Phase One of Operation Girls' Room: Storage

 

Okay, so I showed you all what we did in the boys' bedroom.  Now it is time for me to start sharing about what we did in the girls' room.   I will do it in stages, however, for sake of time on my part; and that is pretty much how we worked in their room as well!

 

 

 

 

So let's begin with the girls' storage... or the lack there of!  Besides for their really cool closet storage and organization, the girls pretty much only had one other way to store their clothes.

 

 

And that one other means of storing their clothes was of this tiny piece of furniture we called the little cupboard!  Each girl got two plastic drawers, and then one drawer each from the actual piece of furniture itself.  You can probably imagine that with two little girls, and the accessories that so many girls have and own, this was NOT at all sufficient!  Something needed to change like something fierce! 



As we started school and Fall clothes shopping we needed to come up with a solution as we were exploring what our possibilities were; so Scot bought plastic storage bins with wheels to place under their beds!  This was such an awesome idea as well as functional!  In fact, I fit so many clothes in there, and there was, and still is, so much room to spare!

I can't wait to show you what else we have been working on, but I will save it for another time as I have to make dinner; but the BEST part is yet to come! 

With that said though, I thought I would show you what we did with the girls' plastic drawers.  Remember Little Man's play area that I had to create in a flash due to need, demand, and time? 

I had mentioned that I had plans to improve this play area especially when it came to storage.  I was going to use my host credits from a party to pay for the organizers needed; however, like in true "Host Becca" form, my sales were a bust!  (FYI--I have decided to NEVER host a party of any kind ever again, because the results are almost always the same for me: no body comes or buys anything.)  Due to dismal sales, I had not one single host credit.  Not one single one.  So I needed another solution, for which my husband came up with.

The plastic drawers from the girls room found a new home in Little Man's play station!  We were able to do so, because the little cabinet is no longer in the girls' room!  Yep, you have to wait and see what we did in their room!  In the meantime, I love how much more organized Little Man's play area looks, and how accessible Little Man's toys are to him now! (Again, ignore the air purifier in the corner.)

It's all about using what you have sometimes for "a make it work" moment! 

Be on the look out for the biggest and coolest change thus far! 

Take care everyone!

The Boys' Room

Okay, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote how I will be showing you all how we are making our small house work for our Table For Six sized family.  We have been making some improvement in our use of space.  Some changes are larger than others.  I am beginning with one of our first changes.  It was fairly simple; however, the change was noticeable.  Well, it was noticeable to us!

Our first project was in the boys' room.  Cramming two boys in a rather small space was quite a feat!  We had to get a mini/micro crib to make it work for the time being.  And then we had to shuffle furniture around.  However, we still needed more storage room.  What we had just wasn't cutting it anymore!  So we bought more furniture and shuffled more furniture around.

Here are the before pictures.  As you can see, it is quite a tight space.  The changing table used to be where the mini crib is, but we had to move Big Mac in so things got moved around.  Although the changing table was in front of the window, I assure you that Big Mac was safe, and was never in risk of falling out of the window.  For the most part, the window had been closed; however, on the few occasions that it was opened during the summer, it was barely opened, and we used the locking safety devices that the window had, and it would absolutely remain barely open at all times.  It was locked in place.  May be only a Barbie could sneak through on her belly!  Anyways, the changing table and their tiny closet was all they had to store both sets of their clothes!  So things had to change! (Also, just so you don't think that my walls are smudged or notice any other odd things, I kind of photo shopped a few things out of my photos that were identifiers.)

So we moved the changing table out of the room completely because it was broken anyways and did not provide much storage.  Now, I pull out a changing mat, and I change Big Mac on the floor rather than on a changing table, which in the end is okay now, because he has become such a wiggle worm while I dress him and change his diapers!

The toy chest now sits in front of the window where the changing table used to be located.  I feel like that change just simply opened up the room more.  The toy chest used to be where the boys' brand new dresser now sits.  I can't tell you how excited I was to put the boys clothes away where I had plenty of drawer space!  I don't have to hang up as many of their clothes in their closet anymore!  Just a few more drawers has been so helpful!

The boys' room is very small, but they enjoy playing in their room anyways!  The corner between the crib and window is still wasted space that I have to figure out.  I will post about that when I have a solution for it.  We are also already planning for when the boys get a little bit older and need larger beds.  We hope to move before then; but life happens, so we are planning for the what-ifs. 

And of course, if we are still here in this house when the boys need larger beds, I will be sure to post a picture of how we do it!

