Organizing Toys: The Neverending Battle

If there's one thing I feel like I am constantly working on, its keeping all of the kids' toys organized. My Mom always said, "If things have a home, they can be put away, but if you have too much stuff, it will always be cluttered." Granted, I don't think our rooms were ever very clean, but a Mom can dream!

At the moment, Charlie has a few different kinds of toys - the bigger things you can throw in a toy box, games/puzzles/toys with a zillion small pieces, and stuffed animals. The trick is keeping all the little pieces together and away from Ginny. Baby proofing has a whole different meaning when you have a toddler and a baby!

Here's how we troubleshoot the kid clutter. Or at least try to.


Problem: Throughout the day, Charlie brings all of his toys from his room to the living room. When it's time to clean up and go to bed, it makes for several trips back and forth to his room.

Solution: My31 Large Utility Tote

Instead of carrying toys, clothes, shoes, etc. by the arm load back to Charlie's room, we fill up the large utility tote and I carry it back to his room. We then put everything away as part of his bedtime routine. It saves SO much time! Also, if Charlie falls asleep before cleaning up (we all have those days), I can fill the tote and place it outside his door to be put away in the morning.

Problem: Charlie can't read labels, so he has to open every baby wipes container turned toy storage bin to find what he's looking for.

Solution: Clear bins from Walmart

For a mere $.97 each, we got these little square bins to hold toys that have small pieces. He can easily see what is in each of them and find what he's looking for. I thought using baby wipes containers was genius -- until he started busting them ALL open looking for a particular toy. As a bonus, he can open these much easier than the wipes containers.

Problem: Many of Charlie's toys (as seen above) have a lot of little pieces that we'd find under the bookcase, behind the couch, on the kitchen table, etc. Meanwhile, when we cleaned up, we thought we had all of them. How many pieces are there?!

Solution: Count toy pieces and label their bin.

We didn't do this at first, leaving us to do a little catching up, but now whenever Charlie gets a toy, we first count the pieces, write it on a label, and stick it to the bottom of the box. At the end of the day when we're cleaning up, we know exactly how many pieces we're looking for. It minimizes the risk of forgetting a piece and it ending up in Ginny's mouth.

Problem: Picking a movie to watch can take an eternity.

Solution: Organizing movies by genre in boxes.

Now, it still may take him a year to actually choose a movie, but organizing this way does help cut down on the picking time.We used to have our movies lined up across the TV cabinet all willy nilly, making it hard for a kid to find the kid movies. We picked up six decorative shoe boxes from Michael's and organized them all by genre. Now, when its time to pick a movie, we can pull out the "Family" box or "Disney" box and let him pick from them. Each shoe box holds approximately 20 movies, even with a few special editions or BluRays mixed in.

Problem: Bath toys never dry!

Solution: KidCo Bath Toy Organizer Storage Basket

We've tried the mesh nets and we've tried the plastic bins that hang on the wall, but neither of them work. The toys aren't able to drain properly and take forever to dry causing mold issues. Eww. Also, have you ever had a basket of tub toys unsuction cup from the wall and crash into the tub in the middle of the night? Its terrifying!!

This fully adjustable basket sits across the tub and allows the toys to drain and dry quickly. Then, they're ready for the next bath in easy reach of the kids.

What are your favorite toy storage solutions? What have you done to troubleshoot the clutter?

Jake & Tinkerbell Costumes

The Halloween costumes are finally in the works! No better way to celebrate Halloween season in Disney World than by dressing up....all week long! With our trip rapidly approaching, I have finally gotten the motivation to start working on our costumes. The first ones to get one were Jake and Tinkerbell!

For Charlie's Jake costume, I bought 1/2 yard of navy blue suiting fabric and yellow double fold bias tape for the vest, then used a white under shirt and blue pants for the rest of the outfit. I had red fabric and yellow felt from another project for the bandana and vest buttons.

I used this tutorial to help me figure out the vest, which after a little trial and error, wasn't too tough. The yellow bias tape finished off all the outer edges and then I took a lighter and (carefully!!) burned the edges of the arm holes. Suiting fabric is synthetic, so the edge melts to a nice, no sew finish.

I wish I had a picture of Charlie in his costume, but he didn't nap today and threw a royal hissy fit when I tried to put it on him. You get the idea.

All together, with coupons, it came to about $4. Not too shabby for a costume that is $20-$25 in the store!

Ginny's Tinkerbell costume was a little bit more complicated, but it was worth it. I based the look off of this tutorial, but mostly winged it (pardon the fairy humor). For this costume, I purchased 1/4" yard bright green sparkly costume satin, 1/4" yard olive green sparkly costume satin, 1 1/2 yards of green tulle, and 1 1/2 yards of white tulle. I love how tiny costumes need such little fabric!

I'm still not sure about the straps. She's going to wear this over a white onesie (long sleeve or short sleeve, depending on the weather), so I don't know if she needs straps. We'll see. Its fairly plain on the front, but I was afraid that if I added too much, she'd try to eat it. She goes after the tulle skirt enough as it is!

