For All My Techie Friends...

I've been wanting to write a post about some of my favorite apps and games for the iPhone as well as list some of my favorite sites for saving money. So, while I do not claim to be a techie myself, I am married to one, the sister in law of another and a little sister to one more. So, I have picked up a few things here and there...

Let's begin.  Now, if you are thinking about stopping reading because you don't have an iPhone, read on anyway, these apps are available on Droid and Blackberry too. Plus they are super stinkin fun!

Caryn's Top 5 Favorite Apps

1. HeyTell- this basically turns your device into a walkie talkie. You add your contacts, and push the record button and say a message. Short or long, but if you need to have a dialogue then might as well call! I like to use this app in the car, in place of text messaging. You tap, talk and wait for the reply. Usually our conversations go something like this: Me "When are you coming home, the boys are killing me!" Rusty "I'm on my way, be there soon."  Me "Well hurry, oh and pick up the dry cleaning!"

See, good fun! Oh, and for even added excitement I like to sign off with a very official "breaker breaker one-niner" or the occasional "10-4" Try it! And add me! It has come in handy so often!

2. Tango- if you have the 4G iPhone than you don't really need this app, especially if you have the Skype app, and because of FaceTime, but what it does for other devices is allows you to video chat on a 3G network! Super cool! My kids love using it to talk to their Auntie in Utah.  Once you load it, anyone in your contacts with the app will automatically load in!

3. Words with Friends. Basically a modern version of scrabble. One tip, play more than one game at a time, it makes it way funner. Add me, carynbeck  --'nuff said! And just for the record, I think I have won 3 games out of 500, so feel free to play me if you need a self esteem booster!

4. PocketFrogs- Seriously, 90% of my apps are games, most of them for the kids, but this one is allllllllll me. Basically, you collect, breed and grow your frog collection. This is a nice game because it is easy. Berk loves to play it for me. And it is one that you can leave for days at a time and not worry about things dying.  I have some pretty frogs, and I don't like to brag (cough) but I am ranked in the top 5% of all players. {I'm patting myself on the back}

                                                                       (Aren't they cute!)

5.  Oh man, when I tried to think of my 5th favorite app, I got so distracted that I nearly didn't finish this post, so I promise to do another app post someday!

Oh, and by the way, I have a thing about paying for apps, so these are all free FYI!

Now to the websites...

Caryn's Top 5 Favorite Websites

1. Retail Me Not . Please raise your hand and repeat the following "I promise to never shop online without first checking retailmenot.com for coupon codes."  You may put your hand down.  I kept wanting to tell people about this at Christmas time, as you know, we do nearly 90% of our Christmas shopping online (see next website) and this saves me nearly every time I checkout of my online shopping cart.  Try it, you'll like it. More like love it.  You're welcome.

2. Amazon- I don't even need to expound more. What's not to love, but really I want to tell you about Amazon Mom's. If you are a Mom, caregiver or other (aunt, babysitter etc) than see about signing up! It is free and you qualify for Amazon Prime- which means free 2 day shipping. It's a little like Christmas every time I use it...

3. All Things Thrifty. I mean the name says it all. This girl has the best ideas, for cheap. I have mentioned it before in the post about redoing my tables. But lately, this site has me wanting to ask for power tools for Valentine's Day!

4- Oh crud, I did it again. While zooming through my google reader for more of my favorites, I got sucked into the black hole that is craft blogs... So, they too will be another post on another day! 

Enjoy!

In Another Life...

In another life I had a perfectly straight house. Kids that never fought. A baby who slept at night so I could get a full 8 hours. A three year old who was potty trained. And I never had such sore shoulders and arms from carrying around a colicky baby that migraines were a weekly result. Yes, in another life I was the perfect mom, homemaker and I had infinite patience and energy.

But this is my real life. And I'm exhausted. Dishes sit in my sink, my carpets need vacuumed SO badly, which is complicated, since our 6th vacuum in 9 years is broken and sitting in the garage. And I spent most of today playing referee between two of my boys who were home sick with runny noses and coughs. The third was was sick too, but since he was too young to jump in and wrestle, he just got EXTRA clingy instead. I swear, some days I feel like I just may fall over by 5pm.

