Family Cabin Trip

My family took our 3rd annual cabin trip with friends in Brown County, Indiana recently. It was a lot of fun. Here are some of the pictures. I can't believe I never took one of the beautiful state park that we were staying in. Some of the view points are really spectacular. Next year I will plan to capture some of those.

You will see pictures of my family with our boys Andrew, almost 4 and Benjamin 2, but also pictures of our friends Laura and Josh. They have 3 kids: Jacqueline is 7, Kendrick is almost 3 and Sebastian is 1.

We stopped at a small train museum on the way home. It is on the Monon line. The boys loved it:)

 

We also had fun at Hand On Trucks at Imagination Station recently. We go every year and the kids LOVE it!

 

We had a great time at our church picnic the other day. Good food and fun games. Unfortunately, it was raining so everything was inside but we had a lot of fun anyway!

 

And here is Andrew's first day of preschool picture. He has gotten so big and loves school. I can't believe he will turn 4 next week!

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great week!

Rebecca

Organizing Your Memorabilia

It's Thursday! Time for another organizing post! Sorry I have been kind of MIA this week. I try to get at least 2 posts up a week but things have really picked up since the Shaklee Conference! Thanks for hanging with me:)

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.
 

 

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE. 

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE. 

      Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

        Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE. 

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

                          Week 10 about Organizing your Magazines and Newspapers HERE.
                                               Week 11 about Organizing Your Email HERE
                                                Week 12 about Organizing Your Mail HERE
                                         Week 13 about Organizing Your Child's Toys HERE.

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE. 

 Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

                                                  Week 18 about Organizing Your Pet HERE.

Week 19 about Organizing Your Books, CDs and DVDs HERE.

Week 20 about Organizing Your Entryway or Mudroom HERE.

                        Week 21 about Organizing Your Family Room or Living Room HERE.

Week 22 about Organizing Your Kitchen Countertops HERE.

Week 23 about Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets HERE.
Week 24 about Organizing the Pantry HERE. 
Week 25 about Organizing the Refrigerator HERE.

Week 26 about Organizing the recipes HERE.

Week 27 about Organizing the dining room HERE.

Week 28 about Organizing the Laundry Room HERE.

Week 29 about Organizing the Bathroom HERE

Week 30 about Organizing the Medicine Cabinet HERE.

Week 31 about Organizing Your Child's Clothes and Closet HERE.

Week 32 about Organizing Your Child's Memorabilia HERE.

Week 33 about Organizing Your Child's Bedroom HERE.

Week 34 about Organizing Your Bedroom Closet HERE.

This week we are onto our memorabilia. Many of you already know that I am a pack rat! I really don't want to be. I believe I was born this way as several of my family members are as well. lol. It's something I am continually trying to reform.  So as a pack rat, you can probably guess that I have a LOT of memorabilia! (photos, awards, letters, greeting cards, souvenirs, etc) I had a break through when I was pregnant with my first child and was "nesting". I threw out, donated and gave away a TON of things! I mean a TON!!! It was not like me to do this and I was influenced by my hormones and my dear husband , who thankfully has no problem getting rid of things. I got rid of old bowling trophies (from the first grade!), letters, school work, awards from when I was young, pictures, cards, clothes, journals, etc. It felt great!! 

Since then, things have piled up again. Mostly because I don't really have make the time to go through things anymore. I did do some of this when I organized my bedroom closet recently. I realized then that I still have a long way to go. So it is a work in progress for me. How about for you?

This Week's Goals:

1. Sort your memorabilia into piles:

Toss. Keep. Pass On 

I had a ton of greeting cards and decided to keep only a couple from significant people in our lives. If there was a hand written note, I would keep it. 

Long ago I tossed things such as items I got from ex-boyfriends or pictures but kept significant ones like from my HS prom.

I passed on things like glassware I don't use that I got from my grandmother who has passed away. I thought it was better for another family member to enjoy rather then sit in my house unused.

2. Keep photos in an album or photo box. Be sure to label with names, locations and dates so future generations know who's who.

3. You could organize by stages of your life. Such as: childhood, teenage years, college years, middle adulthood, later adulthood, etc. 

