i LOVE organizing

i love organizing...i mean i love it truly, whether it is organizing my own stuff or someone else's. i think it is therapeutic for me, a way of creating order, pacifying my inner (or boisterous, as my hubby would say) ocd-ness. my ocd tendencies have calmed down some since ella was born; for my own sanity, i had to learn that some things can be let go and don't have to be done right when i think they should. anyway, i realize now, weeks later, that the complete re-organization of the kitchen, hall closet, and laundry room most likely was me unconsciously dealing with the beginning of sophia's weaning (see post here), however it needed to be done and it was fun!!! originally i started out planning to just do the hall closet. it is our only hall closet and since we moved in about a year ago (when sophia was 2 weeks old!), it became just a catchall. however, the more i did in the closet the more i had to change in the kitchen, and then the more i had to change in the laundry room...so you see where this snowball was headed. my poor hubby was out of town when all this happened so he had to relearn where things were! i didn't do a great job with the before pics because, well, i forgot until had already started. so just imagine it a whole lot worse and all the things that are on the door hanger were on the shelves in the closet.
a few of my organizing guidelines--if you don't use it, you most likely won't (there are some exceptions like serving ware that is only used at certain times); put similar things together and easy to find; i love using baskets, trays, etc.---hobby lobby, ross, michaels and the dollar store are great places to find them; no junk drawers/cabinets; put things where you use them; if possible label baskets/boxes especially if you cannot see in them without opening; remember organizing is a process that has to be repeated every once in a while due to life changes/children ages/stages, etc; even if you don't have time to clean, always straighten; if you get it out, put it back where it belongs; and then there is my gut feeling about how things fit together, where they should go in the house, etc which is hard to explain. i got the door hanger idea from decorology  and purchased the actual hanger from chef's. i love that you can put the baskets where you need them based on your items. i have some of my favorite ideas on my pinterest board, i love organizing.
so here are the pics and i will post the kitchen and laundry pics soon! i'm not that good at the picture posting part so bear with me (O:



before

after!

on this shelf i put my fall door decoration and my extra flower containers with some decorative crosses that i haven't decided where to put yet and a crystal punch bowl.

these middle shelves worked out great! i had some extra wrapping paper that was too short for the door as well as the plastic rings that hold the wrapping paper together. i love my "j" tote! it holds all of the gifts i have on hand. on the right side of that shelf had a perfect liquor box that was holding all the extra gift bags. it works so well holding them that i decided to keep it for now until i can find something cuter. on top of that box is a bag of white tissue paper and several smaller pieces of bubble wrap. i put the gift boxes, flattened, between the gift bag box and the wall.



the next shelf is mostly craft items. the right side basket holds all the watercolor paints, faux finish notes, paint brushes, charcoal, colored pencils, etc. the stack of papers in the middle is actually christmas cards put together by years with binder rings. i forgot to put them with our christmas books last christmas so those will go in that box this year--and that means even more room in the closet! on the left side i had an extra decorative tray so i am using that to hold my glue gun, yarn, cardboard rolls and then a few flat rate usps boxes underneath. the advocare product section didn't change much; i already had it organized with like products together.

 this next to last shelf was pretty important because it holds things that my 4 year old needs to get to by herself. it needed to be organized by grouping like things together and also by using baskets. the wipes boxes aren't that cute but they are doing a great job holding puzzle pieces and card games. i will either paint them or get something cuter one day. obviously the games/puzzles are on the right. on the left side, i have a basket full of bubbles, another basket filled with sidewalk chalk, and yet another basket for play dough. so far the items are easy for ella to get and also for her to put them back where they belong!

the very bottom "shelf" which is the floor has 2 boxes, each labeled with decorations for easter and valentines. the boxes made a great ledge for the drawing paper holder.

and last but not least, the piece that inspired it all!!! the wrapping station door hanger! i didn't realize how much wrapping paper i had until i had to put it all in this basket! i used a piece of ribbon to secure the top part of the paper so it wouldn't fall over. in front of the wrapping paper in the basket, i put the colored/designed tissue paper. the next basket holds acrylic paint and a small dollar store basket with more paint, a hole puncher, and glue. the 2 above that hold all of my ribbon. the top shelf has christmas bows and extra popsicle sticks.

i had so much fun organizing the hall closet, finally! it took a few days since i could only work on it when the girls were preoccupied with playing or when they were napping. but i think it turned out great! you made it to the end of this post, woohoo! it was alot longer than i thought it would be!

it's been 27 days...

june 5. a day i will remember, probably forever. that was the first day sophia drank from a cup. she had never used a bottle or cup until that day. and i wasn't expecting it to go that well. to my surprise it did and thus began weaning. i admit i had thought about weaning for a few weeks prior and i knew that i had planned to be done nursing by the time school starts but still i was caught off guard. since she was doing so good with the cup i wanted to encourage it. so my plan initially was to nurse 2-3 times a day; i got a pump so she could at least drink my milk from the cup. this has helped me (and her).