Having to deal with the stress of the break-in hasn't helped. Even when Brenner does sleep I have a hard time falling asleep. Either thinking of other things to add to our home owner's claim, or stressing about keeping Braden's from knowing just how scary what happened was, or just everything.

And just about the time my brain finally shuts down, Brenner wakes again. Now, I have NEVER had good sleepers. Nadda one.

Braden was on a very strict 8, 11, 2, 5 schedule. So, for feeding and medicines we had to wake him every night until he was almost 10 months old and by then it was built in. He still woke up around 2 for years until he finally outgrew it and would wake at other times instead. Now, he finally sleeps ok. Aside from the occasional bad dream, or growing pains. I think he has really benefited from having Berk in his room.

Berkley, man was he hard. When we brought him home, Braden still needed us to lay with him till he fell asleep and was waking up once or twice a night. Rusty is the best tag-team partner ever. I finally begged for sleep advice when my blog was still pretty new and was overwhelmed by every one's support and advice. I finally let him cry it out about 18 months old and he started going to sleep on his own, and staying asleep most nights straight through. Then we went on the cruise and for 2 weeks he was in bed with us, on a loopy schedule and after we got home it was chaos. Things settled down again and then we moved him into a big boy bed, and at the same time he started sharing a room. So we started laying with him. Now he rarely falls asleep with out us and I'd say 4 out of 7 nights wakes up at least once. Again, my tag teamer is great about getting him right back down.

So, I should have known Brenner would be a cruddy sleeper. But deep down I thought "I'm SO due for a good sleeper!" And at first he was. Then he got his first ear infection, and started cutting teeth at 3 months. And between 5 and 6 am (no matter what time he went down for the night) became wake up time. I fall asleep every night with him in my arms. My neck, arms and back can't take it. He goes down the first time in his crib for anywhere between 3-5 hours but after the initial wake up it takes a bottle and rocking or patting to get him back down. But forget about laying him down after that.

Ok, ok, you get my point. Here's my question. He's nearly 5 months old. He still takes 1-2 bottles (and we're talking 8 oz) through the night. I already started him on rice cereal, which I feed 2 times during the day and again right before bed and then a bottle. I am sure that's why he goes the stretch that he does. So my questions are as follows:

1. Is he to young to cry it out?
2. Does he need to eat that much in the night?
3. Does anyone want to take him for a week or so, so I can catch up on sleep?
4. Does anyone wanna come potty train Berk???

Kidding about that last one or two, but not really... I guess the feeding in the night thing goes back to Braden. It was crucial he ate as often as possible. And that was how I was wired. So I feel like if he was waking up and I could get him back down, in a reasonable amount of time without needing the bottle I would. But his cry tells the mommy in me he's hungry. So what do I do?

Honestly, I'm spent. It's wearing on Rusty too, because he gets up with Brenner at 5 so I can sleep from 5-7 when we all get up for the school rush mayhem. And most nights, that is the longest stretch of sleep I get. I can't nap in the day. A) I'm still leery about it being alone since the robbery and B) Berk loves to poke me on the couch as I rest and tell me he's poopy-- always about 3 minutes after I zonk. And C) I always feel a little guilty about sleeping, even if my kids are, cause I know there are other things I should be doing.

I've hear about Baby Wise, but no one has the book I can borrow, and I don't know if I'm too late to start. I seriously have a dozen different baby sleep books and don't have the energy to read any of them- plus none of them helped with Berk...

Can you sense my desperation? I openly welcome advice, and arms willing to hold Mr Cranky. I laugh that my kids nicknames are "Sugar" "Pumpkin" and "Stinker" because this third kid has really done a number on me. You think you are finally getting a hang of the Mommy thing and then BAM- you get a totally different baby. I tell him all the time "It's a good thing you're cute."

Tootin' Horns...

I have so many talented friends and family, that I thought I would give them a shout out, toot their horn and all that.

