February Challenge: Declutter My Life

Ok, so January I watched no TV.  It gave me a lot of time to look around and realize.... I have a lot of stuff!  It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over a couple of years, especially when you have two little ones.  With a move looming in our future it occurs to me.  I may have TOO much stuff.

So this year I am trying to get organized and get in control, so here is what I'm going to do this month.  I am going to get rid of (throw away/ donate/ give away) 10 items a day.  I think this is going to be pretty easy.  I don't think people realize how much stuff they have.  I know I still have drawers full of VHS movies and I haven't had a VCR in years.  I have tons of baby clothes I can give to friends. And just random stuff I need to get rid of.

I am really excited to start this because cluttler has such an effect on my mood.  I know when my house is clean and clutter free I am in such a better place.  I am less quick to anger at my family, I feel like I am in more control of things when my living area is clutter free.  Over all I am just a happier stress free person when my living area is clean.  So why is it always cluttered?  I say it is because I have too much stuff.  I haven't used some of it in years.  So I am going to start today.  I am going to go into this closet and start.  I am going to find 10 things I can get rid of.  Tomorrow I will do the same things, until this closet is clutter free.  Then I will move onto the nursery and our bedroom and the kitchen.  I really think this is going to be easy.  By the end of the month I may have a few tough decisions to make, but we just gotta clean it up and get ready for a new way.

So here we go.  My month of decluttering.  What am I getting rid of today?

Wrapping up the January Challenge of No TV

This year I decided I needed to try and organize my life and try to get in control of it.  This is the year.  So if you have been following my story you would know my first challenge would be a month with out tv.  I did it!  January 2013 was my month with no tv!  I did watch some news and a few movies with the hubby, but I didn't watch any more than that.







January No TV Challenge

It surprisingly wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I found some huge positives to this.  I found I ate less.  If I had to sit down and eat with out the tv on I didn't eat as much.  I also listened to so much more music.  I rekindled my love with show tunes (I have always been a huge theater nerd.)  I liked to listen to them, I would listen to a whole sound track at night and it was like getting a story I could sing along with while cleaning my house.  I also found some new musicians I love.  I also read a lot more. 

Unfortunately, I was hoping watching no TV would make me super productive.  I'm beginning to see  that it needs to be a motivation change not just an outside distractions thing.  I didn't watch mindless tv..... but I did find things on the internet I didn't know existed.  I did spend some time on my blog, but I also wasted so much time on other things. 

Over all It was a really positive thing.  I am going to watch TV again, but I think I might change the way I watch it.  I plan to not turn it on during nap.  I also plan to not turn it on until dinner and toys are cleaned up for the night.  That being said... while I haven't been watch tv Netflix is now streaming the West Wing.  Tomorrow night after babies are in bed and everything is picked up.  Me, my tv, a glass of wine and some West Wing episodes have a date!

Tomorrow I will be announcing Februaries challenge.  It is a good one!  Make sure to check back!

LWW & Toddler Activity: Egg Carton and PomPom Spooning

The other day I was filling out the questionnaire for the babies 18 month check up and one of the skills was uses a spoon with out spilling most of what is it.... ummm no.  They can't do that.  So I decided we needed some practice with a spoon.

So I looked at what I had laying around in my upcycle craft bin and I thought this would work.  I'd seen something similar on pinterest, but that used tweezers which we don't have.  So I thought we could try a spoon instead.  Play and practice using a spoon.

I basically just filled an egg carton with pompoms and gave them a spoon to scoop out the pompoms.

They had a lot of fun playing with the new stuff.  Ben did some spoon practicing, but he more or less just wanted to play with the egg carton and toss pompoms in the air.  Which is fine with me all exploring is learning at this age.  Penny sat down and tried for awhile though and had fun trying.

They had a lot of fun doing this activity.  We will definitely get it out again on slow mornings.  Hopefully it helped with a spoon a bit too...

What are some of your favorite activities to do with your little ones?



We have a lovely Co-Host today for our link up!  Go check out Leslie at Violet Imperfection.  Be sure to follow her and link up! If you would like to co-host drop me an email at adayinthelifefamilyblog@gmail.com

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Join us!

 Just follow these 2 simple steps.

1. Link up a post about your "little wonders".  Anything mommy related from easy recipes to funny stories.
2. Make friends!  Click around and find blogs you like.  Don't forget to leave comment love and follow the ones you like.
3. Follow your Co-Host Leslie at Violet Imperfection

Optional steps

I would love it if you would follow me to stay up to date on Little Wonders.
Also
Spread the word!  Grab the button.  Tweet about it.  However you would like.  The more the merrier! :)

Ready.. Set.. Link Up!

Toddler Dinner Ideas

One thing I know whole heartedly is my husband works too much!  While he's a grad student this is just a phase of life we have to deal with.  So we don't always eat dinner as a family.  This has been happening a lot lately.  I always make good meals when Will comes home, but when it's just me and the babes I usually make them something quick and grab myself something once they are down for the night.  But since this has been happening so much I can only feed them grilled cheese or scrambled eggs so many times before I start feeling guilty.

So I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out fun new things to feel them on nights Will is away.  I got this idea from a couple different places on pintrest and I just kind of put my own twist on it.

Corn Dog Muffins

 

I just put cut up pieces of hot dog into corn bread muffins.  

They ate them up!  They were super easy to make and even though it wasn't a fancy dinner I felt like I still made them something.  

What are your go to super easy meals?

Little Wonders Wednesday and What to do with sick babies?

This week Penny and Ben have had terrible colds.  It just seems like this year they can't catch a break!  Last year they had a few runny noses and that was it.  This is our second go around with sniffles and hacking coughs.  I hate to watch them be miserable and know there is nothing I can do about it.  I hate that!  When I feel like they do, I take cold medicine and emergen-C.  There is nothing over the counter I can do for them.  What are some home remedies people try?

Right now I put a little Vicks rub on their feet before bed time and I crank up the humidifier.  I put vaseline and burts bees baby cream on their little chapped cheeks.  All of this seems to help, but I just wish there was more that I could do for them.

Poor little guy needs to feel better soon!

What do you do when you little ones have terrible colds?  Help!


If anyone would like to be a co-host please just email me and we can set something up!

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Join us!

 Just follow these 2 simple steps.

1. Link up a post about your "little wonders".  Anything mommy related from easy recipes to funny stories.
2. Make friends!  Click around and find blogs you like.  Don't forget to leave comment love and follow the ones you like.

Optional steps

I would love it if you would follow me to stay up to date on Little Wonders.
Also
Spread the word!  Grab the button.  Tweet about it.  However you would like.  The more the merrier! :)

Ready.. Set.. Link Up!