Tips:

1. Digital scrap booking saves a ton of time and space!

2. Set a limit on how many items you save in each category. You will enjoy the ones you have more. :)

How do you organize your memorabilia? Do you have a lot of it? If you are overwhelmed by how much you have, consider going through a box each month. That is what I am doing. :)

I hope this has been helpful to you. Next week we're onto the master bedroom.

Don't forget about our Basic H2 facebook giveaway! There is still time to enter and win!

And for anyone looking to lose weight, lose inches and get healthier, ask me about the Cinch inch loss accountability group that is just starting! (online and also in my area of Indiana) 

Have a great day! :)

Rebecca    

 

Organizing Your Bedroom Closet!

Welcome to another Thursday organizing post!  

If you are just joining us, we have been getting organized using Jennifer Ford Berry's Organize Now book.
 

 

It has some great info and tips on organizing various parts of our life and home. You can see past posts here:

Week 1 about Organizing Your Mind and Life Vision HERE,

Week 2 about Organizing Your Priorities HERE,

Week 3 about Organizing Your Schedule HERE

Week 4 about Organizing Your Cleaning Schedule HERE.

Week 5 about Organizing Your Personal Information HERE. 

Week 6 about Organizing Your Finances HERE. 

      Week 7 about Organizing Your Bill-paying System HERE.

        Week 8 about Organizing Your Receipts and Taxes HERE. 

Week 9 about Organizing Your Files HERE

                          Week 10 about Organizing your Magazines and Newspapers HERE.
                                               Week 11 about Organizing Your Email HERE
                                                Week 12 about Organizing Your Mail HERE
                                         Week 13 about Organizing Your Child's Toys HERE.

Week 14 about Organizing Your Crafts HERE.

Week 15 about Organizing Your Photographs HERE.

Week 16 about Organizing Your Purse or Wallet HERE. 

 Week 17 about Organizing Your Vehicle HERE.

                                                  Week 18 about Organizing Your Pet HERE.

Week 19 about Organizing Your Books, CDs and DVDs HERE.

Week 20 about Organizing Your Entryway or Mudroom HERE.

                        Week 21 about Organizing Your Family Room or Living Room HERE.

Week 22 about Organizing Your Kitchen Countertops HERE.

Week 23 about Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets HERE.
Week 24 about Organizing the Pantry HERE. 
Week 25 about Organizing the Refrigerator HERE.

Week 26 about Organizing the recipes HERE.

Week 27 about Organizing the dining room HERE.

Week 28 about Organizing the Laundry Room HERE.

Week 29 about Organizing the Bathroom HERE

Week 30 about Organizing the Medicine Cabinet HERE.

Week 31 about Organizing Your Child's Clothes and Closet HERE.

Week 32 about Organizing Your Child's Memorabilia HERE.

Week 33 about Organizing Your Child's Bedroom HERE.

This week we are onto our bedroom closet! I have really been dreading this one to be honest. My closet is a place where I put things to go through later. Problem is, I hardly ever have make time for later. lol So it tends to get pretty cluttered. Can anyone relate? Anyone??!

This book has inspired me to make time however. I have been plugging away, with my 3 year old's help (who by the way, thinks the things I pull out are fascinating! lol) and have been throwing things out, sorting things, putting them in more appropriate places, getting rid of clothes, etc. It actually feels like a weight is being lifted and it feels great!! 

Here are some before and after pictures I took recently.
There is definitely more to do but it's a start. Now that I am started, I am so motivated to keep going. There's something about organizing that just puts you in a good mood....after you finally get started! lol 

Here's a before picture. You can see that although things are hung up, they are not organized and it makes it hard to find anything in the morning. 

I pulled everything out and put it on the bed.

I also threw things on the floor that are headed to Goodwill because they either don't fit anymore (too big - YAY!) or because I just don't wear them anymore.

I was shocked at how many jeans I still had that were too big for me. It really freed up a ton of space in my closet. And hangers too.:)

But one of the BEST things I found as I was going through these old jeans was......

So it truly does pay to organize clean your closet once in awhile! lol


Now things are a lot easier to find. And I know that what I have still fits!