First off, my neighbor Mendy makes the MOST amazing Designer Bundt Cakes. I have had the best job in the world of being an official taste tester for new flavors. And I love it. Rusty does too. My waistline, not so much...but I digress.

LilyLou's is the place to check out these yummy creations. The one pictured above is the Peppermint Stick and I have crumbs of it sitting on my counter top right now. Delish. Rusty's fav is the Butterscotch and mine is the Lemon Raspberry. You may remember she made Berkley's 3rd birthday cake- Junior Mint- it was also a hit...

Next up- An old friend and fellow Heart Mom Heidi. You can read her blog here but what I think is amazing is that she has organized a run in her beautiful son Ethan's honor. I know you are all runners out there. It is for a great cause that is dear to my heart, no pun intended and if I were a runner I'd be there. Heck, for Heidi and Mr E maybe I'll become a runner.

All the info is available if you click the logo on my sidebar or from the family's blog.

Thirdly, (that so isn't a word is it?) Another amazing Mother, and friend from my ward Shawni. Now I know you all have gotten her book that she and her mother co authored, but if not, now is the perfect time to do so. You see, Shawni has an amazing daughter named Lucy. She is so special and loved so much. Her family is trying to do everything they can to do research into her rare disorder. Their blog is here and besides the amazing photography and funny real life moments you'll see on there, you'll also notice links for the "I Love Lucy Project"

Royalties from the book- which I think every Mom should have (mine got it for Mother's Day- just saying...) go towards finding a cure for this disorder. You can read all about it and see the most beautiful blue eyed girl ever, by following the link on the right. A side note, for those of you who know Shawni, just keep in mind that she was pregnant with Lucy when I was pregnant with Berkley. It was so not fair. She is so tall and skinny, even at 9 months prego. That's all I'm saying.

And next, my old friend Kim has a photography business. Which is amazing, she and her hubby are partners. And I wish I was in Utah so I could use them, but I'm not. But I can use her to design photo announcements. She did Brenner's birth announcement and my Christmas card as well as a ton of others.

I have been telling her to put them on her site, so maybe she will now...No Pressure Kim, what's ONE more blog to keep up? hee hee. Her prices are reasonable and I love everything she's done that I've seen. Plus, when we were little my sister Rhonda tried to do a fancy spin on Kim's iron railing and ended up with stitches, so I kinda love her for lots of reasons... (Rho bet you forgot that one, huh? nice) All her contact info is on her blog.

And finally, an old pal Kelli started a This & That Blog. It has tips, crafts and give aways! Who doesn't love those? Nuff said. Check it out here.

I think in my next Tootin' Horns blog I'll do recipe blogs I {heart}

A Little Help Please...

So, Brenner hates the car. Hates it. No I mean really. From the moment I lay him in the seat he starts screaming! I have tried mirrors, hanging toys, bottles, paci's and nothing stops him once he gets going. So, for right now, I just avoid going anywhere with him that I don't have to. Doesn't matter if the trip is long, like taking Berk to preschool or short, like picking Braden up from school- his level and intensity of crying is the same. I know most people think babies love the car. Not so. It is so stressful to drive in traffic with the screaming coming from the car. And even once we reach our destination it takes me a good 15 minutes to calm him down.

Now I'm even getting stranger's sympathies. Like the random Mom at preschool who said she'd drive 25 minutes out of her way to come get Berk so I didn't have to put Brenner in the car. Or the lady at the McDonald's drive thru- who patiently took my order and had me pull forward only to tell me she couldn't hear a word I said.

So what do I do. Ear muffs are illegal, I'm pretty sure. And taping his paci to his mouth is probably frowned on. So short of hiring someone to sit in the backseat with him until he outgrows this phase, I am out of ideas! I need ideas, suggestions. I am struggling. Poor baby has white salt stains on his car seat straps from where the tears roll down his cheeks, it's killing me!

Decontamination in Progress...

I popped my last day of a 'Z pack' this morning, then turned to give Berk his day 3 dose. Then I went over and wiped Braden's nose, before answering the phone to hear Rusty sounding all raspy.  Enough already!  I have not been this sick in a very long time. What is this super bug that hit Gilbert this month?

