Closet

Open The (car) Doors With Confidence

January 1, 2013 By Suzanne

Happy New Year! I hope that this day finds you excited for a year of possibility.

January is National Get Organized (GO) month. In honor of that, we’re going to spend the next 30 days focusing on decluttering and organizing those spaces of your home and life that you usually just shut the door on. Out of sight, out of mind? Not anymore. Let’s open the drawers, fling open the doors, and expose them to the light! Stop worrying that when your mother-in-law comes to visit that she’ll open the wrong closet and have something fall on her head.

We’re going to start in a place you probably don’t think about often but you see every day – the center console of your car. This space is a challenge because it’s small so it won’t hold much. But if stocked with a little bit of planning it can be extremely helpful!

The type of vehicle you have will determine how much space you have available. I personally have a minivan. Yes, I know, the ultimate mom-mobile – you either love it or hate it. Let me tell you that as a mother of 3 kids under the age of 6 it is my saving grace in having enough space for easily sitting 3 car seats and getting kids in and out. As a result I have a pretty large center console so what I can fit in mine, you may not be able to in yours.

Yes – I did take mine out of the car to photgraph for you. Another advantage of the van! It was about 15 degrees when I went out to take pictures!

Don’t worry if you don’t have a monster space like mine – just think about what you really need and will use and find the right size for your space. This isn’t the place to keep every piece of paper or stray sock (hey – it happens!) that makes its way into your car.

Here’s what is in each of my 3 compartments:

Hand Sanitizer
Phone charger (not pictured)
Eye Drops – for my contact lenses
Lip Balm for these dry Colorado winters
Coins for parking. I only have a few but if you live in a city where you park at meters a lot or drive toll roads you might want a lot more
Hair rubber bands for myself and my daughter
Band-aids
Pen & Paper (courtesy of my realtor)
Gym/Rec Center Card
Napkins/tissue – usually I have a small package but I’m out right now.
Eye Patches for my daughter. She wears one at school each day for her vision and sometimes in the shuffle of getting out of the house she doesn’t grab one so I keep some in the car.

Below the upper container is a larger bottom section.

Small, long shelf-life snack – comes in handy when the kids or I just can’t wait until we get home and keeps us from making a drive-thru pit stop
Small zip top bag. Kind of random, I know but at least once a month I find myself with my hands full of something that I need somewhere to stash without it getting lost.
Diapers – I still have 1 left in diapers and don’t carry a diaper bag anymore but keeping 1-2 on hand is essential

And the last part is the front opening. This is a deep space where small things can easily get lost so I don’t keep much here.

Glasses/Sunglasses cases
Lotion

A few other things you might want to add:

Small flashlight
Breath mints or gum
Ibuprofen

The key is to keep only things you actually need and to replace them when you use them up. Spending just 5-10 minutes on preparing this space will make a huge difference. Then you can confidently send your passenger in after a stick of gum without worrying what they might encounter.

What do you keep in your car that I don’t have?

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Sometimes you just have to try, try again

July 15, 2011 By Suzanne

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A few months ago I posted about my coat closet. I took out the original single bar and high shelf and installed two shelves and rods so the kids could have their own. I really liked the result and that the kids coats, hats and gloves were accessible to them.

This summer the closet wasn’t getting much use. So I found another way to leverage it’s space. When I wash Mr. Brown’s pants for work I like to hang them while still damp so I can avoid ironing. I hadn’t yet installed the right set of hooks in our laundry room so I was putting the damp pants in the closet to air dry before being moved up to our closet. It was working great. Until last week. I went into the closet to get something out (a bike helmet, maybe) and it looked funny. The rods were not level. By a LOT. Upon further inspection I realized that the brace on the right side had pulled out of the wall completely at the top and was coming out at the bottom – wall anchors and everything. So down it came.

Now my coat closet looks like this:

Time to come up with a new closet solution. I liked the double rods. But I’m thinking hooks. Lots and lots of hooks. Maybe hooks will be more inviting for the kids (and adults) to use. Maybe a shelf or two at the bottom a few rows of hooks and then another shelf or two up top. Thoughts? Suggestions? I’d love to hear what you might do with this space to accommodate 5 people. Feel free to send me your Pinterest links to pictures! Seriously! I need help.

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Quick Tip Thursday #20

July 14, 2011 By Suzanne

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Do you have a pile of items for donation in your basement, attic, closet or other area of your home? Wait, you have several small piles scattered around the house?

For many people the items they want to donate pile up around the house waiting for that golden “someday” when we they will get around to dropping them off at the charitable donation center.

Instead of keeping your donation box or bag in your closet, move it to the trunk of your car or right outside your garage door. Put the items that need to go out the door right into your car. The next time you are close to your favorite donation location make a quick stop to unload the items. If you want to track the items you donate for tax purposes, put a donation tracking worksheet or just a blank piece of paper right in the box and right down anything you put into the box.

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How Much Is Enough

June 24, 2011 By Suzanne

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Back in March I rearranged my kitchen drawers a bit. I had two drawers filled with large utensils and gadgets for cooking. One was for items I used regularly and the other for less frequently used items. I decluttered some duplicates and items I just didn’t need any more and was able to consolidate it into one (pretty full) drawer. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the other drawer. I didn’t have an immediate idea for it so I left it alone. Indeed, I left one out of my seven kitchen drawers completely empty. I figured the need would reveal itself shortly.

