Our ever-changing reward system!

Finding the right order and reward system for my family is a constant progress.  Every year there seems to be a different set of problems that make staying with one system not ideal.  My two and half year old twin boys are just learning the concept of rewards, but it will be awhile before I have to pull anything definitive together.  It is my almost double digit twin girls that have needed more than a gentle reminder about how to behave and how to follow the rules! 

What works right now is a combination of values, expectations, gentle reminders, chores, and time rewards.  With a laminated 5x7 card and our expectations and values glued onto clothespins, we can check-off or write specific reminders next to each clothespin.  They earn beads, not cash right now, as we feel they receive many extras and little things here and there that they don't need a lot of cash.  There rewards center around this list of 50 inexpensive Ideas to Reward Children!  The girls were completely excited about these ideas for rewards and talk about them constantly.  We've changed and added some to suit our family and our hobbies.

I can imagine that I will need to revamp, redo, or tweak this reward system in the future.  But for now, for our family, it is working beautifully!  ---For now :)

Happy Day,

Michelle

No set instructions.

I have to pinch myself daily to believe that we are living in New England in March with no snow on the ground and 60 degree temperatures.  We've done our sugaring-off early, we've been playing outside with short sleeve shirts, and enjoying a little more light in our days.  It's quite Heavenly!

Our family is good.  We've just celebrated our two-year anniversary after moving from Montreal.  Our move here not only marked the birth of our 2nd set of twins, but a whole new journey in raising not two, but four children.  I wake-up on some days ready to go, everyone seems to fall in line, we get to school on time, and there are minimal fights, tantrums, and issues.  On other days, there is drama, tantrums, and problems falling on top of each other throughout the day.  The hardest part has been learning how to create order in a very chaotic environment.  Twins do not come with one set of instructions, neither does the added emotions of being adopted, which two of my four deal with daily.  

I am naturally not an organized person, but raising four children has encouraged me to find more ways to create order.  I've been finding that labeling everything from laundry baskets to closet organizers, helps me quickly put away items in the right order and place.  I promise I won't label my children though (unlike this post from 2008), I know where they go, honestly!

Laundry basket labels using laminated luggage tags from Target.

Are you a naturally organized person?

Do you believe children come with their own blueprints, or if you've

raised one you can raise another?

Do you have twins?!

Laundry Room Felt Sign

It's been busy around here, but I've managed to squeeze in some time during the last month to make somethings for our walls.  I just finished this laundry room sign this week.  I love how it turned out!  I started your basic embroidery material with a tea stain.  The letters are cut out from red felt.  The birds are made by drawing on the bird pattern below (my own design!) and using basic embroidery thread on the birds and for embellishing the letters.  I am still a week away from being able to hang this up on our laundry room door.  Apparently, Mr. C has black-listed me from hanging anything up on the wall.  Something about not using the right tools (guilty) and not measuring (guilty); and putting more then one hole in the wall at a time because I didn't measure(guilty)!  I've included my Doodle Bird  design for you to use below.  The wings are simplified to make it stand out more on the fabric. 

Are you banned from using a hammer on your walls?

Dream Big.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. - Harriet Tubman

*******************************************************

I want my children to dream and dream big. I want them to feel like they can do anything and that nothing is too hard or difficult to accomplish. One way I hope to instill this love of dreaming and accomplishment is through these Dream Boards we created together. As a mom, I often wonder if my dreams count, or should all my energy be put into my children's dreams. It doesn't take me long to remember that what drives me, what pushes me to do and be better - is my dreams. I have dreams! Even now with diapers and babies and cleaning house, I want certain things out of my life... here they are:

I encourage and hope that you will take the time to make your dream board. List those things that you want to do and dream about doing. Then, take the first step to realizing them. Always remember that your dreams are just as important as those around you.

Do you have a dream board?
Will you make one?
What are your dreams?

The Remains of my Day.

Our first self-portrait!

Right now I have:

1. A stain on my shirt from feeding my boys their bedtime bottle.
2. Laundry needing folding on the couch.
3. Two healthy sleeping boys
4. Guilt from not exercising yet.
5. Sore feet, sore back, and blood shot eyes.
6. Two happy daughters watching their show and eating mac and cheese.
7. A husband on the way home from being out of town.
8. Dishes and bottles to wash.
9. Joy at what I have

10. A York Candy bar waiting for me when I'm done with it all...

It is 7:45 p.m. and Mr. T, is now snug in his crib with his brother by his side. I walk down to the kitchen and pull out a small pot for boiling water and prepare the gourmet meal of mac and cheese that I am positive they will like more than anything else I cook. This was one of those days when I did not plan in advance what we were going to eat! Mr. C was away last night and won’t be returning until late this evening. I still have to put the laundry away and clean the kitchen. My bedroom can wait and hopefully I will get to some painting and projects for finishing the girl’s bedroom – but it will most likely have to wait until another day.

