From Frazzled to Fun

Want some fun and thrifty DIY ideas for Valentines Day?

1. Make a custom heart-shaped puzzle - This 8-piece puzzle is super cost effective at only $1.50. Directions:

1. Print a favorite picture of you and your sweetie onto matte photo paper in a 5x7 size.
2. Snap the jigsaw pieces together and lay them on top of your photo, then trace around the puzzle's perimeter with a pencil. Cut out the resulting heart shape.
3. Turn the photo and all the puzzle pieces facedown. Position the bottommost puzzle piece along the corresponding part of the back of the photo. Trace closely around the puzzle piece with a pencil, then remove. Repeat with the remaining puzzle pieces.
4. Using small scissors, carefully cut out each jigsaw shape from your photo with scissors. Use an acid-free glue stick to mount each cutout, face up, to its matching puzzle piece, also face up. Decorate an envelope or small box to package them in.

2. Coffee filter heart wreath - This is simple, but has many...

Have you been New Year decluttering and have annoying piles left over?

You know

...the stuff you want to keep

...but you don't use on the regular 

...and you don't necessarily want them taking up room in your prime real estate areas?

Don't give in to the temptation to just stuff it back into an area in your house to get it out of sight out of desperation the next time you have guests over.

The Coach Mom Tribe mamas have been working this week on a great storage box system, set up so they can easily retrieve anything in storage that they need within a matter of minutes.

It has saved me so much time, frustration and money the past 25 years.

Here's the quick gist of it: 

Fill storage boxes with "to save" items that you don't use frequently, and number them.

Make a list of those numbers (on your phone or another location), and beside each number record the contents of the box and the location of the box.

As your...

The Organizing Alongside Kids (OAK) 5-Day Challenge just wrapped up and was amazing. 

This is just one other way I'm helping moms move from frazzled to fun.

The progress made was just astounding. Moms realized just how much can be done in just 15 to 30 minute chunks of organizing time.

And many were surprised at how enthusiastic their kids were to help reach goals for their own rooms.

Check out below some of the before and after pictures.

Would you like to see some transformation like that in your own home?

Why not walk with us the clearly laid out step-by-step path to 

• a decluttered, organized home
• a family that pitches in happily to help with things like laundry and meals
• kids that get along
• a closer relationship with your spouse and kids 

The doors are open now but will close again at midnight tonight.

I am committed now more than ever to the building up and strengthening of Christian homes and...

Mom of elementary aged (or older) kids, are you ready to get the clutter moved out and get organized in a way that 3-4x your efforts? 

What if you could do that by having your kids gladly work alongside you?

But that would be a grumpfest if I tried to get my kids to help, you are thinking? It’s easier to just do it myself.

I’m here to tell you that you can

• multiply your efforts
• motivate your kids while training them in good life skills
• weave “teamwork” into the fiber of your family
• have fun doing it and
• end up with results that you can all be proud of!

“When it’s time to get something done I realize I haven’t been the best at communicating at the best times and in the right ways, so instead of everything going just smoothly, it’s gone bumpy often with bad attitudes, including my own,” says Nicolette Scarborough, Estes Park CO mom of boys ages 13, 11, and 8.  

She said,  "So we are...

In Christmases past, have you ever wished you had a better plan to enjoy the Christmas cards you receive?

I found a few ideas for Christmas card displays that I thought you might like to make yourself.

This DIY Christmas Card Tree by Driven by Decor is simple and adorable. 

Also, Minted has16 Unique Ideas for Christmas card displays here.

These were my favorites:

• Display bars
• Twinkly Lights Card Display
• Wall Tree Card Holder (zig-zagged twine)
• Binder Ring Christmas Card Flip Book

Which is your favorite? Or do you have an idea to share? I would love to hear it.

Praying you have a peaceful and joyful Christmas season, and that the cards you receive are reminders of the many blessings in your life in a year of tough realities.

May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in Him, so that you may be filled with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

The case of trying to thwart the snooper...I worked so hard at it a few Decembers ago that I have yet to find that sweater that my daughter pined for and I was sure she would not have the self-control to leave alone! (It's probably 2 sizes too small at this point....)

Do snoopers get active at your house before Christmas?

Oh, the thought of those gifts makes things soooo tempting!

It's time for you to get sneaky, girls. 

I've got a few tips for you:

• DO NOT hide in “traditional” places where kids will search (i.e. the floor or shelf of your closet, under the bed, etc.)
• DO keep track of where the gifts are kept. Jot down in notes on your phone where to find things when it is wrapping time.
• DO keep as many gifts hidden in one place as possible. Ideas:
  • In an empty diaper box (put one layer of diapers on top to cover)
  • In a large suitcase stored in its usual spot
  • In a grocery bag that is hung around the neck of a...

Thought about family photos this year yet?

While we most likely have all had more time with our children than we had anticipated this year, we may not have thought much about how they have grown and changed through the course of it.

Because our mental space has been filled up with the "extras" of pandemic and election concerns, I thought you might appreciate a little nudge that this might be a good time to think about a family picture.

Here are a few questions to help you make a great plan for family pictures this year:

• Color theme?
  • some solids
  • mix in a few touches of patterns to tie colors together
• Pose considerations
  • try to have everyone touching at least one other person (i.e. hand on a shoulder, etc.)
  • for older kids, remind them that if it bends, to bend it a little (elbows, knees, etc) so they don't appear stiff
  • when in doubt, lay on your tummies and pile the kids on top (hides bigger waistlines and also gets everyone really close in for the picture)
  • ...

On a recent three-day trip to the mountains, I failed to check the kids’ suitcases.

Ten minutes down the road I glanced down at my youngest daughter’s feet and noticed she was wearing her white dressy heels. (You would have thought I might notice this before, especially since she was also wearing a fancy dress.)

“You packed other shoes, right?” I asked.

“No.”

“Not even flip flops?” Not only had she not packed any play shoes, but she hadn’t packed undies, pajamas or her toothbrush.

But there she sat with her doll on her lap, and surrounded by her doll stroller, doll backpack, and doll beauty salon chair! It cost us about a half hour in the turn around, but thankfully we were able to get her tennis shoes and everything else she needed before leaving town. When we arrived at our destination, we opened up her suitcase to find the doll’s entire wardrobe complete with all the accessories! (She hadn’t missed a thing!)

What...