I was fine Wednesday, and bam Thursday hit me like a ton of bricks. I think being pregnant only compounded it because my gag reflex is so sensitive. Coughing too hard, sneezing too hard or crying too hard are all bad ideas since they result in me puking...So by mid morning that day I was in tears, pawning my kids off on a neighbor (I Love you M!) and praying for some magical cupboard to open and have the medicine I needed...I ate solid food again for the first time 4 days later. We had Pops do a quick ultrasound to see baby and make sure he was doing good. Baby Beck looks great-although I think he is mad his diet has been so bland lately (or because we still haven't thought of a name)...But, me on the other hand, I lost all the weight I had gained so far this pregnancy-plus some. Not so good. But Poweraide,Popsicles and water only have so many calories!

Honestly, Braden had a pretty bad cough last week, but nothing major. So when I got it I was floored. I went through 4 boxes of kleenex in 2 days and didn't leave my house until Sunday evening. And by no means am I anywhere near 100%, I would say I am working at about 30% still, but at least I was not in jammies today! Progress! 

So I am eradicating this plague from my house. I have cleaners coming tomorrow, I have new linens ready to be put on all the beds, I have Lysol for the door handles, and trash cans. I have Clorox wipes for the toys that have kept my poor kids entertained and I have new DVD's for Braden to watch- because he has been pretty patient with me this last week.  I have a HUGE bottle of Vit. C out for Rusty and I and I have kudos for Netflix for keeping me entertained over the weekend. Oh, and nothing but the highest of praises for my Mom and my Hubby who did all the laundry for me- even put it away! I am thinking I may have to bust out my Spring Cleaning post from last year and scrub this place from top to bottom, but I will have to get some energy in me for that first.

Spring Cleaning!

Alright, it's that time of year again, and I am already knee deep in my cleaning. I have sorted my closet, organized it (I see carpet again!), cleaned out my medicine cabinet and under the bathroom sinks. I have sorted through (read thrown away) the toys in the playroom and I am tackling my office next... So, if you don't hear from me for a while you can look for me there. I have so much going on between my calling as YW Secretary (we have a HUGE fund raiser coming up as well as Girl's Camp planning); my business is picking back up after the Christmas lull. And that means I have beads, tools, thread and fabric all over (and I mean ALL OVER) the room. Plus I decided to do a new letter decoration in Braden's room (a B, duh) and I have the paints, brushes and newspaper out from that. My poor cleaners came today, and they just closed the door cause they couldn't even tell where to begin, and I don't blame them!

Any who, I though I would show you a little of my "Martha-ness" and give you the list of Spring Cleaning I try to do each year. Most of these ideas I got out of magazines (am I the only person under 50 who reads Good Housekeeping???), or online or family, but they are all great and I try to do them a few ties a year but FOR SURE in the Spring. Enjoy!
Kitchen

• Unload your freezer, and dump the old stuff and/or the stuff you don't remember buying
• Check the medince in your cupboard for expiration dates and toss the old, it's no good
• Microwave 1/2 a lemon in water for a few minutes. The steam will loosen cooked on food and leave it smelling yummy. Then toss the lemon in your garbage disposal to get rid of the musty smell
• Empty the pantry. Check expiration dates. Toss the half eaten bags of whatever, and organize it with the older things upfront, so they will be used first (like soup cans ect..)
  

Bathrooms

• Toss your loofahs & toothbrushes
• Check your makeup, most makeup is really only good for about 3-6 months from when you open it
• Soak those bath toys in a little bleach and let them dry in the sun. Check any toy that hold water for mold and other gross stuff
  

Bedrooms

• Inspect your clothes and your kids. Make 5 piles: Keep, Toss, Store (out of season, wrong size), mend and donate (if it needs mending in my house-buh bye!
• Another trick I got from GH is to flip you hangers backward (hook towards you) as you wear things, so you can see if you are really wearing everything in your closet. If not, donate it!
• Have your bed spread dry cleaned and wash or air out your pillows
• Sort your shoes just like the clothes. Break out the flip flops and put the snow boots away
• Remove your window treatments. Wash or have them dry cleaned, or at least shake them out to remove the dust
  

Around the House

• Clean ceiling fans, blinds and baseboards
• Change vacuum filters
• Check you dryer for extra lint and clear it out, can I say fire hazard???
  
