How Do I? Kids Activiites

As a coach's wife, managing my time effeciently is really important! And one of way I try to be more efficient is to really think about our day to day schedule and not overwhelm myself. This means that we also have to limit extra curricular activities for our kids. Not to mention, the cost can be outrageous and we have to reign it in a bit, but honestly, it's because I have 3 kids, a husband that works a lot, a part time job, and arranging schedules can be overwhelming. 

We decided when our kids were little they could do one activity at a time. Gretchen started dance in the summer when she was 3. She took the following year, and then eventually to gymnastics. After a year, we discovered that wasn't her thing either, so it was back to dance. She also tried some kids soccer and basketball, but eventually her heart fell in love with being on stage and acting. 

When Megan and Gretchen were little, it was really easy to find them activities that were simlar or close to each other. When Gretchen tried soccer, Megan did too. When Gretchen's dance studio had a gymnastics class, we let Megan take there. I also tried really hard to book their activities on the same night so we weren't running all over several nights a week. 

Eventually Megan settled on gymnastics, and Adalyn came along and did gymnastics for several years as well. 

Since dance and gymnstics are year round activities, and DJ wanted them to try some sports, we put them in soccer classes or basketball season in the winter and spring. His schedule had eased up a bit, so he had some time to help out. 

Megan's gymnastics is now about 20 hours a week and we've found someone to carpool with which has freed up my evenings much more than it had previously. During the season, DJ will also work late so he's able to pick her up on his way home. 

When we put Megan in gymnastics team, we actually pulled Adalyn out. She had been in gymnastics for years and she really enjoyed it, but I don't think she loved it. We let her try soccer and so far that seems to be her thing. Soccer practice is just 1-2 nights a week with games on Saturdays. 

Now, that did make Saturday's this past Fall difficult, but with an aunt that now lives close by, carpooling and just asking friends for help and giving myself lots of grace, we managed to get through it combined with football season.

Since Gretchen is more involved with acting, we pulled her out of paid classes once she started middle school. I always felt that it was important for our kids to have activities they loved growing up, but if they're activities are offered in their school- they could transition their activities over to the schools freeing up some time, and let's be honest, money. 

Okay, let's bullet point these tips and make it easy for you!

1. One activity at a time. If it's the off season and dad is around, then pick a short season sport to try. 

2. Ask for help. Get to know the other mom's and don't be afraid to ask them to carpool. 

3. Schedule activities on the same evening and around the same time. Make sure they're within quick driving distance too. Then you can drop one off, then get the other to their activity, and run back to pick up. 

5. Think about activities that are within the season and ask if you can truly handle it. We had some weekends with gymnastic meets, soccer games, and football games. It was a lot! I had team mates take kids to events and I would meet them there if it conflicted with a game, or we would leave a game early to get to a meet. My kids come first, but if I can fit it all in, I will. 

6. Don't volunteer for more than you can handle. I say "no" to almost anything extra. I know my limits and even though I would love to have the time to help, I don't want to add unneeded stress. 

I would love to know how you schedule your kids activities and what tips you have! 

 

School Lunch Prep

School lunch prep use to kill me when the girls were younger. Even though I would fix their lunches the night before, I still never felt like we were in a good routine. However, I started really planning and prepping ahead and finally found a routine that works great for our family!

We also bought a new fridge in November and as soon as I saw it, my mind was blown with how I could really maximize our space and use it to our advantage. 

Our fridge has a huge middle drawer, and I knew instantly that this would be our "school lunch" drawer. In our last fridge we tried to have this system, but the fridge was smaller and while it worked, it didn't work as well as this does. 

The large middle drawer is divided in to three sections. On one side, I had the girls bread- and once we filled it with lunch options, I moved the bread to the larger fridge section. 

I made a few pb& j sandwiches and a few turkey/cheese sandwiches. 

Behind the sandwiches, I divided out portions of peppers and carrots. 

On the other side, we have hummus, cheese, yogurt, and bags of grapes and oranges. 

We also have a snack shelf in the pantry which makes fixing lunches easy! I keep Made God granola bars, raisins, dried fruit, little cokies, and granola balls. 

