Sharing My Love for Organizing with the Berenstain Bears!

I could maybe blame my love for organzing on this pregnancy and nesting...but the truth is that I have always loved organizing.  My love for cleaning, organizing, decorating, and projects definitely grew as I became a home owner.  But that love was still there...even as a kid!!  I have a few fun and easy projects to share with you soon but before I do that, I just had to do a fun post today about one of my favorite books.  It's called...

I grew up loving the Berenstain Bears books.  I would love to lay in bed and study the back cover trying to figure out which books we still needed for our collection!  And my kiddos now love the Berenstain Bears also.  They are such wonderful stories that share life lessons and there are so many parenting tips hidden in them too.  As a mommy, I am amazed at what I can learn from reading these books with my kiddos.  They lead to such good discussions and family values I desire to teach my little ones.  We have so many of them...found a huge collection at a garage sale for just a few bucks!  Can't beat that!  But this leads me to why the book above is my favorite.  It all goes back to my love for organizing.  Mama and Papa Bear get fed up with the messy room and the whole family gets involved on cleaning and organzing.  At the end of the book, this is how things turn out...

The words on this page say it all!  Oh it makes me smile to see such organization...a beautiful closet with boxes and labels everywhere!  Love it!!  I'm telling you, I feel inspired just looking at that page.  So, find yourself some Berenstain books on ebay or at a garage sale and start sharing the love for these wonderful stories with your own children!

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Making the Most of Your Mornings!

Something big has happened in my life this month...I've started to become a morning person!  That is huge change for me.  Before the month of June, you would find me staying up late at night doing a number of various activities.  I might be found reading, relaxing, watching some t.v., working on a craft project, etc.  But at the start of summer I came across a blog that really inspired me, called Inspired to Action.  On this blog she had an ebook you could download called "Maximize Your Mornings."  I read it and right away I knew I wanted to change things!

Being a "night owl" in not necessarily a bad thing but I realized that my mornings were not as productive or as calm as I wanted them to be.  So, I made some big changes and began to go to bed earlier and I started setting my alarm for 5:30 a.m.  Yes, you heard me right!!  I used to let my kiddos be the ones to wake me up...usually my son would come sleepy-eyed into my bedroom around 7:00 and it signaled the start of our day.  I would jump into gear by making beds, starting breakfast, and rushing around to get us out the door to have some fun for the day!  But I always felt a bit stressed, busy, and like my day was not beginning how I needed it too.

That's when I read that wonderful ebook and knew what I needed to do.  So, now you can see what my morning looks like.  My alarm goes off at 5:30.  I give myself a few minutes to wake up and crawl out of bed.  First thing I do...make the bed!!  It drives me crazy if it doesn't get done right away.  Then I hop in the shower or change into my workout clothes (depending on what my plan for the day is).  After getting dressed, it's "mommy time."  I set myself up at the kitchen table with all of my books, my notepad and pen, and my prayer calendars.  I sit down and begin with my to-do list.  I cannot concentrate on anything else until I put onto paper what is on my mind.  So I list the things we have planned for the day, some chores I need to get done, maybe one "bigger" project for the day, and what's for dinner.  Feels so good to have all of that planned first thing in the morning.  And I love checking items off the to-do list throughout the day.  That is the best feeling of all!

Then I am ready to have some quiet time.  These three books you see are the ones I use daily.  My chronological Bible is brand new and will be added to my routine tomorrow!  The other two books are something I always do.  After some reading and reflection to focus my mind and heart for the day ahead...I spend some time in prayer.  These prayer calendars are wonderful tools to make sure my prayers are focused and give me a jumping-off board.  Love them!

And then I end my "mommy time" by bringing my laptop to the table and checking emails, sending out notes, researching things, creating cute documents, and so on...whatever I need to work on that day.  My yummy bowl of cereal comes into play right about this time in my morning.  I start to get very hungry!  I take a few minutes to empty the dishwasher and get a load of laundry going which makes me feel very productive!

And when all is said and done, it's about 7:00 and one of my sleepyheads stumbles down the stairs and into my arms for a "good morning" hug.  And I am calm, rested, rejuvenated...and ready to start the day with these precious little ones.  What a difference in how I used to start my morning!  I challenge you to think about how your mornings look right now and if you are happy with them.  If not, maybe it's time to make some changes and start making the most of your mornings!
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A Guest Bedroom and Baby Nursery All in One!

My husband had a long week of working this past week and we had some crazy weather to start off the month of June...we actually had to turn our heat on one night. It was cold and rainy. So, I decided to be productive if we had to stay inside and start transforming our guest room into a nursery also. When our baby girl arrives she will have a "nursery" in our guest room to enjoy. Eventually she will share a room with her bigger sister. But we thought we would wait on that one until our little one is sleeping through the night.  Our guest room now has three purposes: it's a place for guests to sleep, an office, and a nursery all wrapped in one! I had a lot to fit into this little room but truly enjoyed rearranging furntiture, putting together the crib, making a baby crib bumper and decorating. Here's how it turned out!!

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Tiny Toppings for Your Sweet Little Ones!

I have to share with you when I find something so sweet and adorable!  I have a super talented friend who loves to crochet and has decided to turn this passion of hers into a little business.  The name is "Tiny Toppings" and she has the cutest creations for kiddos.  The moment I saw one of her darling newborn hats...I had to buy it.  I don't have a newborn but I have friends that do...and it became a wonderful gift for a sweet friend.  She doesn't stop at just making hats though...she has branched out into hair clips, headbands, and now even matching hats and diaper covers.  I love it all!

And when my third little baby arrives...you bet I will be getting a matching set for both of my girls!  I already have a gorgeous hat for my two year old and a set of hair clips that I love.  She has such a beautiful selection of yarn colors and ribbons.  It truly is hard to pick out what you want...when you really will want everything! 

And don't forget that these adorable hats and clips make the perfect gift for a friend or a baby shower!  I love bringing something sweet and unique to a celebration.  Your gift is sure to be a favorite!  So, how do you get your hands on some of these darling items?  Well, the best way to see her selection or request something you want customized is...on facebook.  Click on this Tiny Toppings link.  But you can also contact her through email at tinytoppings@hotmail.com or on etsy at this link.  You have no excuse now...not to visit her business and see all of her cute stuff.  She is hosting giveaways every month too, so maybe you will be lucky and win something adorable to kick off your cute collection of Tiny Toppings creations! 
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