Then I got distracted. I planned a baby shower, celebrated a child’s birthday, transitioned out of my old job and went on vacation. And this week I remembered that it was still sitting there empty. I hadn’t opened it!

I have to admit it makes me a little uncomfortable having an empty drawer. I just know I could be putting it to good use somehow. But I don’t want to fill it just to have it full. So I’m still living with it empty and waiting for the right purpose to arise.

The reality is that many people have a hard time with emptiness in a space. We all think we want to have the freedom of open space in our homes (and our calendars) but our actions speak otherwise. We fill up the rooms. We fill up the calendars. We all know the truism that when we move into a bigger home it never ends up feeling bigger because we just fill it up with more stuff. Why? I can’t say for sure but I suspect it’s something like my own feeling that if my space is empty then clearly I’m not getting my value from it.

Most of us won’t be able to live from two boxes and two bags, and that’s okay. But it might be helpful to understand your own capacity to live with space.

My challenge to you:

The next time you are feeling stressed by an area, empty it. Get rid of the things you really don’t want or need any more. Now begin to replace the things you want to keep one by one. After each item, reassess the space and see how it feels. Does it feel “empty” or “full” to you? Just like with food in your stomach, your “full” point for your closet is most likely somewhere far short of “stuffed.” When you get to the point that your space no longer feels empty, that’s a good place to stop. If you haven’t put back everything you wanted to keep, you probably need to assess your items again. Maybe you put a few things back into the space that you really could do without. Replace those with ones still remaining. If you feel like you simply can’t choose between them, remember that it probably isn’t all your favorite. It’s okay to go past that initial point of “full” but if you start to feel that the space is “stuffed” you’ve gone too far. Back off. You’ll find the sweet spot. It’s a different point for everyone but we all have one… the point at which our space feels filled with things we love and use but not so full that we cringe when

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Cloth Diapers…Yes, really.

June 13, 2011 By Monika

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I am so excited to have a guest blogger today! Monika is a friend, new blogger and mommy to two of the most ADORABLE boys. When you become a mother for the first time there are so many things to learn about and it can often feel extremely overwhelming. Just walking into the baby mega-stores can make you want to turn around and walk right back out. When it comes to navigating the world of cloth diapers I have to admit I was never quite brave enough. But I LOVE how cute they are and think they are a great option. That’s why I’m thrilled to have Monika here today to help you wade through the murky waters of cloth diapering. If you are considering it, this may be just the jump start you need to stop feeling so intimidated by the options and order your first diapers.

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I toyed with the idea of cloth diapers when I had my first child 4 years ago. And when I say “toyed” I mean kept it to myself for fear of being laughed at by my husband and close family and friends. When I got pregnant with our second, the thoughts started creeping back in. It wasn’t until he was about 2 month old that I started to get the itch. Then it was game on. I researched and read and researched some more. I relied heavily on the internet and “mommy forums” to guide me. And while I was guided, I was also utterly confused. There were so many choices: All-in-ones, pockets, fitteds, prefolds, hybrids…it’s enough to make you want to throw in the diaper…err…towel. Slowly, I became more familiar with all the terms. And slowly I began to accumulate a “stash” and figure out what I liked and what worked best for my baby. And now, a year+ later, I am hooked! And wish I had done it sooner. I just wish someone would have dummied it down for me. And warned me about the dos and don’ts of cloth diapering. So I’ll do that for you now.

1. If at all possible, do a cloth diaper trial. Several retailers offer trial programs for a small fee (plus the cost of the actual diapers). This is wonderful if your little bundle is already here. You can wash and use the diapers for 14-30 days, keep what you like, send back what you don’t for a refund/store credit. It’s the best way to test fit, absorbency, and your own personal taste. Some retailers that offer trials are: Jillian’s Drawers, Diaper Junction, Sew Crafty Baby, although there are dozens more.

2. Don’t expect to have your stash all figured out right off the bat. It’s like finding that perfect pair of shoes. Some are cute but pinch, some are comfy but you know they will wear out too soon, and others are drool-worthy but way to pricey. It can take time to build that perfect stash.

3. Don’t get sucked into all the accessories…snappies and wetbags and pail liners, oh my! A $13 Target pail (with lid recommended) serves the purpose. If you can spring for one or two pail liners, great. Easier to dump the diapers into the machine on wash day. But if you can’t, no biggie. Just make sure to wash the pail out frequently to avoid odors. Wetbags are also nice for the diaper bag. And some are super cute. But a grocery or zip-top bag works just as well in a pinch.

4. Do keep your wash routine simple, and if it works, leave it alone. If it doesn’t, try something new. There are plenty of cloth-friendly detergents to be found. But many mamas use regular old laundry detergent without issue. It is recommended to stay away from brighteners, enzymes, and other additives. Fabric softener is a no-no. But other than that, keep it simple. Chances are, you really don’t need to do 8 pre-rinses, and 4 hot washes with 1/4 teaspoon of detergent each while standing on your head facing west and wearing turquoise socks.

5. Don’t think that what works for one baby will automatically work for yours. Each baby is shaped differently.

6. Do have fun organizing your diapers! You can sort by size, type, and color. It’s an OCD mom’s dream! I keep mine in wicker baskets on the shelves of my changing table. And yes, my son loves to fling them across the room. That’s what you get with open storage. You can also use plastic toy bins, or a drawer in your child’s dresser. Don’t like to fold and sort? A small laundry basket is your answer. Grab a diaper and go. Like things nice, neat, and out of the way of little hands? Check out these moms’ solutions!