Project Get Organized, Project #1

Project Get Organized

Problem: Toys EVERYWHERE!

Plan: Limit the amount of toys out at once and have a good place to store the ones out of rotation. 

I turned our linen closet into a toy closet! It worked great! Here are a couple pictures of the start of it all but I will soon post a picture of all the toys in their containers and it will be even more organized!

I also placed all the art/craft items in the closet, it works great to keep it all together and it's easy to see what we are out of!

Before this we had a bunch of our toddlers toys in our office and it was just taking over our office, we couldn't see the floor! I've had alot of her small toys in containers already to rotate out and even a few large containers for large toys but many of the toys were getting moved all over the play and not truly out of rotation because she still had access to them all with exception to art/craft stuff and a few other small boxed items I had put up for directed play.

Project Get Organized...

Project Get Organized

Since my daughter came along in November 2009 I have felt I've not been my usual totally organized self.  My challenge to myself was to get organized no matter how long it takes...if I only get one little drawer done in a week it's okay as long as I am trying to get everything back in order it will eventually happen. Well we are almost there! These post will be in a series starting with my first project until I do my last! Pictures and helpful solutions soon to come!

Trying new recipes....

We were in a food rut for a while so we've been trying some new things, this is what we tried tonight:

 RITZ Parmesan Chicken

 

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 30 min

1/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

25 RITZ Crackers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

MIX mayo and lemon juice in bowl; set aside. Combine cracker crumbs and cheese in separate bowl.

DIP chicken in mayo mixture, then roll in cracker crumb mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Place on baking sheet.

BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion 
Serve with a hot steamed vegetable and mixed green salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Dressing.

Substitute 
Substitute 1/4 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing or KRAFT Ranch Dressing for the mayo and lemon juice. 

Nutrition Information

Calories	360
Total fat	20g
Saturated fat	5g
Cholesterol	80mg
Sodium	440mg
Carbohydrate	13g
Dietary fiber	0g
Sugars	2g
Protein	29g
Vitamin A	0%DV
Vitamin C	0%DV
Calcium	15%DV
Iron	8%DV

It was pretty good although we are thinking of adding some cheese next time also this time we used Ritz Veggie Crackers instead of the original ones.

Uplifting Song

Here's a uplifting song I thought I would share...Every time I listen to this song it brings up lots of joy and emotion. I've listened to this since I was a child.

Here's one more from Dolly that is great but more recent:

Craigslist Deals, Bust & Funnies...

These post will be about bad deals on Craigslist and funny ads I find...I often check Craigslist for items for my daughter (outdoor toys, strollers, etc.).

Bad Deals...
As a rule of thumb, you should never pay more than a third of the full price for used items that aren't of collectible value such as baby gear.
Bad Deal #1-

Little Tikes Slide - Has some sun fading but is in excellent condition.  $10 (You can find this same slide for $20 new with No Sun Fading)

Bad Deal #2-
I am selling a Bright stars bouncy chair, vibrating, babies loves it, neutral colors, good condition, from clean and smoke free home. email if interested, thank you for looking$15
(You can buy this new for $29)

GOOD DEALS (Assuming the ads aren't misleading and items are in good shape)
Good Deal #1-
Baby Einstein baby gym in good condition, $10, cash and pick up only. thank you!
(You can buy this new for $54)
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/2235013472.html

Good Deal #2-

Fisher Price papasan bouncer in great condition. $15, cash and pick up only. Thank you.
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/2235017550.html

You can buy these new for $60-$70 online.

Spring Cleaning

You ever get attached to things and can't let go even though you know you don't need it? I do. I use to not have this problem at all, I cleaned out stuff and threw it out with no problem but since I had my baby I can't seem to let go of some of her things. She is 15 Months old and I still have most of her baby cloths and shoes...even some baby toys she doesn't enjoy anymore, but getting rid of them is like admitting there is no baby here anymore...it's a little sad but I know it's time to let go of some things and keep only what I really want for keep sakes or in case we have another girl soon.  It's just not feasible to keep everything in case another one though because I know I'll want new things and it's crowding up our  home.  So today I walked around with a bag to donate some stuff out and I filled it up! Now I just got to go threw our storage containers and see what else I can let go of. The house feels neater already! I have donated plenty of her stuff since she's been born but there is still plenty more than can go. I am making separate bags for how I want to get rid of things...some for friends who have little babies, some for donation, some to sale on e-bay and of course some to keep!

I like how this mom did her childs closet but MacKenzie has so many outfits in her closet this would never work...but I have bought little containers like in this picture to organize little toys that I want to rotate out or things that aren't to be played with during free play but in parent guided play (playdough for example)...I just don't know where I want to put them maybe in our linen closet...I just got to clean it out too! One project leads into another one! This picture is from: click here.

 

Ronnie Dunn

(A song about forgiveness)
This song is so sweet. I've always been a overly forgiving person but really it's a good thing, it's what I was brought up to do. My mom forgives and taught me to forgive, we had a conversation about this recently about how we should forgive others who have wronged us. One thing I've learned is that forgiving someone doesn't mean you have to give them a chance to do you wrong again it's more about letting your heart forgive and forget not always giving the person another chance to hurt you...I'm not one to blog much about emotions but this song I wanted to share and I figured it needed a little explanation. Hope you all like it!