• Change A/C filters (really it's every 3 months)
• Take your rugs outside, shake 'em and if they are washable wash them
• Clean windows (or even better, have someone else). But, before you go crazy with the windex, take the screen off, dust off the dirt and THEN break out the spray.
• Wipe down computer screens, tv's, picture frames -- basically all the stuff we skip when we can!
• Have your carpets and tile grout cleaned. We like our at home carpet cleaner, but one a year we bust out the $ for the pros
  
• Take all your garbage cans out in the yard and house 'em down. I even toss a little dish soap in before I let them soak and then scrub them. Don't forget your huge City ones, they get gross too!
• Store it! We have a huge pile of blankets and quilts we get out for winter cozying. Now is the time I wash them all and space bag them. Honestly, I LOVE space bags, I have them everywhere. No lie. Come see Berk's closet sometime for proof...

So, that's what I have been/will be up to these days. No, I will not come do your house. No, I probably won't get most of the list done but I will try. And yes, I will make Rusty do the gross stuff like the garbage cleaning and the freezer. And finally, yes, I know I am OCD and I am on medicine to help it!

Do you have any good tips I missed???

Do you Etsy?

I decided I had to blog about my favorite website. I found Esty this Spring while doing a google search for something, I can't even remember what for now, but I found it on Etsy. Esty is a site that is made up of shops selling only things that are handmade. You can find everything from jewelry to maternity clothes and handbags to jam. No lie. The site itself is really cool. You can browse by category, how recently it was put on the site or even by a certain color. I have lost so many hours in my own little Etsy world. While you do have to be a member to buy or sell anything, there is no cost and once you have a profile you are able to select things you like as favorites. I love the favorites function because you can bookmark things you like, and remember them later. Also it is a great way to remember things you want to try to recreate. If you are a crafty person you can set up a Shop for free. The cost to sell things is minimal and really easy to list. If you have ever Ebay'd you will love Etsy, it is so much easier --no auctions! And it is a buyers paradise. if you love getting (and giving) unique things that not every one has, this is the place for you. So next time you are trying to think of the perfect gift for that girlfriend or Mom who "has it all" I would try Etsy. And if you are like me, you will check it out a few times a day (or week) to see what's new! (scroll to the bottomw of the page where photos of new items change every 6 seconds!) Enjoy!

What websites do you love? I always like to browse a new site! some of my favorite sellers can be found through my profile, so check it outif you need a place to start!

Stuck in a Rut?

If you are like us, every Friday night you sit in the car in the driveway trying to decide where to go out to eat. Our conversations usually starts like this, "Do we want to sit down or drive through?" or "What did you have for lunch this week?" Generally, we leave it up to Braden to decide. So, last night I decided to go to one of our newer favorite places, and we invited Rusty's parents and my parents to come along. We had great food, two very tired (one fell asleep) boys and a fabulous dessert. So I thought to myself, I should put together a list of places I like to go, because we a famous for introducing new places to our families. So here goes:

Favorite Sandwich places:

Jason's Deli

Port Of Sub

Picnic Company

Paradise Bakery

Favorite Mexican

Costa Vida

Nando's

Baja Fresh

Chipotle

El Charro

Favorite Pizza Places

Nello's

Barro's

Favorite Chinese

Pei Wei

PF Chang's

Favorite Eateries (variety of foods)

BJ's Brewhouse

Boston's

Sautee

Claim Jumper

Favorite Burger Places

In N Out

Red Robin

Just for Desserts

Coldstone Creamery

Golden Spoon

So in addition to "Curb Side" to go, almost every restaurant these days will let you place your order online and tons of places deliver. My favorite places to take the kids to eat include:

1. Jason's Deli, where they get free dum-dum's and there is a free soft serve machine (it helps to entice them to eat a good meal). Plus they feature an organic menu, which is a nice change.