Now this is just a small change!  I can't wait to show you what we did in the girls' room to provide more storage, space, and even little desks!  I will post some pictures of that soon!  And we still have more plans ahead!

Be blessed by what y'all have, and what God has provided you!  Make things work!  Sometimes things in life shouldn't be about the bigger, and what we believe, to be the better things!  It is all about perspective!

Be on the look out for my next post!

Below Your Means

Yes, I am about to talk about our "Little Shoe" (aka our small house) once again.  I know... I know... I know...  I am probably beating this topic to death!  However, I am going to write about it again for two primary reasons.  First, this post will lay the foundation for the next few posts that I am planning on writing.  Secondly, during this summer, God reminded me that we are blessed by what we have and why.

This was my first official summer as a mom of four.  With that new journey, I realized this summer how small our house really can feel sometimes.  There are times we really do feel like we are on top of each other when we live in a townhouse that is only 1280 square feet with little to no true yard.  Some days a little elbow room would be so nice!  I do look forward to the day that we are able to have more space and spread out!  However, now is not the time.  We are to stay right where we are currently.

Sure, more space for storage and elbow room would be nice; and a larger yard for all four of my kids to play in would be totally awesome.  And yes, there are days that I really get tired of cramming things, and trying to find room for things as I am also almost always having to move more than one object around just to get to the desired item needed.  I do have moments when I grumble.  There are times where the noise volume in our little space with six people can get rather intense, but this is the house that God provided for us.

It does get old when I hear people complain about how small their house feels for less people when their house is already larger than mine!  I also get tired of people who brag on FB about how big and spacious and great their house is, especially when again, they have less bodies living in it than I do mine.  And sure, Scot and I are commonly asked about when we plan on moving and how we manage.  We often see people's mouths drop wide open when they hear how many of us are crammed into such a small house.

Just last week, I was asked twice about our living arrangements--how we do it and when do we plan on moving.  For the first time all summer, I took pride with what I had to say and what I said about our house.  First, we make it work!  And I am more determined than ever!  Secondly, Scot and I have discussed it all, and we are finally on the same page in regards to this house; and our plans, and time frame for our next house.  Thirdly, it has been wrong of me to speak ill of the house that not only God has provided, but what my husband has provided us as well.  Lastly, there is just something about living below our means that has intrigued me.  It makes me feel comfortable!  We are not living paycheck to paycheck anymore!  For the first time, I have been able to list the positive reasons as to why we have chosen to remain in this house for a bit longer.

We are continuing to get our finances at a point that we will be able to hold two mortgages at the same time as long as no earth shattering event occurs!  We are not living paycheck to paycheck anymore, and there is freedom in that!  We have emergency funds set up for when life happens; and we didn't used to have that ability to have such things, and plan for the future.  We are able to easily allow our kids to have extra curricular activities, and the ability to vacation in ways we never thought we would ever be able to do.  We also now have the ability to bless others when we feel God's leading!  We are paying down our debt much faster than I ever thought possible!  And we can shop and do things with out sweating, and chewing our nails as much! 

For example, time was slipping away from us the last few weeks, and with four kiddos now, it was a big project to do school supply shopping and Autumn clothes shopping as well.  With life and busy schedules, we had to make it happen quick!  So with in the last three weeks we got it done--school supplies and clothes.  Unlike years past, I didn't spend time searching sales and consignment shops.  This time we pulled out some clothes and items we already had, and the went on a total BLITZ shopping spree!  We went to very few stores, and crossed out items off our lists.  And although we didn't break the bank doing it, we definitely didn't worry about breaking the bank either!

Scot and I are more determined now than ever to make this house work for a bit longer, because we see the freedom in it!  There is just something about living below your means!

I have been doing our seasonal clothes sorting and shifting; and in doing so, Scot and I have made improvements, and will be making more improvements, with our organization and storage and more!  I have even taken some photos!  With that said, I will be posting what we have done and what we will be doing, with in the next few weeks!  I will also continue to show you all how we make our small space work!  So be on the look out! 

It's Official!

It's official!  We have stepped into the whole new world of traveling as a large family!  And our vacation to the beach last week made that even more real to me!

Yep, gone are the days of just traveling with everything piled in our mini van!  We have now entered the world of traveling with luggage and gear on top of the van now!  We simply don't have the room on the inside of our van anymore for long trips and summer vacations. 