Life, as I know it now, is full of little sleep, lots of labor, and chaotic order. I am naturally not an organized person and tend to take on too many projects and extend myself way too much. Lately, however, I know better. I know that if I pull out anything other than a magazine, it won’t get done and may not get put away. The magazine, most times, gets put aside and left for that very rare moment that both boys are asleep at once. This hasn't stopped me from trying a few projects, but as you might have guessed, they are unfinished.

My emotional well-being is good, but there are days when I’m not sure how I make it through without bursting into a fit of tears. On these days, I reach out to my family and try to get myself out and about. I also rely on the needed routine of the boys to get me through the day. Carrying twins has reeked havoc on my body. It is pain and exhaustion that make some days extremely difficult. I have been to a chiropractor and will be going to a few other appointments soon. My fingers are crossed that I will have some needed relief soon.

I feel extremely blessed daily as my day begins with a tiny voice saying "ma, ma" from his crib and another squealing happily (after their 5:30 feeding of course) and two other sweet voices asking me if they can go "play with their brothers". Wow, what a great way to start my long days filled with so many ups and downs. This is my life right now. I am sorry I haven't been more open with my readers, but I honestly can barely think straight right now, let alone write my emotions in my blog posts. It has been so much easier to write about what we do, rather than how we are and I have thought many times about shutting down my blog because of this. I always come back to it and believe that it is doing me good to continue writing.

This week in photos:

The Hawk frustrated he can't stand yet.

I found old photo of me and my girls a month before giving birth.

This week Mr. T sat up without falling for the first time.

I remembered to finally post this self portrait of Nini, Cici, Me, and Mr. C celebrating the end-of-school year at a batting place in Lemonister, MA

*******

Loving this book.

I am loving this book by Stacy Julian. I am taking my goal to organize my photos and scrapbooking seriously and am on my way to accomplishing it. This book was a bit out of the box as it talks about throwing a chronological method of scapbooking out the window and putting it into a more themed guilt-free approach. She talks about her 3 essentials to putting order to her photos and mementos:

• 1. Storage Binders: A way to temporarily store photos in chronological order for easy scapbooking later.
• 2. Category Drawers or file boxes: She comments that this is for more "long-term storage" for a smaller selection of prints. By placing these under categories, such as, things we do etc.., she can pull on these when she's doing her scrapbook layouts.
• 3. Library Albums: This is where she places her completed layouts dividing hers into a more category approach; like, places we go or all about us.

I was hell bent on doing my scrapbooking in order of the girl's birth to now. This book helped me to see that scrapbooking is fun, but your photos and momentos have to be in order before pursuing your layouts. The book is jammed with lots of other information and ways to store and display your growing collection of memories. Thanks to my friend Katy - I didn't even have to purchase this book! Thanks for letting me borrow it!

My resolve-a-lution full center.

I am resolved this year to be more focused and more at peace with my life, situation, and self. I feel confident about retiring last year's goal of order and giving myself one more huge challenge. My word for 2009 is Center. I felt strongly about the word focus, but felt that it was a bit to vague, too broad of a goal - I needed something specific - that's how I succeeded last year. I like resolutions, but love the word resolved; it seems more permanent and more of mindset than an idea or hope. I am taking this year to resolve to do things, not to make resolutions.

My goals for 2009

I am resolved to bring more peace in my life. Peace is important to my center and to my state of mind. I feel that I can gain more peace in my life by accomplishing more with my time. You've heard me chant about my writing goals which I completely failed on this year - it was too much of a resolution - and not a resolve or commitment. This year I commit to writing one chapter or short story per month and will couple this with reading two books per month - starting with the Book of Mormon (after I finish the last 100 pages of New Moon!)

I resolve to continue my exercise goals alongside my husband and achieve a healthier frame and those muscles I've always wanted. Somehow, making this a commitment in November, was easier than making another a resolution.

I commit to keeping my home organized and working more diligently at our budget, meal planning, and journals. There are too many photos and items that haven't been organized - I commit to getting our family's scrapbooks and journals in order by January 1, 2010 - all of them!

