Mom vs. Toddler...What's in your bag?

I am interrupting this very lazy blog hiatus to talk about my bag.
I need a new bag you guys.
GUESS how long I have owned this bag?

Since........my freshman year in college.  Of course I haven't used it every day since then, but for those of you who don't know how long ago that was for me, that was Fall, 2003. 12 Years!!!

(Oh my gosh??)

It is all leather, definitely the most expensive bag I have ever purchased, and it stood up straight and had that new-leathery-shine when it was brand new.  I just love it so much and can't seem to give it up, even with the ripped seams and the massive hole in the lining where I just found 8 pens hiding last week.

BUT, when I saw the linkup and giveaway on Nell's blog for a new Lily Jade bag, I just had to post! And since the giveaway requests to know what's in my bag...

There are the contents in all their glory.
-Huggie's wipes clutch
-SkipHop diaper clutch / changing pad (screams new mom, I know.......)
-Wallet clutch (clutch theme anyone?)
-Mama water bottle
-Toddler water bottle
-A classy ziplock with Puffs Plus....hello allergy season
-Keys
-Pen
-Snack (usually there are about 4 different options of snacks in my bag but you caught me on a weird day...

Someone just recently asked if my bag was organized, and I said organization isn't my main goal, but simplicity is.  Still a work in progress...but...not bad? As long as I hide my junk in multiple clutches? haha.

Anyway, I refuse to give you the link because I really need to win.

But now I feel bad, so here it is.  uugh. Please don't enter.

And a bonus 2-for-1!!  Since Mia is in a crazy bag-lady-phase (usually carrying around 2-3 purses at any given time, all with their own specially curated contents), I thought I'd take a peak inside one of those treasure receptacles and see what I found...

-Cereal crumbs still left in the bag
-Outlet safety cover (hhmmmm)
-Toy car a neighbor accidentally left at our house 6 months ago
-Wooden stacking toy
-Velcro hair roller
-Cell phone
-Secret burner cell phone
-Plastic hot dogs
-Mom & dad's Crest they've been looking for all week and literally just found because of this post
-2 books

Which reminds me of a tip someone once gave that if you want to increase the number of books you read, carry one around with you so you can read whenever you have a free moment (or something like that).

My daughter must be super smart......

Thanks to Lily Jade & Nell over at Whole Parenting for inspiring me to break my lazy streak and share something!!

Have a great week ya'll!

TV Cabinet Makeover

You guys, my life is now complete.

I have a great husband...
I have a beautiful baby...
And I have an awesome place to put my craft supplies.

This is all I need!

So, let's rewind back to December when I asked my good friend Chariti to keep an eye out for a large piece of furniture for my Stuff.  Soon after that she texted me a photo of a TV stand that she thought had potential.

Sold.

I had zero experience in furniture painting, restoration, repurposing, you name it.  But I am confident in following directions, and in the power of Pinterest.

#ThankYouPinterest!!

Then after I started my new Stay At Home gig this spring, I had some time to actually finish it.

So here's what I did:

1. Sanded and primed the exterior, and painted the entire piece 

2. Added shelves in the large (former) TV area by screwing in square dowels and placing the shelves on top.

Like this:

I will probably add additional dowels on the back of the cabinet to hold up the middle.  I would highly recommend this, to avoid bowing if your shelf is on the thinner (read: less expensive) side.

3. Replaced the knobs and pulls with new hardware.

I found the knobs and labeled drawer pulls on Etsy.  Here's a close-up of the labeled pulls, which I love:

4. Added a ribbon holder on the inside door.

This is actually a bathroom towel rack from IKEA - I think it works great.

And there you have it!  There are so many other things you could do - maybe add some cork board to the other inside door, or other ways to hang things and utilize even more space.

Now if I didn't have my one thing I need to do today, I would go find a craft or 10 to work on.

Have an awesome day friends!

{And go visit more awesome inspirational ideas, projects and recipes at the Inspire Me Please blog party!}  

This ONE Thing has changed my SAH Mommy Life

Everyone has asked me - how do you like Staying at Home????