27 days and it's been an emotional, hormonal ride. i think i was in denial at first about how much it was affecting me. after a week or so, i realized i had been eating alot more ice cream than usual. that was the first sign and then I started noticing the emotional part. pumping 3 times a day was taking 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day and i was going insane; but i felt guilty that i couldn't keep doing that. but i also coudn't spend that much time each day pumping. part of me just wanted to go back to nursing full time---i mean goodness, it only took 35-40 mintues total PER DAY to nurse and pumping was taking more than triple that. now i am down to pumping once a day, sometimes twice; and nursing only first thing in the morning. on one hand, i am glad to have some freedom back; to be able to come and go more freely; she can actually drink her milk while i'm IN the grocery store; and i'm able to leave her with family for longer periods of time. but on the other hand, it is sad. in some ways i do not want to stop even though obviously i do at some point. i never knew that nursing was so wonderful. i wasn't able to nurse with ella except the first few weeks but if i had known then what i know now, i would have made a way! the health benefits to her and to me are great; in addition to that is the emotional bond. amazing. there are no words. God was so thoughtful in His decision for this to be how our young should be fed. i will never forget that sweet sound she makes while she's nursing; its her little sound of "yummy". or how she will look in my eyes in the middle of nursing and smile or laugh. or the countless times we nursed in the car in a random parking lot. or watching her eyelids slowly close as her tummy gets full. or the contentment on her face. or how her hair curls like a corkscrew above her right ear. or how she wants to cuddle when she's full, listening to my heart and my breathing. or how when she's upset, tired, maybe hungry and nursing is the only thing that will comfort her. or realizing how much those little legs have grown, from barely reaching my side to dangling playfully on the chair. a-mazing. i pray i never forget all the precious moments.

of course as i say how wonderful this experience has been, i'm not saying that every single feeding was absolutely fabulous; there is always the other side of the coin. we certainly had our times of frustration, various age/development "issues", doctor visits (dr. saenz is fabulous), educating myself (ms breastfeeding clinic notes and kellymom). but it was all worth it and i would do it over again in a heartbeat!!! i am so thankful for the support of my hubby, parents, and in laws. so glad that my 4 year old has been wonderfully helpful and understanding. now i'm praying that my milk supply will stay so we can keep that first early morning feeding for a little while longer. i'm not ready to let go. there i said it. so if you happen in my path in the next few weeks, months and i get a little teary eyed, but our conversation has no sadness in it whatsoever, just know it's the hormones and nothing to worry about (:

disclaimer--i am not in any way saying anything against moms who use formula and/or didn't nurse. and i'm sorry if this was too personal for anyone reading. as i said in the beginning, this blog is a place for me to be open and honest about it all!

unplugged...well sort of...

it's been about 2 weeks since we got rid of cable. and by get rid of cable, i mean no cable, no tv service at all, not even one channel, there is only black and white fuzz when you turn on the tv. we took back the comcast box with its magical dvr and instant information guide and the on demand access. back to the dark ages? ha not quite, we do still have Internet, obviously, and we have our tvs but now the only option is dvds. it may seem a bit odd in this day to be getting rid of such a thing. believe me i think it might be harder on me and jerm than ella. our reasoning, just in case you are curious...for one the cost!! just by cutting out cable, our bill went from about $140 to about $20 per month! that is a great benefit but the biggest issue was the girls and what is on tv and what tv was doing to our relationships. ella was seeing/hearing things we weren't ready for her to experience. tv was also becoming something she asked for constantly and we don't want to fight that battle. tv stole alot of our quality time as a family. when the tv was on, no one talked, everyone just stared at it. we want to be able to cultivate our relationship with the girls and at the same time help them to cultivate their minds and bodies. now don't get me wrong, the tv is on at some point most days but we are able to choose what ella watches and when she watches it. so mostly that means shirley temple, veggie tales, mr. rogers, etc. so that i can actually get a bath that day! it has been amazing to see how in just 2 weeks, ella's general behavior/attitude is better, she more eagerly plays and colors, bedtime usually goes smoother, at night after dinner we are spending more time together talking, reading, and cuddling, and I don't know if it's coincidence or not but i have read 2 books and almost done with a very long 3rd--and i only had 2-3 tv shows i "had" to watch. it's nice not to have to think about when am i going to watch my shows or our shows together or jerm to watch his shows. in our already hectic life, with little family time, i see now how much time and energy was wasted on the shows. i love the shows, still do, but it's a nice relief not to have to think about them. we are praying that this will draw us closer as a family and that our relationship with the girls and each other will grow stronger. and of course we are not judging anyone that has cable; this was just a personal choice that works best for our family. and to my friends who have cable...rest assured i will expect you to fill me in on the world...with no cable, no news, no newspaper and only facebook to keep me informed of latest goings on, i will surely have no clue (:

summer fun

i am so excited about this summer!!! i feel like it is my first summer at home with the girls. i was at home last summer but with sophia's birth in may, the summer was a blur of sleeplessness (o: i want to take advantage of this time with ella especially since sophia is older and doesn't need quite as much attention anymore. it i has been great fun to peruse pinterest, facebook, and blogs for ideas. some of the activities i have been wanting to do for a long time and others are things i just found recently. hopefully i can incorporate a little learning into each activity! ella is usually full of questions and interested in everything so that shouldn't be too hard! i put our list over on the right side of the blog to help me keep track and also to share with whoever might want some ideas! please share some of your ideas with me!