I feel certain that resolving to do these three major goal groups, I will find more peace and a center that is strong, confident, and happy.

What is your 2009 goal?

Do you like resolutions?

Santa Claus Budget of Good Things.

It is too late for Christmas 2008, but for Christmas 2009 - I can be more organized and prepared. The tens of Christmas cards that I didn't get mailed, or the packages that got their just in time - can and will be mailed earlier next year. This is my last official goal I am placing under my year long goal to gain more order in my life. What better time to focus on it than right now, while what I forgot and what was successful is fresh in my mind. This stationary book I found at the gift shop in North Pole, NY and it has now become my book of order for our 2009 Christmas.

I marked the things that are of importance to our family, including gifts, projects, parties, events, cards, food, and menus and decided what type of lists to put under each title. For instance under gifts, I marked a spot for gifts to ship and one for family members that are living close and a master list of when everything should be completed, purchased,and shipped. I am placing A, B, C under each category and providing a contents list in the front of the book. Make your list around what is important to your activities and traditions and store all your plans and ideas in one place!

Do you plan now for next year?
Am I crazy?

SPT: Jumping for Joy.

Joy made me to do this! Take a look at why I just had to jump for joy!

This was my scrapbook room at 10:30 a.m. this morning



20 minutes later...


...at 11:45 a.m. this morning...

....and then after a run on the treadmill, a hot shower, and a healthy lunch...

I can enjoy the Joy of an organized craft room!



P.S. Please enter my contest here!
And don't forget to read a Christmas story a day here!

What is a clean organized room to you?
Did you do your SPT?

The Very, Very Happy Bin!

There once was an empty bin

just sitting their waiting to be used and loved.

When a busy house wife came along with pens, pencils, nic nacs,

and stuff, hurrying and scurrying.

"No time to sort!" she said, "I have to go.

Where can I put all this stuff that's out of place?"

And that's when she saw it, that empty bin -

"Oh, a perfect place to put it - for now - and when I return I'll get to it then!"

This is a very, very happy bin - as it is still sitting filled to the brim.

Do you have bins like these?
Do you have a junk drawer?
Do you sort and not bin?

Easy and cheap scrapbook paper holder.

One door organizer can be the perfect solution for your scrapbook paper. I live in a home that is rented, as an ex-patriot, there are some things you give up and that was living in our own home. Shelving units are not ideal in these situations, but a closet door organizer is perfect; no hammers or nails, just a couple of second to place it on the door. The weight of the paper will fall over the pockets. Purchasing large rubber bands or tying ribbon around it, will allow the paper to stand upright, and also enable you to easily pull out paper when you need - the best thing - is it keeps it all in one place!

This is part of my word of the year: order.
How is yours coming along?

Zip Lock Order.

To eliminate confusion in the mornings, I took 10 zip lock bags, labeled them for each day of the week and for each of my girls. I then put in each bag all the clothes, including socks and underwear, that they would need for that day of school. I have used it for one week and will never go back to doing it any other way!

Good luck sis! Ike is on it's way.

How do you put order into your weekend?
Are you having a good week?

Daily Doodles: Sewing and Flowers.

I love catching the girls in moments they aren't expecting. While Craig and Nini were making ice cream, I picked up the camera in hopes of capturing Nini's cute Sunday do...isn't she cute?! I just love this photo!

I made a goal over a year ago to complete 100 friendship pillows, sending them to those special friends and family who have touched my heart and made me a better happier person. This pillow for Barb still means that I am under 10 made and I hope this year to step up the pillow sewing and get more out the door. I made this one from padded fabric and ribbon - it's probably one of my favorites!

I have been busy making small changes in our house to make it more streamlined and less cluttered - my year long goal in action! White is such a nice bright color in a children's room, but plain wasn't going to cut it for the girl's bedroom. This cost me only $4.00 for the iron on felt flowers, as the curtains I had in my linen closet. They were the same ones that were in our kitchen. I ironed them on at the top spreading the colors out evenly and trimmed the floor length curtains to the window sill so that they didn't drag on the girl's bedroom floor. It was easy and cost effective and worked at brightening their room for the winter!

I haven't posted this week because things here have seemed a bit more hectic than normal...and I just haven't had a great week, things are on the upward swing and I'm back on my feet though. I tend to be the silent type when things are stressful, so please excuse my "blog silence". The girls start school next Tuesday, but for now thanks for all your comments and thank you Amanda L. for your beautiful and thoughtful card-it was truly inspired and just what I needed to hear - especially this week!

