They look similar to letter or file holders (which also work for lids). The middle picture is in my laundry room, and i applied command hooks to the wall to store some more of my lovely Norwex items. You cant even see them because they blend in so nicely!! The last picture is in our shower, i used the small command hooks to hold our bath sponges or cloths. It's WAY cheaper than getting a huge corner shower shelf (try saying that ten times) and it takes up way less space and allows them to dry quickly.

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Here are a few other ways for storage organization:

Above is my sons closet, i bought a 8 slot box shelf and set it vertically, and placed cloth boxes on the bottom and left the top spaces open for books and favorite toys. You know even though kids are small they have a TON of stuff... so you need a place to store it right? I think this works perfectly and it hides in his closet ( which works because his clothes are so tiny)! I bought a three tiered wire basket thingy that stores his shoes, hats, belts, suspenders, lotions, and rags. QUICK TIP: if you use candles, such as woodwick, bath and body works, or any candle that comes in a PRETTY container, save it!!! i use my old used up woodwick candle jars for storage! I take the lid, drill a hole in the top, add a cute knob, and tada a pretty, inexpensive, DIY storage jar. I put J's pacifiers and pacifier clips in it and they fit perfectly in there. The other side of the box shelf has an old suitcase, and a wooden box. I just put some awkward shaped toys in it so they have a home. 

These pictures above are of my dresser, where my jewelry and makeup is stored. Left picture: I found a letter holder at hobby lobby (comes in gold, white, and black) and i put my makeup palettes in it. I have a little tin cup to store brushes as well. Right picture: i made a necklace holder out of scrap wood from menards and nails. It cost me a total of $3 to make and it holds ALL of my necklaces while also being an art piece. i have my earrings on an OLD earring "tree" that i got from Icing (that's how old it is) and i use a small vase with a vintage glass knob on top to store bracelets! Its fun to find pretty ways to store jewelry and makeup because they come in such pretty colors or designs that its almost wrong not to showcase them.

This last picture is under my bathroom sink. I just went to Walmart and bought single plastic drawers (that snap together) and placed them under the sink. They store bathroom necessities, vitamins, extra shampoo, body wash, baby wash, etc... Oh i spy more toilet paper.... seriously i have SO MUCH TOILET PAPER!!! Anyways, i also used one of the drawers for my hair tools, and products.

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Now as to how i unpack so quickly after moving... well its this simple. I don't own stuff that i don't need or use, so that makes less boxes to unpack. I also label things properly. So that means after a box is completely full, i write what is in it on the top and sides of the box, so no matter how it gets set down i can see whats in it. I also use those gazillion wooden boxes, baskets, or storage solutions as a quick packing method. So that means big baskets, or wooden boxes are already "packed" and ready to move and when we get to our new home, i know exactly where they go because, "a place for everything and everything in its place." 

Another thing that always helps me when moving is making a binder.... Yes I'm probably the weirdest person ever. But its true. I made a binder for the first move we ever made, and each move after it i will add to that binder, that way everything is documented!

In my binder i make a list of anything we need to buy, need to sell, and what items go in which room (its all color coordinated as well...) I also make a floor plan of our new home and measure and arrange our furniture on that floor plan so i know EXACTLY where everything is going. 

Each room has boxes with items that are only used in that room. So for example, my wall decor in the living room goes in its own box, instead of just putting all my wall decor in the whole house into one box. When all the big furniture is brought in, i start unpacking and placing things where they go. The key for me (especially in the kitchen) is just to get everything unpacked and put away, because you can always go through and organize it differently a different day!

So there you have it. My easy tips for organizing, and moving that i use constantly!! 

Talk to you next time

-Hannah

Mom shaming

Ever since i became a mom (at conception) i realized how much pressure, scrutiny, and judgment we are faced with. The bad thing is, it's not usually by men, or children, or single women; 

its by other moms!! 

I had someone tell me once, while i was five months pregnant, that i (who had two ultrasounds) was going to kill my baby because i had to many ultrasounds. I wanted to speak my mind to her and let her know how rude, inconsiderate, and thoughtless that was! I didn't however and just said "my baby is perfect and healthy thank you!" and walked away. 

If you have been pregnant before, you know how much stress and worry you are already under, just to make sure your eating healthy, not gaining to much weight, not over doing yourself, etc... because honestly you would do ANYTHING to make sure that little life growing inside of you is safe and carried to full term. 

I remember anytime i felt anything i thought was "weird" i would search google or call the doctor for answers, i would have pregnancy nightmares of something going wrong, plus my own mothers history of several miscarriages, i was constantly praying for peace from God because i had so much fear for my child's life! Then of course you have opinions of how to give birth. 

Ofta.... just remembering it, is giving me issues. 

There has been a super craze about natural birth in the past few years! And honestly that is AWESOME!!! but sometimes we can't do a home birth, or use a midwife, or skip the epidural! Each person has different feelings, and different ways of handling pain!! I think God has completely blessed us with so many ways of delivering children now days; ways that help keep the mom AND baby safe if its a difficult delivery, or if you have horrible back contractions an epidural is SO nice to keep you from wanting to practically die. One thing we forget sometimes is that no matter how its done birth is a beautiful, miracle from God. 