This method of grab & go, just makes fixing lunches so much easier! Yes, there are some weeks where I don't fix as much or prepare as much. I really try to get the girls to help make some sandwiches in advance, and wash/seperate the fruits & veggies as soon as we get home from the grocery store. 

Hopefully this helps motivate you with a chore that isn't always fun! 

 

Organize It: Linen Closet & Master Closet

Last week, I shared our pantry re-organization with y'all, and I thought while I'm re-organizing/purging/cleaning, that it would be a fun little min-series for y'all!

So today, I'm sharing how I've organized our linen closet in the master bathroom and some ways I organize our bedroom closet. 

Here's a clean view of our closet. Each shelf has it's purpose. 

The top shelf holds extra linens and blankets.

Below it is "DJ's area" where he stores extras: toiletry bags, shaving supplies, etc. 

Then, I have a shelf with extras: nail polish, lotion, makeup, oils, etc. 

Then we have towels

And below it, hand towels, wash clothes, kids nail polish, toiletry bags. 

I have a small basket that I keep my most used nail polishes in. 

I have plastic tote buckets to hold things too. Hairsprays, lotions, hair products, bath bombs, etc. 

I like using clear containers because I can see exactly what is in each one. Also, I have had these totes since college when they were drawers, but the actual tote pieces have broken. 

When we moved to Texas, and found our selves short of a linen closet for sheets, etc. (because I'm using the linen closet for my oils) I bought these bags from Amazon to keep spare sheets in. 

Alright, I also wanted to share under my bathroom sink....

I use a silverware organizer to organize my makeup. 

I have a tiered shelf for extra bottles. 

And I just put up command hooks to hold my ponytail holders, which I think is a genius because we were constantly loosing them! I told DJ that he could get my ponytail holders for Christmas and he found some that came on a ring, so the rings hook nicely on to command hooks, and now we always know where they are! 

On our bathroom, I have all of the oils that I'm constantly reaching for close at hand. We ordered it from Tucker Design Co, and it's one of my favorite pieces to have. 

Alright, let's head in to the closet. 

We don't have a dream closet by any means, but I've been able to utilize the space efficiently by using lots of hooks. 

We have a ton of wall space in our closet, so again, I hung command hooks to hold my purses. 

I've also considered buying these for DJ's hats. 

Another thing I try to do to have our closet aesthetically pleasing, is using all of the same color hangers. 

I also organize my clothes by season and color, which helps me find just what I need. 

I use an over the door hanger to hold bags, ropes, and hats. 

And a jewelry holder on the wall for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. 

I find that if things are just given a space, and hung up that there seems to be less overwhelming clutter. 

Alright, so here are a few tips:

1. Purge. You do not need 5 different foundations and 20 different eye shadow palettes. I literally only have what I need on  hand and buy more right as I'm starting to run out. 

2. Use containers to hold the clutter. Plastic bins, storage totes, etc. Give everything a place. 

3. Hang it up. Utilize the wall and door space.

4. Make it Match. Keep your hangers the same color, and organize your clothes by color. 

Alright, your turn! Share some of the ways you've organized your linen closet or master bedroom in the comments! 

 

Pantry Re-Organization

Every January, I get in the mood to de-clutter, re-organize, and re-configure spaces in our home that aren't quiet well functioning for us. One of the big projects I wanted to re-organize was our kitchen pantry. 

Here's a bit of the before.

We have hooks hanging on the door for lunchboxes, but we aren't using lunch boxes this year, and somehow we accumulated extra bags. The floor of the pantry started to become over crowded, as did the top of the pantry. 

I had things on the shelf rather than in the bins, and that was driving me insane, because it didn't feel like anything had a "home."

The baking section (on the top) was a mess after all of our Christmas baking. 

So, I took everything out, except the air fryer. 

Then I cleaned all of the shelves and wiped everything down so it would be fresh and clean.

I slowly started to add things back in. I started with the baking section, and refilled our flour and sugar canisters. Then I placed, cooking spray, and oil, oats, vanilla, and finally contained smaller bags of baking supplies in a clear box.

The next shelf holds dinner staples- pasta, chicken broth, mac & cheese, etc. 

The box next to it holds our "mexican" pantry staples such as rotel and enchilada sauce.