Do you find it hard to snap photos without the silly poses or fake smiles?
Do you like to sew?
Have you made a friendship pillow?

Orderizing and GoodMail.

I know I've been posting like crazy, but I just don't want to miss anything! I am making great headway on my Me Room and can now see the floor. I've been working on putting all of our bits and pieces of our travels into one location. They are currently in bins and boxes throughout the house and in various cupboards. One of the things I've learned from all of this "orderizing" as I like to call it now - is there is no sense in having all of these items - if it's going to sit around in boxes. I have always had bit expectations for the things we've collected on trips, and although I've managed a few projects like this one - most still sit in all those boxes.

I kept a packet of the first hot chocolate I had in Europe. It was the best I have or will ever taste; partly because of the creme it was served with. The chocolate is circa 1998! The paper I kept from the first french pastry I ever had in Paris! I am putting all of these odds and ends into a binder, labeling sheet projectors like this 1998 Europe Trip. Very simple and effective for putting order to all my receipts, plane tickets, restaurant cards, magazines collected through the years.

Michelle M. at eternal corner sent this lovely goodmail! The necklace charm is so beautiful Michelle! The cards are perfect and...

the girls love, love, love those cute little yo yo's you sent! Look at Cici's face - so cute! Thanks for putting a huge smile on their faces and mine!

Somehow, my job as enrichment coordinator is going to turn me into a seasoned quilter. This is a puzzling fact, especially since I've never really made a quilt before. I made a few that were, shall we say, sewn without knowledge of quilting - but our ward will be putting out four quilts for June for the humanitarian services. The nearest quilting expert in our stake is two hours away - so my quilting will have to be done on DIY! Anyone with knowledge of quilting LDS services humanitarian baby quilts is welcome to extend your vast knowledge this way - please!

Do you keep odds and ends from trips?
How do you put order to them?
Do you yo yo, quilt?

Ribbon Holder.

Ribbon Holder

My next project is transferring my crafts into one space. Right now I have paper in the office, painting in the laundry room, shipping materials in the wine room being used a craft room, and beads, yarn, and buttons everywhere! Since the room that used to be Nini's is too small for a guest room and bed, I am confiscating it and turning it into a space I can use during the day to write or craft - let's call it the Me Room! I realize that in our small space I am very lucky to have a place for all my stuff and I promise I will make the most of it!

Task #1 was where to put all this ribbon...

...it was heaped in my suedo craft room downstairs in various boxes. I started to use a ribbon box but it just wasn't working. I went to the store looking for wooden dowels to use and couldn't find them. I was hoping to somehow configure it to work in a shelf I brought into the Me Room, but since I couldn't find them, I used these instead...

They didn't fit inside my shelf so I used them inside the window. Now I can use the shelf for something else. My cost here in Quebec was around $4.50 - but in the states you can probably get them for around $2.50. The ones I purchases were 28" to 48", it's all they had - but you might be able to find some with a smaller length. You can use them parallel or horizontal between two solid places and they turn in or out depending on your desired tension. Now when I go to get my ribbon I can view the church that is a couple blocks down...

How do you store ribbon?
Do you use these tension rods for curtains or seen them before?

The bow tree and closet peace...

With two girls, bows are not a past time! They are crammed everywhere and even with a drawer just for bows - the girls always like to take out their bows after school and put them - ?. I have purchased more bows and hair bands than I can remember! The tree is a year round decoration in our kitchen area, but I put it in their rooms for Christmas.

While taking out the girl's hair one night I stuck their bows on the tree because I didn't have any other place for it at that time. The tree is now a permanent fixture in their room and a very very easy place to put their bows - either on their own or through a little reminder. The photo I took with it on top of the girl's dresser because I could get the angle better - but in actuality it sits on the floor.

The time it is taking to get my house in order is unbelievable. I can't believe how unorganized I really was - shocked really. The key to order in our house was brought up by my husband. He said that we always have good intentions and even go so far as to input some of our goals - but we are really bad at execution. Taking our resolution and goal and sticking with it and making changes where we need to make them.

One thing we always had trouble executing was the order behind the closed doors - closets, refrigerators - drawers! If we could cram it and shut it, we were fine! OK, that's how I used to think! There is something so peaceful about opening a closet door and finding this...

Instead of a messy crammed space. I threw away two garbage bags full of things from my closet in my bedroom and this one in the hall closet. I even had to pull in one of our garbage cans inside to get everything thrown away.