I wish that I took a picture of all the things we took to the beach--the huge piles throughout our house.  It was quite something!  I honestly didn't think that everything was going to fit!  Between baby gear, food, clothes, beach tents and umbrella, beach chairs, pool/beach toys, scooters, etc., we had to finally succumb to the fact that packing the van up by itself was simply not enough!  So Scot went out and bought a cargo carrier for the top of the Odyssey.

I still didn't think that everything was going to fit, but Scot kept insisting that it all would!  And it did!  He was right!

So traveling as a large family, requires stepping out into the world of your vehicle roof top, and the skills of a gifted packer!

Cheers to the new way this large family travels!

 

Make It Simple

Make It Simple!

 

 

No one, not even your kids, are going to care about you winning an award about being the most elaborate mom of year!  So why do we keep trying?  All they care about is attention, love, and some food to feed their hungry bellies!  And if your kids are anything like my kiddos, the times you go all out and take the time to prep something nicer, more elaborate dinner entrées, your kiddos actually prefer the simpler dishes!

 

I had been avoiding the pool during the mid-day hours for a couple of reasons.  First reason was because of the boys' varied nap schedules for which I have now concluded that a couple days out of the week to stray from the schedule a bit is A okay!  Second, the fear of not only being responsible for all four kids and their well-being at a pool all at one time, which I have done on several occasions for about an hour and a half in the late afternoons, but to implement a lunch on top of it simply overwhelmed me.  I was concerned about trying to feed the older three while also trying to feed a baby at the pool.  After last week, and realizing how my crew just sometimes has energy not suitable for such a tiny home as ours, it was time to bite the bullet and try; and try I did!

 

Packing a lunch was a daunting thing for me to think about as well.  Trying to make and pack a lunch for three kids and a baby just seemed too much.  I thought about the little grill restaurant at our pool as an option, but we had been using that as a family dinner option on the weekends and I wanted a little break from that resource; however, I wanted to make it as simple as I could for my first time out so I took inventory of what we currently had in the house and went for the easiest lunch items!

 

For our lunch, I grabbed easy items that required no prep whatsoever.  Perhaps not the most green option, but it was my survival option and it won't always be like this.  I just wanted the kids to have fun while not overwhelming myself and my efforts in the process.  For a bread type option and a fruit type option, I grabbed Nutri Grain bars.  I also grabbed apple sauce in a squeeze pouches.  I grabbed fun food options and something that provided a crunch aspect of the meal by way of assorted bags of chips.  For drinks I grabbed Gatorade for me and juice boxes for the older kiddos.  I grabbed a small sippy cup of water for Big Mac to hold his thirst over until we got back from the pool.  I also grabbed a quick jar of baby food for him to eat and some finger food for him as well.  

 

I did fail to provide a vegie option but that could have been remedy with baby carrots which do come in individual serving sizes, but I had none at the time.  Also, I did not have a protein option either but hey there are other meals in a day too.  However, if I wanted to provide a protein option something like string cheese would have been a simple choice!  Though I had none in the house that day either.

 

I used what I had to make our first lunchtime outing to the pool!  Although it was simple, the kids enjoyed their lunch and told me so!  They said it was yummy and light for such a hot day.  I think they also were thrilled with the fact that I was trying to bless them with a fun pool outing even if I was trying to make it as simple for me as possible.  They just appreciated the fact that we were there and that they didn't go hungry while having a blast at the pool!

 

We already enjoyed a similar lunch outing at the pool yesterday!  Love getting out with all my munchkies!  Remember many aspects of parenting doesn't have to be rocket science!  Make it simple for yourself!

Play Space

Little Man's play space.  Just ignore the air purifier in the corner!

So as I have stated several times previously, our house is rather small.  We have plans to move, but Scot has decided that now is not the time.  So I am left still trying to make things work and to make due with what we have.

Our house is a small three bedroom townhouse.  With Big Mac's arrival, came the first time that we did not have a nursery for our baby.  Unlike his siblings, Big Mac didn't get a nursery of his own.  He slept the first 5 to 6 months of his life in our master bedroom, then we moved him into Little Man's room to create a boys room.  However, this posed a problem that I never had before with my other youngsters. 

As Big Mac became more mobile, I soon realized that all of the little toys for the older three needed to go somewhere away from Big Mac's reach.  In the past, with the other kiddos, I would just move the older kid's toys into their bedroom as we always had a nursery.  This time that idea was simply not going to work as Big Mac didn't have his own nursery, but actually shared his room with his older brother.  Simply placing Little Man's toys in the bedroom was not going to work; because Big Mac sleeps and plays in there too, so I had to put my problem solving skills to the test.