 Below it, we have breakfast boxes.... cereal, cereal bars, pancake mix, granola, peanut butter, syrup, etc. 

Next to the breakfast, I have two bins for snacks. I keep snacks at eye level for the girls, so when they want a snack, it's really easy to reach in, and make a quick choice because they can see everything. 

Now, on the floor, we only have trash bags, dog food, my oil box, and a big box of extra snacks. (I need to find a cute basket, but we have a chip box we've used for the last year or so.)

The after is so much better than what we started with and I'm less stressed when I open the pantry door! 

Pantry Organization Tips:

1. Take everything out so you can see the space you're working with

2. Clean the shelves, and any bins that you use.

3. Refill canisters, throw away anything expired.

4. Use bins to store and organize. I use clear, plastic bins and have some large, and some small (think shoe box size). I store the lids under each box. I use the bins with lids, because when we go on a road trip in the car, or need to put snacks in the camper, I can quickly grab the snack bin, chips, breakfast, etc. put the lid on, and put it in the car, so we have snacks on the go. Also, because we've moved so much, it makes packing the pantry a breeze. We just put the lids on the boxes, pack, and move. 

5. Categorize your boxes and areas. I have all of my baking supplies together, then a box of chips, a box of dinner basics, a box of canned soups, a box for extra baking supplies we don't use often (like sprinkles and baking cups). 

6. Use wall space. I have command hooks that hold our broom, mop, aprons, and dust pan. Then we have command hooks on the door for lunchboxes. 

7. Buy what you need. I don't keep a ton of excess around because we don't have the space for it. Our last pantry was larger than the one we currently have, so I just don't buy a ton of extra cans, etc. 

8. Keep snacks at eye level for kids. I do have a large box on the floor of the pantry for extra snacks (because we buy in bulk at Costco) but I only put out a few snacks at a time and when they're gone, I refill the snack bins. 

9. The top shelf holds things that we don't use often- decorative platters, vases, and our air fryer. Don't forget to use spaces above the fridge or microwave- you know- those smaller cabinets that are hard to reach- for storage. I ended up moving things out of the pantry and into the smaller cabinets that we weren't using so we would have extra room.

Now that our pantry is organized, it's easy to find exactly what we need and put things back exactly where they go! 

 

Pantry Organization

When we moved in to our house last Fall, I was determined to have a super organized home. We donated, sold, and threw out so much stuff from our previous home because I realized we just didn't need it all! 

Our pantry in this house, isn't super big, so I had to be creative in organizing it! I feel like pantries are often neglected, but if you can take some time to toss out and organize, it will make your life so much easier in the kitchen! 

Here's a peek at most of our pantry; it does wrap around the other side too. 

On the top shelf, I have storage containers for flour, brown sugar, sugar, and powder sugar. 

Then, I worked my way down with clear storage boxes. Under each box is the lid, which made packing last Fall a breeze! I just packed the food in the container, put on the lid, and packed it in a box! Each box is designated in categories.  

We have one box that holds cereal, syrup, pop tarts, pancake mix, and nutella. The girls know that this is where all of the breakfast stuff is. 

Then we have a box for chips. 

I have two designated boxes for soups, peanut butter, beans, rotel. Anything, I'll need for cooking dinner.

Then the girls have two boxes with snack food. I keep these boxes at eye level, so they can easily grab a snack when they're hungry or grab a snack for school. 

They're usual snacks are fig bars, fruit leather, pop corn, Annies cookies, fruit snacks, or granola bars. 

Here's a better view of those storage containers. 

Like I mentioned, our pantry has a "L" shape. I keep "extras" in one box, such as extra nutella, pickles, chips, cooking spray, spaghetti sauce, or pickles. Basically, just a surplus of things we'll use later, but already have some open. 

Then, in one box, I have dinner side dishes: mac & cheese, spaghetti noodles, croutons, taco seasoning. 

On the bottom, I keep our baking supplies. I do keep the lid on this one so little hands stay out! There's cupcake liners, sprinkles, decorating tips, frosting, and cocoa! 

And, I have a box designated for my protein shakes. 

I love that we can see everything and everything has it's place. It makes it so easy to put away our groceries! 