2. Boston's, this place has a great kids menu and they even bring around a treasure chest with toys in it for the kids to pick from, oh, and their meal comes with a cookie.

3. BJ's, the menu for kids is good, but get them the pizza. It is so yummy- and there should be enough for you to get a bite too! And you have to {try} to save room for the dessert Pizooki's, they are ooey gooey goodness... If you feel a little crazy, try the pizooki platter.

4. Picnic Company, they have a kids PB&J and they even cut off the crust, plus the yummy homemade brownies, cookies and rice crispy treats.

5. In N Out, although they don't have a kids menu, the burgers aren't so big a kid couldn't eat one. Order it without the spread, or get a grilled cheese (yep they do that too) and don't forget to get some stickers and ask for a paper hat, it should buy you a few minutes of entertainment...

Now I know a lot of these yummy establishments are local only, but many of them (Boston's, Jason's Deli and BJ's) have locations in tons of other states! Try it, you'll like it! And finally, my last food hint... Check your local Chic-Fil-A's for their Monday night promotions. We visit the one at Power/Ray, and every Monday night they have a special where with every combo meal you buy, you get a kids meal free. And, as if that weren't good enough, they always have some sort of activity. We have been there for a balloon maker, the fire department came, bounce houses, free ice cream, trains on display.. oh, the list goes on and on. They usually have a calendar for the month and it's all free! So tonight, if you can't decide where to go, I hope I left you with some Food for Thought. Gee, I am funny...

If I have forgotten any places, and I am sure I have, leave a comment.

Where is your favorite place to go???

And Kelcie, this is what was left of our Pizooki Platter, where were you when we needed you!!!

I'm really, really tired...

All right all you Supermom's out there in the blogging world, I need your help. Berkley, joy of joys, is giving me fits. He has never been a 'good' sleeper by any means, but the last month or so has been out of control. He is waking up in the night so many times, I don't even try to keep track. About middle of July he was finally only waking up once about 4 am for a bottle. Then all of a sudden he started waking at 2 am too. Now in the last month it is nearly every 45 minutes. Honestly. I am at my wits end. I am beyond tired. I need help. See, I am willing to admit it, I am not the perfect has it all together Mom. But I haven't had at least 6 hours of consecutive sleep since Rusty & I went to Miami, and that was in April! So, first I will tell you our routine and then what I have tried.

• 7pm - Dinner (1 or 2 size 2 baby foods)
• 730 pm -Bath and baby massage
• 8 pm-Bottle and to bed

And then it starts... usually about an hour or two (if I am lucky) after he is first put down I will hear him crying. Generally, he has not been able to find his paci and with my help after we find one (of the 6 or so floating around in there), he nods back off. Then about 45 minutes later. I always try giving him the paci first, then pat his back and if he still isn't settled down I will pick him up. It only takes a minute or two and he is out cold again. For a while at least. I have gotten into the (very bad) habit of staying up until 12:30 or 1 am because I know if I go to bed earlier than that I will make several trips down the hall. Here are the things I have tried...

• Putting a humidifier in his room
• Turning a fan on in his room
• Nightlight on/ Nightlight off
• Motrin before bed
• Benedryl before bed (no change)
• Bottles during the night
• Sleeping in my bed (still wakes often)
• Letting him 'cry it out'- which each time no matter the duration (1 min or 5) results in puking and a REALLY enjoyable clean up for me
• Maybe he hot, turning down the A/C
• Maybe he is cold, covering with a blanket
• Checking and rechecking for ear infections- and no he's fine
• Turning off the monitor, to no avail- he is just down the hall and has Very good lungs