I decided that towels were a nuisance in our hall closet. We had too many to fit in the space and too many other things that needed to fit neatly inside. I took all of our daily towels, rolled them, and put them in a white basket outside of our bathroom door. We also have a shelf inside the bathroom where we can fold our wash clothes and extra towels - or put them on the towel rack.

The next thing I tackled was the out of date medicine and vitamins and yes there were a few with an expiration label of 6/2001. I threw out any make-up I hadn't used in six months, lotions, and other items that were "stored" in our closets just in case. In the end, the mess I threw away allowed space for compartmental bins, labels, and some extra space at the bottom to store things that just didn't fit anywhere else.


I also completed the refrigerator and the girl's closet in their room - all in about 2.5 hours. One hour for the refrigerator, 45 minutes for the hall closet, 30 minutes for my bedroom closet, and only 15 minutes for the girl's closet!

30 day meal plan update:
My meal plan has been absolutely wonderful! Since I input our meal plan, I've had a few mistakes that I want to share with you:

Prep Time: Yes, I made a 30 day meal plan, but no I did not mark on the calendar the prep time for each dinner. For instance, I started to prepare a chicken dish around 4:00 p.m. one evening, when after reading the recipe it was actually supposed to be a six hour process in a crock-pot! oops! I also did this another time with a dinner that was supposed to cook for 12 hours! oops again! One of the nights I pulled off a potato and egg breakfast dinner (something my mom used to make us) and the other night I swapped it for sloppy joe's which was scheduled two weeks ahead at the end of this month. I am marking my prep time on my calender now!

Go jenn!

Also, I wanted to congratulate my sister who has just finished a 150 mile bike ride that she did with her husband! It's become quite a tradition for them and I think it's great that she is continuing this goal! Also, did I hear something about a triathlon in your future Jenn?!!!

Do you find peace in an organized closet?

Order: My own 30 day meal plan workout.

Whew! I had no idea that planning 30 days of meals would be such a work out. I am tired - but relieved to have finally finished the planning and executing of our next months meals. I can see why it might be difficult to get started and why it took me so long to actually put this plan in action. I've realized that I am not that great of an organizer - who would have known (as I laugh out loud!) For those of you who have or are currently using this type of plan - I totally commend your dedication.

I also came to the understanding that my "out of my head" recipes, the ones I can just cook on the sly - are very few. If I've tried a new recipe I usually forget about it and stick with the things I'm used to cooking, i.e. precooked,spaghetti, meatloaf, chicken and rice etc... I see why we ate out so much -my menu was just no fun! I am an absolute beginner - here's how I started:

Planning the menu
First, I printed a calender and had a notebook on hand. I took my favorite recipe book, the Rachel Ray cook book, and one that my sister sent me from her ward. A friend from Utah also sent me a link that puts recipes together in one place all from her friends and community, here's the link. I actually chose about 5 recipes from their site - thanks Monica!

Your Schedule vs. your meal plan
I marked the days on my calendar where I knew we wouldn't be home, Craig was traveling, busy days etc... and marked them as "leftover" days. I tried to keep them to at least once a week, just to give me a break from cooking. On the days that Craig would be traveling, I marked it as Subway or McDonald's - two of the girls favorite place to eat for at least one of the days he's away.

Concentrating on the problem area
Throwing a salad together, making rolls, or desserts are a piece of cake for me - it's the main dishes that really throw me off. As I filled in my meal plan, I dated a notebook with the beginning of the week's date and marked the the things I would need for that week, all the way to the end of the month. I then transferred the items onto a list separated by section of the grocery store to help me shop quicker in a more organized way. Concentrating on the main dish, I simply added my own side dishes to each meal - unless it specifically called for one.

Additional items
After all the meals were planned and ingredients were added to the shopping list, the next thing planned was the amount of fruit boxes, fruit snacks, cereal boxes, and other things needed to fill in the rest of our family's eating needs. Lunches, side dishes, breakfasts, and treats I considered in my 30 day grocery list. In the end, I wanted my shopping to be reduced and adding all of these things hopefully will enable me to visit the grocery store once a week for milk and other perishable, non-frozen items.

The shopping
OK, here's where I failed miserably! After three different grocery stores in one day, I still have a few items I need to get to make my list complete. I've complained about the food choices and shopping experience here before, so I just hope that your grocery experience is better than mine. Time was not on my side, as I had to leave two stores before getting all I needed to get to appointments. This I need to plan better next time. The great news is that I'm finished! I'll pick the few items left up in the states next week! In addition, adding all the things the girls needed for their lunches, snacks, and breakfasts allowed me to take just one trip instead of what I was doing - 2-3 times a week! Yikes. I spent $280 on my entire months groceries! I often walk out of the store for just one week at $200! It sounds steep, but here $280 for a month is really cheap!