This costume cost about $8 to make thanks to coupons and sales. Can't beat it! And here is my tiny Tink trying on her costume.

Still to go are Luke and Leia costumes (including bun ear muffs!) for the kids and Disney marathon inspired princess dresses for me. I can't wait!

Product Review: We Love Citrus Lane!

Our box is here!!

Every month, Charlie gets a surprise in the mail - a box of toys and neat stuff picked out just for him! Citrus Lane hand picks fun, high quality products, most of which you've probably never heard of, and sends them to your door. Your box, which arrives with free shipping, is put together based on your child's age and the gender you choose when you subscribe (boy, girl, gender neutral).

Over the past few months, some of the things we've received are...

Melissa and Doug lacing cards
Clean Well hand sanitizer wipes
Sun Protection Hat from iPlay
Haba sand/water scoop
Dot to Dot Chalks from Alex Toys
Sunny Sunscreen SPF35 from Episencial 
Ouchies band aids (Eric Carle prints)
Animal ABCs by Charlie Harper
Babytime Playful Wash by Episencial
Julep nail color
Hape City Planner Blocks
Cool It Buddy instant ice pack
Goodbyn Bynto Box
and various snacks to try (Happy Tot, Plum Organic, Ella's Kitchen, etc.)

We've been getting Citrus Lane boxes since June and this month's might be my favorite yet! This month, our 36 month boy box contained...

Cloud B Twinkles To Go by Cloud B
We are HUGE Cloud B fans around here. Both Charlie and Ginny sleep with their Sleep Sheep every night and recently I was considering buying a Twinkle To Go, believe it or not! We put it on Charlie's night stand before bed and he hardly listened to his bedtime story - he was so entranced by the stars all over his ceiling and walls.

Rhythm Sticks by Hohner Kids
Charlie is a big music buff, so naturally these were a huge hit. He hasn't gotten the hang of the whole rubbing one stick on the other to make a rhythm, but they work as fabulous drum sticks so far.

BOPS: Baked Organic Potato Snack by Good Boy Organics 
These were gone before we could even get unpacked from daycare.

Ladybug Magazine by Cricket Magazine Group 
While we didn't get a chance to read any of the stories, a quick flip through and it looks like we'll enjoy all of the stories, poems, and pictures! We're always looking for new things to read, so this is perfect.

Free 3 month digital subscription to Ladybug Magazine


We can't wait for next month's box!







Do you get Citrus Lane? What did you think of this month's box? If you want to try Citrus Lane for your little one, you can use my link for $10 off your first order!

WW: Ginny is Ready for Disney!

Ginny: 5 Months & 6 Months

While on an unexpected hiatus, I completely missed out on posting Ginny's 5 and 6 month updates. Whoops! Here's what Miss G has been up to.

5 Months
August 27th, 2013

Stats: 13lbs 14oz, 24 1/2" long

Favorite toys: She's working on two top teeth that I swear are coming in any second, so her current favorite is Sophie. I never understood the allure of a $20 teether, but holy moly - she loves it and it really seems to help!

Favorite activities: Exploring the living room via rolling and bouncing in her jumperoo. She has started to notice Charlie more, so when he does silly things she laughs and laughs. Melts my heart.

Clothing: Almost in 6-9 months. I put away all of her tiny clothes and broke out the fall/winter stuff!

Teeth: Two bottoms and working on two tops.

Sleep: Sleeping through the night. Yesssssss.

New Tricks: She's working on sitting up and is almost there!

6 Months
September 27th, 2013

Stats: 14 lbs. 10 oz., 25" long

Favorite toys: Her Lamaze  Princess Sophie and the Fisher-Price Kick and Play Piano Gym are her favorite things right now. The Kick Piano has out lived most other toys she's had - it goes from a lay down gym, to a sitting toy so I'm sure it'll be popular around here for a long time!

Favorite activities: Rolling and scooting around the floor. Seriously, she would do this for hours and hours. She likes being held plenty, but she really loves being free to scoot.

New foods this month: Puffs, mango, apples, squash, sweet potato, crackers, carrots, and peas. She loves just about everything! She's working on picking up the puffs and gets most of them in her mouth. The others, Penny is happy to catch.

Clothing: 6-9 months, especially pants for her long legs and fluffy butt.

Teeth: Two bottoms, two tops.

Sleep: She's gone back to waking up at night to eat, but what can you do - she's a growing girl! Her naps go back and forth from long to non-existent.

New Tricks: Sitting up really well and almost crawling! She'll get up on hands and knees and rock back and forth. I bet she'll have it down in the next month or so!
 

My big girl sitting up all by herself!

And then this happened. Just can't handle the brother love.

Waiting for a Diagnosis

To say there has been a lot going on is an understatement. Over the past six weeks, I've spent more time in doctor's offices and on the phone with the insurance company and pharmacy than I'd care to admit. What's going on? Too much. Like, I can't even make this stuff up.