I am honestly not a fan of the "cry it out" method. One, because I was "trained" not to let Braden cry it out as a baby because of his heart. I knew exactly what it did to his blood pressure and oxygenation rate. As a result, I really hate imagining even a totally healthy baby doing that. Plus the pathetic look on their face as he rattles his crib like a little angry monkey- it kills me. I think to myself, I went through so much with Braden (who by the way still wakes up in the night, but does at least finally fall asleep with out our help) and worked so hard to get Berk that I just have a soft spot for them crying. You all know the Mommy Guilt I am taking about. Even his daily naps are affected. He used to take three naps and has gone to two, which is normal. But now sometimes he will wake up several times during the naps in the morning. He is also waking up about an hour earlier than usual -at 6:30am and I am SOOO not a morning person. So, short of getting on Supernanny (which I have downloaded the form to apply-- twice) I need some new ideas. Is this just one of those phases? Are there any good books I can try? Will he out grow it? Is it a growth spurt, we are prone to leg aches in this family. Should I take him to the pediatrician? Would she laugh if I asked for a kid dose of Ambien? Does he even really need bottles in the night because I swear he is starving. or is it all my fault? I rock him to sleep, and I am trying to do it for shorter and shorter time and get him in his bed drowsy, just like all the books say...but that doesn't happen overnight.

My newest theory is this, in the preexistence I must not have been paying attention when we were choosing characteristics for our kids. Did I think, "Oh, I don't want my kids to sleep - I would miss them just too much". Or, did I just plain forget to check the box that grants you babies who sleep through the night by 6 weeks and are a piece o' cake? And I definitely shouldn't have opted into the Automatic Baby Wakeruper, that is triggered by my head hitting the pillow. Dang, I was probably not even paying attention, must have been multi-tasking or something. So, for all of you who call me in the morning, afternoon or evening and ask, "Did I wake you?" The awnser is always "No, my kids did that and that is why I sound like this." I am so lucky to have a very understanding husband who gets my need for sleep. I get to sleep in every weekend morning and generally get a nap those days too. Even last night at 1am he came down the hall, took Berk from me and told me to get some sleep. Thanks Rusty, those 3 hours were a life saver, and I hope you didn't fall asleep at work.

Hopefully soon (with all ya'lls help) I can hang this sign on my front door, instead of the first one...

This week wasn't all bad however, even with no sleep, a broken hot water heater and a dishwasher on the fritz, I got to sub in my friend Marci's Bunco group last night. Where I not only met some new friends, but I rolled 2 Bunco's-- watch out girls in my regular group, I am already warmed up for Thursday!

Getting Organized...

So it is a weekly, sometimes daily challenge with two boys to keep my house organized. I have had some luck lately as Braden is learning to read and knows letters to get him actively involved in keeping track of his things. I always try to toss things into the bin where they belong the first time, because I know otherwise I will end up with big mess later, like when I opened the playroom door today and found this...Here are a few of my tips:
1. Get large bins and rotate toys. So, for example my friend Janae has limited toy storage so she has 6 bins of toys that she puts out one at a time, as they get sick of playing with some toys, put them all in the bin and bring out the next bin. It is amazing how fun it is for them to rediscover their favorite toys, again. In my playroom I have one large tin bin for all the random and large things, so everything has its place.

2. Break it down. Braden used to pull out all his toys to find the tools he wanted to play with or he only wanted to play with Buzz. So one day I got about a dozen small bins, from shoebox size to bigger and put the toys by categories. They have changed in the past 2 years to accommodate what he plays with and what he doesn't use often goes into a bigger storage bin. I have them broken down into the following categories. "Cars", "Toy Story", cartoon characters, transportation (He used to have separate quad, motorbike, car bins, but this was easier), arts & crafts, electronics (like walkie-talkies, fans, really random things), Magnetix, tools, dress up and games and puzzles. In the downstairs play room we make sure that the toys are appropriate for Berk to play with, and anything that is too small goes up in his room to play with ONLY in there.

3. Label it! I did this with his clothing drawers so he could start to get dressed and help put the laundry away and the idea worked so well we moved on to toys... So I find a picture of what goes into the bin, drawer, basket and then also type the word so he can help learn the letters.

4. Sort it. We all get piles of McDonalds toys, broken toys or games that are missing pieces. So every time I have to do a big clean up I always have a trash bag handy. Also, before Christmas and birthdays I always make sure there is a few toys we give to D.I. to make room for the new ones.


What tips do you have?

I would LOVE to hear them!