I had almost no contractions until my water broke when i was about 7 centimeters dilated, after that i had the full force of pain that comes from having a baby,  it was way more than i could handle!!! Thankfully i had told myself throughout planning the birth and such that i would be open to either a natural birth or getting an epidural. I had never had a baby before so i didn't know what i was in for. 

I AM glad that i got an epidural because i was able to sleep for 5 hours while things progressed, so when i woke up the next morning at 9 centimeters i could prepare myself to push. 

The epidural wore off an hour later, and i was up and walking and using the bathroom, and taking a bath. I felt fantastic and even wanted to go to church after we got discharged the next day. 

I know its not like that for everyone and that's why it makes it unique to me. That's also why we shouldn't be quick to judge other women and how they give birth.

At my my baby shower after my son was born a month later, i was telling someone about my sons birth and how it went. She said, "Oh you got an epidural? Hope he doesn't have issues from that. It's not good for the baby to get an epidural." 

Ah yes, you are reading that correctly. See what i mean about mom shaming? What do you say to someone like that? 

I looked at her and said kind of firmly "My baby is the healthiest baby the doctors had seen in a while, and he has been growing healthy with no problems, so i think its just fine." 

Yes i wanted to say thanks for that bit of advice, i guess i should of had you as my birth coach, or if your so wise you should write a book! But i guess I've learned to keep my sarcasm to myself over the years. 

Another sweet lady i know is pregnant with her second child. Her first child was taken to heaven only a few month into the pregnancy. She is faced with possibly having a c-section because her baby girl is breach, and she told me how her mother (her OWN mother) is upset because she wanted her daughter to have a natural birth! I mean seriously?? Moms are supposed to be caring, and compassionate, and encouraging. but instead her mother is making her feel inadequate, hurt, and confused. I looked at her and smiled trying to make sure she could see i was being genuine. I said "if you have to have a c-section then you do, it doesn't matter HOW you have your baby as long as she is SAFE and HEALTHY!!! If you could harm either yourself or your child from doing a home birth, then of course i wouldn't recommend that! No, c-sections are not fun to recover from, and no they aren't necessarily ideal most times, but if it keeps you and your baby safe then that stuff doesn't matter!" 

The moral of the story is, LADIES stop mom shaming!!! Each mom is faced with different situations, and the best thing to do is encourage each other, because we already scrutinize ourselves to much as it is and we don't need to take the time to be negative when we can instead be helpful and kind.

Happy parents have happy kids!

How to combat cabin fever!

Living in the frigid North during winter, the sun is either glaring in your face or its hiding most of the day. You tend to feel cooped up and mirrors are usually your worst enemy.... 

If your a mom like me, you probably don't get to shower as often as you would like, and shaving your legs is usually out of the question!! Multiply that feeling by 100 and that's what cabin fever feels like; a gross unwashed, unkempt, gloomy, i want sunshine but don't want to see my reflection kind of feeling!

We don't have real sunshine for a good 5, maybe 6 months out of the year, its usually sun rays glowing through a thick layer of clouds (which are usually grey by the way). And don't even get me started on the temperature.... -50 degrees with windchill happens more than a balmy 20 degrees, and our snow fall has been a record high so far this year! 

So that folks is the reason i'm writing this guide on how to stay happy and get rid of that cabin fever during the months of snow that we have!

Also my view right now:

So lets go over 5 simple steps that I've found to help me out!

Step one: Burn your favorite candle!

you can buy my favorite scent here- yummiest candle ever

I love woodwick candle because they offer an amazing smell as well as the sound of a crackling fireplace that you cant get just anywhere! I also like bath and body works candles, and American home by Yankee Candle that Walmart sells.

Step two: make a delicious dessert!

My favorite treat is fresh cinnamon rolls, and i just found an amazing recipe that's quick and easy to make- best cinnamon rolls

Not only does baking help relieve stress for me, but it also helps my home smell great!

Step three: buy fresh flowers

I buy all my flowers, and i mean ALL, at Sams club! I think they have the best selection of any store, and they are incredibly inexpensive for the amount you get! I keep a centerpiece on my table that looks like a vintage milk crate with little glass jars and i swap out flowers that match the seasons. Its my favorite way to add life to my space!!

Step four: Spring clean early

I love cleaning and organizing! You will probably read lots of posts about it in the future, but for now let me say, nothing feels better than a clean home!! you can find my favorite cleaning products here- fav cleaning products

Step five:get cozy pajamas

Lets be honest, nothing makes us feel cozier than soft pajamas, fresh coffee, and our favorite TV show playing! its bonus points if they match!! 

get the ones pictured here- kate spade pajamas

There you have it five simple steps to stay happy and even healthy- ish 

during the depressing winter months!! 

Let me know what you think in the comments, 

and if you have any ideas for future posts feel free to share!

 Have a great day and until next time, Stay warm!!!

- Hannah