I always answer that I love it (which I do), but it has come with some interesting challenges.  One of which is figuring out how to actually get something DONE with all of this free time. This is what I mean:

• I put Mia down for her nap at 9:00am, ready to get ALL THE THINGS done during this 2-hour window
• Clean up kitchen from breakfast
• Bring toys from the kitchen back to their "toy area"
• Walk past 3 pairs of my shoes on the floor, bring them to my closet
• Look in the mirror and remember that I haven't showered in 3 days
• Take a shower
• While in the bathroom I notice some random items in a drawer
• Decide to re-organize my bathroom drawers
• See a photo album in the bottom drawer.
• Look through photos for 5 minutes
• See a picture of my sister and realize I haven't talked to her in over a week
• Text back and forth with her 
• Bring a random camera battery from one of the drawers to the office 
• See a mess on the desk
• Clean off desk and notice my computer
• Decide I should check some email
• Open a tab for Facebook while my email loads (who can wait those 4 seconds?)
• Waste 20 minutes on FB
• Read a post on my moms group page about an interesting parenting approach
• Look up on Amazon for a book about the approach
• Remember that I should order some X,Y and Z 
• Read reviews and compare products for 20 minutes
• Remember my to-do list and leave the computer to get the laundry
• Throw a load of laundry in the wash
• Come back to hear Mia crying, awake from her nap

And there goes my precious window for prime productivity.  With half of one to-do list item done.

So, a few months ago I listened to an interview about a book called The ONE Thing by Gary Keller.  I honestly haven't read the book yet (though coincidentally Joel just read it and loved it), but the interview explained it well enough that it is about how we need to stop trying to get so much done at once, and just focus on one thing at a time.  It can even translate into one thought / thing for a week, month, or a whole year, which I also think is a great idea.  I'm pretty sure he even suggests the One Thing should be narrowed down to one word.  Whoa.

ANYway, since being a SAHM I have realized how little I can get done with  seemingly "so much time!"  So I remembered this idea of the One Thing and started deciding that at the beginning of every day (and sometimes before) I would decide on the One Thing that I want to accomplish, the thing that if I just get this done today, I will feel satisfied.  It may be a load of laundry (washed AND dried) or another chore, an errand or a blog post, but whatever it is, I write it down on a weekly tear-off calendar on my fridge and make sure I get it done.

You guys, this may seem like it is a small goal, but it has changed my life.  Going from a 9-5+ job to an "Every Day's a Saturday!" feeling (which can be very good, and very bad), I feel like I finally have a handle on my days, on realistic expectations for my to-do list, and so much better focus.

She just couldn't wait to eat those eggs.

I usually do this One Thing during Mia's first (and sometimes only) nap of the day.  Which means, often I get it done before noon which is - seriously - the best feeling ever.  Anything I get done after that is like a huge bonus!

Because babies are notorious for un-folding your to-do items.

One of my favorite bloggers Jen wrote an awesome blog post about daily routines that has equally enhanced my life.  She reflects on the schedule that Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity follow, and how their day isn't what you might expect, and the lesson you can take from it.  She has 6 (I think?) kids, so her struggles are NOT my "I keep getting distracted by FB" struggles, but actually real daily routine struggles.  Anyway, it is a great read if you are looking for even more inspiration.

Have a great day!

The Universal To-Do List

So this weekend is also a big weekend for another member of my family, my baby sister Maddy!  She is a super studd on her high school varsity volleyball team in South Dakota, and they are at the SD State Championship Tournament right now!!!!!!  So apparently our family is pretty cool right now.  Special THANKS to our parents for being the best supporters a kid could ask for!  My dad will be in SD cheering the girls on, and my mom and 2 friends are flying out to support me!  What a blessing this truly is.

The best part:  When two sisters have a Big Weekend, apparently only ONE packing list is needed to cover any situation.  So, thanks to Maddy for making a very detailed packing list for her volleyball tourney, and also thanks for leaving it out for Dad to steal and scan to ME!  This is basically everything I'll need for my pageant weekend.  Just change "nice shirt" to my Evening Gown, and those "kakie pants" (maddy..Kakie??) to my Interview Dress,  and the "spandex" to my Swimsuit, and we're all set.  I may or may not leave the head bands at home.  Oh ya, and mom when you come can you just bring the money?  Great...thanks!

GO PANTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!