Baby Closet Bliss

I finally figured out the best way to organize my little boy's closet!

Previously we were working with some hanging space and three plastic drawers. I didn't have enough drawers to keep things separated and organized, and they always ended up a jumbled mess. I felt like I couldn't find a good outfit for him on any given day - so he stayed in pajamas most of the time.

Then I was browsing Bed, Bath, and Beyond one day and came across this. It is perfect!

When I fold his laundry I separate them into outfits rather than pants, shirts, etc.  Each outfit goes into a cubby, and his extras, or out-of-season clothes get folded and stacked into the tall section at the bottom. His socks and little extra things fit great in the tiny pockets along the sides.

Now getting his outfit in the morning takes all of 1.5 seconds and I can see all my choices at a glance. If I am packing for a trip, all I have to do is grab however many outfits as days we are gone and I'm done.

Easy peasy.

Waiting Room Wonder

With two children under 2 and one more on the way, it seems like we are always in waiting rooms. Doctor visits for me, well baby visits for both kids, sick appointments and lab work, along with a myriad of other things take us to the dreaded waiting room.

I got this idea from a friend of mine when I was taking pictures of her kids. She brought along a little favor-sized container of bubbles for when they started to get tired and cranky. And guess what? It worked wonders!

The next time I was browsing Target and was in the party favors aisle, I saw these little guys. I couldn't resist. I.am.so.glad.

Every time we are headed out the door to potentially face some boring waiting time I stick one of these babies in my purse. They are only about 2 inches tall and the wand is a part of the lid. I have never had a leak (so far) and whenever the kids start getting whiny or noisy in a waiting room I pull them out. They love them. Instant smiles.

Not to mention, other mothers there to witness this ever-so-quick change in demeanor tell me what a great idea they think this is, and my little ones make quick friends who also want to come join in the fun.

For toddlers who love technology

My 1 1/2 year old loves iphones. She also loves pressing buttons. 

You can imagine the problem this causes, since every time I start an app for her she exits out of it as soon as she gets the urge to press that tempting little button. Anywhere from two seconds to one minute after I've handed her the phone to watch Sesame Street she is holding it out begging for me to fix it. I re-start the app, hand it back, and the process repeats.

I searched and searched online for a way to lock the button, but found no solutions, since Apple doesn't let any apps disable the function of any of the hardware on the phone. Then one day I discovered the solution: Bub Caps.

Applied like a screen protector for the home button, Bub Caps create a semi-rigid surface over the iPhone's home button to help keep toddlers curious fingers from constantly closing out of applications. 

Bub caps are made in differing degrees of strength, so for older kids and ipads you can get harder plastic. They are removable, and don't leave anything sticky on your phone.

They come in packs of four for $5. You can get them at bubcap.com or amazon.

The purse necklace

Life as a mom can be unpredictable. You never know what's going to pop up when you're out and about running errands.  This is why I have a "purse necklace." Let me explain.

This necklace takes me from errand-running mom to somewhat stylish in less than 30 seconds.  Doctor's office: Necklace on.  Grocery store: necklace off.  Lunch at Panera: necklace on.  Stopping by the park: necklace off.

And really, it isn't about trying to be fashionable. I was finding there were some situations where I wanted to be taken more seriously. When I look a little more pulled-together I find sales people are more likely to acknowledge me, doctors listen better to my concerns, and the list goes on.

I found this at Target for about $12. It's not a delicate necklace so it works perfectly. It now has a permanent home in the bottom of my purse for any time I may need it. 

The Most Interesting Scheduling Tool I've Ever Used

Whether you are planning a girls night, a family get-together, or anything in between - scheduling can be tricky. You try to figure out when everyone is available and your email gets bombarded, and then you have to write down who can come which days and times - it can be tedious.

Enter: Doodle.com

This is a fantastic little FREE tool my friend Amanda introduced me to several years ago while planning a night with my college roomates, the G's.

It is simple:

1. Go to doodle.com (you don't need to set up a login)
2. Create an event and enter all the date and/or time options you want people to choose from
3. doodle will send you a link that you can email out to everyone who is invited
4. They click the link, enter their name, check all the days/times they are available (you will be notified each time someone responds or comments)
5. It keeps a count for you at the bottom of how many people are available for each option

Here is what an event looks like:

Or you can use it for choosing a location:

Additional poll settings include...

• a confidential setting so responders can see their availability, but only the organizer can see everyone's responses
• participants can only choose ONE option
• limitations to the number of responders who can choose a specific date or options (great for limited-space trainings)
• as the moderator you can edit the poll at any time, or edit someone's response if needed
• an option for people to choose their preference not only as Yes or No, but also "If need be"

Give it a try!!

The fastest, easiest way to make someone's day

This is the perfect way to say Happy Birthday, Thanks, I'm sorry, Congrats - or to light up someone's day in just a matter of minutes. The best part? It's quick and easy. All you need is their email address.

Send them a $5 Starbucks gift card to their email instantly. 

You can set the delivery date for a future occasion if you're the type who likes to plan ahead. Once received, it can be spent on anything at Starbucks or even transferred to a registered Starbucks Card.

This is a great gift even for the  non-coffee drinkers like myself since they have a nice selection of gourmet hot chocolate and baked goods. Stuff you don't always buy for yourself, but that is a nice splurge.

You choose a design, add your own personal message, choose the amount, enter an email address and hit send!

Extra hints:

• You set the delivery date for a future occasion if you're the type who likes to plan ahead. At the beginning of the year you can do them for all the birthdays on your list and not have to think about it again
• You don't need someone's home address to send them something nice
• It makes a great bribe - I used one of these once to ask someone to let me interview them about their business. It ensured that I got a quick response.
• Starbucks keeps you updated on when it is opened so you don't have to wonder if they got it. If the card has not been opened in a certain time frame they will let you know, tell you to notify your friend, and will re-send it. (but it shouldn't get stuck in spam filters since it appears to come from your email address)

Some other great last-minute gifts you can send by email

• a Kindle ebook
• iTunes - give a gift card, a song, or an app 
• audio books via Audible
• Amazon gift card (more on this coming soon!)
• Best Buy gift card
• Target gift card

Want free shipping on Amazon?

If you don't have Prime, or Amazon mom then this may be of use to you.  The majority of Amazon purchases qualify for free Super Saver Shipping if your order total is $25 or more.  However, sometimes you may have an order that comes up just shy to qualify. If that is the case, use filleritem.com to help you find items that will push you up to that $25 mark.

It lets you input the amount needed, choose which categories you are interested in, and then provides you with a comprehensive list that has the popular items bolded or with photographs. Hope you find this useful!