If you're looking for some pantry organization help, I put together a few favorites:

Road Trip!!!

Summer is right around the corner; I can practically feel the heat right now. 

In our house, Summer means ROAD TRIPS!!! 

We love nothing more than to pile in the car and go on a road trip! Even if it's just a few hours away. We absolutely love to get behind the wheel and head out to explore. Last Summer, we drove to the beach, to Missouri, to my parent's house, and we made lots of trips to Texas.

I mean, we're practically road trip experts because we've made trips every Summer in the car- starting our first year of marriage, when Gretchen was little, and heck, we even made a road trip when Megan was 2 weeks old! See, we're experts! 

Since we love to travel so much, I thought I'd share some fun road trip toys and must haves for all ages! Grab them now, so you can plan ahead; there's nothing worse than planning a last minute weekend away, and then not having some way to keep your kids occupied while you're in the car! 

Travel Toys for Babies-Preschoolers:

Travel Toys for Elementary Kids:

Okay, now, here are my best tips for road trips:

1. Plan where and when you're going. Decide on what time of day you'll leave. When our girls were younger, we would leave right before nap time or right at bedtime. Sometimes, we would leave around 5 am, and just scoop them out of bed in their pj's and let them sleep a little more in the car. Now, we leave after we wake up & have a quick breakfast, so we usually hit the road around 8. You'll also want to keep in mind rush hour and if you'll be hitting large cities right at noon, around 3, or around 5. We do our best to time out the trips so we don't hit cities at peak times. 

2. Don't let your kids pack their own bags. I know, it's tempting to just have your kids throw their favorite toys in a bag for the car, but I promise, they'll have a random assortment of junk that doesn't go together or make sense and then they'll have nothing to do when they're in the car. 

3. Grab snacks! There's nothing worse than hearing "I'm hungry!" I always pack a bag of fruit snacks, raisins, dried fruit, granola bars, and other healthy snacks to have with us. 

4. If your kids can read, make sure they have a few chapter books with them. Gretchen once read three books through on a road trip, so we make sure she has several available! 

5. Stop at rest stops and get out at gas stations. Again, you don't want to hear "I need to potty" right after pulling out of a gas station or when you're in the middle of nowhere. We make sure everyone gets out and stretches their legs and goes potty! When the girls would younger and we would all have to use the same stall, we would play games while we were waiting our turn- Simon Says was a fun one because it gets the kids moving and gets their wiggles out. 

Here are a few other posts I've written about traveling with kids:

In 2012

In 2014

And you can find all of my traveling posts here, and my pinterest traveling board here. 

Soft Scrub DIY

I'm always looking for some easy cleaning hacks. I mean, I have a love/hate relationship with cleaning, but since I'm the only deep cleaner in our house, I need some hacks to cut down on my cleaning time! 

I made this soft scrub the other day, and it was SO easy, plus I didn't have to spend a ton of time or scrub super hard! 

You'll need some baking soda, Thieves Cleaner, and Lemon essential oil. 

Grab yourself a glass bowl and pour in 1 capful of Thieves Cleaner. 

Add in a few drops of lemon essential oil. 

Now, add in some baking soda and stir until you get a paste like consistency. Mine was a bit thick, so I added some vinegar to the mix. You could also add hydrogen peroxide. 

Y'all,  our shower was nasty! Sometimes I use coconut oil in the shower and because of that, it makes our shower extra dirty. 

Apply the paste, scrub a bit, and rinse with water. 

I was shocked at how clean our shower got!

Voila'!

You can also use this soft scrub to clean your kitchen sink, counter tops, and inside your oven! 

And, since we're chatting cleaning hacks, how about a quick carpet refresher?

In a glass shaker bottle, add baking soda, and 4 drops of your favorite essential oil. I love using purification when I'm cleaning, but you can use grapefruit, citrus fresh, lemon, orange, thieves.... whatever leaves you feeling like you have a clean home.

Sprinkle on the carpet and let set for a few minutes. Then, vacuum it up! 

Super easy! 

What cleaning hacks and tips do you have?

Also, can I just ask that you'll be honest with me? Do you clean your shower every week? I mean, I let mine go way too long before cleanings, and I just wonder if I'm the only one. 