This Week's Goals:

1. Narrow your mess by tossing! Don't be afraid to get rid of things you don't use or don't like anymore. Get rid of clothes you haven't worn in 6-12 months. Someone else may really appreciate that sweater that just sits in your closet. Or those jeans that just don't fit anymore:)

2. Empty your closet and evaluate your space. Make sure it is working for you. Invest in extra rods, more shelving, shoe rack, baskets, etc to use the most of your space. Make things accessible.

3. Put clothes back and arrange by category and color. Hang hangers and clothes in the same direction. This will make things look more organized and be easier for you to find things quickly.

Tips:

1. Trouble deciding whether to keep an item? Put the hanger backwards. If it is still that way in 6 months, then you know you won't miss it.

How do you keep your closet organized?

Thanks for reading and don't forget to enter the Basic H2 organic concentrate giveaway (enough for 1 window bottle and 1 all purpose bottle of cleaner) by liking my Waterways Music facebook page and leaving a comment. You can also enter by referring a friend to my fb page or blog, following my blog and commenting and/or following me on twitter @WaterwaysMusic.

Have a great day!!

Rebecca 

Back to School and Healthy!

It's that time of year again! Back to school with cold and flu season following closely behind. Have your kids started school yet? My oldest will start his second year of preschool this week. I can hardly believe how fast the summer has gone! The kids in my area have already started and my husband's university is in full swing too!

Germs, germs and more germs!! They are everywhere of course, but especially in school classrooms! Kids are continually sneezing, coughing, not washing hands properly (or at all!) and sharing their germs with their neighbor, who shares it with his neighbor, family, etc. So how can we help with this?

PREVENTION!!! 

Here are a few tips to help prevent illness...

1. Proper Hand Washing. It's our first defense against infection and disease and can prevent illness and the spread of illness. It is important to teach our kids the proper way to do this and to make sure they do it regularly. At the very least after using the bathroom and before eating. My kids and I sing the ABCs while we wash to make sure we are scrubbing long enough.

 from the Center for Disease Control website:

When should you wash your hands?

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal or animal waste
• After handling pet food or pet treats
• After touching garbage

 

What is the right way to wash your hands?

• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
• Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse your hands well under running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

The CDC said that washing with soap and clean water is best. However, if you do not have that as an option, hand sanitizer with 60% or more of alcohol is the next best thing to kill many germs.

Germs are so easily passed - door handles, sharing a pencil or pen, shaking hands, etc and then you touch your nose, mouth or eyes! There you go! You may have just passed whatever germs were on your hands to your body. Is your body ready to battle the germs? 

It is argued that it is good for kids to be exposed to germs. I agree with this. But I also feel that it is important to have our defenses up when we are exposed so we won't be hit too hard and take down the entire family in the process.

2. Teach your kids to keep a distance from another child who is hacking or sneezing. Kids aren't the most sanitary, so many don't cover their cough or sneeze, putting the germ particles into the air for the next child to breathe in. Teach your child how to properly cover their cough or sneeze into their sleeve instead of their hand.

3. Supplement with good quality vitamins - they will fill in the gaps in nutrition and also build your child's immune system.

Not all vitamins are created equal. It's important to research your vitamins to make sure they are actually doing your and your kid's body good!

My kids love their Incredivites chewables. They are made from the #1 natural nutrition company in the US - Shaklee. Incredivites is the most complete kids multivitamin on the market AND it contains Lactoferrin, the immune booster found in breastmilk!! No other vitamin has that. 

I also give my children chewable vitamin C. Vitamin C is known to help the immune system and fight infection. My kids love these too! This is what my mom gave me when I was young! The vitamins in one of Shaklee's Vitamin C chewable is the equivalent to 1.5 organic oranges and since it is water soluble, you cannot get too much.

At the first sign of sickness, my entire family takes Defend and Resist Complex. This is fantastic at keeping sickness at bay.

My kids have generally been very healthy and have never had an ear infection:)

Thanks for reading! I hope this info was useful to you. How do you keep your kids healthy as they head back to school?

Have a healthy day!:)

Rebecca