My Favorite Motivator

My all time favorite organizing blog is Wanting What You Have. 

 

I found this blog a few years ago when Ryder was about a year old and I desperately wanted to have a schedule. Don't get me started on my obsession with schedules. As someone who is a total type B personality it might sound odd that I am so strict with them.

 

 So I googled "Stay At Home Mom Schedule" and Heather's blog came up. 

 

At first when I clicked on it I thought I had found just a random post about a schedule amidst a bunch of talk about what brand of diapers is best and other useless crap.

 

Boy was I wrong. This is such a freaking gem of a site. This woman is the organizing and cleaning and list making queen! And she does it all without coming off as pretentious or having it all together. You know how some people that are naturally organized, list making people, will claim that they don't have it all together and that they are "messy too". Most of the time that is BULL CRAP. 

 

This wonderful mother actually does have days like me! And I am one of the messiest people I know. One of my favorite posts from her is A Crap Family Morning. She talks about how when her daughter opened the car door as she was dropping her off at school junk mail and sippy cups fall out onto the ground. 

 

This is my life people.

So last night while George was bathing the kids I stood in the living room and looked at my wrecked area and wanted to cry.

 

For most people, the mess alone is motivator for them to clean. It makes their skin crawl just seeing a spoon with peanut butter on the coffee table, a food covered high chair, and clothes and toys EVERYWHERE. 

 

Not me. While I do LOVE a clean house, (honestly who doesn't) I just HATE HATE HATE cleaning. I told my dad once that it's because I was never taught how to clean or organize. That's partly true I think. Growing up we had a maid. For as long as I can remember someone cleaned up after me. All I had to do was come home and put away my clothes on Thursdays. They were always neatly folded on my parent's bed ready for me to just stick in a drawer. That's it. 

 

So now that I am an adult who has kids and a husband I have to figure out how to move from standing in a living room looking around me wanting to cry to action. 

 

I always, always, always, come back to Heather's blog. Boom, there it is. A post entitled, "11 Tips to help You Get Motivated to Clean". Seriously God, THANK YOU!

 

And this is my favorite one:

 

#1 Silence isn't Golden.

Put on Upbeat Music and it will give you energy and change your mood.

 

So, without even reading the rest of her tips I got up, turned the TV onto Pandora, put it on a John Mayer station and got to work. 

 

And I kept cleaning for a solid 45 min until we had to put the kids to bed. Even after George got done bathing the kids and we dressed them we both kept cleaning while the kids played in their rooms. 

 

It was magical people. Music really did help!

 

As much as I love reading design and wedding blogs none of those can give me ideas about how to get my house in order. I'll say it again, it's one of my favorites.

Do you have trouble in the motivation area of cleaning? Or is the mess alone motivator enough to clean? I wish it was for me, but honestly, I can step around and over toys all day long and it not bother me in the slightest......until it gets WAY out of hand....like to the point of no return.

 

I mean when I was in high school(and lets be honest still to this day) my friends would joke that they were going to ride in the dumpster if they rode in my car. One obsessively organized friend of mine told me I should install a full sized kitchen trash can in my car. I'm seriously considering it.

Lucy Learns to Skateboard

One of our family rules is that every Edmondson child must learn to skateboard by the age of 2.

Not really. But, both kids have loved the skateboard since before they could walk.

See, Ryder was loving it when he was 2 months old.

So yesterday we had Lucy's first skateboard class. She listened to her teacher and did very well ;)

First, she has to learn how to balance on the board. Then we will work on pushing off.

She's a natural.

Going fast with Daddy. This is the only way she can go over a snail's speed.

I tried to get some pics of Ryder scooting around, but apparently this kid is becoming a teen early because anytime I try to take his picture lately he either won't smile or he darts off.

 

After a while Lucy was over boarding and wanted to ride in her pink car. I love this pic.

I think she loved her first lesson. When you are done with skating for the day it's a good idea to sit on your board and think about what you have learned.

BOOM! I finally got him to smile! And yay for me being in at least ONE picture. I swear, If my kids ever have memory loss and we have to convince them through pictures that I am their mom we will have a hard time as I am hardly in any of them. We will have no problem showing them who George is though....

It was a good day! And hey, if you want to support our church's skate park, or if you have a love for tees with skateboards on them, you should buy a Battleground Tee so George can keep the ramps awesome for the skaters at our church. Go here to the Facebook page and check it out!

When Lucy goes to school

I love Bento boxes. They might be the cutest lunch containers around. So when my little girl starts school(ya know, in 3.5 years) I will pack her lunch in these boxes. A cute lunch is more likely to be eaten. 