soft gentle words

i don't watch much tv, mainly because i don't have time and because there is not that much on that is worth watching but i love, love the duggar's!! and i love to let ella watch them--what great examples of well behaved children! i have watched many episodes but on one episode michelle said something keeps coming back over and over again in my head. the producers had asked her something in the interview segment about her tone of voice or if she ever yelled or something--because she never ever yells, she has a consistent pleasant voice. her response was that years ago when their children were young, she made a conscious choice to make sure she never raised her voice. raising your voice usually doesn't accomplish anything productive. i'm not really a yeller but that has stuck with me for months. i realized after watching that episode that i do sometimes talk louder and sometimes too firmly with ella and most importantly it almost never has to do with something she has done...it is almost always because i am upset, irritated or frustrated about something (sometimes even her (o;). i have realized over the last several months that speaking with a soft kind voice especially when disciplining that ella can listen and understand my words much better. and i think having girls makes that even moreso important; they (or at least mine) are so sensitive. i don't want to say anything harshly that would deter them from talking to me in the future about anything. i want to have a close relationship with both girls so that they feel like they can talk to me about anything at any age. i don't remember if michelle referred to a bible verse or not but i think of proverbs 15:1--"a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" so thank you michelle duggar for allowing God to speak through you...

the things you say you will never do....

it is amazing how we think and say that we will never do things and then we do...like all those things your parents said to you and now you do to your own kids. one thing i have been torn about lately is something that most people don't talk about...co-sleeping. when sophia was born, she slept in a little crib in our room. she did this until about 8 months old. then at 8 months, she was waking up so upset either because of her tummy or her teeth or she just needed to be comforted. at that point i put her in the bed and for the first time in 8 months she slept all night!!! it was amazing! and there she has been since then. i know that she will need to move to her own bed in her own room soon but i am realizing how short this baby stage is, even more so than with our first child. i cannot believe sophia will be a year old in may; it has gone by so much quicker this time. i thought things had to be very "by the book" with our first, ella. i thought she had to have this fairly strict eating schedule, had to sleep in her bed at every single night, and it still breaks my heart that we let her cry it out many nights. i'm not saying that those are bad things...i just know now that i should have been a bit more laid back about those things. so i am soaking up those sweet little feet in my ribs at night...the midnight wakings for a cuddle...the holding hands while she goes to sleep. i know some people say that babies should be able to self soothe and sleep on their own by this age but i am realizing more and more that babies just need to be close to their parents. even ella, now 4 1/2, just wants to be with us, during the day at night, whenever. and i want that too....childhood goes by too quickly...too soon they will be teenage girls who don't want to hang out with us old people (o: like my other post, we were made to be dependent on one another and i can't think of a more perfect example than a sweet little baby and her precious big sister.

community

this morning in bible study we were talking about community, fellowship... being intentional with our interactions. i know i am guilty of asking how are you with the assumption that most people will say good or fine. and i am also guilty of answering fine when i am asked that question no matter what is going on in my life. but that is not how we should interact with most people (i say most people because we don't need to spill our guts to anyone and everyone). someone mentioned that God created us as dependent beings; we are dependent on Him and on our fellow man(woman). however, society stresses that we should be completely self sufficient, not needing anyone at all. how sad that existence is. we need other people...to care for us, to love us, to listen to us, to hold us accountable, and to speak the truth to us. i kept thinking this morning how we rarely take the time to "get real" with people; to answer truthfully to the "how are you" question. it is so easy to get involved in our day to day activities and forget to have intentional interactions with those God has placed in our life. as a busy wife and mom it seems even harder to make those purposeful actions. it is hard to make myself get out and be with others even though i know i desperately need it. sometimes it is just easier to stay at home. but if i just do it--take a shower, get dressed at least a little cute, pack the kids in the car, go to the library or the park or to bible study, then the effort is so worth it. i think very few of us have relationships of emotional/mental intimacy with others (aside from our spouse). it takes time to develop and nurture a relationship and unless we place high value on those types of relationships, they will never grow.
hopefully this all made sense. feel like i'm rambling a bit since it is almost 11p. main point is reminding myself to be purposeful with all my interactions; i never know how that interaction may affect that person's day/life whether it is a family member or someone you will only see once. also to remind myself to get out more! yes i have things that need to be done at home but that stuff is not going away! it will be there when i get back home in an hour or two. growing and nurturing relationships are more important than all the little things i think i HAVE to get done today immediately. and those relationships include the relationship with our children and spouses. that is easy to forget to i have to catch myself throughout the day--did i have an actual conversation with ella today? did we both listen intently to the other person? that the way i interact with others is what ella will most likely immulate so i better have my mind on Christ!

be intentional with my actions.