The smell and taste of success
My first 30 day meal was Rachel Rays famous Pretzel Chicken. It was so good that we've marked this as a keeper and will eat it frequently. I'm really excited to try new recipes and follow this plan - it was a lot of work, but I'm happy to say that I am happy I set this goal and will let you know how the month goes.

What is your biggest concern when starting a meal plan?
If you already plan your meals, what advice could you give to us beginners?

Next Wednesday: My 60 minute closet makeovers.

The unassuming slob...and goodmail.

Since the beginning of the year I have toiled in my home to make it a happier, more organized home. With each new project I found that not only did I feel better about life, but my mind became clearer to the things I was missing. Thoughts of taking some online courses, writing daily, reading and researching, and making a 30 day menu for our family are coursing through my mind. My ability to relax has taken me from uptight always organizing - to calm order (most of the time!). I am feeling that I now am in control, where my home used to control me.

You would not assume by looking at my home that I was messy. My front room was always clean and well put together. My kitchen, although not perfect, looked clean and organized and my bathrooms were always clean. However, stay with me and you would have seen a house that was always overflowing with laundry, unorganized spaces, bins for stuff to go back upstairs, bins to go back downstairs. The list goes on and on and I finally had enough.

The first thing I did was purge, throw away, and get rid of - and we all know I got rid of a lot of stuff! The space behind closets and under beds became uncluttered which translated into more storage room for the things I really needed. I've realized recently after putting order to the girl's room, my getting ready area, and clothes closets that it was my highest traffic areas that were the most in need of an order overhaul. Paying close attention to these spaces was the turning point for feeling like I accomplished some part of my goal this year.

Starting every Wednesday, I would like to write about the things I am doing to create order in my home, life; and to focus on my word of the year. It is so exciting for me to see myself transition from a disorganized to organized women - it's quite the feeling! I have a lot of work ahead before I can feel like I've accomplished my goal. Here are my previous posts about order:

Why Order? My word of the year...
Purging, look under goal update, 2nd para.
A happy closet, a happy me.
Girl's bedroom makeover...

I would also like to put in a great thank you to Natasha for her beautiful goodmail gift she sent my way. The cards are beautiful and I just love them! Also thank you again for all you wonderful comments about the girl's schooling. There attitudes are so completely different than two months ago - it's a shame I didn't move them earlier! I've met several people this week where this subject came up - it just goes to show how much we think about our children. Thanks to Kristi for her very creative Easter card!

How are your goals and word of the year?

SPT: Twirling for order!

Twirling and Whirling!

I have been twirling around our "clean" home all day thankful that I am no longer "organizing". I have a couple of closets and a small laundry room (insert jaws music) that need to be put in order - but the majority of my once unorganized messy house is finally in ship/shape condition.

My main organization issue as of late surrounded two areas of my home: the place where I get ready, and the girl's room. We have only one bathroom with electricity in it and one bathroom with a shower. My getting ready was with a mirror I had placed over the dresser above, my top drawer held all my make-up and irons. This sounds perfect - however, it was always, always a giant mess that never got put away. To solve the problem, I removed the mirror and and all contents of my getting ready drawer into a three drawer tupperware set that sits inside my closet. My hair dryer and irons are conveniently placed in a basket on beside the dresser so I can use the mirror on the closet door to get ready. I feel a lot more inclined to put away my mess now, with all our pretty things sitting on the dresser. It has worked like a charm!

My second issue and my biggest was the girl's two rooms. I had two giant perfect cute white sleigh beds in one room. Problem: It took up all the space, so I had to spread their room into two to house their toys and their dresser. The space allotted for the girl's clothes was awful - too small, especially for two growing girls.

Thankfully, Ikea came to the rescue! We are planning on selling the girl's beds (a hard moment for me) and we purchased this bunk bed set, two pink dressers, and a toy and bin storage area. They take turns week to week between the top and bottom bunk and I can't say how happy I am about their storage! Everything fits into one room - yeah!

The best thing about this whole experience is the peace it has given me. There is no clutter, no mess, and it's easy to put things away every night - nothing gets left on the floor. I love that there is order and the girls love their new room! This was an eggtra-special thing for me and my take on this weeks great SPT challenge!

What do you think?
Do you have bunk beds?
Ever had to redo a room because of space?