If you recall/have been reading that long, you know that Charlie is prone to get sick with, well, just about everything. He's had RSV, croup, bronchitis, pneumonia, hand food and mouth, Roseola, pink eye, and countless ear infections and colds. After one too many antibiotics he came down with something different - clostridium difficile (c. diff). Remember way back in high school health class - our bodies have naturally occurring bacteria that protect our gut and make everything run smoothly. When that bacteria is destroyed, it leaves room for bad bacteria to grow. In comes the c. diff bug.

All summer, Charlie was having stomach issues, to put it simply. Explosive ones. For weeks, multiple times a day. It was impossible to potty train him when he had no control over his bowels. We took him to the pediatrician several times and they claimed it must be his diet or "just how he was," but I couldn't be satisfied with that. He was miserable. He started eating less, sleeping poorly, and wasn't his normal playful self. A referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist and we had a diagnosis.

It's been two months and two rounds of special antibiotics given 4 times a day and its still lingering. We've moved onto a third try of antibiotics and a new referral to a pediatric infectious disease specialist, who we see next week. The good news is that while he's on the antibiotics, he's my happy boy again. I'm not sure what the ID specialist will say or even what he could recommend, but I'm hoping whatever it is, it works.

Then, there's Ginny. Have I mentioned that I can't make this stuff up? At her 3 month appointment, the doctor noticed something strange while doing a physical exam and recommended we see a pediatric endocrinologist. Blood tests revealed wonky (for lack of a better term) hormone levels that couldn't be explained.

Here's another health class lesson - your pituitary gland, located in your head, is the command center for hormones released by your adrenal glands, located above your kidneys. Your pituitary releases something called ACTH which triggers your adrenal glands to respond by producing cortisol - the stress hormone. One hormone called 17 OHP is created by the adrenal glands and is converted into cortisol. Ginny's tests came back that she had an excess of 17 OHP, but a normal level of cortisol. Typically, if you have an excess of 17 OHP its because it is not being converted and you therefore have a low cortisol level. What does that mean? We're not sure. The prognosis could range from absolutely nothing to concerning. She had a controlled adrenal stimulation test conducted last week and we will get the results back in about a month.

While we're waiting for all the various test results to come back, we're sitting and waiting (and trying not to Google). I think I've done a pretty good job of keeping calm, but I can't help but worry about them both. All I can really do is thank God that we have good insurance and that we're so close to good medical specialists. I think I've unconsciously left no time for me to sit and think recently, keeping busy with 100 other things around the house, leaving little time for hobbies and blogging.

So, here I am back on the blog-wagon. I have been keeping a list of topics I want to post about like our Disney trip, our updated cloth diaper stash, some new projects we're working on, and of course updating about the kids. Here goes.

Back to School

Holy moly, it's September. That can only mean one thing - back to school! It has been a very busy few weeks around here as we adjust to our new schedule, but it's a good busy. Aside from a few long days and another round of summer colds, it's all good news!

The kids are adjusting well to daycare. Charlie had been going part time all summer, but is back to full time. His class has transitioned from summer activities back to preschool type things and he's already learning so much! He sings song to us all the time and is learning about shapes, puppies, dental hygiene, and fall. Ginny's transition to daycare has been surprisingly smooth. Her teachers love how laid back she is and that she naps and eats without a fuss. That's my easy going girl!

More good news? J got a teaching job!!! Ever since getting his MA in teaching a few years ago, the teaching jobs have been few and far between. He had several interviews a few weeks ago, but didn't get a bite. This past Friday, he got a call that a position opened up! He will be teaching 9th and 12th grade English and starts tomorrow. They've already been in class for almost 2 weeks, so he'll need to literally hit the ground running.

My students are back as well, so things are ramping up on campus. The summer is nice and all, but it is nice to be getting back into the regular groove.

One of our new challenges is getting the kids to daycare. I underestimated how crazy it can be to get 4 people ready and to 3 different locations every morning! Our schedule depends so much on when the kids get up (I try to let them sleep as long as possible) and getting things ready the night before is key. We've started a nightly check list and routine that seems to be helping. Each night before bed we...

• Lay out everyone's clothes
• Pack lunches
• Get G's bottles ready
• Pack C's backpack with extra clothes and diapers
• Pack G's backpack with diapers
• Get my pump and supplies ready
• Set up the Keurig

We bought this really neat organizing unit at IKEA to serve as a home base for all of our school and work stuff. Each of us have our own drawer to put lunchboxes, backpacks, and anything we need to bring with us that day. Even the dog has a little drawer for her leash, collar, and treats. It has seriously minimized the amount of, "Hey...where is Charlie's backpack?!" as we're running out the door.

I'm always looking for more tips and tricks to get out the door faster. Anyone have a good one they want to share? You can never plan enough when there are kids involved!