I ended up placing the girls smaller toys and games upstairs in their bedroom, and I moved Little Man's toys into the dining room.  Yep, you read that right!  I decided to make a play space for Little Man in the dining room!  We have a sunken living room, so as of right now it is a great way to trap Big Mac.  Once he starts accomplishing the step, I will just use a baby gate to keep him in that space.  I removed Little Man's toys from the living room and the boys' bedroom, and gathered them into the dining room.  I grabbed the girls' pink, princess table that they hardly use anymore and I decided to put it to good use right now.  I organized toys and placed them into canvas bags and such to create a play space for Little Man in order to create a safe place for Big Mac. 

I used what I currently had to make things safe for the baby.  I do plan on getting collapsible organizers eventually. However, I am frugal in some regards and I am willing to wait to see what host credits I will get when I have a party in August with a bag etc. company.  I am looking forward to that, and I know that it will make my dining space look better.  Sometimes so many people are just so quick to buy big, new and/or expensive to make great spaces; and while that is all fun, and good, and needed sometimes, other times it is good to just learn to use what you have--like a pink princess table for your son! ;-)

I do look forward to having my dining room back to solely being a dining space eventually, but right now this is my life and this is my house.  And before you know it the kids will up and grow so quickly, that this play space will be gone in a flash, and I will probably miss toys in my dining, living and kitchen spaces (Yes, I currently have Big Mac's infant swing in my kitchen space!).  Perhaps when we do finally get our larger, elbow-room kind of house, I may actually miss this tiny house and what came with it.  I keep telling myself "delayed gratification."

How We Stay

Several weeks ago, we went on an overnight trip up north to enjoy a Day Out With Thomas.  After our stay and overnight experience, I decided that I would share how we stay when we are traveling on overnight trips, or even brief stays that last just a few nights.  When we travel to the beach and other more extended type of trips and vacations, our approach is usually a little different than what I am about to explain, like we rent a house or condo.  Being a larger family, I thought that you all may be interested in hearing how we handle hotels and such!

With in the last couple of years, even before we became a family of six and were still a family of five, we started implementing a new way of traveling.  And we have continued it on after Big Mac's arrival.  Our first experience with overnight traveling being a family of six, which included lodging, was when we went to take the kids to see and ride on Thomas the Tank Engine!

You have to plan being a larger family.  You have to leave planning on whim to a minimum if you want to enjoy perks and take advantage of more roomier lodging, so that you are not right on top of each other in a cooped up small room.  When we start planning we get ready to make reservations at a hotel that has what we are looking for our family.  Scot spends time searching the web for good deals and locations of hotels that come equipped with suites! 

Suites are hotel lodging beyond that of a one room and one bath experience.  Suites come with a living type area with a separate space for sleeping.  The living area also comes equipped with a pull out couch, leaving room, space, and a variety of sleeping arrangements.  Sometimes such options at hotels are not always easy to find or may be twenty minutes from a desired location/target area, but believe me when I say that the 10 to 20 minute car ride may be well worth it.  Also, many newer hotels are starting to have such rooms and lodging available.  It is becoming more common place now.

We also love us some Residence Inns!  These hotels come with a larger option which often include a kitchenette and small dining area.  The refrigerator is often larger than the mini fridge so often used in small hotel rooms.  When we plan on staying more than one night then we enjoy it when we can find this option too for a few reasons.  First, sleeping arrangements and space.  Second, to cut down costs or to save us on time and energy, coming back to the hotel to make a quick meal for the family is a great option, because many times such kitchenettes are equipped with a small variety of cookware, utensils and dish clothes.

Now there are times like last year, when we traveled into the mountains and our options were extremely limited and we just had to make due with what we could find.  In those cases, we were prepared for the smaller room and close spaces.  I brought fans for plenty of white noise so that I didn't have to hear Sky Baby grind her teeth, Crazy Paizy talk or squeak in her sleep, and Little Man running into the sides of his pack'n'play.  Yes, we used a pack'n'play to help sleep him when he was two-years-old.  It was that trip that we realized that he had grown out of that option!  Scot and I did go out and enjoy our balcony and our view as the kids fell asleep each night.  Then we just marched in for an early bedtime, but we made it work!  We also knew that only one television was going to be available in that space, so we brought in our portable DVD player so that the kiddos could watch what they wanted when we were in the room and we could enjoy watching something for ourselves.

When traveling as a large family, or really any sized family for that matter, you need to plan ahead, and be inventive.