9.28.2011

our "command center" clarified..

"command centers" or "mommy's central station" are a pivotal element in busy households, however upon occasion they can be a complete disaster when functionality & organization are non-existent.

the hardest thing for us is changing needs, as i imagine it is in every household.

when we moved into our 2 bedroom apartment i was pregnant with our son & a year & 20 days later we welcomed our daughter. with my husband constantly deploying, his shift changing, countless doctor appointments, maintaining bills, vacations {what are those??} out of town family visiting & keeping track of mundane things our 4 monthly wall calendar was created.

originally, i had 2 monthly calendars, along with a yearly wall calendar on the bulletin board. as the end of the 1st month ran out i put those dates on the 2nd calendar & replaced the 2nd with the next month. but when i needed to plan ahead i found that having 4 monthly calendars was a lifesaver.


bulletin board of 4 montly calendars,  pencil cup, 2 wall mounted mail organizers, standing magazine/cookbook holder, my son's car chair from grandma & grandpa, hats, hoodies & last years halloween outfit {because you never know when you need to be a monster!}

i create my own yearly calendar {in a monthly format} in a word document & i tailor it to my needs. to make it fun i choose a cool font & vary the colors for months/seasons/holidays. makes sense? our bills are listed on the date they're due.  for example: t-mobile $120.

doctors appointments are written in the shortest format, as space is limited. i put the time first, child, dr name, reason for apt & location {if that office has several locations}.

like: 0930 ella dr wright weight check

all of the times on our calendar are in military time as we're a military family. it might seem confusing @ first, but once you get accustomed to it you won't want to switch back. it avoids confusion as to am, pm??

our calendar is also color coordinated. i chose bold colors that are easily visible on our white printer paper.

bills: green
doctors appointments: orange
holidays: red {occasionally i alter this for the holiday}
birthdays: purple
son's stuff: blue
daughters stuff: pink
household/reminders: black

we have a grey pencil cup holder attached to the wall {with 3m mounting tape} it was purchased at target & holds more than enough pens.  i like how the divider keeps the pens from falling over the place.

below the bulletin board are 2 white mail organizers that are attached to the wall with molly's & screws.  the 3 hooks hold a hoodies , hats, etc. for $17 a piece at target they were a steal!! & much cheaper than pottery barn.

one holds scrap printer paper that would normally be trashed but gets re-used for to-do lists, shopping lists, reminders, phone notes, etc.

the other holds important papers for upcoming doctor appointments, our rent check & anything else that is critical {like notices from out apartment office about working being done that week}. everything else gets filed away in my desk.
the last piece of our command center was a serious steal. it's our magazine rack/cookbook holder. i found on a whim at our local home goods {oh how i love that store!} although it was the wrong color. that was quickly changed after 2 coats of benjamin moore's texas leather.

then....... way too school teacher for my taste. apple anyone?

now.... sleek & simple.  holding my most used cookbooks


since i bought it on impulse i had no idea where to put it or if it would be a perfect fit in a particular spot. actually i remember telling myself that i didn't need it & put it back on the shelf, but then somehow it ended back in my cart as i told myself if i didn't buy it i'd always regret it. i was very much right. i love it & would love to find another match :)

to my luck it is a perfect fit behind our  laundry room door at the end of the kitchen & the door doesn't hit it when it opens. so voila, wasted floor & wall space is used to the best capacity!!

so there you have our command center. it works for us & is never a mess. i'm not an expert on organization, but the one thing i've learned is that you have to find a system that works for you & your family & one that you'll be able to maintain.

:)







my sincere apologizes as last night's post wasn't posted as promised. things are subject to change when your 7 month old has a fever & your 19 month old has declared war on life in general. :(

the post will be up this evening..

in the mean time, it's hard to believe our sweet little ella was born 7 months ago! where has the time gone??

in just 5 months we'll have both a 1st & 2nd birthday party. time to start planning!! any theme suggestions for either??

9.27.2011

keeping our circus organized

earlier today i posted  on pampers facebook page about how i stay organized. several ladies seemed shocked at such an accomplishment & requested proof {pictures}.


stay tuned for tonight's post about our "command center" with a complete breakdown. for now enjoy these images!!




6.01.2011

target renovates

Join me through the chaos, I encountered today at my soon to be least favorite store, Target.


One word: renovations 


Meaningless to those who don't have children or have to shop with them. A nightmare to any & all parents who fool themselves into thinking it's possible to get in & out of a store in 20 minutes when you really need double triple that amount of time.


Not only is it hard enough to shop with 2 children but factor in being an entertainer for your trapeze artist 15 month old son, trying to calm your crying 3 month old daughter,  all while foaming at the mouth in search of a suitable father's day card & it'll send you into a frenzy. As if the near 100 degree weather & humidity wasn't enough to do so already!


As a result of these renovations:
  1. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get in & out as you can't find anything!! NOTHING is where it used to be!! {this adds about 15 30 unnecessary minutes to our pleasurable shopping trip}
  2. We accidentally went down a wrong aisle but couldn't turn the cart around because you CAN'T!! It's physically impossible for 2 carts to pass each other in certain aisles. This is NOT handicap accessible & will most definitely be my favorite time during the holiday season!
  3. If you can make it down an aisle the shelves aren't stocked. So much for the brand new picture frames that we couldn't buy.
Note to Target & any other mass retailer: before re-arranging the shelves or renovating have a test panel of Mom's {Dad's that actually shop with kids as well} do a mock trial of your proposed idea. I guarantee to you the answer will be,


              "No!! Leave everything the way it is!!!"


I now understand why my Mom used to lose it {& upon occasion let the grocery store manager have it} when she couldn't find what she needed when in a hurry, because to her, there is no justifiable reason to constantly re-arrange the shelves in a grocery store.

8.22.2009

kalamata olives

word to the wise, unless you want a 15 minute phone call, from a frustrated husband in the middle of a crowded grocery store don't send him to buy kalamata olives. don't.


"how about YOU do the grocery shopping from now on & i will call YOU & send YOU on a hunt!"


he did however understand that a mediterranean chicken wrap wouldn't be "mediterranean" without the kalamata olives.


oh how i love him. :) 



8.21.2009

glass bra sneakers

What a morning! Woke up to the sound of a moving van outside the apartment as I was headed to the bathroom for the 10th time since last night. While on the toilet, yet again {ah the joys of pregnancy}, I hear Casey's truck alarm going off. How I could hear this is a miracle, seeing as how we're on the 3rd floor!


"Is that the truck alarm??" I yell through the bathroom door.
"Yeah..." he grumbles.
"Sorry to bother you, is that your green truck out there?" a man banging on our door as if he's the IRS asks.


Suddenly alone in the apartment I'm frustrated, but confused as to why. Is it the police car blocking in the truck to which the driver's side window is completely shattered or the hideous red cover on Casey's cell phone. I'll let you decide.


I'm in the bedroom fighting with my new racerback bra when i'm greeted by my husband who demands that i "wear sneakers, there is glass everywhere." 


He was pre-occupied with the damage to his first love that he failed to realize that sneakers were the last thing on my mind. it's general knowledge to the female species that one does not leave the house without a bra on. this fact is meaningless to a husband who's been informed that our vehicle was the 13th break in & that his beloved PS2 is gone.

I had the privileges of spending the day dealing with humidity while being pregnant, the glass company to fix said damage, our insurance agent, a sleu of police detectives, the ever so efficient manager of our aparment complex, anticipated rainfall {during the middle of the glass repair}, the beloved nausea of pregnacy & the scheduling department of my OB's office.

Great day, huh?? {not so much}