Double Decks lunchbox-Oz

Oval Mon Peluche box

Alice lunch box set

Single Lunch Box-Red Hood

Single Lunch Box-Town

 Obviously, you will still need an actual lunch bag with handles. Here you go.

Short tote bag- Cheri

Short tote bag- Paddington Bear

And something to eat with...

Fork set-Oz

Fork set-Cheri

They don't really have much for boys. They have a little Pinocchio single box and one with a little boy flying a kite, but they still look pretty girly to me. And if my boy were to choose he would want some sort of dinosaur (or God help me, a Power Ranger) instead of a boy flying a kite. 

All Bento Boxes from My Sweet Muffin....which is an incredibly cute site :)

Happy Monday!

A New Favorite

I found a new website to love.

Room 6.

For the most part everything is pretty reasonably priced. Well, except for those million dollar knit stuffed toys that are everywhere. Seriously, I want to meet the person who pays SIXTY DOLLARS for a doll. I get that each one is hand knit, and it probably took a lot of time and care to make each one. So I agree that $60 is a fair price for the amount of hours put into it, but not for something that is destined to get a "shampooing" of applesauce by a girl named Lucy. Maybe this is just what happens in my house though :/

Hmmm, didn't intend to start this post of with a mini rant. Let's get back on track!

Here are my favorites :)

Some Sea Animals of the Gulf Coast print. $60. I really, really, really, love the ocean and the beach. I mean REALLY. Sea life fascinates me, and since this is of the Gulf, I feel like it should reside in my home.

Wooden Ice Cream Spoons. $9.95. These are super cute. I had wooden utensils at Lucy's birthday party, and still have a ton left over. This is just a DIY away!

I feel like all we do is lose sippy cups and snack containers. 12 food keepers for $1 a piece. They also have them in heart and car shapes. Love it :)

Beginner Friendly Chopsticks. $2.50. Even though I don't like Asian food (I know, you don't understand how that is possible. Well, maybe I had one too many microwavable egg rolls growing up. Yuck.) these would be fun to try and eat with.

Simply Small Series: Dotty, Ollie, and Rokko. $8.95 each. These little books are so adorable, and simple. I like books that don't leave me out of breath at the end(hello Dr. Seuss, I'm talking to you)

 Plan Toys fruit and Vegetable Play set. $24 I love that kids can actually cut the fruit, so cool. 

 One Good Deed a Day Journal. $17.95

I love this. What I tell my kids more than anything is to be KIND. 

So, is this website a favorite? 

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'm getting in some much needed friend time tonight while George babysits. WHOOP!

A Blurry Night

Last night after dinner we went out to the Riverwalk to let the kids run around. 

It was way too dark for my camera, so in pretty much every picture we look like we are on fire.

We have come out to the Riverwalk with the kids ever since Ryder was 5 months old, but last night we found a new exercise. Hill Running. 

Get Ready.

Probably the clearest picture of the night.

Lucy did a LOT of running. 

Ryder skateboarded,

 and George played guitar. 

*Note: George is still wearing his work clothes. Don't worry, he is not a regular wearer of Carharts or big ugly boots.

 

Oh. There goes Lucy again.

 

Now for the hill climbing.

Ryder starts off strong...

and Luce is trying to keep up.

Oh, snap. Who is going to win?!

Drumroll..........

LUCY! The Winner! Actually, Ryder would have been the winner, but as you can tell by the pic above, something caught his eye. I think the Bama Belle was rolling in :)

 

We had the best time ever. Can't wait to get out there earlier! 

Goodnight!

Madewell Wishlist

I have amassed quite the wishlist from Madewell. Too bad it will remain just that, wishes. I really need to get a piggy bank to start saving. Maybe then I can splurge every now and then on these pieces.

First. My most coveted item. Dotty Dress. $168

Sunstroll Dress. $118

Stucco Stripe Songbird Dress. $138

Scallop lace tee. $118

 

The Sunset Sandal. $158

 

The Patent Gladiator Sandal. $128

 

Colored Enamel Bangle. $12 (whoop! something cheap!)

 

Colorband Ring. $10

 

Did you all know that about 2 months ago Madewell sent out a catalog with a FREE $25 gift card inside. NO STRINGS ATTATCHED. No minimum order. Just free money. I got one of these in the mail, looked online real quick, didn't see anything I loved at the time. People, I let that gift card slip through my hands. You had to use it by a certain date and I didn't remember it until it was too late. My friend Haley had better luck. Now she flaunts her beautiful bracelet on her wrist all the time. Oh buddy.