Survival Tips for the Working Mom

I'm not sure about you, but i'm awake before my kids every morning and I hit the ground running. I'm trying to get myself dressed, everyone else up and out the door and to school on time, and then I rush off to work without even having time to get breakfast (I just wait and eat at work) and as soon as I'm finished at work, I rush home, pick up kids, make the rounds of after school activities, cook dinner,  work on home work,  bathe kids, tuck them in, try to get in an hour of down time, before I'm off to bed, and repeating the same scenerio the very next day. 

I've always been a working mom, and I've always had two jobs on top of the many mom hats I wear, and somewhere along the way, I've learned a few survival tips or hacks. I'm sharing those with you today, and I'd love for you to share a few of your own hacks as well! 

I bring you...... Working Mom Survival Tips. 

Be Honest With Your Employer

First and foremost, I think it's important that your employer know and understand that you're a mom and that you have a life outside of work. When I go on interviews, I'm sure to let them know that my husband has a job that takes him away from home for several hours a day (sometimes 12-14, and he travels a lot too.) I also let them know that we don't live near family, so when it comes to my kids, I pretty much do it all. 

I always want to be honest with my employer. 

I also let them know that I'm sure to finish work at work, and that I don't like to take work home. I feel like there's a place for work, and there's a place for my kids and family. It's very rare, that I'm doing paperwork at home when I should be with my kids. 

Have a Schedule

From the time my kids were young, we had a schedule and we stuck to it as best as possible. We always had a consistent bedtime, even when they were infants. And now, bedtime is at 8:00. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but we try to adhere closely to our bedtime schedule. This also allows me to have some "me" time at the end of the day.

Limit After School Activities

I know a lot of my working mom friends have kid activities several nights a week, and they're at the ball field all weekend long. For us, that wasn't a sacrifice we were willing to make. Of course, if that works for your family, then that's great! But, in the Fall, our Saturdays are devoted to football and supporting DJ at work and cheering on our team. We let the girls know that his work is important and that we should be there to support him. 

We also allow only 1 activity at a time. Again, we've made exceptions- like twice the girls have played basketball in January and February, while continuing their acting or gymnastics classes. But, that's when DJ has some "off" time and he's able to help out, so I'm not doing it alone. 

We also try to plan one night of activities, so I schedule all of the girls activities on the same day. Megan and Adalyn both take gymnastics at the same place, so it's fairly easy for them to have class on the same day. Then, we try to have Gretchen's activity the same day as well; somewhere close by, and at a time that I can make sure she's there and picked up. 

Right now, Tuesday's are our crazy nights, but the rest of the week is low key, and then we have weekends free. 

Fix Lunches The Night Before

This is probably my favorite hack. Our mornings are SO rushed that there's no way I can fix lunches before school. On Sunday afternoons, I make individual servings of fruits and vegetables, and I'm not ashamed to throw an uncrustables in a lunch box. I know they're not the healthiest option, but sometimes at the end of the day, I'm exhausted. 

The girls school lunches typically consistent of veggies: bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, baby cucumbers..... fruits: strawberries, oranges, apple slices, blueberries, grapes......

We also keep two fridge drawers stocked- one of juice boxes, and the other of applesauce, yogurt tubes, hummus....

If I can grab and go, it makes lunch packing a bit easier, and some nights, I do make them a sandwich. 

If packing lunches isn't your thing, then let your kids buy a school lunch, but talk to them about how to make healthy food choices. 

Everyone Pitches In

I definitely can run my household myself. As the girls have gotten older, this has obviously gotten easier. Every night, they unload the dishwasher. They also put away their laundry, bring down their dirty clothes, clean the toilets, feed the dog, pick out their own snack.....

I let them know that we all have to pitch in and help each other, and DJ and I set the example too by tag teaming on the chores. 

During football season, I do a little more chores because DJ isn't home often, but he sure does pick up the slack during the Spring and Summer and helps out a bunch. We had to have some very honest conversations a few years ago, to really get a system that works for us, but if you need your husband's help- tell him! Chances are, he just doesn't realize how much help you need. Communication is key! 

Okay, dish below some of your working mom hacks below!!!! I'd love to pick up a few more to help me survive these crazy days!